Wireless power-supply system, wireless power-supply method, and power receiver

Abstract

This wireless power-supply system comprises: a power receiver that outputs a power transmission instruction; and a power transmitter that transmits power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiver, in which the power receiver includes: an operation unit that receives an operation indicating power transmission start or power transmission stop; an output unit that outputs the power transmission instruction in response to reception of the operation indicating the power transmission start to the operation unit; a connection mechanism to which a device is connected; and a power supply unit that supplies power transmitted from the power transmitter to the device via the connection mechanism.

Description

Wireless power supply system, wireless power supply method, and power receiver

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless power supply system, a wireless power supply method, and a power receiver. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-160110 filed in Japan on September 17, 2024, and incorporates its content herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for supplying power to a power receiver by wireless power supply is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a wireless power supply system including a transmitter that wirelessly transmits transmission power composed of an AC signal and a receiver that wirelessly receives the transmission power composed of the AC signal. This receiver has a rectifying section that rectifies the transmission power, a power management section that manages the rectified voltage from the rectifying section, a charging section that is charged by the output voltage from the power management section, and a controller that controls the operation of the receiver. This controller detects the value of a predetermined voltage in the receiver and stores the detected voltage value in a buffer memory by DMA (Direct Memory Access). Thereby, the power receiver determines the power reception state of the power receiver while realizing power saving.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 7507518

[0004] However, in the above-described wireless power supply system, even when attempting to use the power supplied to the power receiver with other devices such as IoT devices, there may be cases where it is impossible to incorporate a wireless power supply antenna in the other device or where it is impossible to connect a dongle. Thus, there are devices that can only be powered from a power outlet due to the specifications of other devices and cannot utilize wireless power supply. In such cases, there was a problem that the device could only be used in places with a specific connection form such as a power outlet.

[0005] Also, conventionally, when outputting a power transmission instruction from the power receiver to the power transmitter, it was necessary to issue the instruction via a power transmission system such as a smartphone or a personal computer. Therefore, it was necessary to separately prepare a terminal that can access the power transmission system.

[0006] This disclosure is made in view of these circumstances and aims to provide a wireless power supply system, a wireless power supply method, and a power receiver that can supply power from a power transmitter to a power receiver to other devices. Another objective of this disclosure is to provide a wireless power supply system, a wireless power supply method, and a power receiver that can output a power transmission instruction from the power receiver to the power transmitter even if the other devices receiving power from the power receiver are unable to output a power transmission instruction.

[0007] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of this disclosure is a wireless power supply system comprising: a power receiving unit that outputs a power transmission instruction; and a power transmitting unit that transmits power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiving unit, wherein the power receiving unit comprises: an operation unit that receives an operation to start or stop power transmission; an output unit that outputs the power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation to start power transmission to the operation unit; a connection mechanism to which equipment is connected; and a power supply unit that supplies power transmitted from the power transmitting unit to the equipment via the connection mechanism.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a power supply method comprising the steps of: a power receiver outputting a power transmission instruction; and a power transmitter transmitting power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiver, wherein the power receiver receives an operation indicating the start or stop of power transmission, outputs the power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation indicating the start of power transmission, and supplies the power transmitted from the power transmitter to equipment via a connection mechanism.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a wireless power supply system comprising a power receiving unit that outputs a power transmission instruction, and a power transmitting unit that transmits power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiving unit, wherein the power receiving unit comprises an operation unit that receives an operation to start or stop power transmission, an output unit that outputs the power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation to start power transmission from the operation unit, a connection mechanism to which equipment is connected, and a power supply unit that supplies power transmitted from the power transmitting unit to the equipment via the connection mechanism.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, power supplied from a power transmitter to a power receiver can be supplied to other devices. Furthermore, even if other devices receiving power from the power receiver are unable to output a power transmission instruction, the power receiver can output a power transmission instruction to the power transmitter.

[0011] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment. This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment. This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless power supply system 1 in the second embodiment. This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless power supply system 1A in the second embodiment. This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless power supply system 1B in the third embodiment. This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless power supply system 1B in the third embodiment.

