WO2023095428A1

WO2023095428A1 - Wireless power transmission device and wireless power transmission system

Info

Publication number: WO2023095428A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/034947
Authority: WO
Inventors: 房二堀部; 航大青山; 貴司安尾
Original assignee: 株式会社Lixil
Priority date: 2021-11-24
Filing date: 2022-09-20
Publication date: 2023-06-01
Also published as: JP2023076909A

Abstract

A wireless power transmission device 10 according to an aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a transmission unit 3 that transmits radio waves W for supplying power; a determination unit 2 that determines a transmission destination for the radio waves W from among a plurality of reception devices 5 and 6 for receiving the radio waves W; and a transmission control unit 33 that controls the transmission direction of the radio waves W on the basis of the determination result of the determination unit 2.

Description

wireless power transmission device, wireless power transmission system

The present disclosure relates to a wireless power transmission device and a wireless power transmission system.

Patent Document 1 describes a remote control system composed of a device to be controlled and a remote controller for remotely operating the device. The device to be controlled is equipped with transmitting/receiving means for transmitting/receiving radio signals. The remote controller has means for receiving a radio signal transmitted from the transmitting/receiving means of the device to be controlled, and transmitting means for transmitting the radio signal. The remote controller has a power conversion unit that receives a radio signal transmitted from the transmitting/receiving means and converts it into power, and uses the power as a control power source for the remote controller itself.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-120641

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that uses wireless power transmission technology to receive a radio signal transmitted from a device to be controlled, and operates a remote control using power converted from the received signal. However, this document does not provide sufficient disclosure from the viewpoint of supplying power to a plurality of devices by wireless power transmission.

One of the purposes of the present disclosure is to provide technology for a wireless power transmission device capable of supplying power to multiple devices using radio waves.

In order to solve the above problems, a wireless power transmission device according to one aspect of the present disclosure determines a transmission destination of radio waves from among a transmission unit that transmits radio waves for power supply and a plurality of receiving devices that receive radio waves. and a transmission control unit that controls the transmission direction of radio waves based on the determination result of the determination unit.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a wireless power transmission system. This wireless power transmission system includes a controlled device, an operation device for wirelessly remotely operating the device, and a wireless power transmission device that transmits radio waves for supplying power to the operation device and the controlled device. The wireless power transmission device includes a transmission unit that transmits radio waves, a determination unit that determines the transmission destination of the radio waves from among the operation device and the controlled device, and a transmission control that controls the transmission direction of the radio waves based on the determination result of the determination unit. and

It is a figure which shows the toilet booth to which the wireless power transmission system of embodiment was applied. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the wireless power transmission system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the remote controller of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a toilet device control unit in FIG. 1;

The inventor of the present application studied a wireless power transmission device that transmits radio waves for power supply and obtained the following new findings. For example, if a toilet booth is equipped with a control device for a toilet cleaning device and a wall-mounted remote controller that wirelessly sends control signals to the control device, power supply construction is required for these devices. When retrofitting a device to existing equipment, the installation work becomes complicated, such as wiring behind the wall and work in a narrow space.

In order to save power supply construction, it is possible to equip each of these devices with a primary battery. In this case, since the remote control device consumes power even when it is on standby, the battery consumption is large, and considering the frequency of battery replacement, it cannot be said to be user-friendly.

In order to omit power supply construction, it is conceivable to use wireless power transmission to supply power to each of these devices using radio waves such as microwaves. In this case, a wireless power transmission device that transmits radio waves for power supply is expensive, and providing a large number of wireless power transmission devices is disadvantageous in terms of cost. The present disclosure has been made based on these findings, and will be described below with reference to embodiments.

