Transmission unit of wireless optical charging system considering user safety

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12463469-B2
Application number	US-202318397487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2023
Priority date	Dec 27, 2023
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A transmission unit of a wireless optical charging system considering user safety according to the present disclosure includes: a light source unit that generates laser light; an output unit that outputs the laser light to an outside; a reflected light output unit that is located between the light source unit and the output unit and outputs reflected light in which the output laser light is reflected from a reception unit and returned; and a light generation control unit that controls a generation of the laser light from the light source unit according to a result of determining whether a user is located between the transmission unit and the reception unit based on the reflected light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A transmission unit of a wireless optical charging system considering user safety, the transmission unit comprising:
a light source having at least one of a semiconductor laser and an optical fiber laser, and configured to generate laser light; an output device having a diffraction grating and a beam scanner, and configured to output the laser light to an outside; a reflected light output device having a beam splitter, disposed between the light source and the output device, and configured to output reflected light, wherein the reflected light is a part of the output laser light that is reflected from a reception unit and returned; and a light generation control device having a photo detector and a laser controller, and configured to control a generation of the laser light from the light source according to a result of determining whether a user is located between the transmission unit and the reception unit based on the output reflected light, wherein the photo detector is configured to generate a current corresponding to the reflected light, wherein the laser controller is configured to:
control the generation of the laser light from the light source according to a magnitude of the generated current,
generate a generation signal requesting the light source to generate the laser light when the magnitude of the generated current is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, and
generate a stop signal requesting the light source to stop generating the laser light when the magnitude of the generated current is less than the threshold value, and
wherein the light generation control device further includes:
a current comparison device configured to compare whether the magnitude of the generated current is equal to or greater than the threshold value; and
a light source control device configured to transmit the generation signal to the light source when the laser controller generates the generation signal while the magnitude of the generated current is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and transmit the stop signal in other cases.

2 . The transmission unit of claim 1 , wherein the light source includes:
a single mode fiber having one light propagation mode; the optical fiber laser disposed on a path of the single mode fiber and configured to output the laser light in a wide band by adjusting its output; a laser pump that is linked to the light generation control device and configured to add the laser light to the single mode fiber; an optical wavelength combiner configured to combine the laser light added from the laser pump with the laser light from the single mode fiber; and a circulator disposed on the single mode fiber path and configured to output the generated laser light to the output device.

3 . The transmission unit of claim 1 , wherein the reflected light output device is configured to output the reflected light, which is reflected from the reception unit and returned, using the beam splitter.

4 . The transmission unit of claim 1 , wherein the light source includes:
a laser generator configured to output the laser light in a wide band; and an optical isolator configured to output the output laser light in one direction, wherein the laser generator operates by being linked to the light generation control device.

5 . The transmission unit of claim 1 , wherein
the diffraction grating is configured to output the generated light onto a space, and the beam scanner is configured to irradiate the light output onto the space to a predetermined location.

6 . A transmission unit of a wireless optical charging system considering user safety, the transmission unit comprising:
a light source configured to generate laser light, the light source including:
a single mode fiber having one light propagation mode;
an optical fiber laser disposed on a path of the single mode fiber and configured to output the laser light in a wide band by adjusting its output;
a laser pump that is linked to a light generation control device and configured to add the laser light to the single mode fiber;
an optical wavelength combiner configured to combine the laser light added from the laser pump with the laser light from the single mode fiber; and
a circulator disposed on the single mode fiber path and configured to:
output the generated laser light to an output device, and
input returned light back to the single mode fiber;

the output device having a diffraction grating and a beam scanner, and configured to output the laser light to an outside; a reflected light output device having a beam splitter and disposed between the light source and the output device, the beam splitter configured to: output reflected light, which is one part of the output laser light that is reflected from a reception unit and returned, and transmit the returned light, which is another part of the output laser light that is reflected from the reception unit and returned, to the circulator; the light generation control device having a photo detector and a laser controller, and configured to control a generation of the laser light from the light source according to a result of determining whether a user is located between the transmission unit and the reception unit based on the output reflected light, wherein the photo detector is configured to generate a current corresponding to the reflected light that is output by the beam splitter, and wherein the laser controller is configured to control the generation of the laser light from the light source according to a magnitude of the generated current.

7 . The transmission unit of claim 6 , wherein the laser controller is further configured to:
generate a generation signal requesting the light source unit to generate the laser light when the magnitude of the generated current is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, and generates a stop signal requesting the light source unit to stop generating the laser light when the magnitude of the generated current is less than the threshold value.

8 . The transmission unit of claim 7 , wherein the light generation control device further includes:
a current comparison unit configured to compare whether the magnitude of the generated current is equal to or greater than the threshold value; and a light source control device configured to transmit the generation signal to the light source unit when the laser controller generates the generation signal while the magnitude of the generated current is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and transmit the stop signal in other cases.

9 . The transmission unit of claim 6 , wherein
the diffraction grating is configured to output the generated light onto a space, and the beam scanner is configured to irradiate the light output onto the space to a predetermined location.

Assignees

• Industry Academia Cooperation Group Of Sejong Univ

Inventors

• Ha Jin Yong

Classifications

• H04B10/807

  Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal · CPC title

• H02J50/60 Primary

  responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings · CPC title

• H01S3/091

  using optical pumping · CPC title

• H01S3/0826

  using a diffraction grating · CPC title

• H01S3/06791

  Fibre ring lasers (fibre laser gyrometers G01C19/72) · CPC title