[0012] Hereinafter, a wireless power supply system, a wireless power supply method, and a power receiver to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment. The wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment is a system for supplying power to a device 200, such as an IoT device, by wirelessly supplying power from a transmitter 300 to a receiver 100 and by wired supplying power from the receiver 100 to the device 200. Wireless power supply is, for example, a microwave power supply method, and power is supplied to the receiver 100 by transmitting radio waves from the transmitter 300. Wired power supply connects the receiver 100 and the device 200 with a cable, and power is supplied from the receiver 100 to the device 200 via the cable.

[0014] The wireless power supply system 1 includes, for example, a power receiver 100, equipment 200, a power transmitter 300, and a power transmission system 400. The power receiver 100 outputs a power transmission instruction. The power transmitter 300 transmits power in accordance with the power transmission instruction output from the power receiver 100. The power transmitter 300, for example, converts power from commercial power and transmits radio waves to supply power to the power receiver 100. The power transmitter 300 also wirelessly receives various information from the power receiver 100 and wirelessly transmits various information to the power receiver 100. Furthermore, the power transmitter 300 sends and receives various information with the power transmission system 400 via a communication network. The power transmission system 400 includes, for example, an access point and a server device for controlling the operation of the power transmitter 300. The power transmission system 400 communicates with the power transmitter 300 and the server device via the access point and controls the power transmission of the power transmitter 300.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment. The power receiver 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 102, a power receiving unit 106, a control unit 108, an operation unit 110, an output unit 112, a connection mechanism 114, and a power supply unit 116. The communication unit 102 includes a communication interface circuit for wired communication and a communication interface circuit for wireless communication. The communication unit 102 communicates with the equipment 200 and performs wireless communication with the power transmitter 300. The power receiving unit 106 receives power by generating an electromotive force from radio waves received from the power transmitter 300 by the communication unit 102. The control unit 108 is a processor that controls each part of the power receiver 100. The operation unit 110 is a switch or the like that is operated by the user. The operation unit 110 accepts operations to start or stop power transmission. The operation unit 110 is operated to ON when power is received by the power receiver 100 and power is supplied to the device 200, and is operated to OFF when power is not received by the power receiver 100 and power is not supplied to the device 200. The output unit 112 outputs a power supply instruction in response to receiving an operation from the operation unit 110 indicating the start of power supply. The power supply instruction output by the output unit 112 is transmitted to the power transmitter 300 by the communication unit 102. The connection mechanism 114 has a structure to which a power cable such as an outlet or USB port is connected. The device 200 is connected to the connection mechanism 114 via the power cable. The power supply unit 116 is a power conversion circuit that converts the voltage of the power received by the power receiving unit 106 to a predetermined voltage and outputs it. The power supply unit 116 supplies power transmitted from the power transmitter 300 to the device 200 via the connection mechanism 114.

[0016] The device 200 includes, for example, a communication unit 202, a control unit 204, a power supply unit 206, and a load 208. The communication unit 202 is a communication interface circuit for wired communication. The communication unit 202 communicates with the power receiver 100. The control unit 204 is a processor that controls each part of the device 200. The power supply unit 206 is, for example, a power conversion circuit that converts the voltage of power received via a wired cable into a predetermined voltage and outputs it to the load 208. The load 208 consumes the power supplied from the power supply unit 206 to perform various operations and processes.

[0017] The power transmitter 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 302, a power transmission unit 306, and a control unit 308. The communication unit 302 includes a communication interface circuit for communicating with the power transmission system 400 and also performs processing for wireless communication with the power receiver 100. The power transmission unit 306 operates on commercial power and causes the communication unit 302 to transmit radio waves for wireless power supply to the power receiver 100. The control unit 308 is a processor that controls each part of the power transmitter 300.

[0018] The power transmission system 400 includes, for example, a communication unit 402 and a processing unit 404. The communication unit 402 is, for example, an access point for communicating with the power transmitter 300. The processing unit 404 is a server device for controlling the operation of the power transmitter 300 via the communication unit 402.

[0019] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment. First, the power transmission system 400 sends a communication connection request S100 to the power transmitter 300, the power transmitter 300 sends a pre-connection request S102 to the power receiver 100 based on the communication connection request S100, and the power receiver 100 responds to the pre-connection request S102 with a response or the like. As a result, the wireless power supply system 1 performs pre-processing for the power transmitter 300 to wirelessly supply power to the power receiver 100.