An example of an embodiment will be described below. The same reference numerals are given to the same components, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, some components are omitted, enlarged, or reduced as appropriate. The drawings should be viewed according to the orientation of the symbols. The structures and shapes referred to in this specification include not only structures and shapes that exactly match what is being referred to, but also structures and shapes that deviate due to errors such as dimensional errors and manufacturing errors. Some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted in each drawing.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components. This terminology is only used to distinguish one component from another and is not intended to limit the structure of this disclosure. The following embodiments are exemplified to aid understanding of the content of the present disclosure, and do not limit the configuration of the present disclosure.

[Embodiment]
Please refer to FIG. Embodiments of the present disclosure are a wireless power transmission device 10 and a wireless power transmission system 100 . The wireless power transmission device 10 and the wireless power transmission system 100 can be applied to various equipment and devices in general household equipment. Such facilities and equipment include toilets, bathrooms, kitchens, door opening and closing devices, window opening and closing devices, doors operated by smartphones, devices that directly lock and unlock, and remote locking and unlocking. , a curtain opening/closing device, a partition opening/closing device, a garage door opening/closing device, a ventilation fan, a lighting, and the like. Moreover, the wireless power transmission device 10 and the wireless power transmission system 100 can be suitably applied to building materials such as walls, ceilings, floors, windows, window frames, and roofs. The wireless power transmission device 10 and the wireless power transmission system 100 can be applied not only to private residences but also to public buildings.

The wireless power transmission system 100 shown in FIG. 1 transmits a controlled device 22 and an operating device 21 for wirelessly remotely controlling the device, and radio waves W for supplying power to the operating device 21 and the controlled device 22. and a wireless power transmission device 10 . The controlled device 22 and the operating device 21 can be applied to the equipment and equipment of the general household equipment described above. In the example of FIG. 1 , the controlled device 22 and the operating device 21 are installed in a predetermined space 8 . As an example, the space 8 is a toilet booth 80, the operating device 21 is exemplified by a remote controller 75, which will be described later, and the controlled device 22 is exemplified by a toilet device control section 76, which will be described later. The controlled device 22 and the operating device 21 can be applied to facilities, devices, and configurations having an actuator section and at least one of an operating section that controls the actuator section and a sensing section that controls the actuator section.

In the example of FIG. 1, the toilet booth 80 is surrounded by a floor 81, four walls 82, and a ceiling 83. A doorway or window may be provided in the wall 82 . A lighting device 85 is provided on the ceiling 83 . In the example of FIG. 1, the space 8 is a closed space with all six sides interconnected. A wireless power transmission device 10 wirelessly transmits power to a plurality of

reception devices

5 and 6 provided in a space 8 .

As shown in FIG. 1, a toilet device 70 is installed on the floor 81 of the toilet booth 80. The toilet device 70 includes a toilet device main body 71 , a flush device 72 , a washing toilet seat device 73 , a toilet device control section 76 and a remote controller 75 . The toilet device main body 71 includes a toilet bowl, a toilet lid, a water supply tank, and the like.

The flushing device 72 is a device that flushes and cleans the waste in the toilet bowl with the force of water from the water supply tank. The flushing device 72 of this example has an electromagnetic valve controlled by the toilet device control section 76, and is operated by the action of this electromagnetic valve. The washing toilet seat device 73 is a device for washing the user's anus or the like with the force of water from the water supply tank. The washing toilet seat device 73 of this example has an electric actuator controlled by the toilet device control section 76, and is operated by the action of this electric actuator. Additionally, the toilet apparatus 70 comprises other functional units 74 controlled by a toilet apparatus controller 76 . Other functional units 74 include a hot water generating unit, a drying function unit, a deodorizing unit, a toilet seat warming unit, a massage unit, and the like.

