Spatial power transmission system

Abstract

According to the present invention, a controller is connected to a power transmission device that spatially transmits power to a power reception device. The power reception device is a device that accumulates power and transmits data when the accumulated power reaches a threshold power. The controller sequentially switches an area supplied with power from the power transmission device, and determines the position of the power reception device on the basis of a change in data transmission from the power reception device accompanying the switching.

Description

Space-type power transmission system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for supplying power to a large number of sensors using natural energy or the like in combination with wireless power supply without replacing batteries or connecting power cables.

[0002] In recent years, Society 5.0 has been proposed, aiming to realize a smart society by installing a huge number of IoT (Internet of Things) devices in various places in everyday spaces and using a wide variety of sensing data. Realizing Society 5.0 requires a huge number of IoT devices, and one of the problems is power supply to IoT devices. When using chemical batteries as a power source, it is difficult to utilize a large number of them due to various reasons, such as the cost of battery inspection and replacement, the environmental impact of battery production and disposal, and the shortage of rare resources such as rare metals used in batteries. Energy harvesting technology (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "EH"), which harvests energy from the surrounding environment and uses it as power, has attracted attention as a technology to solve this problem. Using EH technology eliminates the need for chemical batteries and enables semi-permanent use of IoT devices over their lifetime. Among EH technologies, wireless power transfer, which can provide stable power supply in various locations, and a hybrid system using EH as a power source for IoT devices are being investigated [see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1]. ].

[0003] In order to effectively utilize the minute amount of power generated by energy harvesting, an IoT terminal may be used that repeats intermittent operations, such as turning the power off to store power, rather than constantly turning the power on for sensing, and once the reference power for one sensing and data transmission has been stored, turning the power on to perform sensing and data transmission only once, and then turning the power off again to store power.

[0004] It is desirable that the period of intermittent operation can be set for each IoT device depending on the intended use, etc. For example, intermittent operation at least once every 30 minutes or at least once every three hours. For this reason, it is required to continue collecting sensing data while always satisfying the intermittent operation period set by the user.

[0005] However, since wireless power supply requires wireless resources, there is an upper limit to the amount of power that can be supplied. Therefore, a method for efficiently wirelessly supplying power to IoT terminals that require power supply using limited wireless resources is required.

[0006] A system using a dedicated power transmitter that is not bound by wireless communication standards has been proposed. This power transmitter enables semi-permanent automatic power supply with a large transmission output power.

[0007] C. Fu et al. , “Throughput Maximization in Wireless Communication Systems Powered by Hybrid Energy Harvesting,” IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, VOL. 41, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2022.

[0008] A power transmission device transmits power one-to-one to a small area using a directional beam. Therefore, if the location of a power receiving device such as an IoT terminal is unknown, the power transmission device cannot supply power. On the other hand, power receiving devices such as IoT terminals are required to consume low power, and there are cases where the power receiving device cannot be equipped with a function to transmit its own location information.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to enable power to be supplied using a power transmission device even to a power receiving device that does not have a function for transmitting location information of the device itself.

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a spatial power transmission system that includes the controller of the present disclosure and a power transmitting device that transmits power to a power receiving device via space. The power receiving device stores power and transmits data when the stored power reaches a reference power.

[0011] The controller of the present disclosure is connected to a power transmission device and executes a location detection method of the present disclosure, in which the controller sequentially switches power supply areas from the power transmission device and determines the location of the power receiving device based on changes in data transmission from the power receiving device associated with the switching.

[0012] The controller may determine where the power receiving device is located within an area to which the power transmitting device can supply power by switching an area defined by a beam direction from the power transmitting device, or by reducing a beam diameter from the power transmitting device, to determine where the power receiving device is located within an area to which the power transmitting device can supply power.

[0013] The spatial power transfer system of the present disclosure may further include a wireless communication device that communicates with the power receiving device and supplies power to the power receiving device. In this embodiment, the power transmitting device may supply power to the power receiving device using radio waves having at least one of a frequency and an intensity different from those of the wireless communication device, or light having a frequency different from those of the wireless communication device.