[0020] Next, the power transmission system 400 transmits equipment setting information S104 to the power transmitter 300. The equipment setting information S104 is information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 and information indicating whether or not the equipment 200 needs to be constantly powered. Based on this, the power transmission system 400 sets the equipment setting information S104. The power receiver 100 outputs a start instruction S106 to the power transmitter 300 in response to, for example, the operation unit 110 being turned ON by a user. Next, the power receiver 100 transmits a power transmission instruction S108 to the power transmitter 300.

[0021] Upon receiving the power transmission instruction S108, the power transmitter 300 sends a beacon request S110 to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 replies with a response S112 to the beacon request S110. With this, the power receiver 100 and the power transmitter 300 are ready to transmit power.

[0022] When the device 200 is connected to the power receiver 100 via a wire (S114), the device 200 transmits device ON information S116 to the power receiver 100, indicating that the device's power is on. Upon receiving the device ON information S116, the power receiver 100 transmits a power transmission request S118 to the power transmitter 300. The power transmission request S118 may include information such as the amount of power and the power transmission period.

[0023] The power transmission unit 300 transmits the linked information S120, which includes the amount of power and transmission period requested by the power transmission request S118 obtained from the power receiver 100, to the power transmission system 400. The power transmission system 400, for example, uses a processing unit 404 to determine whether or not to transmit power and transmits the determination result S122 to the power transmission unit 300. The power transmission unit 300 includes the information such as the amount of power and transmission period included in the power transmission request S118 in the linked information S120, and the power transmission system 400 determines whether to permit the transmission of power for the amount of power and transmission period included in the linked information S120. For example, if the amount of power and transmission period included in the linked information S120 are within the range of pre-set equipment 200, power transmission, and transmission period, the power transmission system 400 permits the transmission.

[0024] When the power transmitter 300 receives the determination result S122 from the power transmission system 400, it transmits a power transmission radio wave S124 to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 supplies power S126 to the equipment 200. The power transmitter 300 may transmit power according to the amount of power to be supplied to the power receiver 100, based on the equipment setting information S104 indicating whether the power receiver 100 needs to be constantly powered.

[0025] Subsequently, if, for example, an off operation is performed on the power receiver 100, the power receiver 100 transmits a stop instruction S128 to the power transmitter 300. As a result, the power transmitter 300 stops transmitting the power transmission radio waves S124.

[0026] As described above, the wireless power supply system 1 in the first embodiment includes a power receiver 100 and a power transmitter 300 that transmits power in response to a power transmission instruction output from the power receiver 100. The power receiver 100 includes an operation unit 110 that receives an operation to start or stop power transmission, an output unit 112 that outputs a power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation to start power transmission from the operation unit 110, a connection mechanism 114 to which the device 200 is connected, and a power supply unit 116 that supplies power transmitted from the power transmitter 300 to the device 200 via the connection mechanism 114. This wireless power supply system 1 makes it possible to realize a wireless power supply system 1. With this wireless power supply system 1, power supplied from the power transmitter 300 to the power receiver 100 can be supplied to the device 200. Furthermore, with the wireless power supply system 1, even if the device 200 that receives power from the power receiver 100 is unable to output a power transmission instruction, the power receiver 100 can output a power transmission instruction to the power transmitter 300.

[0027] Furthermore, according to the wireless power supply system 1 of the first embodiment, a power transmission system 400 is provided which sets information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the device 200 and information indicating whether or not the device 200 needs to be constantly powered, and the power transmission system 300 can transmit power in accordance with the information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the device 200, based on the information indicating whether or not the device 200 needs to be constantly powered.

[0028] (Second Embodiment) The second embodiment will be described below. Note that parts identical to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless power supply system 1 in the second embodiment. The power supply unit 116 includes a battery unit 116a and a calculation unit 116b. The battery unit 116a charges the power transmitted from the power transmitter 300. The calculation unit 116b calculates the required power amount based on the change in the charge capacity of the battery unit 116a. The output unit 112 outputs a power transmission instruction including information indicating the required power amount calculated by the calculation unit 116b, and the power transmitter 300 transmits the power transmission instruction including information indicating the required power amount to the power transmission system 400. The power transmission system 400 sets information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 based on the power transmission instruction including information indicating the required power amount to the power transmitter 300.