Each block shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 can be realized by computer processors, CPUs, memory and other elements, electronic circuits, and mechanical devices in terms of hardware, and can be realized by computer programs or the like in terms of software. Although it is realized, here, the functional blocks realized by their cooperation are drawn. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be implemented in various ways by combining hardware and software. Each block may be collectively arranged in one device, or distributed among a plurality of devices.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the remote control 75 includes an operation button 751 , an operation acquisition section 752 , a signal conversion section 753 , a remote control transmission section 754 and the first receiving device 5 . The operation buttons 751 include buttons for operating the flush device 72 , buttons for operating the washing toilet seat device 73 , and buttons for operating other functional units 74 . The operation acquisition unit 752 acquires a user's operation input from the operation button 751 . The signal conversion unit 753 converts the operation input acquired by the operation acquisition unit 752 into control information. The remote control transmitter 754 transmits a remote control radio wave signal U generated by modulating control information on a carrier wave. As an example, the remote control radio wave signal U can be transmitted to the toilet device controller 76 via the loop antenna 755 .

The first receiving device 5 includes a power receiving section 51, a power converting section 52, and a secondary battery 53. The power receiving unit 51 receives radio waves for wireless power transmission from the wireless power transmitting device 10 via the antenna 512 . The power converter 52 rectifies the radio wave received by the power receiver 51 and converts it into power. The secondary battery 53 stores power converted from radio waves. The secondary battery 53 supplies power to electric circuits (including electronic circuits) in the remote controller 75 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the toilet device control section 76 includes a remote control reception section 762, a control information acquisition section 763, a unit control section 764, and a second reception device 6. Remote control receiver 762 receives remote control radio wave signal U transmitted from remote control 75 via loop antenna 765 . The remote control radio wave signal U is a signal obtained by modulating control information of the remote control 75 with a predetermined carrier wave. The control information acquisition unit 763 demodulates the remote control radio wave signal U and extracts the control information of the remote control 75 . The unit control section 764 controls the flush device 72 , the flush toilet seat device 73 and other functional units 74 based on control information from the remote controller 75 .

The second receiver 6 includes a power receiver 61 , a power converter 62 and a secondary battery 63 . The power receiving unit 61 receives radio waves for wireless power transmission from the wireless power transmitting device 10 via the antenna 612 . The power converter 62 rectifies the radio wave received by the power receiver 61 and converts it into power. The secondary battery 63 stores power converted from radio waves. The secondary battery 63 supplies power to electric circuits (including electronic circuits) of the toilet device control section 76 , the flush device 72 , the flushing toilet seat device 73 and other functional units 74 .

The configuration of the secondary battery 53 and the secondary battery 63 is not limited, but in this example, they are lithium ion batteries. The configurations of the

antennas

612 and 512 are not limited, but in this example, they are array antennas in which a plurality of antenna elements are regularly arranged.

The wireless power transmission device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The wireless power transmission device 10 may be installed anywhere as long as it can transmit radio waves for power supply to the space 8 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless power transmission device 10 of the embodiment is provided on the ceiling 83 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the wireless power transmission device 10 includes a transmission section 3 , a determination section 2 and a transmission control section 33 .

The transmitter 3 transmits the radio waves W generated by the radio wave generator 32 . The radio wave generator 32 generates radio waves W for power supply. The radio wave W for power supply is not limited as long as power transmission is possible. For example, it has been found that a transmission power of about 15 W can be achieved with radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band, and a transmission power of about 32 W can be achieved with radio waves in the 5.7 GHz band, for example. It has also been reported that electric power can be transmitted by radio waves in other frequency bands. In the embodiment, a 5.7 GHz band radio wave is used as the radio wave W for power supply.

The transmission unit 3 includes an antenna 34 for transmitting radio waves W. Although the configuration of the antenna 34 is not limited, in this example, it is an array antenna in which a plurality of radiating elements are regularly arranged. In particular, the antenna 34 in this example is a planar array in which radiating elements are arranged in a plane.

From the viewpoint of obtaining good transmission efficiency, it is desirable that the extension line in the transmission direction of the radio wave W pass through the vicinity of the receiving device. If radio waves W are transmitted to a plurality of receivers arranged in different directions without changing the transmission direction, it is difficult to obtain good transmission efficiency. Therefore, in the embodiment, the determining unit 2 determines a transmission destination from among the plurality of receiving

devices

5 and 6 provided in the space 8. FIG. In this example, the determining unit 2 determines the transmission destination from among the first receiving device 5 and the second receiving device 6 provided in the toilet booth 80 .