[0014] The power receiving device may include a power receiver that receives power from the power transmitting device, a receiver that converts a wireless signal from the wireless communication device into power, an energy source that generates power, a capacitor that stores power from the power receiver, the receiver, and the energy source, and a communication module that transmits data using the power stored in the capacitor.

[0015] The above disclosures can be combined as much as possible.

[0016] According to the present disclosure, even a power receiving device that does not have a function for transmitting its own location information can be powered using a power transmitting device.

[0017] 1 shows an example of a system configuration of the present disclosure. 2 shows an example of a terminal configuration. 3 shows an example of an intermittent operation. 4 shows an example of a controller configuration. 5 shows an example of a position determination method executed by the controller. 6 shows an example of a system configuration of the present disclosure. 7 shows an example of a system configuration of the present disclosure. 8 shows an example of a power supply method executed by the controller.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below. These implementation examples are merely illustrative, and the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Note that components with the same reference numerals in this specification and drawings indicate the same components.

[0019] 1 shows an example of a system configuration according to the present disclosure. The spatial power transfer system of this embodiment includes a power transmitter 92, a controller 93, and a terminal 94. The controller 93 is connected to the power transmitter 92.

[0020] The power transmitting device 92 is a device that transmits power over the air to the terminal 94. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which two power transmitting devices 92#1 and 92#2 are provided. The power transmitting devices 92#1 and 92#2 each transmit power over the air to an area A defined for the device itself. ９２ #1 and Area A ９２ Supply power to #2. Area A ９２ #1 and Area A ９２ #2 indicates a power supply area to which the power transmitters 92#1 and 92#2 can supply power.

[0021] Some power transmission devices, such as the power transmission devices 92#1 and 92#2, cannot be used in an environment where people are present. A prohibited area where people are prohibited from entering can be set to any range that is equal to or greater than the range of the beams from the power transmission devices 92#1 and 92#2. In this embodiment, Area A ９２ This shows an example in which the area is set as a prohibited area where people are prohibited from entering.

[0022] In this embodiment, area A ９２ #1 and Area A ９２For example, a means for notifying the controller 93 of an intrusion into Area A ９２ #1 and Area A ９２ An example of this is entry / exit management information such as a card key for entering / exiting the room having #2.

[0023] The spatial power transmission system of this embodiment is ９２ #1 and Area A ９２ The area 82 may be provided with a sensor 82 that detects intrusion into at least one of Area A and Area B. The sensor 82 may be any means capable of detecting a person, such as a human sensor. The sensor 82 may be mounted on the power transmission device 92. The sensor 82 may notify periodically or only when information is updated. ９２ #1 and Area A ９２ There may be a means to detect intrusion into #2.

[0024] The terminal 94 is a power receiving device that stores power and transmits data when the stored power reaches a reference power, and may be, for example, an IoT terminal. The terminal 94 is an EH hybrid wireless terminal that operates using power supplied by the power transmitting device 92 and power supplied from other power sources.

[0025] 2 shows an example configuration of the terminal 94. The terminal 94 includes a power receiver 12 and an energy source 17. The power receiver 12 has a function of receiving power from the power transmission device 92. The energy source 17 has a function of generating power, such as solar power generation. In the present disclosure, an example is shown in which the energy source 17 is solar power generation. The capacitor 13 has a function of storing power from the power receiver 12 and the energy source 17.

[0026] The terminal 94 may include a receiver 11. The receiver 11 has a function of converting a radio signal from a wireless communication device 91 (described later) into electric power. The capacitor 13 has a function of storing electric power from the receiver 11.

[0027] The terminal 94 includes a microcomputer 14, a sensor 15, and a communication module 16. The sensor 15 is any sensor, such as a camera or a microphone, that is defined for each terminal 94. The communication module 16 has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from any device, such as a server. The microcomputer 14 has a function of controlling the sensor 15 and the communication module 16. The microcomputer 14 may also have a function of controlling the receiver 11, the power receiver 12, and the energy source 17.

[0028] The microcomputer 14, the sensor 15, and the communication module 16 operate using the power stored in the capacitor 13. When power is stored in the capacitor 13, the sensor 15 acquires sensing data, and the communication module 16 transmits the sensing data. The transmitted sensing data is collected in a predetermined server (not shown) via an external access point 83. The sensing data may include wireless information such as CSI (Channel State Information).