[0029] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless power supply system 1A in the second embodiment. First, the power transmission system 400 transmits a communication connection request S100 to the power transmitter 300, the power transmitter 300 transmits a pre-connection request S102 to the power receiver 100 based on the communication connection request S100, and the power receiver 100 responds to the pre-connection request S102 with a response or the like. As a result, the wireless power supply system 1 performs pre-processing for the power transmitter 300 to wirelessly supply power to the power receiver 100.

[0030] Next, the power transmission system 400 transmits equipment setting information S104 to the power transmitter 300. The equipment setting information S104 includes information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 and information indicating whether or not the equipment 200 needs to be constantly powered. The equipment setting information S104 may also include information indicating the capacity of the power receiver 100 to charge and supply power, such as the capacity of the battery unit 116a. With this, the power transmission system 400 sets the equipment setting information S104. The power receiver 100 outputs a start instruction S106 to the power transmitter 300 in response to, for example, the operation unit 110 being turned ON by a user. Next, the power receiver 100 transmits a power transmission instruction S108 to the power transmitter 300.

[0031] Upon receiving the power transmission instruction S108, the power transmitter 300 sends a beacon request S110 to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 replies with a response S112 to the beacon request S110. With this, the power receiver 100 and the power transmitter 300 are ready to transmit power.

[0032] When the device 200 is wired to the power receiver 100 (S114), the device 200 transmits device ON information S116 to the power receiver 100 indicating that the device power is ON, and transmits a power amount request S116a to the power receiver 100. Upon receiving the device ON information S116 and the power amount request S116a, the power receiver 100 transmits a power transmission request S118a to the power transmitter 300. The power transmission request S118a may include information such as the amount of power and the power transmission period, the power amount request S116a transmitted from the device 200, the remaining capacity of the battery unit 116a, and the rate of change of the remaining capacity of the battery unit 116a.

[0033] The power transmission unit 300 transmits the linked information S120a, which includes the amount of power and transmission period requested by the power transmission request S118a obtained from the power receiver 100, to the power transmission system 400. The power transmission system 400, for example, uses a processing unit 404 to determine whether or not to transmit power and transmits the determination result S122a to the power transmission unit 300. The power transmission unit 300 includes information such as the amount of power request S116a included in the power transmission request S118a in the linked information S120a, and the power transmission system 400 determines whether to permit the transmission of power according to the amount of power request S116a included in the linked information S120a. For example, if the amount of power request S116a included in the linked information S120a is within the range of pre-set equipment 200, power transmission, and transmission period, the power transmission system 400 permits the transmission.

[0034] When the power transmitter 300 receives the judgment result S122a from the power transmission system 400, it transmits a power transmission radio wave S124a to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 supplies power S126a to the equipment 200. Subsequently, if, for example, an off operation is performed on the power receiver 100, the power receiver 100 transmits a stop instruction S128 to the power transmitter 300. As a result, the power transmitter 300 stops transmitting the power transmission radio wave S124.

[0035] As described above, according to the wireless power supply system 1A in the second embodiment, the power receiver 100 includes a battery unit 116a that charges power transmitted from the power transmitter 300, and a calculation unit 116b that calculates the required amount of power based on the change in the charge capacity of the battery unit 116a. The output unit 112 outputs a power transmission instruction that includes information indicating the required amount of power calculated by the calculation unit 116b. The power transmitter 300 transmits the power transmission instruction that includes information indicating the required amount of power to the power transmission system 400. The power transmission system 400 can set information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 based on the power transmission instruction that includes information indicating the required amount of power to the equipment 200 to the power transmitter 300. Thus, according to the wireless power supply system 1A, a power transmission request including the power necessary for the operation of the equipment 200 can be transmitted from the power receiver 100 to the power transmitter 300 to perform wireless power supply. Furthermore, the wireless power supply system 1A can transmit power from the transmitter 300 to the receiver 100, taking into consideration the power transmitted by the transmitter 300 and the charging capacity of the battery unit 116a.

