Assisted alignment for wireless charging

• US 10,072,947 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mantler, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Farhana
• Application Number:
  US14/804,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 32420717, 324652, 320108
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/004 for measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/31 for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

Techniques for visual-assisted wireless charging, including methods and systems, including machine-readable media storing executable instructions. In some implementations, a computer-implemented method includes detecting, at a mobile device that includes a wireless charging coil, electromagnetic signals from a wireless charging pad, determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals, that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad, determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals, a direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad, and in response to detecting that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad indicating, displaying on a screen of the mobile device, (i) a location of the wireless charging coil within the mobile device, (ii) the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processing devices, the method comprising:

detecting, at a mobile device that includes at least a wireless charging coil, a first auxiliary winding and a second auxiliary winding, electromagnetic signals from a wireless charging pad, wherein the first auxiliary winding and the second auxiliary winding are positioned on opposite sides of the receiving coil along an axis that intersects a position of the receiving coil on the mobile device;

determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals, that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad;

determining, for a current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a charging efficiency of power transfer that occurs between the wireless charging pad and the mobile device due to the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad;

generating, by the first auxiliary winding and for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a first electrical output produced by the first auxiliary winding;

generating, by the second auxiliary winding and for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a second electrical output produced by the second auxiliary winding;

determining a differential signal representing a difference between a magnitude of the first output produced by the first auxiliary winding and a magnitude of the second output produced by the second auxiliary winding;

determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals and the differential signal, a direction to move the mobile device along the axis that intersects the position of the receiving coil on the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad; and

in response to detecting that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad indicating, on a screen of the mobile device, (i) a location of the wireless charging coil within the mobile device, (ii) the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad, and (iii) the charging efficiency for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad comprises detecting the electromagnetic signals with the wireless charging coil;

wherein determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad comprises;

determining an amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil; and

determining that the amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil satisfies a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises auxiliary windings in addition to the wireless charging coil;

wherein detecting the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad comprises detecting the electromagnetic signals with the auxiliary windings; and

wherein determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad comprises determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad based on a magnitude of output of the auxiliary windings produced in response to the electromagnetic signals detected by the auxiliary windings.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the charging efficiency of the wireless charging coil is determined based on (i) an amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil and (ii) the magnitude of output of the auxiliary windings produced in response to the electromagnetic signals detected by the auxiliary windings.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, from one or more position sensors within the mobile device, a first signal indicative of a position of the mobile device relative to the wireless charging pad;

determining, based on the first signal, a direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad; and

displaying, on the screen of the mobile device, the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein after displaying the direction and after movement of the mobile device, receiving, from the one or more position sensors of the mobile device, a second signal indicative of a second position of the mobile device relative to the wireless charging pad;

determining, based on the second signal, that the wireless charging coil is aligned with a transmitting coil of the wireless charging pad; and

in response to determining that the wireless charging coil is aligned with the transmitting coil, displaying on the screen of the mobile device, a notification indicating that the wireless charging coil of the mobile device is aligned to the transmitting coil of the wireless charging pad.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the location of the wireless charging coil within the mobile device comprises displaying, on a graphical interface of the mobile device and over a location where the wireless charging coil is located within the mobile device, a shape indicating an area covered by the wireless charging coil of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile device further comprises auxiliary windings in addition to the wireless charging coil; and

the method further comprises;

determining differences in magnitudes between outputs produced by different auxiliary windings in response to electronic magnetic signals detected by the auxiliary windings;

determining an alignment between the wireless charging pad and the mobile device based on the differences in magnitudes; and

wherein the charging efficiency is determined based on the determined alignment between the wireless charging pad and the mobile device that is determined based on the differences in magnitudes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad on the screen of the mobile device comprises displaying text providing an instruction to a user of the mobile device to move the mobile device in the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the magnitude of the first electrical output produced by the first auxiliary coil exceeds the magnitude of the first electrical output produced by the first auxiliary coil; and

the direction to move the mobile device is a direction along the axis and towards a side of the position of the receiving coil on the mobile device that is opposite to the position of the first auxiliary coil.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an amount to move the mobile device based on the outputs of the auxiliary windings.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