[0029] The external access point 83 is an access point that transfers sensing data, and can be an access point with low power consumption such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area).

[0030] The terminal 94, which cannot operate until power is stored in the capacitor 13, performs intermittent operation, alternating between a power storage period and a power consumption period, as shown in Fig. 3. During the power storage period, power is stored in the capacitor 13 from the receiver 11, the power receiver 12, and the energy source 17. During the power consumption period, the sensor 15 acquires sensing data, and the communication module 16 transmits the sensing data. The intermittent operation cycle and reference power differ depending on the sensor 15 used and the application. It is desirable to effectively utilize the power transmission device 92 to satisfy the intermittent operation cycle set by the user.

[0031] 4 shows an example of the configuration of the controller 93. The controller 93 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, and a communication module 33. The processor 31 has a function of controlling the power transmission device 92 based on information stored in the memory 32.

[0032] The memory 32 stores any information used to determine the power transmission device 92 that supplies power to the terminal 94. For example, the following can be exemplified: (i) location information of each terminal 94; (ii) area A; ９２ (iii) Information on the internal state of the device

[0033] The terminal internal information stores information on sensing data of each terminal 94 linked to identification information of the terminal 94. The sensing data information includes the time when the sensing data was set to be transmitted, the time when the sensing data was updated, and the time when power was stored when power was supplied by the power transmission device 92.

[0034] Because the power supplied by the power transmission device 92 is large, the power storage period of the terminal 94 supplied with power by the power transmission device 92 is shorter than that of the terminal 94 supplied with power by a device other than the power transmission device 92. This difference in the power storage period is reflected in the transmission interval of the sensing data. The controller 93 determines the position of the terminal 94 based on the transmission interval of the sensing data.

[0035] Specifically, in the terminal location detection method of the present disclosure, the controller 93 sequentially switches the power supply area from the power transmission device 92 and determines the location of the terminal 94 based on changes in data transmission from the terminal 94 that accompany the switching.

[0036] 5 shows an example of a position determination method executed by the controller 93. S11: Area A ９２ Select an area with no people in it. For example, Area A ９２ When there is no one in area #1, the controller 93 ９２ S12: The controller 93 selects the selected area A. ９２ At this time, power is supplied from the power transmitter 92#1 of area A. At this time, power is not supplied from the power transmitter 92#2. ９２Since the terminal 94 located in area #1 immediately stores power, the sensing data is transmitted at the shortest interval determined for each terminal 94. S13: The controller 93 determines whether the sensing data transmitted from the terminal 94 has been updated. S14: If the sensing data has been updated, the controller 93 compares it with the transmission time of the sensing data set for the terminal 94 whose sensing data has been updated. If it corresponds to the storage period when power was supplied by the power transmission device 92 #1, the position of the terminal 94 is determined to be in area A. ９２ If the storage period when power was supplied by power transmission device 92#1 has elapsed, the process returns to step S11. S15: If the sensing data has not been updated in step S13, the controller 93 determines whether the storage period of the sensing data set for each terminal 94 has elapsed. If the storage period is within the storage period (Yes in step S15), the controller 93 waits until the time to transmit the sensing data (S16).

[0037] In step S15, if the accumulation time has elapsed (No in step S15), ９２ Since there is no terminal 94 in #1, the process returns to step S11. ９２ Change to #2.

[0038] In this embodiment, an example in which there are two power transmitters 92 is shown, but there may be three or more power transmitters 92.

[0039] As described above, the controller 93 of this embodiment can grasp the location of the terminal 94 that does not have a function for measuring its own location. In particular, since the sensing data includes identification information such as the MAC address of the terminal 94, information on the location of each terminal 94 can be managed in the memory 32.

[0040] Second Embodiment Fig. 6 shows an example of a system configuration according to the present disclosure. The power transmitting devices 92#1 and 92#2 are capable of controlling the beam direction. In this embodiment, in step S11, the controller 93 ９２ Area A in a specific beam direction of #1 ９２ Select #11.

