Power control device for enhanced efficiency in power conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12472834-B2
Application number	US-202318110383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2023
Priority date	Mar 22, 2022
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

A power control device includes a power receiving unit, a power converting unit, and a control device. The power receiving unit includes a secondary coil that receives AC electric power transmitted from a power transmitting device in a non-contact manner. The power converting unit includes transistors with two phases as a pair connected to the secondary coil. The power converting unit converts the AC electric power received by the power receiving unit to DC electric power. The control device performs a synchronous rectification operation of rectifying the AC electric power by synchronously driving the transistors in two phases when a target output is equal to or greater than a target output. The control device controls the synchronous rectification operation and a short-circuiting operation of short-circuiting the secondary coil using the transistors in two phases through pulse frequency modulation when the target output is less than the predetermined value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power control device comprising:
a power receiving unit including a coil that receives AC electric power transmitted from a power transmitting device in a non-contact manner; a power converting unit including a plurality of switching elements connected to the coil and configured to convert the AC electric power received by the power receiving unit to DC electric power; and a control device configured to control a switching operation of the plurality of switching elements, wherein the control device is configured to:
perform a synchronous rectification operation of rectifying the AC electric power by synchronously driving the plurality of switching elements when a target output is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and
control a cycle configured by two or more continuous synchronous rectification operations and a short-circuiting operation of short-circuiting the coil using the plurality of switching elements through pulse frequency modulation when the target output is less than the predetermined value.

2 . The power control device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of switching elements are bridge-connected in a plurality of phases, and
wherein the control device is configured to set the switching elements to an off state in the plurality of phases in a low-side arm while maintaining the synchronous rectification operation using the switching elements in the plurality of phases in a high-side arm in the short-circuiting operation.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Katsuya Jin

Classifications

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• B60L2210/30

  AC to DC converters · CPC title

• H02P2201/03

  AC-DC converter stage controlled to provide a defined DC link voltage · CPC title

• H02P2101/45

  for motor vehicles, e.g. car alternators · CPC title

• H02P11/04

  for controlling dynamo-electric converters having a DC output · CPC title