Wireless power transfer apparatus

1. An apparatus for transferring wireless power, the apparatus comprising:

a resonant circuit including:

a plurality of coils, and

a plurality of capacitor elements that are respectively connected to the plurality of coils;

a first voltage detector configured to detect an input voltage input to each of the plurality of coils;

a second voltage detector configured to detect a voltage of both ends of each of the plurality of coils; and

a controller configured to:

calculate individual quality factors of the plurality of coils at a resonance frequency,

calculate a total quality factor of the plurality of coils at the resonance frequency, and

determine whether foreign matter exists on a charging surface based on the total quality factor and the individual quality factors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that foreign matter exists on the charging surface based on a determination that the total quality factor at the resonance frequency is absent from a first reference range.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to, based on a determination that the total quality factor at the resonance frequency is included in the first reference range, determine whether foreign matter exists on the charging surface based on the individual quality factors at the resonance frequency.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that foreign matter does not exist on the charging surface based on a determination that all of the individual quality factors at the resonance frequency are included in a second reference range, in a state where the total quality factor at the resonance frequency is included in the first reference range.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:

calculate, according to a frequency sweep that results in changing voltage levels, a maximum value of a ratio of the voltage of both ends of each of the plurality of coils to the input voltage input to each of the plurality of coils,

use the maximum value as an individual quality factor of a corresponding coil at the resonance frequency, and

calculate a sum of the individual quality factors at the resonance frequency as the total quality factor at the resonance frequency.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to sweep from a low frequency to a high frequency, within an operation frequency band,

wherein the first voltage detector is configured to transmit, to the controller, the input voltage inputted to each of the plurality of coils in response to the frequency sweep,

wherein the second voltage detector is configured to transmit, to the controller, a voltage of both ends of each of the plurality of coils in response to the frequency sweep.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to, after performing a first frequency sweep within a first operation frequency band:

calculate a second operation frequency band smaller than the first operation frequency band based on the individual quality factors calculated according to the first frequency sweep, and

perform a second frequency sweep within the second operation frequency band.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate, as the second operation frequency band, a band in which each of the individual quality factors calculated according to the first frequency sweep is greater than a preset reference quality factor.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a memory configured to store the first reference range and the second reference range,

wherein the first reference range is a value acquired by adding a first measurement error to the total quality factor of the plurality of coils calculated, at the resonance frequency, when foreign matter does not exist on the charging surface, and

wherein the second reference range is a value acquired by adding a second measurement error to each of the individual quality factors calculated, at the resonance frequency, when foreign matter does not exist on the charging surface.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resonant circuit comprises first to fourth coils disposed to be partially overlapped with each other.

11. A method of transferring wireless power, the method comprising:

calculating individual quality factors of a plurality of coils at a resonance frequency;

calculating a total quality factor of the plurality of coils at the resonance frequency; and

determining whether foreign matter exists on a charging surface based on the total quality factor and the individual quality factors,

wherein calculating individual quality factors of the plurality of coils comprises:

detecting an input voltage input to each of the plurality of coils; and

detecting a voltage of both ends of each of the plurality of coils.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining whether foreign matter exists on a charging surface comprises:

determining that foreign matter exists on the charging surface based on a determination that the total quality factor at the resonance frequency is absent from a first reference range, and

based on a determination that the total quality factor at the resonance frequency is included in the first reference range:

determining whether foreign matter exists on the charging surface based on the individual quality factors at the resonance frequency, and

determining that foreign matter does not exist on the charging surface based on a determination that all of the individual quality factors at the resonance frequency are included in a second reference range, in a state where the total quality factor at the resonance frequency is included in the first reference range.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein calculating individual quality factors of the plurality of coils comprises:

calculating, according to a frequency sweep that results in changing voltage levels, a maximum value of a ratio of the voltage of both ends of each of the plurality of coils to the input voltage input to each of the plurality of coils, and

using the maximum value as an individual quality factor of a corresponding coil at the resonance frequency.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein calculating the total quality factor of the plurality of coils comprises calculating a sum of the individual quality factors at the resonance frequency as the total quality factor at the resonance frequency.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the frequency sweep is performed from a low frequency to a high frequency.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein, after performing a first frequency sweep within a first operation frequency band:

calculating a second operation frequency band smaller than the first operation frequency band based on the individual quality factors calculated according to the first frequency sweep, and

performing a second frequency sweep within the second operation frequency band.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein calculating the second operation frequency band comprises calculating the second operation frequency band as a band in which each of the individual quality factors calculated according to the first frequency sweep is greater than a preset reference quality factor.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first reference range is a value acquired by adding a first measurement error to the total quality factor of the plurality of coils calculated, at the resonance frequency, when foreign matter does not exist on the charging surface, and

the second reference range is a value acquired by adding a second measurement error to each of the individual quality factors calculated, at the resonance frequency, when foreign matter does not exist on the charging surface.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of coils are disposed to be partially overlapped with each other.