Mobile to mobile wireless charging

• US 10,110,046 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Esquibel, Begona Sanchez, Clement, Patrick, Dorel, Francois Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert
• Application Number:
  US15/191,450
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

The present disclosure describes systems and techniques relating to wireless charging of mobile devices, such as smartphones and wearable devices. According to an aspect of the described systems and techniques, a mobile data processing device includes: a display; a processor; a memory system; wireless communication hardware; a battery; a coil; and wireless charging circuitry coupled between the coil and the battery; wherein the wireless charging circuitry is configured to charge the battery using power received wirelessly through the coil, and wherein the wireless charging circuitry is further configured to draw power from the battery and operate the coil to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery to another mobile data processing device.

Claims

1. A first device comprising:

a display;

a processor coupled with the display;

a memory system coupled with the processor;

wireless communication hardware coupled with the memory system and the processor;

a battery coupled with the display, the processor, the memory system and the wireless communication hardware;

a coil; and

wireless charging circuitry coupled between the coil and the battery,

wherein the wireless charging circuitry is configured to charge the battery using power received wirelessly through the coil,

wherein the wireless charging circuitry is further configured to draw power from the battery and operate the coil to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery to a second device,

wherein the memory system encodes instructions for the processor, the instructions are configured to,

present a user interface on the display,

receive an input through the user interface that indicates an amount of power to provide to the second device,

monitor power drawn from the battery during operation of the coil to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery to the second device, and

terminate the wireless power transmission to the second device when the indicated amount of power has been provided, and

wherein the instructions encoded in the memory system are configured to cause the processor to;

receive an input that specifies two or more charge amounts for two or more second devices; and

store the input that specifies the two or more charge amounts for later use when respective ones of the two or more second devices are paired with the processor.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is a smartphone having a first side and a second side, the display is disposed on the first side, and the coil is disposed opposite the display and adjacent to the second side.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the second device is a wearable device.

4. The first device of claim 2, wherein the second device is a smartphone.

5. The first device of claim 2, wherein the wireless charging circuitry is configured to use inductive coupling between coils to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery to the second device.

6. The first device of claim 5, comprising a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) chip including the wireless charging circuitry.

7. The first device of claim 5, comprising a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) chip coupled with the wireless charging circuitry, wherein the wireless charging circuitry comprises wireless charging interface circuitry in another integrated circuit chip separate from the PMIC.

8. The first device of claim 2, wherein the wireless charging circuitry is configured to use resonant inductive coupling between coils to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery to the second device.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the coil is a single coil, and the wireless charging circuitry comprises:

receiver circuitry configured to charge the battery using the power received wirelessly through the single coil;

transmitter circuitry configured to draw the power from the battery and operate the single coil to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery to the second device; and

protection and power transfer optimization circuitry between the receiver circuitry and the transmitter circuitry.

10. The first device of claim 1, wherein the instructions encoded in the memory system are configured to cause the processor to present in the user interface on the display a charge level of the battery, and wherein the received input, indicating the amount of power to provide to the second device, comprises input to indicate an amount of power to reserve in the battery after the wireless power transmission to the second device.

11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the instructions encoded in the memory system are configured to cause the processor to present in the user interface on the display a charge level of a battery of the second device, and wherein the received input, indicating the amount of power to provide to the second device, comprises input received as either a specified lower charge level for the battery coupled with the display or a specified target charge level for the battery of the second device after the wireless power transmission to the second device.

12. The first device of claim 11, wherein:

the display comprises a touchscreen, and the instructions encoded in the memory system are configured to cause the processor to present draggable user interface charge markers in the user interface through which the input is received;

a first of the draggable user interface charge markers is usable to specify the lower charge level for the battery coupled with the display;

a second of the draggable user interface charge markers is usable to specify the target charge level for the battery of the second device; and

wherein the first and second draggable user interface charge markers are co-responsive to each other.

13. The first device of claim 1, wherein the instructions encoded in the memory system are configured to cause the process to:

find two or more second devices that can receive power wirelessly;

register at least one of the two or more second devices; and

present the at least one registered second device in the user interface enabling selection for wireless power transfer to the at least one registered second device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoding instructions, which when executed by a processor of a first device, cause the first device to perform operations comprising:

presenting a user interface on a display of the first device, wherein the first device comprises a battery, a coil, and wireless charging circuitry;

receiving an input through the user interface that indicates an amount of power to transfer wirelessly from the battery of the first device to a battery of a second device;

monitoring a battery charge level during operation of the coil to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery of the first device to the battery of the second device;

terminating the wireless power transmission to the battery of the second device after the indicated amount of power has been transferred;

finding two or more devices that can receive power wirelessly;

registering at least one of the two or more devices; and

presenting the at least one registered device in the user interface enabling selection for wireless power transfer to the at least one registered device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein:

the operations comprise presenting in the user interface on the display a charge level of the battery of the first device; and

receiving the input comprises receiving the input to indicate an amount of power to reserve in the battery of the first device after the wireless power transmission to the second device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein;

the operations comprise presenting in the user interface on the display a charge level of the battery of the second device; and

receiving the input comprises receiving the input as either a specified lower charge level for the battery of the first device or a specified target charge level for the battery of the second device after the wireless power transmission to the second device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoding instructions, which when executed by a processor of a first device, cause the first device to perform operations comprising:

presenting a user interface on a display of the first device, the first device comprising a battery, a coil, and wireless charging circuitry;

receiving input through the user interface that indicates an amount of power to transfer wirelessly from the battery of the first device to a battery of a second device;

monitoring a battery charge level during operation of the coil to wirelessly transmit the power from the battery of the first device to the battery of the second device;

terminating the wireless power transmission to the battery of the second device after the indicated amount of power has been transferred;

presenting in the user interface on the display a charge level of the battery of the first device, wherein receiving the input comprises receiving the input to indicate an amount of power to reserve in the battery of the first device after the wireless power transmission to the second device; and

presenting in the user interface on the display a charge level of the battery of the second device, wherein receiving the input comprises receiving the input as either a specified lower charge level for the battery of the first device or a specified target charge level for the battery of the second device after the wireless power transmission to the second device,

wherein

the display comprises a touchscreen, and the operations comprise presenting draggable user interface charge markers in the user interface through which the input is received,

a first of the draggable user interface charge markers being usable to specify the lower charge level for the battery of the first device,

a second of the draggable user interface charge markers being usable to specify the target charge level for the battery of the second device, and

the first and second draggable user interface charge markers are co-responsive to each other in the user interface.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations comprise:

finding two or more devices that can receive power wirelessly;

registering at least one of the two or more devices; and

presenting the at least one registered device in the user interface enabling selection for wireless power transfer to the at least one registered device.