[0036] (Third Embodiment) The third embodiment will be described below. Note that the same reference numerals are used for parts identical to those in the above-described embodiments, and detailed explanations will be omitted. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless power supply system 1B in the third embodiment. The communication unit 102 includes a receiving unit 102a. The receiving unit 102a receives a request from the equipment 200 indicating the amount of power. The output unit 112 outputs a power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power based on the request received by the receiving unit 102a. The power transmitter 300 transmits the power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power to the power transmission system 400. The power transmission system 400 sets information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 based on the power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power to the power transmitter 300.

[0037] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the wireless power supply system 1B in the third embodiment. First, the power transmission system 400 sends a communication connection request S100 to the power transmitter 300, the power transmitter 300 sends a pre-connection request S102 to the power receiver 100 based on the communication connection request S100, and the power receiver 100 responds to the pre-connection request S102 with a response or the like. As a result, the wireless power supply system 1 performs pre-processing for the power transmitter 300 to wirelessly supply power to the power receiver 100.

[0038] Next, the power transmission system 400 transmits equipment setting information S104 to the power transmitter 300. The equipment setting information S104 includes information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 and information indicating whether or not the equipment 200 needs to be constantly powered. The equipment setting information S104 may also include information indicating the capacity of the power receiver 100 to charge and supply power, such as the capacity of the battery unit 116a. With this, the power transmission system 400 sets the equipment setting information S104. The power receiver 100 outputs a start instruction S106 to the power transmitter 300 in response to, for example, the operation unit 110 being turned ON by a user. Next, the power receiver 100 transmits a power transmission instruction S108 to the power transmitter 300.

[0039] Upon receiving the power transmission instruction S108, the power transmitter 300 sends a beacon request S110 to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 replies with a response S112 to the beacon request S110. With this, the power receiver 100 and the power transmitter 300 are ready to transmit power.

[0040] When the device 200 is wired to the power receiver 100 (S114), the device 200 transmits device ON information S116b to the power receiver 100 indicating that the device power is ON, and transmits a power amount request S116b to the power receiver 100. The device ON information S116b includes a request from the device 200 indicating the amount of power. In response to receiving the device ON information S116b, the power receiver 100 calculates the requested amount of power and transmits a power transmission request S118b to the power transmitter 300. The power transmission request S118b may include information such as the amount of power, the power transmission period, and a request from the device 200 indicating the amount of power.

[0041] The power transmission unit 300 transmits the linked information S120b, which includes the amount of power and transmission period requested by the power transmission request S118b obtained from the power receiver 100, to the power transmission system 400. The power transmission system 400, for example, uses a processing unit 404 to determine whether or not to transmit power and transmits the determination result S122b to the power transmission unit 300. The power transmission unit 300 includes information such as the amount of power request S116b included in the power transmission request S118b in the linked information S120b, and the power transmission system 400 determines whether to permit the transmission of power according to the amount of power request S116b included in the linked information S120b. For example, if the amount of power request S116b included in the linked information S120b is within the range of pre-set equipment 200, power transmission, and transmission period, the power transmission system 400 permits the transmission.

[0042] When the power transmitter 300 receives the judgment result S122b from the power transmission system 400, it transmits a power transmission radio wave S124b to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 supplies power supply S126b to the equipment 200. If the power receiver 100 receives information S130 from the equipment 200 to change the operating mode, for example, it calculates the required amount of power and transmits a power transmission request S132 to the power transmitter 300. As a result, the power transmitter 300 transmits a power transmission radio wave S124b with modified transmission power to the power receiver 100, and the power receiver 100 supplies power supply S126b to the equipment 200. Subsequently, if, for example, an off operation is performed on the power receiver 100, the power receiver 100 transmits a stop instruction S128 to the power transmitter 300. As a result, the power transmitter 300 stops transmitting the power transmission radio wave S124.

[0043] As described above, according to the wireless power supply system 1B in the third embodiment, the power receiver 100 is equipped with a receiving unit 102a that receives a request indicating the amount of power from the equipment 200, the output unit 112 outputs a power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power based on the request received by the receiving unit 102a, the power transmitter 300 transmits the power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power to the power transmission system 400, and the power transmission system 400 can set information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment 200 based on the power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power to the power transmitter 300. Thus, according to the wireless power supply system 1B, information including the request output from the equipment 200 can be transmitted from the power receiver 100 to the power transmitter 300, and the power transmitted by the power transmitter 300 can be controlled.

