Techniques for wire-free charging

• US 10,122,204 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Saunamaki, Esa, Bonden, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Paul
• Application Number:
  US15/279,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20180090967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• 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 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Various embodiments are generally directed to techniques for wire-free charging. Some embodiments are particularly directed to a wire-free charging system that is able to limit or prevent a radio frequency (RF) signal source from interfering with operation of the wire-free charging system, such as, for instance, a transmitter (TX) signal of a cellular device being charged by the wire-free charging system. In some embodiments, a wire-free power source may be able to detect an RF signal source and alter one or more operational parameters of the wire-free charging system to prevent the RF signal source from interfering with operation of the wire-free charging system.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a wire-free power source comprising a charger pad;

a radio frequency (RF) coupler coupled to a contact stripe structure of the charger pad, the RF coupler to produce a coupler signal based on an incident signal in the wire-free power source, the incident signal comprising an RF signal generated by a device in contact with the charger pad; and

an RF detection circuit coupled to the RF coupler and the wire-free power source, the RF detection circuit to receive the coupler signal, identify that the coupler signal includes a target characteristic indicating interference by the RF signal with operation of the wire-free power source to charge the device, and produce a control signal to alter an operational parameter of the wire-free power source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the target characteristic of the coupler signal comprising an RF parameter of the RF signal, the altering of the operational parameter to remove prevent interference by the RF signal with the wire-free power source.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the RF signal produced by a wireless transmitter of the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the device comprising a cellular phone, the RF signal generated by a radio of the cellular phone.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the RF coupler coupled to an output of charger control circuitry of the wire-free power source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the contact stripe structure comprising a first contact stripe structure of the charger pad, the RF coupler to comprise a first RF coupler and a second RF coupler, the first RF coupler coupled to the first contact stripe structure of the charger pad and the second RF coupler coupled to a second contact stripe structure of the charger pad, the first and second contact stripe structures having opposite polarity.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the RF detection circuit to comprise an amplifier, an RF detector, and an output logic circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the RF detection circuit to comprise an amplifier, an analog to digital converter (ADC), and a signal processor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, alteration of the operational parameter of the wire-free power source to cause the wire-free power source to stop charging an electronic device, reduce power, activate a filter circuit, activate a noise reduction algorithm, activate a safety function, change mode of a charger control circuitry of the wire-free power source, or repeat a detection function of the charger control circuitry.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, alteration of the operational parameter of the wire-free power source to cause the wire-free power source to output an indication to suggest relocation of an RF signal source with respect to the wire-free power source.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the wire-free power source to output the indication to suggest relocation of the RF signal source with respect to the wire-free power source via a user interface of the charger pad, the user interface to comprise one or more of an audio source of the charger pad, a light source of the charger pad, or a vibration source of the charger pad.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, the RF detection circuit to analyze a level of harmonics, a modulation type, or a signal bandwidth of the coupler signal to identify whether the coupler signal includes the target characteristic.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, the coupler signal received by the RF detection circuit from the RF coupler via one or more RF filters.

14. A method, comprising:

producing a coupler signal with a radio frequency (RF) coupler coupled to a contact stripe structure of a wire-free power source based on an incident signal in the wire-free power source, the incident signal comprising an RF signal generated by a device in contact with a charger pad of the wire-free power source;

identifying that the coupler signal includes a target characteristic indicating interference by the RF signal with operation of the wire-free power source to charge the device with an RF detection circuit; and

altering an operational parameter of the wire-free power source.

15. The method of claim 14, altering the operational parameter of the wire-free power source including one or more of stopping charging of an electronic device, reducing power, activating a filter circuit, activating a noise reduction algorithm, activating a safety function, changing a mode of a charger control circuitry of the wire-free power source, and repeating a detection function of the charger control circuitry, the altering of the operational parameter to remove prevent interference by the RF signal with the wire-free power source.

16. The method of claim 14, altering the operation parameter of the wire-free power source comprising outputting an indication suggesting relocation of an RF signal source with respect to the wire-free power source.

17. The method of claim 16, outputting the indication suggesting relocation of the RF signal source with respect to the wire-free power source including one or more of providing an audible, visual, or tactile signal via a user interface of the charger pad.

18. The method of claim 14, identifying whether the coupler signal includes the target characteristic via one or more of analyzing a level of harmonics, a modulation type, and a signal bandwidth of the coupler signal.

19. One or more computer-readable media to store instructions that when executed by a processor circuit causes the processor circuit to:

receive a coupler signal generated by a radio frequency (RF) coupler coupled to a contact stripe structure of a charger pad of a wire-free power source based on an incident RF signal generated by a device in contact with the charger pad;

identify that the coupler signal includes a target characteristic indicating interference by the RF signal with operation of the wire-free power source to charge the device; and

alter an operational parameter of the wire-free power source based on the coupler signal including the target characteristic.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, the target characteristic of the coupler signal comprising an RF parameter of the RF signal, the altering of the operational parameter to remove prevent interference by the RF signal with the wire-free power source.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 20, the RF signal generated by a cellular transmitter of the device.

22. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, the device comprising a cellular phone, the RF signal generated by a radio of the cellular phone.