Multi-coil wireless power apparatus

• US 10,044,234 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Muurinen, Jari, Vuori, Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/892,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 320106, 320107, 320108, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-coil wireless power apparatus (100) comprising a first wireless power circuit (121) connectable to a first resonant tank (101, 21), wherein the first resonant tank (101, 21) is arranged to transfer inductive energy at a first frequency, and a second wireless power circuit (122) connectable to a second resonant tank (102, 22), wherein the second resonant tank (102, 22) is arranged to transfer inductive energy at a second frequency. The first resonant tank (101,21) is tunable to the second frequency when the second inductive energy coil (106, 26, 32, 42, 52) is active. The invention further relates to an apparatus and a computer program product.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first wireless power circuit connectable to a first resonant tank comprising a first inductive energy coil, a frequency tuner, a resonance mode switch and a power delivery mode switch, wherein the first resonant tank is configured to transfer inductive energy at a first frequency according to a first standard,

a second wireless power circuit connectable to a second resonant tank comprising a second inductive energy coil, wherein the second resonant tank is configured to transfer inductive energy at a second frequency according to a second standard, wherein the first frequency is different than the second frequency, and

a control logic circuit configured to determine which coil is active based on reception of an activity indication from one or more of the first wireless power circuit or the second wireless power circuit,

wherein when the second inductive energy coil is determined by the control logic circuit to be active;

the resonance mode switch is configured to enable tuning of the first resonant tank to the second frequency,

the power delivery mode switch is configured to disconnect the first inductive energy coil from the first wireless power circuit, and

the frequency tuner is configured to tune the first resonant tank to the second frequency.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the control logic circuit has determined that the first inductive energy coil is active:

the resonance mode switch is configured to disable tuning of the first resonant tank to the second frequency, and

the power delivery mode switch is configured to enable an electrical connection between the first inductive energy coil and the first wireless power circuit for transferring inductive energy.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second resonant tank further comprises a second resonance mode switch and a second power delivery mode switch.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the control logic circuit has determined that the first inductive energy coil is active:

the second resonance mode switch is configured to enable tuning of the second resonant tank to the first frequency, and

the second power delivery mode switch is configured to disconnect the second inductive energy coil from the second wireless power circuit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the control logic circuit has determined that the second inductive energy coil is active:

the second resonance mode switch is configured to disable tuning of the second resonant tank to the first frequency, and

the second power delivery mode switch is configured to enable electrical connection between the second inductive energy coil and the second wireless power circuit for transferring inductive energy.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second wireless power circuits is a wireless power receiver circuit, and wherein the control logic circuit is configured to determine which coil is active based on receiving an activity indication from the wireless power receiver circuit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control logic circuit is further configured to send a request for activity indication to the wireless power receiver circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency tuner comprises a capacitor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile phone.

10. A method comprising:

determining an active inductive energy coil of a multi-mode wireless charging apparatus comprising a first resonant tank, a first wireless power circuit connectable to the first resonant tank, and a second resonant tank, wherein the first resonant tank comprises a first inductive energy coil, a frequency tuner, a resonance mode switch and a power delivery mode switch, wherein the first inductive energy coil is configured to transfer inductive energy at a first frequency according to a first standard, and the second resonant tank comprises a second inductive energy coil, wherein the second inductive energy coil is configured to transfer inductive energy at a second frequency according to a second standard, wherein the first frequency is different than the second frequency, and wherein determining the active inductive energy coil is based on reception of an activity indication from the first wireless power circuit, and

when the second inductive energy coil is determined to be active, enabling tuning of the first resonant tank to the second frequency by the resonance mode switch, disconnecting the first inductive energy coil from the first wireless power circuit by the power delivery mode switch, and tuning the first resonant tank to the second frequency by the frequency tuner.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

disabling tuning of the first resonant tank to the second frequency by the resonance mode switch and enabling an electrical connection between the first inductive energy coil and the first wireless power circuit for transferring inductive energy by the power delivery mode switch when the first inductive energy coil is determined to be active.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second resonant tank further comprises a second wireless power circuit connectable to the second resonant tank, a second resonance mode switch and a second power delivery mode switch, the method further comprises:

enabling tuning of the second resonant tank to the first frequency by the second resonance mode switch and disconnecting the second inductive energy coil from the second wireless power circuit by the second power delivery mode switch when the first inductive energy coil is determined to be active.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

disabling tuning of the second resonant tank to the first frequency by the second resonance mode switch and enabling an electrical connection between the second inductive energy coil for receiving inductive energy by the second power delivery mode switch when the second inductive energy coil is determined to be active.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first wireless power circuit is a wireless power receiver circuit, and wherein determining the active inductive energy coil is based on receiving an activity indication from the wireless power receiver circuit.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

sending a request for activity indication to the wireless power receiver circuit.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the frequency tuner comprises a capacitor.

17. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising computer program code configured to, when executed on at least one processor, cause an apparatus to:

determine an active inductive energy coil of the apparatus comprising a first resonant tank, a first wireless power circuit connectable to the first resonant tank, and a second resonant tank, wherein the first resonant tank comprises a first inductive energy coil, a frequency tuner, a resonance mode switch and a power delivery mode switch, wherein the first inductive energy coil is configured to transfer energy at a first frequency according to a first standard, and the second resonant tank comprises a second inductive energy coil, wherein the second inductive energy coil is configured to transfer inductive energy at a second frequency according to a second standard, wherein the first frequency is different than the second frequency, and wherein determination of the active inductive energy coil is based on reception of an activity indication from the first wireless power circuit, and

when the second inductive energy coil is determined to be active;

enable tuning of the first resonant tank to the second frequency by the resonance mode switch,

disconnect the first inductive energy coil from the first wireless power circuit by the power delivery mode switch, and

tune the first resonant tank to the second frequency by the frequency tuner.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program code is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

disable tuning of the first resonant tank to the second frequency by the resonance mode switch and enable an electrical connection between the first inductive energy coil and the first wireless power circuit for transferring inductive energy by the power delivery mode switch when the first inductive energy coil is determined to be active.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second resonant tank further comprises a second wireless power circuit connectable to the second resonant tank, a second resonance mode switch and a second power delivery mode switch, and wherein the computer program code is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

enable tuning of the second resonant tank to the first frequency by the second resonance mode switch and disconnect the second inductive energy coil from the second wireless power circuit by the second power delivery mode switch when the first inductive energy coil is determined to be active.

20. The computer program product to claim 19, wherein the computer program code is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

disable tuning of the second resonant tank to the first frequency by the second resonance mode switch and enable an electrical connection between the second inductive energy coil for receiving inductive energy by the second power delivery mode switch when the second inductive energy coil is determined to be active.