The transmission control unit 33 controls the transmission direction of the radio wave W based on the determination result of the determination unit 2. As described above, the antenna 34 is composed of a plurality of radiating elements arranged in a plane. The transmission control unit 33 can control the transmission direction of the radio wave W by electrically adjusting the amplitude and phase of each radiating element to change the directivity of the antenna 34 . In this example, the transmission control unit 33 directs the transmission direction of the radio waves W to either the first receiving device 5 or the second receiving device 6 by changing the directivity of the antenna 34 .

(first example)
A first example of the determination operation of determining the destination of the determination unit 2 will be described. If a signal is transmitted to one receiving device for a long period of time, the secondary battery of the other receiving device runs short of remaining power, so a secondary battery with a large capacity is required. Therefore, the determining unit 2 may determine the destination so that the radio waves W are transmitted to the

receiving devices

5 and 6 by time division or space division. For time division, for example, a method of dividing and controlling radio waves to be sent to each transmission destination so that the duty ratio is equal can be considered. In addition, as an example of space division, a method of equally dividing the array antenna by area and simultaneously transmitting from each of the divided array antennas toward different angles, or a method of not transmitting at a certain angle can be considered. . The division method is not limited to these.

For example, the radio wave W may be transmitted by switching between the first receiving device 5 and the second receiving device 6 every predetermined period P. If the predetermined period P is too short, the loss at the time of switching will increase and the efficiency will decrease. For example, the predetermined period P may be set within a range of 10 seconds or more and 1 hour or less. Within this range, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery rarely runs short while suppressing loss. The predetermined period P may be constant or may be changed. One period and the other period of the predetermined period P may be the same or different.

(Second example)
A second example of the determination operation for determining the destination of the determination unit 2 will be described. For example, it is desirable to transmit the radio waves W during times when there are few people coming and going, such as at night or on holidays. Therefore, the determination unit 2 may determine the transmission destination so that the radio wave W is transmitted at a preset time for each of the receiving

devices

5 and 6 . In other words, the wireless power transmitting device 10 can transmit the radio waves W to one and the other of the first receiving device 5 and the second receiving device 6 according to a preset schedule. In this schedule, the transmission start time and transmission end time of the radio wave W are set corresponding to each of the

receivers

5 and 6 .

(Third example)
A third example of the determination operation for determining the destination of the determination unit 2 will be described. If the destination is determined regardless of the remaining amount of the secondary battery, there is a possibility that the battery of one of the receiving devices will run out of charge. For this reason, it is conceivable to increase the capacity of the secondary battery, but in this case, the size of the battery increases. For this reason, it is desirable to preferentially transmit the radio wave W to a receiving device with a relatively low remaining battery level, based on the remaining battery level. Therefore, the determination unit 2 may determine the destination of the radio waves W based on the remaining battery level of the secondary batteries 53 and 63 of the receiving

devices

5 and 6 . That is, the wireless power transmitting device 10 compares the remaining battery level R5 of the secondary battery 53 of the first receiving device 5 with the remaining battery level R6 of the secondary battery 63 of the second receiving device 6, and , the destination of the radio wave W can be determined.

In this specification, for secondary batteries, the amount of electricity (current-time product) that can be discharged expressed in units of mAh is referred to as "capacity". The capacity of a secondary battery in a fully charged state is called “maximum capacity”. The capacity remaining in the secondary battery is called "remaining battery capacity" or "remaining capacity." The ratio of the remaining battery capacity to the maximum capacity (remaining battery capacity/maximum capacity×100%) is referred to as the "remaining capacity ratio".

