Techniques for wireless charging communication

• US 10,110,278 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Xintian E., Kasturi, Sreenivas
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dominique, Emmanuel R
• Application Number:
  US14/498,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20150256226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Wireless charging communication examples are described. Various techniques for establishing a communication link between a power transmit unit and a power receive unit through a low energy wireless communication interface to enable the power receive unit to receive power are described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry for a power transmit unit (PTU) capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to one or more power receive units (PRUs);

a detect component for execution by the circuitry to detect a first PRU based on use of a transmitted short beacon to detect an impedance or charging load associated with the first PRU;

a beacon component for execution by the circuitry to transmit a long beacon that includes a first modulated signature, the long beacon to cause the first PRU to energize a low energy wireless communication interface;

a receive component for execution by the circuitry to receive a first advertisement (ADV) packet from the first PRU;

a connection component for execution by the circuitry to send a first connection request to the first PRU to establish a first communication link with the first PRU through the low energy wireless communication interface when the first ADV packet from the first PRU includes a signature that matches the first modulated signature; and

a transfer component for execution by the circuitry to cause transfer of power to the first PRU while maintaining the first communication link;

the receive component to receive a second ADV packet from a second PRU while power is being transferred to the first PRU, the second ADV packet including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature matching the first modulated signature;

a power modulation component for execution by the circuitry to modulate power provided to the first PRU responsive to the receive component receiving the second ADV packet, the power modulated to generate a second modulated signature that is capable of being detected by the second PRU;

the receive component to receive a third ADV packet from the second PRU;

the connection component to send a second connection request to the second PRU to establish a second communication link with the second PRU through a low energy wireless communication interface at the second PRU when the third ADV packet includes a signature that matches the second modulated signature; and

the transfer component to cause transfer of power to the second PRU while maintaining the second communication link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the first and second modulation signatures, when decoded, result in a same signature.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the first modulated signature comprising a sequence modulated on an amplitude of the long beacon, the sequence to indicate an identifier for the PTU.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a transmit resonator arrange to transfer power to the first PRU via resonate coupling with the first PRU.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, resonate coupling with the first PRU is at an operating frequency in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band that includes 6.78 megahertz (MHz).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the PTU arranged to operate in compliance with one or more industry standards including Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Version 1.0 Baseline System Specification or the Bluetooth Specification, Version 4.1.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the short and long beacons comprising A4WP beacons and the low energy wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) interface.

8. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry for a power transmit unit (PTU) capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to one or more power receive units (PRUs);

a detect component for execution by the circuitry to detect a first PRU based on use of a transmitted short beacon to detect an impedance or charging load associated with the first PRU;

a beacon component for execution by the circuitry to transmit a long beacon to cause the first PRU to energize a low energy wireless communication interface;

a receive component for execution by the circuitry to receive a first advertisement (ADV) packet from the first PRU including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature field, the beacon component to modulate a portion of the long beacon responsive to the receive component receiving the first ADV packet, the portion of the long beacon modulated to include a modulated signature, the receive component to receive a second ADV packet from the first PRU;

a connection component for execution by the circuitry to send a connection request to establish a first communication link with the first PRU through the low energy wireless communication interface when the second ADV packet includes a signature that matches the modulated signature included in the portion of the long beacon;

a transfer component for execution by the circuitry to cause transfer of power to the first PRU while maintaining the first communication link;

the receive component to receive a second ADV packet from a second PRU while power is being transferred to the first PRU, the second ADV packet from the second PRU including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature matching the first modulated signature;

a power modulation component for execution by the circuitry to modulate power provided to the first PRU responsive to the receive component receiving the second ADV packet from the second PRU, the power modulated to generate a second modulated signature that is capable of being detected by the second PRU;

the receive component to receive a third ADV packet from the second PRU;

the connection component to send a second connection request to the second PRU to establish a second communication link with the second PRU through a low energy wireless communication interface at the second PRU when the third ADV packet from the second PRU includes a signature that matches the second modulated signature; and

the transfer component to cause transfer of power to the second PRU while maintaining the second communication link.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising the first and second modulation signatures, when decoded, result in a different signature.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the first modulated signature comprising a sequence modulated on an amplitude of the portion of the long beacon, the sequence to indicate an identifier for the PTU.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising a transmit resonator arrange to transfer power to the first PRU via resonate coupling with the first PRU.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, resonate coupling with the first PRU is at an operating frequency in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band that includes 6.78 megahertz (MHz).

13. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising the PTU arranged to operate in compliance with one or more industry standards including Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Version 1.0 Baseline System Specification or the Bluetooth Specification, Version 4.1.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, the short and long beacons comprising A4WP beacons and the low energy wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) interface.

15. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting a first power receive unit (PRU) based on use of a transmitted short beacon to detect an impedance or charging load associated with the first PRU;

transmitting a long beacon that includes a first modulated signature, the long beacon to cause the first PRU to energize a low energy wireless communication interface;

receiving an advertisement (ADV) packet from the first PRU;

sending a first connection request to the first PRU to establish a first communication link with the first PRU through the low energy wireless communication interface when the first ADV packet from the first PRU includes a signature that matches the first modulated signature;

causing transfer of power to the first PRU while maintaining the first communication link;

receiving a second ADV packet from a second PRU while power is being transferred to the first PRU, the second ADV packet including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature matching the first modulated signature;

modulating power provided to the first PRU responsive to the receive component receiving the second ADV packet, the power modulated to generate a second modulated signature that is capable of being detected by the second PRU;

receiving a third ADV packet from the second PRU;

sending a second connection request to the second PRU to establish a second communication link with the second PRU through a low energy wireless communication interface at the second PRU when the third ADV packet includes a signature that matches the second modulated signature; and

causing transfer of power to the second PRU while maintaining the second communication link.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second modulation signatures, when decoded, result in a same signature.

17. The method of claim 15, the first modulated signature comprising a sequence modulated on an amplitude of the long beacon, the sequence to indicate an identifier for a power transmit unit (PTU).

18. The method of claim 15, comprising transferring, via a transmit resonator, power to the first PRU via resonate coupling with the first PRU.

19. At least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed by circuitry for a power transit unit unit (PTU) causes the circuitry to:

detect a first power receive unit (PRU) based on use of a transmitted short beacon to detect an impedance or charging load associated with the first PRU;

transmit a long beacon that includes a first modulated signature, the long beacon to cause the first PRU to energize a low energy wireless communication interface;

receive an advertisement (ADV) packet from the first PRU;

send a first connection request to the first PRU to establish a first communication link with the first PRU through the low energy wireless communication interface when the first ADV packet from the first PRU includes a signature that matches the first modulated signature;

cause transfer of power to the first PRU while maintaining the first communication link;

receive a second ADV packet from a second PRU while power is being transferred to the first PRU, the second ADV packet including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature matching the first modulated signature;

modulate power provided to the first PRU responsive to the receive component receiving the second ADV packet, the power modulated to generate a second modulated signature that is capable of being detected by the second PRU;

receive a third ADV packet from the second PRU;

send a second connection request to the second PRU to establish a second communication link with the second PRU through a low energy wireless communication interface at the second PRU when the third ADV packet includes a signature that matches the second modulated signature; and

cause transfer of power to the second PRU while maintaining the second communication link.

20. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first and second modulation signatures, when decoded, result in a same signature.

21. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, the first modulated signature comprising a sequence modulated on an amplitude of the long beacon, the sequence to indicate an identifier for a power transmit unit (PTU).

22. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed by circuitry for the PTU causes the circuitry to transfer, via a transmit resonator, power to the first PRU via resonate coupling with the first PRU.