Voltage and polarity negotiation based mobile device battery charging

• US 10,153,648 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2018
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Michael Sean, Cleaver, James D., da Fonseca, Carlos Felipe F., Lee, Gregory D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/863,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20180131210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320111, 320114, 320115, 320150, 320153
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for implementing a charging process is provided. The method includes determining that a charging surface of a mobile device is currently located on a charging surface of a structure including a charging apparatus. The charging surface of the mobile device includes charge receiving contacts electrically connected to a battery and a processor. The charging surface of the structure includes charging contacts electrically connected to a charging circuit and in communication with a controller. The processor determines that at least two contacts of the charge receiving contacts are in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of the charging contacts and in response, a negotiation process with the controller with respect to selecting at least one associated charging voltage and polarity for charging the battery is executed resulting in a charging process between the charging circuit and the battery being enabled.

Claims

1. A mobile device battery charging improvement method comprising:

first determining, by a processor of a mobile device, that a charging surface of said mobile device is currently located on a charging surface of a structure comprising a charging apparatus, wherein said charging surface of said mobile device comprises a plurality of charge receiving contacts electrically connected to a battery and in communication with said processor, and wherein said charging surface of said structure comprises a plurality of charging contacts electrically connected to a charging circuit and in communication with a controller;

executing, by said processor in response to results of second determining that at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts are in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a negotiation process with said controller with respect to selecting at least one associated charging voltage and polarity for charging said battery; and

enabling, by said processor in response to results of said negotiation process, a charging process between said charging circuit and said battery, wherein said charging process comprises;

receiving, by said processor from temperature sensors and circuitry of said structure first temperature readings associated with a temperature of a transformer and associated charging circuitry of said structure;

detecting, by said processor enabling temperature sensors and circuitry of said mobile device, a temperature reading of said structure;

activating, by said processor based on said first temperature readings and said temperature reading of said structure, a voltage regulator and a relay, of said structure, such that a voltage signal is generated, via said transformer and said voltage regulator, and transferred through said relay from said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts to said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts resulting in said battery being automatically charged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiation process comprises:

receiving, by said processor from said controller, data indicating a range of voltages capable of being supplied by said charging circuit; and

transmitting, by said processor to said controller, a request for a first voltage value, selected from said range of voltages, for charging said battery.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said charging process comprises:

receiving in response to said request, by said battery from said charging circuit via said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a first voltage associated with said first voltage value with respect to an associated polarity.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

requesting, by said processor, a specified time period associated with said charging process, and wherein said charging process further comprises receiving said first voltage for said specified time period.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said negotiation process further comprises:

transmitting, by said processor to said controller, an additional request for a second voltage value differing from said first voltage value, selected from said range of voltages, for charging said battery; and

after said receiving said first voltage for said specified time period, receiving in response to said additional request, by said battery from said charging circuit via said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a second voltage associated with said second voltage value with respect to said associated polarity.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by said processor, that said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts comprises a more reliable connection with respect to any other electromechanical contact between any of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said plurality of charging contacts.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

additionally determining, by said processor, that said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts is no longer in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, and wherein said method further comprises;

disabling, by said processor in response to results of said additionally determining, said charging process between said charging circuit and said battery.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

third determining, by said processor, that an alternative pair of contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts is in electro/mechanical contact with an alternative pair of contacts of said plurality of charging contacts;

executing, by said processor in response to results of said third determining, an additional negotiation process with said controller with respect to selecting another associated charging voltage and polarity for charging said battery; and

enabling, by said processor in response to results of said additional negotiation process, an additional charging process between said charging circuit and said battery.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said plurality of charging contacts comprise spring loaded electro/magnetic contacts.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said plurality of charging contacts comprise weight loaded electro/magnetic contacts.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling, by said processor, transmission of analog or digital data between said processor and said controller via said least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving and said at two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

third determining, by said processor, that an additional two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts is in electro/mechanical contact with an additional two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts; and

fourth determining, by said processor, that said additional two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts in electro/mechanical contact with said additional two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts comprise a more suitable set of charging contacts, with respect to said charging process, than said least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts in electro/mechanical contact with said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, wherein said charging process is performed via said additional two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts in electro/mechanical contact with said additional two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in the control hardware, said code being executed by the computer processor to implement;

said first determining, determining, said executing, and said enabling.

14. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a processor of a mobile device implements a battery charging improvement method, said method comprising:

first determining, by said processor, that a charging surface of said mobile device is currently located on a charging surface of a structure comprising a charging apparatus, wherein said charging surface of said mobile device comprises a plurality of charge receiving contacts electrically connected to a battery and in communication with said processor, and wherein said charging surface of said structure comprises a plurality of charging contacts electrically connected to a charging circuit and in communication with a controller;

executing, by said processor in response to results of second determining that at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts are in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a negotiation process with said controller with respect to selecting at least one associated charging voltage and polarity for charging said battery; and

enabling, by said processor in response to results of said negotiation process, a charging process between said charging circuit and said battery, wherein said charging process comprises;

receiving, by said processor from temperature sensors and circuitry of said structure first temperature readings associated with a temperature of a transformer and associated charging circuitry of said structure;

detecting, by said processor enabling temperature sensors and circuitry of said mobile device, a temperature reading of said structure;

activating, by said processor based on said first temperature readings and said temperature reading of said structure, a voltage regulator and a relay, of said structure, such that a voltage signal is generated, via said transformer and said voltage regulator, and transferred through said relay from said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts to said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts resulting in said battery being automatically charged.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said negotiation process comprises:

receiving, by said processor from said controller, data indicating a range of voltages capable of being supplied by said charging circuit; and

transmitting, by said processor to said controller, a request for a first charging voltage value, selected from said range of voltages, for charging said battery.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said charging process comprises:

receiving in response to said request, by said battery from said charging circuit via said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a first voltage associated with said first voltage value with respect to an associated polarity.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said method further comprises:

requesting, by said processor, a specified time period associated with said charging process, and wherein said charging process further comprises receiving said first voltage for said specified time period.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said negotiation process further comprises:

transmitting, by said processor to said controller, an additional request for a second charging voltage value differing from said first voltage value, selected from said range of voltages, for charging said battery; and

after said receiving said first voltage for said specified time period, receiving in response to said additional request, by said battery from said charging circuit via said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a second voltage associated with said second voltage value with respect to said associated polarity.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said method further comprises:

determining, by said processor, that said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts comprises a more reliable connection with respect to any other electromechanical contact between any of said plurality of charge receiving contacts and said plurality of charging contacts.

20. A mobile device comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising instructions that when executed by the processor executes a battery charging improvement method comprising:

first determining, by said processor, that a charging surface of said mobile device is currently located on a charging surface of a structure comprising a charging apparatus, wherein said charging surface of said mobile device comprises a plurality of charge receiving contacts electrically connected to a battery and in communication with said processor, and wherein said charging surface of said structure comprises a plurality of charging contacts electrically connected to a charging circuit and in communication with a controller;

executing, by said processor in response to results of second determining that at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts are in electro/mechanical contact with at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts, a negotiation process with said controller with respect to selecting at least one associated charging voltage and polarity for charging said battery; and

enabling, by said processor in response to results of said negotiation process, a charging process between said charging circuit and said battery, wherein said charging process comprises;

receiving, by said processor from temperature sensors and circuitry of said structure first temperature readings associated with a temperature of a transformer and associated charging circuitry of said structure;

detecting, by said processor enabling temperature sensors and circuitry of said mobile device, a temperature reading of said structure;

activating, by said processor based on said first temperature readings and said temperature reading of said structure, a voltage regulator and a relay, of said structure, such that a voltage signal is generated, via said transformer and said voltage regulator, and transferred through said relay from said at least two contacts of said plurality of charging contacts to said at least two contacts of said plurality of charge receiving contacts resulting in said battery being automatically charged.