[0041] In step S12, the controller 93 selects the area A. ９２ The beam of the power transmitter 92#1 is controlled so that power is supplied to area A#11. At this time, power is not supplied from the power transmitter 92#2. ９２ Power is supplied from the power transmitter 92#1 only to the terminal 94 present in #11.

[0042] Area A ９２ The terminal 94 located in area #11 immediately stores power and transmits sensing data at the shortest interval determined for each terminal 94. ９２ The transmission interval of the sensing data from the terminal 94 located in area #11 is ９２ Area A of #1 ９２ The interval for transmitting sensing data from the terminal 94 located in the area other than #11 is shorter than the interval for transmitting sensing data from the terminal 94 located in the area other than #11. Therefore, the controller 93 executes steps S13 to S15 to determine whether the terminal 94 is located in area A. ９２ It can be determined that it is located at #11.

[0043] These steps S11 to S15 are performed in area A. ９２ This is performed sequentially for each area of ​​#1 determined by the beam direction. Area A ９２ When area #1 is divided into eight, steps S11 to S15 are performed eight times. ９２ It is possible to determine in which area of ​​#1 the terminal 94 is located.

[0044] In step S15, the terminal 94 is in area A. ９２ When the power transmitting device 92 is located in area A #11, the controller 93 reduces the beam diameter of the power transmitting device 92 #1. ９２ It may be determined in which area of ​​#11 the terminal 94 is located.

[0045] In this embodiment, the controller 93 switches the area defined by the beam direction from the power transmitting device 92#1, and ９２The sensing data includes identification information such as the MAC address of the terminal 94, so that information on where each terminal 94 is located can be managed in the memory 32.

[0046] By using this mechanism, the controller 93 can grasp the location of the terminal 94 that does not have a function for measuring its own location while supplying power to the terminal 94. As a result, this embodiment can efficiently supply power to the terminal 94 that needs power while tracking it.

[0047] The present embodiment is not limited to the power transmission device 92#1, but can also be applied to another power transmission device 92#2. The number of power transmission devices is not limited to two, 92#1 and 92#2, but may be one, or three or more.

[0048] 7 shows an example of a system configuration according to the present disclosure. The spatial power transfer system of this embodiment includes a wireless communication device 91, a power transmission device 92, and a controller 93. The wireless communication device 91 is a device capable of wireless communication with a terminal 94, and can be, for example, a Wi-Fi access point or base station.

[0049] Area A, which is the power supply area of ​​the power transmitter 92 ９２ is the communication area of ​​the wireless communication device 91, ９１ In this embodiment, the area A to which the power transmission device 92 can supply power overlaps at least a part of the area A. ９２ indicates area A in which the wireless communication device 91 can communicate. ９１ In this embodiment, the area A ９１ Area A inside ９２ are placed multiple times.

[0050] The spatial power transmission system of the present disclosure is ９１ For example, the controller 93 is provided with a means for notifying an intrusion into Area A. ９１ In this embodiment, a sensor 81 is provided to detect an intrusion into area A. ９２In this example, a sensor for detecting intrusion into the power transmitting device 92 is mounted on the power transmitting device 92. The first sensor 81 and the second sensor 82 may notify periodically or only when information is updated.

[0051] An example of the operation of the system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. ９２ #1 and A ９２ In addition to #2, Area A ９１ Since the sensing data has been updated in step S14, the area A ９２ #1 or A ９２ The location of terminal 94 in Area A can be determined. ９１ For the terminal 94 located in area A, the sensing data is not updated even if the accumulation time is exceeded in step S15. ９１ It can be determined that it exists in

[0052] In this embodiment, area A ９２ When a terminal 94 is present in area A, the controller 93 supplies power to the terminal 94 using the power transmission device 92. ９２ The beam direction of the power transmitting device 92 is controlled so as to follow the movement of the terminal 94 within #1.

[0053] Area A ９２ Terminal 94 moves out of Area #1 and moves to Area A. ９２ When there is no wireless communication device 91 in area A, the controller 93 supplies power to the terminal 94 using the wireless communication device 91. ９１ The wireless signal for power supply is transmitted to the entire area A. ９２ This may be done at any time while the terminal 94 is outside the network.