detecting, at a mobile device that includes at least a wireless charging coil, a first auxiliary winding and a second auxiliary winding, electromagnetic signals from a wireless charging pad, wherein the first auxiliary winding and the second auxiliary winding are positioned on opposite sides of the receiving coil along an axis that intersects a position of the receiving coil on the mobile device;

determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals, that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad;

determining, for a current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a charging efficiency of power transfer that occurs between the wireless charging pad and the mobile device due to the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad;

generating, by the first auxiliary winding and for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a first electrical output produced by the first auxiliary winding;

generating, by the second auxiliary winding and for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a second electrical output produced by the second auxiliary winding;

determining a differential signal representing a difference between a magnitude of the first output produced by the first auxiliary winding and a magnitude of the second output produced by the second auxiliary winding;

determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals and the differential signal, a direction to move the mobile device along the axis that intersects the position of the receiving coil on the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad; and

in response to detecting that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad indicating, on a screen of the mobile device, (i) a location of the wireless charging coil within the mobile device, (ii) the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad, and (iii) the charging efficiency for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein detecting the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad comprises detecting the electromagnetic signals with the wireless charging coil;

wherein determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad comprises;

determining an amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil; and

determining that the amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil satisfies a threshold.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile device comprises auxiliary windings in addition to the wireless charging coil;

wherein detecting the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad comprises detecting the electromagnetic signals with the auxiliary windings; and

wherein determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad comprises determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad based on a magnitude of output of the auxiliary windings produced in response to the electromagnetic signals detected by the auxiliary windings.

15. The system of claim 12, comprising:

receiving, from one or more position sensors within the mobile device, a first signal indicative of a position of the mobile device relative to the wireless charging pad;

determining, based on the first signal, a direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad; and

displaying, on the screen of the mobile device, the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein after displaying the direction and after movement of the mobile device, receiving, from the one or more position sensors of the mobile device, a second signal indicative of a second position of the mobile device relative to the wireless charging pad;

determining, based on the second signal, that the wireless charging coil is aligned with a transmitting coil; and

in response to determining that the wireless charging coil is aligned with the transmitting coil, displaying on the screen of the mobile device, a notification indicating that the wireless charging coil of the mobile device is aligned to the transmitting coil of the wireless charging pad.

17. A non-transitory computer storage device encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

detecting, at a mobile device that includes at least a wireless charging coil, a first auxiliary winding and a second auxiliary winding, electromagnetic signals from a wireless charging pad, wherein the first auxiliary winding and the second auxiliary winding are positioned on opposite sides of the receiving coil along an axis that intersects a position of the receiving coil on the mobile device;

determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals, that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad;

determining, for a current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a charging efficiency of power transfer that occurs between the wireless charging pad and the mobile device due to the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad;

generating, by the first auxiliary winding and for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a first electrical output produced by the first auxiliary winding;

generating, by the second auxiliary winding and for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad, a second electrical output produced by the second auxiliary winding;

determining a differential signal representing a difference between a magnitude of the first output produced by the first auxiliary winding and a magnitude of the second output produced by the second auxiliary winding;

determining, based on the detected electromagnetic signals and the differential signal, a direction to move the mobile device along the axis that intersects the position of the receiving coil on the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad; and

in response to detecting that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad indicating, on a screen of the mobile device, (i) a location of the wireless charging coil within the mobile device, (ii) the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad, and (iii) the charging efficiency for the current position of the mobile device with respect to the wireless charging pad.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein detecting the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad comprises detecting the electromagnetic signals with the wireless charging coil;

wherein determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad comprises;

determining an amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil; and

determining that the amount of power transfer to the wireless charging coil satisfies a threshold.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the mobile device comprises auxiliary windings in addition to the wireless charging coil;

wherein detecting the electromagnetic signals from the wireless charging pad comprises detecting the electromagnetic signals with the auxiliary windings; and

wherein determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad comprises determining that the mobile device is in proximity of the wireless charging pad based on a magnitude of output of the auxiliary windings produced in response to the electromagnetic signals detected by the auxiliary windings.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, comprising:

receiving, from one or more position sensors within the mobile device, a first signal indicative of a position of the mobile device relative to the wireless charging pad;

determining, based on the first signal, a direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad; and

displaying, on the screen of the mobile device, the direction to move the mobile device to align the wireless charging coil with the wireless charging pad.