RECEIVING UNIT AND POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION

Abstract

The invention relates to a receiver unit (200), which is configured to cooperate with a transmitter unit (100) separate from the receiver unit for the wireless transfer of energy, said transmitter unit (100) comprising a primary coil (L.sub.1), which can be supplied with a supply voltage (U.sub.V), wherein the receiver unit (200) comprises a secondary coil (L.sub.2), to which a first intermediate circuit capacitor (C.sub.Z,1) is connected via a rectifier (210), and a power unit (240), to which a consumer (225) and/or an energy store (220) are connected, wherein the receiver unit (200) comprises a second intermediate circuit capacitor (C.sub.Z,2), to which the power unit (240) is connected, wherein the first intermediate circuit capacitor (C.sub.Z,1) and the second intermediate circuit capacitor (C.sub.Z,2) are connected to one another in a separable manner via a switch (S.sub.7), and wherein the receiver unit (200) comprises an auxiliary supply unit (250), which is connected to the rectifier (210) for the purpose of voltage supply and which is configured to close the switch (S) to connect the first intermediate circuit capacitor (C.sub.Z,1) to the second intermediate circuit capacitor (C.sub.Z,2) when an output voltage (U.sub.out,H) of the auxiliary supply unit (250) exceeds a specified threshold value.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system comprising: a transmitter unit comprising a primary coil configured to receive a supply voltage; and a receiver unit comprising: a secondary coil; a power unit connected to an electrically powered device or an energy storage device; a rectifier; an auxiliary supply unit connected to the rectifier; a first intermediate circuit capacitor connected to the secondary coil via the rectifier; and a second intermediate circuit capacitor connected to the power unit, wherein the second intermediate circuit capacitor and the first intermediate circuit capacitor are connected via a switch, wherein the auxiliary supply unit is configured to close the switch to connect the first intermediate circuit capacitor to the second intermediate circuit capacitor in response to an output voltage of the auxiliary supply unit exceeding a threshold value.

12. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the switch is a semiconductor switch.

13. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the switch is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) or an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

14. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary supply unit comprises an optical coupler configured to actuate the switch.

15. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary supply unit further comprises a voltage comparator configured to actuate the optical coupler to close the switch in response to the output voltage of the auxiliary supply unit exceeding the threshold value.

16. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary supply unit comprises a voltage divider configured to generate the output voltage.

17. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the power unit comprises a buck converter.

18. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the receiver unit is configured to be arranged underneath the skin of a human or an animal.

19. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system of claim 11, wherein the transmitter unit is configured to be arranged on the skin outside of a human or animal body

20. The transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system claim 11, wherein energy received by the receiver unit is configured to be used for circulatory or cardiac support systems.

21. A cardiac support system, comprising: a transcutaneous wireless energy transfer system, the energy transfer system comprising: a transmitter unit comprising a primary coil configured to receive a supply voltage; and a receiver unit comprising: a secondary coil; a power unit connected to an energy storage device, the energy storage device configured to supply energy to the cardiac support system; a rectifier; an auxiliary supply unit connected to the rectifier; a first intermediate circuit capacitor connected to the secondary coil via the rectifier; and a second intermediate circuit capacitor connected to the power unit, wherein the second intermediate circuit capacitor and the first intermediate circuit capacitor are connected via a switch, wherein the auxiliary supply unit is configured to close the switch to connect the first intermediate circuit capacitor to the second intermediate circuit capacitor in response to an output voltage of the auxiliary supply unit exceeding a threshold value.

22. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the switch is a semiconductor switch.

23. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the switch is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) or an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

24. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the auxiliary supply unit comprises an optical coupler configured to actuate the switch.

25. The cardiac support system of claim 24, wherein the auxiliary supply unit further comprises a voltage comparator configured to actuate the optical coupler to close the switch when the output voltage of the auxiliary supply unit exceeds the threshold value.

26. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the auxiliary supply unit comprises a voltage divider configured to generate the output voltage.

27. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the power unit comprises a buck converter.

28. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the receiver unit is configured to be arranged underneath the skin of a human or animal.

29. The cardiac support system of claim 21, wherein the transmitter unit is configured to be arranged on the skin outside of a human or animal body

Description

[0021] The invention is shown schematically in the drawing based upon an exemplary embodiment and is described below with reference to the drawing.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an energy transfer system according to the invention in a preferred embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 1 schematically shows an energy transfer system 300 according to the invention for the wireless transfer of energy in a preferred embodiment. The energy transfer system comprises a transmitter unit 100 and a receiver unit 200 separate therefrom, wherein the receiver unit 200 is configured as a receiver unit according to the invention in a preferred embodiment.