[0044] The functions of the power receiver 100, equipment 200, power transmitter 300, and power transmission system 400 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a computer. In that case, the functions may be implemented by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into the computer system, and executing it. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as the OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside the computer system that acts as a server or client in such cases. Furthermore, the above program may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, or it may be for the purpose of realizing the above functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be for the purpose of realizing using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0045] Although each embodiment and modification example have been described, they are merely examples and not limited thereto. For example, any one of the embodiments and modification examples, or a part of an embodiment and a part of a modification example may be combined with one or more other embodiments and one or more other modification examples to realize an aspect of the present invention. For example, the output unit 112 may output a transmission instruction based on an instruction including a plurality of pieces of information. Specifically, the output unit 112 may output a transmission instruction based on both an instruction including information indicating the required power amount (first required power amount) calculated by the calculation unit 116b described in the second embodiment and an instruction including information indicating the required power amount (second required power amount) based on the request received by the reception unit 102a described in the third embodiment.

[0046] 1, 1A, 1B Wireless power supply system 100 Receiver 102 Communication unit 102a Reception unit 106 Power reception unit 108 Control unit 110 Operation unit 112 Output unit 114 Connection mechanism 116 Power supply unit 116a Battery unit 116b Calculation unit 200 Device 202 Communication unit 204 Control unit 206 Power supply unit 208 Load 300 Transmitter 302 Communication unit 306 Power transmission unit 308 Control unit 400 Power transmission system 402 Communication unit 404 Processing unit

Claims

1. A wireless power supply system comprising: a power receiving unit that outputs a power transmission instruction; and a power transmitting unit that transmits power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiving unit, wherein the power receiving unit comprises: an operating unit that receives an operation to start or stop power transmission; an output unit that outputs the power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation to start power transmission from the operating unit; a connection mechanism to which equipment is connected; and a power supply unit that supplies power transmitted from the power transmitting unit to the equipment via the connection mechanism.

2. The wireless power supply system according to claim 1, comprising a power transmission system which sets information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment and information indicating whether or not the equipment needs to be continuously powered, wherein the power transmission system transmits an amount of power according to the information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment, based on the information indicating whether or not the equipment needs to be continuously powered.

3. The wireless power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the power receiver comprises a battery unit that charges power transmitted from the power transmitter, and a calculation unit that calculates the required amount of power based on the change in the charge capacity of the battery unit, the output unit outputs a power transmission instruction that includes information indicating the required amount of power calculated by the calculation unit, the power transmitter transmits the power transmission instruction that includes information indicating the required amount of power to the power transmission system, and the power transmission system sets information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment based on the power transmission instruction that includes information indicating the required amount of power.

4. The wireless power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the power receiver includes a receiving unit that receives a request from the equipment indicating the amount of power, the output unit outputs a power transmission instruction including information indicating the requested amount of power based on the request received by the receiving unit, the power transmitter transmits the power transmission instruction including the information indicating the requested amount of power to the power transmission system, and the power transmission system sets information indicating the amount of power to be supplied to the equipment based on the power transmission instruction including the information indicating the requested amount of power.

5. A wireless power supply method comprising the steps of: a power receiver outputting a power transmission instruction; and a power transmitter transmitting power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiver, wherein the power receiver receives an operation indicating the start or stop of power transmission, outputs the power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation indicating the start of power transmission, and supplies the power transmitted from the power transmitter to the equipment via a connection mechanism.

6. A wireless power supply system comprising a power receiver that outputs a power transmission instruction, and a power transmitter that transmits power in response to the power transmission instruction output from the power receiver, wherein the power receiver comprises: an operation unit that receives an operation to start or stop power transmission; an output unit that outputs the power transmission instruction in response to receiving an operation to start power transmission from the operation unit; a connection mechanism to which equipment is connected; and a power supply unit that supplies power transmitted from the power transmitter to the equipment via the connection mechanism.

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