The first receiving device 5 includes a battery information communication unit 56 that transmits information regarding the remaining battery level R5 of the secondary battery 53 to the wireless power transmitting device 10. The second receiving device 6 includes a battery information communication unit 66 that transmits information regarding the remaining battery level R6 of the secondary battery 63 to the wireless power transmitting device 10 . The battery

information communication units

56 and 66 can transmit and receive predetermined information in addition to battery information. The wireless power transmission device 10 has a remaining amount acquisition unit 12 that acquires information regarding the remaining battery amounts R5 and R6 transmitted from the battery

information communication units

56 and 66 . The determining unit 2 determines the destination of the radio wave W to the receiving device with the smaller remaining battery level based on the information about the remaining battery levels R5 and R6 acquired by the remaining level acquiring unit 12 .

(Fourth example)
A fourth example of the determination operation for determining the destination of the determination unit 2 will be described. It is desirable that the determining unit 2 preferentially transmit the radio waves W to the

receiving devices

5 and 6 having relatively low remaining capacity ratios. For example, the determining unit 2 determines the remaining amount ratio Q5 of the remaining battery level R5 to the maximum capacity of the secondary battery 53 of the first receiving device 5 and the remaining battery level R6 to the maximum capacity of the secondary battery 63 of the second receiving device 6. The remaining amount ratio Q6 may be compared to determine the transmission destination of the radio wave W so that the difference between the remaining amount ratios Q5 and Q6 becomes small.

As described above, the wireless power transmission device 10 includes the information communication unit 13 that communicates information with the battery

information communication units

56 and 66 of the receiving

devices

5 and 6. It is desirable to avoid interference between the radio wave W for power supply and the radio wave for information communication. Therefore, the wireless power transmitting device 10 of the embodiment may stop transmitting the radio waves W when the information communication unit 13 communicates.

The wireless power transmission device 10 of the embodiment includes a power supply unit 11 that converts power supplied from an external power supply 87 into internal power that can be used internally. The external power source 87 may be shared with the power source that supplies power to the lighting device 85 . If separate wiring for the external power supply 87 is provided for the wireless power transmission device 10 and the lighting device 85, the number of wiring steps increases, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost. Therefore, at least part of the wireless power transmission device 10 may be incorporated in the lighting device 85 . For example, a part of the wireless power transmission device 10 such as the power supply unit 11 may be incorporated in the lighting device 85 , or the wireless power transmission device 10 as a whole may be incorporated in the lighting device 85 . In the example of FIG. 1 , part of the wireless power transmitting device 10 is incorporated in the lighting device 85 .

The antenna 34 of the wireless power transmission device 10 is desirably installed at a position where the radio wave W can be transmitted over a wide range of the space 8. The lighting device 85 is often installed at a position that illuminates a wide range of the toilet booth 80 . Antenna 34 may be attached to lighting device 85 .

When there are people in the space 8 where the receiving

devices

5 and 6 are installed, it is conceivable that the transmission of the radio wave W is stopped. Therefore, the wireless power transmitting device 10 of the embodiment includes an estimating device 14 that estimates whether or not a person exists in the space 8 where the receiving

devices

5 and 6 are installed, and the estimating device 14 estimates that a person exists. When, the transmission of the radio wave W is stopped. The estimation device 14 is not limited as long as it can estimate the existence of a person. As an example, the estimation device 14 can be configured with a human sensor and a determination unit that determines whether or not a person is present based on the detection result of this sensor. When the estimating device 14 estimates that no person exists, the transmission of the radio waves W may be restarted.

When the lighting device 85 is on, there is a possibility that people are in the space 8 where the receiving

devices

5 and 6 are installed, so it is desirable to stop the transmission of the radio wave W. Therefore, the wireless power transmission device 10 of the embodiment includes the light detection unit 15 that detects the brightness of the space 8 in which the

reception devices

5 and 6 are installed, and when the detection result of the light detection unit 15 exceeds the threshold, the radio wave W stop sending The transmission of the radio wave W may be restarted when the detection result of the light detection unit 15 becomes equal to or less than the threshold.