[0054] Terminal 94 moves to area A. ９２ When the terminal 94 is present in area A, the controller 93 supplies power to the terminal 94 using the power transmission device 92. ９２The beam direction of the power transmitting device 92 is controlled so as to follow the movement of the terminal 94 within #2.

[0055] In this way, the spatial power transmission system of this embodiment can supply power to the terminal 94 using the wireless communication device 91 when the terminal 94 moves. ９２ If a person intrudes into the power transmission device 92, the power transmission device 92 cannot be used. Therefore, the spatial power transmission system of this embodiment executes steps S21 to S24 shown in FIG.

[0056] S21: The controller 93 determines whether the area A ９１ It is determined whether or not a person is present within Area A, which is a communication area. ９１ When a person enters Area A, which is a prohibited area, ９２ S22: Area A ９１ If there is no person in area A, the controller 93 ９２ S23: Determine whether or not a person is present in Area A. ９２ If a person is present in the area A, the controller 93 ９２ For example, the wireless communication device 91 supplies power to the terminal 94 in the area A. ９２ If there is a person in area A #1, the controller 93 ９２ The power transmitting device 92#1 of #1 is stopped and the wireless communication device 91 is started. The wireless communication device 91 may be always running. S24: Area A ９２ If there is no person in the area A, the controller 93 ９２ The power transmitting device 92 supplies power to the terminal 94 in the area A. ９２ If no one is present in the power transmission device 92#2, the controller 93 activates the power transmission device 92#2. If the power transmission device 92#2 is already activated, power can be supplied as is.

[0057] The spatial power transmission system of this embodiment can provide a hybrid system that uses the wireless communication device 91 and the power transmission device 92 to supply power to the terminal 94.９２ By using the wireless communication device 91 when the terminal 94 moves outside, wireless power transmission can be realized even during times when people are working or over a wide area within a warehouse / factory.

[0058] Other Embodiments The controller 93 of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or provided via a network.

[0059] Furthermore, this embodiment is not limited to a hybrid of the wireless communication device 91 and the power transmission device 92. For example, the power transmission device 92 may use radio waves that are different in at least one of frequency and intensity from those of the wireless communication device 91. Furthermore, the power transmission device 92 may use other power transmission methods such as optical wireless power transmission. By employing optical wireless power transmission, power can be supplied even in environments where there are restrictions on the use of radio waves.

[0060] 11: Receiver 12: Power receiver 13: Capacitor 14: Microcomputer 15: Sensor 16: Communication module 81: First sensor 82: Second sensor 83: External access point 91: Wireless communication device 92: Power transmission device 93: Controller 94: Terminal

Claims

1. A controller connected to a power transmitting device that transmits power through space to a power receiving device, wherein the power receiving device is a device that stores power and transmits data when the stored power reaches a reference power, and the controller sequentially switches the power supply area from the power transmitting device and determines the position of the power receiving device based on changes in data transmission from the power receiving device that accompany the switching.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines where the power receiving device is located within an area to which the power transmitting device can supply power by switching an area defined by the beam direction from the power transmitting device.

3. The controller according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines where the power receiving device is located within an area to which the power transmitting device can supply power by reducing the beam diameter from the power transmitting device.

4. A spatial power transmission system comprising: a controller according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and a power transmitting device that transmits power to a power receiving device through space.

5. The spatial power transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the power receiving device comprises: a power receiver that receives power from the power transmitting device; an energy source that generates power; a capacitor that stores power from the power receiver and the energy source; and a communication module that transmits data using the power stored in the capacitor.

6. The spatial power transmission system according to claim 4, further comprising a wireless communication device that communicates with the power receiving device and supplies power to the power receiving device, wherein the power transmitting device supplies power to the power receiving device using radio waves having at least one of a frequency and intensity different from that of the wireless communication device, or light having a frequency different from that of the wireless communication device.

7. A location detection method executed by a controller connected to a power transmitting device that transmits power through space to a power receiving device, wherein the power receiving device is a device that accumulates power and transmits data when the accumulated power reaches a reference power, and the controller sequentially switches the power supply area from the power transmitting device and determines the location of the power receiving device based on changes in data transmission from the power receiving device that accompany the switching.

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