Multi-turn coil on metal backplate

• US 10,122,182 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Standke, Randy, Ko, Chih-Hsiang, Jeong, Seong Heon
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US14/854,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20160254678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless power transfer apparatus that includes a case for an electronic device. The case may have an electrically conductive panel portion and side portions defined along sides of the panel portion. The case further have at least one opening formed one of the side portions. A coil configured to couple to an externally generated magnetic field may have first segments that span a width of the panel portion of the case and second segments arranged along the side portions of the case and exposed through the at least one opening.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer apparatus comprising:

a case configured to house electronic components of an electronic device, the case having an electrically conductive panel portion and side portions along sides of the panel portion, the case defining a non-electrically-conductive portion through at least one of the side portions; and

a coil configured to couple to an externally generated magnetic field, the coil including a plurality of loops each having first segments that span a width of the panel portion of the case and second segments arranged along the side portions of the case and adjacent the non-electrically-conductive portion, the second segments of each of the plurality of loops being displaced a different distance from the panel portion than the first segments of the respective loop;

wherein the panel portion of the case is metallic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is electrically separate from the panel portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel portion defines a central opening therethrough, wherein the coil is disposed in and along a perimeter of the central opening.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-electrically-conductive portion comprises at least one opening defined by the at least one of the side portions.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second segments of the coil are magnetically exposed through the at least one opening.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case further comprises an upper panel portion and a lower panel portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel portion defines a slot therethrough that extends from an interior of the panel portion to a periphery of the panel portion.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first segments of the coil are enclosed by the panel portion of the case.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first segments of the coil are disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB) housed within the case.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-electrically-conductive portion spans a length of the panel portion of the case.

11. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the side portions of the case comprise one or more strips of material that comprises the case, the one or more strips of material disposed parallel to the at least one opening.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil comprises a single multi-turn winding of electrically conductive material.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil comprises a single multi-turn winding of electrically conductive material having a first plurality of turns wound about a circumference of the panel portion of the case and a second plurality of turns wound within the periphery of the panel portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is connected to a reactive network defining a resonant circuit configured to facilitate coupling to the externally generated magnetic field.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of loops includes at least a first loop and a second loop, the second segment of the first loop being displaced further from the electrically-conductive middle panel than the second segment of the second loop.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first segment of each of the plurality of loops is disposed in a first plane, the second segment of each of the plurality of loops is disposed in a second plane, and the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane.

17. A method for wireless power transfer to electronic components of an electronic device comprising:

coupling a first segment of each of a plurality of turns of a multi-turn coil to an externally generated magnetic field through a case that houses the electronic components, the first segments each spanning a width of a metallic panel portion of the case;

coupling a second segment of each of the plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil to the externally generated magnetic field through a non-electrically-conductive portion of a side portion of the case over a distance from the second segment of a first turn of the plurality of turns to the second segment of a second turn of the plurality of turns;

generating power in response to coupling to the externally generated magnetic field; and

providing the generated power to the electronic components.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein coupling the second segment of each of the plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil to the externally generated magnetic field includes coupling to the externally generated magnetic field through a cap that covers the non-electrically-conductive portion of the case.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the cap is a non-metallic and non-ferromagnetic material.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein coupling the second segment of each of the plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil to the externally generated magnetic field includes coupling to the externally generated magnetic field through a plurality of non-electrically-conductive portions through the side portion of the case.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second segments of the multi-turn coil constitute a first plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil, the method further comprising coupling a second plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil to the externally generated magnetic field wound about an additional opening formed through the case.

22. An apparatus for wireless power transfer comprising:

means for housing electronic components of an electronic device and comprising an electrically-conductive middle panel; and

means for coupling to an externally generated magnetic field, the means for coupling including a coil having a plurality of loops with each loop having at least a first segment contained within the means for housing adjacent the electrically-conductive middle panel, spanning a width of the electrically-conductive middle panel, and at least a second segment displaced a different distance from the electrically-conductive middle panel than the first segment and disposed adjacent a non-electrically-conductive portion extending through a side of the means for housing.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the non-electrically-conductive portion is an opening defined by the side of the means for housing.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first segment of the means for coupling is configured to couple to the externally generated magnetic field through material comprising the means for housing, wherein the second segment is exposed to the externally generated magnetic field.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the means for housing comprises an upper panel, a middle panel, and a lower panel, wherein the first segment of the means for coupling is enclosed by the middle panel.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the plurality of loops includes at least a first loop and a second loop, the second segment of the first loop being displaced further from the electrically-conductive middle panel than the second segment of the second loop.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first segment of each of the plurality of loops is disposed in a first plane, the second segment of each of the plurality of loops is disposed in a second plane, and the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane.

28. A wireless power transfer apparatus comprising:

a case configured to house electronic components of an electronic device, the case having an electrically conductive panel portion, the panel portion defining a central opening therethrough, the panel portion further defining a gap that extends between an exterior side surface of the panel portion and the central opening through the panel portion; and

a coil disposed within and along a perimeter of the central opening defined by the panel portion and configured to couple to an externally generated magnetic field.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the coil is electrically separate from the panel portion.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the coil comprises the same material as the panel portion.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the coil is a component of the panel portion.