By automatically detecting and storing the transmission direction of the radio wave W suitable for each of the receiving

devices

5 and 6, the man-hours for direction adjustment can be reduced. Therefore, the wireless power transmission device 10 of the embodiment changes the transmission direction of the radio wave W, and the direction detection unit 16 detects the transmission direction in which the

respective receiving devices

5 and 6 can receive the radio wave W, and the direction detection unit 16 and a storage unit 17 that stores the detected transmission direction in association with each of the receiving

devices

5 and 6 .

For example, the direction detection unit 16 can change the transmission direction of the radio wave W by changing the amplitude and phase of each radiation element of the antenna 34 . While changing the direction, the direction detection unit 16 can detect the transmission direction in which the reception conditions of the

reception devices

5 and 6 are good by monitoring the reception conditions of the

reception devices

5 and 6 . The storage unit 17 stores the transmission directions in which the reception conditions are good in association with the

reception devices

5 and 6 . When transmitting the radio waves W, the transmission control unit 33 reads the transmission direction associated with the destination receiving device determined by the determination unit 2 from the storage unit 17, and directs the directivity of the antenna 34 in the transmission direction. .

The features of the wireless power transmission device 10 of the embodiment will be described. The wireless power transmission device 10 includes a transmission unit 3 that transmits electric waves W for power supply, a determination unit 2 that determines the destination of the electric waves W from among a plurality of receiving

devices

5 and 6 for receiving the electric waves W, and a transmission control unit 33 that controls the transmission direction of the radio wave W based on the determination result of the determination unit 2 .

According to this configuration, the wireless power transmission device 10 can wirelessly supply power to each of the plurality of

reception devices

5 and 6 . For example, when the remote control 75 and the toilet device control section 76 are installed in the existing toilet after renovation, the

receivers

5 and 6 can be provided in the remote control 75 and the toilet device control section 76 . In this case, since it is not necessary to wire the external power source behind the wall for the remote control 75 and the toilet device control section 76, complicated work can be avoided.

As an example, the determining unit 2 may determine the destination so that the radio waves W are transmitted to the

receiving devices

5 and 6 by time division or space division. In this case, power can be supplied to each of the plurality of

receivers

5 and 6, and the battery is less likely to run out of charge than in the case where one receiver is fully charged before power is supplied to another device, and the capacity of the battery can be reduced.

As an example, the determining unit 2 may determine the destination so that the radio waves W are transmitted at preset times for the receiving

devices

5 and 6 . In this case, power can be supplied in a concentrated manner during a time period when there are few people coming and going, such as at night.

As an example, each of the receiving

devices

5 and 6 has secondary batteries 53 and 63 that are charged based on the power converted from the received radio wave W, and the determination unit 2 The destination of the radio wave W may be determined based on the remaining battery level of the . In this case, since the battery of the receiving device with a low remaining battery level can be charged preferentially, the battery is less likely to run out of charge.

As an example, the determination unit 2 compares the ratio of the remaining battery charge to the maximum capacity of each of the secondary batteries 53 and 63, and determines the transmission destination of the radio wave W so that the difference between the remaining charge ratios becomes small. may In this case, since the battery of the receiving device with a low remaining capacity ratio can be charged preferentially, it is difficult for the battery to run out of charge.

As an example, the plurality of receivers may be a receiver 6 for powering a flushing device 72 for flushing the toilet bowl, and a receiver 6 for powering a remote controller 75 for wirelessly remotely controlling the flushing device 72 . device 5; In this case, power can be wirelessly supplied to the washing device 72 and the remote controller 75 .

As an example, the plurality of receiving devices include a receiving device for supplying power to a solenoid valve that controls the amount of water discharged from an automatic faucet, and a sensor unit that supplies power to a sensor section that controls the solenoid valve according to the user's body movement. and a receiving device for. In this case, power can be wirelessly supplied to the solenoid valve and the sensor section of the automatic faucet.