[0024] The transmitter unit 100 comprises a primary coil L.sub.1, which, via an inverter 110 comprising four semiconductor switches (designated S.sub.1 to S.sub.4), for example MOSFETs or bipolar transistors, can be connected to a supply voltage U.sub.V or can be supplied with this supply voltage. In addition, a prefilter 120 comprising unspecified components and a compensation capacitance are connected between the inverter 110 and the primary coil L.sub.1. The compensation capacitance is used for resonant actuation (actuation with the design frequency) as reactive power compensation.

[0025] With the applied supply voltage U.sub.V and suitable actuation of the inverter, an alternating magnetic field can thus be generated by means of the coil L.sub.1.

[0026] The receiver unit 200 comprises a secondary coil L.sub.2, to which a first intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,1 is connected via a compensation capacitance and a rectifier 210. A second intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,2 is connected to the first intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,1 via a switch S.sub.7. The two intermediate circuit capacitors can therefore be connected in parallel or separate from one another by means of the switch S.sub.7. In the present example, the switch S.sub.7 is designed as an N-MOSFET, with a drain connection D, a source connection S, and a gate/switching connection G.

[0027] In turn, a power unit or power stage 240 is connected to the second intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,2, said power unit comprising two semiconductor switches S.sub.5 and S.sub.6, which can be configured e.g. as MOSFETs, IGBTs, or bipolar transistors and, together with an inductance and a capacitance, serve as a buck converter, in particular.

[0028] An energy storage unit 220 and a consumer 225 are then connected to the power unit 240, for example. The energy storage unit can be separated from the power unit 240, for example, using an unspecified switch 221, for example in the case of a fault. The energy storage unit 220 can be an accumulator or a rechargeable battery, in particular. Using the aforementioned buck converter, a voltage U.sub.out with a current I.sub.out can be set at the energy storage unit, for example.

[0029] The rectifier 210 is designed as a passive rectifier with four unspecified diodes. However, the use of an active rectifier with, for example, semiconductor switches is also conceivable.

[0030] The receiver unit 200 further comprises an auxiliary supply unit 250, which is connected to the rectifier 210, for example, by means of an unspecified switch, a diode, and a capacitor—inter alia—and functions as a buck converter similarly to the power unit 240. In this way, the auxiliary supply unit 250 can itself be directly supplied with the voltage induced in the secondary coil L.sub.2 and generate a specified, regulated output voltage U.sub.out,H. The output voltage U.sub.out,H is regulated by means of so-called pulse width modulation, i.e. via the switch-on time of the active switch of the auxiliary supply unit 250 in relation to the switching period.

[0031] Further, a (conventional) voltage comparator 252 is provided, to which the output voltage U.sub.out,H of the auxiliary supply unit 250 is applied and which is connected to an optical coupler 251. The optical coupler 251 is, in turn, connected to the gate connection G of the switch/N-MOSFET S7.

[0032] The voltage comparator 252 and the optical coupler 251 are configured to flip or close the switch S.sub.7 conductively and thus connect the second intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,2 together with the power unit 240 to the first intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,1 when the output voltage U.sub.out,H exceeds a threshold value that can be appropriately specified or set. The voltage comparator 252 is non-inverting and switches its output voltage when a positive threshold value (preferably approx. 15 V) is reached at the input.

[0033] The receiver unit 200 can now in particular be configured to be arranged or implanted under a skin, indicated here with the number 310, and used for a circulatory or cardiac support system, for example. In particular, the energy storage unit 220 can be used for the energy supply of such a circulatory or cardiac support system.

[0034] When the transmitter unit 100 is positioned correspondingly outside or on the skin 310, a coupling between the primary coil L.sub.1 of the transmitter unit 100 and the secondary coil L.sub.2 of the receiver unit 200 is achieved, when positioned accordingly.

[0035] If the transmitter unit is now actuated or operated in such a way that an alternating magnetic field is generated by means of the primary coil L.sub.1, a voltage or current flow is induced in the secondary coil L.sub.2 by the coupling. This in turn leads to the first intermediate circuit capacitor C.sub.Z,1 being charged and the auxiliary supply unit 250 being supplied with voltage.

[0036] As soon as the output voltage U.sub.out,H of the auxiliary supply unit exceeds the threshold value, the power unit 240 is, as mentioned above, connected to the following components and also supplied with voltage. In this way, a safe powering-up of the receiver unit 200 can be achieved.