As an example, the wireless power transmitting device 10 includes an information communication unit 13 that communicates information with the receiving

devices

5 and 6, and stops transmitting the radio wave W when the information communication unit 13 communicates information. In this case, interference between the electric wave W for power supply and the electric wave for information communication can be suppressed. An antenna can be shared by the electric wave W for power supply and the electric wave for information communication.

As an example, the wireless power transmission device 10 may be at least partially incorporated in the lighting device 85 . In this case, the man-hours for wiring from the external power supply 87 can be reduced as compared with the case of separate installation.

As an example, the wireless power transmitting device 10 includes an estimating device 14 that estimates whether or not a person exists in the space 8 in which a plurality of receiving devices are installed. It may stop sending W. In this case, when a person is present, by stopping the transmission of the radio wave W, the person can be prevented from receiving the radio wave.

As an example, the wireless power transmission device 10 includes a light detection unit 15 that detects the brightness of a space 8 in which a plurality of receiving devices are installed, and transmits radio waves W when the detection result of the light detection unit 15 exceeds a threshold. You can stop. In this case, when the lighting is turned on and the room becomes bright, there are many cases where a person is in the room.

As an example, the wireless power transmission device 10 changes the transmission direction of the radio wave W and detects the direction detection unit 16 that detects the transmission direction in which the

reception devices

5 and 6 can receive the radio wave W, and the direction detection unit 16 detects the transmission direction. and a storage unit 17 that stores the transmission direction in association with each of the receiving

devices

5 and 6 . In this case, since the destination is stored, wasteful operations can be omitted compared to the case of searching for the transmission direction each time the destination is changed.

The features of the wireless power transmission system 100 of the embodiment will be described. The wireless power transmission system 100 transmits a controlled device 22, an operating device 21 for wirelessly remotely operating the controlled device 22, and radio waves W for supplying power to the operating device 21 and the controlled device 22. and a wireless power transmission device 10 . The wireless power transmission device 10 includes a transmission unit 3 that transmits radio waves W, a determination unit 2 that determines the transmission destination of the radio waves W from among the operation device 21 and the controlled device 22, and the radio waves based on the determination result of the determination unit 2. and a transmission control unit 33 for controlling the transmission direction of W.

According to this configuration, the wireless power transmission system 100 can wirelessly supply power to each of the operating device 21 and the controlled device 22 . When the operation device 21 and the controlled device 22 are installed in the existing facility after renovation, it is easy because there is no need to wire the external power supply behind the wall for the operation device 21 and the controlled device 22. can be installed in

The above is the description of the embodiment.

A modified example will be described below. In the drawings and description of the modified example, the same reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent components and members as the embodiment. Descriptions that overlap with the embodiments will be omitted as appropriate, and configurations that differ from the embodiments will be mainly described.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which the wireless power transmitting device transmits radio waves W for power supply to the two

receiving devices

5 and 6 was shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The wireless power transmitting device may be configured to transmit radio waves for power supply to three or more receiving devices.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which a plurality of receiving

devices

5 and 6 are installed in the same space has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, there may be a radio wave obstacle such as a wall between multiple receivers. For example, the radio wave W can be supplied to a plurality of receiving devices by transmitting from the ceiling direction.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which the second receiving device 6 supplies power to the flushing device 72 and the washing toilet seat device 73 has been shown, but it is not limited to this. For example, the receiving device may be provided separately for the flush device and the flush toilet seat device.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which the receiving device supplies power to the toilet device was shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The plurality of receiving devices includes a receiving device for supplying power to a solenoid valve that controls the amount of water discharged from an automatic faucet, and a sensor unit that supplies power to a sensor unit that controls the solenoid valve according to the movement of the user's body, such as a hand. and a receiving device for providing. This automatic faucet can be applied to various facilities such as a kitchen and a hand wash.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which the wireless power transmission device 10 does not include a battery has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The wireless power transmission device may comprise a rechargeable battery.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which the space 8 is a closed space with all surfaces connected is shown, but it is not limited to this. For example, the ceiling of this space may be provided above the top of the wall, and a gap may be provided between the ceiling and the wall.

In the description of the embodiment, an example in which the antenna 34 for wireless power transmission is exposed was shown, but it is not limited to this. For example, an antenna for wireless power transmission may be covered with a cover member such as a cover of a lighting device.

Any combination of the above components is also effective as an aspect of the technical idea that abstracts the embodiments and modifications. For example, an embodiment may be combined with any description of another embodiment, or a modification may be combined with an embodiment and any description of another modification.

The embodiment and modifications have been described above. In understanding the technical ideas that abstract the embodiments and modifications, the technical ideas should not be construed as being limited to the content of the embodiments and modifications. The above-described embodiments and modifications are merely specific examples, and many design changes such as changes, additions, and deletions of components are possible. In the embodiment, the description of "embodiment" is added to emphasize the content that allows such design changes. However, design changes are permitted even if there is no such notation.

The present disclosure can be used for wireless power transmission devices and wireless power transmission systems.

2 determination unit, 3 transmission unit, 5, 6 reception device, 10 wireless power transmission device, 12 remaining amount acquisition unit, 13 information communication unit, 14 estimation device, 15 light detection unit, 16 direction detection unit, 17 storage unit, 33 transmission Control unit, 34 antenna, 53, 63 secondary battery, 85 lighting device.

Claims

a transmitter that transmits radio waves for power supply;
a determination unit that determines a destination of the radio waves from among a plurality of receiving devices for receiving the radio waves;
a transmission control unit that controls the transmission direction of the radio wave based on the determination result of the determination unit;
A wireless power transmission device, comprising:
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the transmission destination so that the radio wave is transmitted to each of the reception devices by time division or space division.
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the transmission destination so that the radio waves are transmitted at a preset time for each of the reception devices.
each of the receiving devices has a secondary battery that is charged based on power converted from the received radio waves;
The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the transmission destination based on the remaining battery level of each secondary battery.
5. The determining unit according to claim 4, wherein said determining unit compares the ratio of the remaining battery level to the maximum capacity of each of said secondary batteries, and determines said transmission destination so that the difference between said remaining battery level ratios is small. wireless power transmission device.
The plurality of receiving devices include a receiving device for supplying power to a flushing device for flushing a toilet bowl, and a receiving device for supplying power to a remote controller for wirelessly remotely operating the flushing device. The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The plurality of receiving devices supply power to a receiving device for supplying power to a solenoid valve that controls the amount of water discharged from the automatic faucet, and to a sensor unit that controls the above-mentioned solenoid valve according to the movement of the user's body. 6. A wireless power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a receiving device for.
An information communication unit that performs information communication with each of the receiving devices,
The wireless power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the transmission of the radio waves is stopped when the information communication unit performs information communication.
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is at least partly incorporated in a lighting device.
An estimating device for estimating whether or not a person exists in the space where the plurality of receiving devices are installed,
The wireless power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the estimating device stops transmitting the radio waves when it estimates that a person exists.
A light detection unit that detects the brightness of the space in which the plurality of receiving devices are installed,
The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the transmission of the radio waves is stopped when the detection result of the light detection unit exceeds a threshold.
a direction detection unit that detects a transmission direction in which each of the receiving devices can receive the radio waves by changing the transmission direction of the radio waves;
a storage unit that stores the transmission direction detected by the direction detection unit in association with each of the receiving devices;
12. The wireless power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising:
a device to be controlled, an operating device for wirelessly and remotely controlling the device;
a wireless power transmitting device that transmits radio waves for supplying power to the operating device and the controlled device;
with
The wireless power transmitting device comprises: a transmission unit that transmits the radio wave; a determination unit that determines a transmission destination of the radio wave from among the operation device and the controlled device; and a transmission control unit that controls a transmission direction.