Metal back cover with combined wireless power transfer and communications

• US 10,164,439 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jeong, Seong Heon
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, James
• Application Number:
  US14/733,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/00 Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Systems, apparatus and methods for seamless metal back cover for combined wireless power transfer, cellular, WiFi, and GPS communications are provided. In one aspect, an apparatus for wirelessly coupling with other devices comprises a metallic cover comprising a first metallic portion separated by a first non-conductive portion from a second metallic portion of the metallic portion to define a first slot. The apparatus further comprises a conductor comprising a first end portion electrically coupled to the metallic cover at the first metallic portion and a second end portion crossing the first end portion and electrically coupled to the metallic cover at the second metallic portion. The metallic cover and the conductor form a coupler configured to wirelessly receive power sufficient to charge or power a load of the apparatus from a wireless power transmitter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wirelessly coupling with other devices, comprising:

a metallic cover comprising a first metallic portion separated by a first non-conductive portion from a second metallic portion of the metallic cover to define a first slot;

a conductor comprising a first end portion electrically coupled to the metallic cover at the first metallic portion and a second end portion crossing the first end portion and electrically coupled to the metallic cover at the second metallic portion,

wherein the metallic cover and the conductor form a coupler configured to wirelessly receive power sufficient to charge or power a load of the apparatus from a wireless power transmitter; and

a rectifier circuit electrically connected to the coupler and configured to deliver power to the load based on the wirelessly received power,

wherein the conductor is disposed around an outer perimeter of the metallic cover.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metallic cover further comprises a third metallic portion separated by a second non-conductive portion from a fourth metallic portion of the metallic cover to define a second slot.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first non-conductive portion is defined on a first edge of the metallic cover and extends toward a center of the metallic cover and wherein the second non-conductive portion is defined on a second edge of the metallic cover opposite the first edge and extends toward the center of the metallic cover.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first metallic portion, the first non-conductive portion and the second metallic portion form a first slot antenna and the third metallic portion, the second non-conductive portion and the fourth metallic portion form a second slot antenna.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the coupler comprises:

a first turn formed by the conductor;

a second turn formed by the first end portion electrically coupled to the metallic cover at the first metallic portion and the second end portion crossing the first end portion and electrically coupled to the metallic cover at the second metallic portion; and

a third turn formed by the third metallic portion and the fourth metallic portion separated by the second non-conductive portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of portions of the metallic cover and the conductor comprise a respective one of a plurality of antennas configured to wirelessly receive data in a plurality of frequency bands.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising at least one capacitor electrically connected between the metallic cover and the conductor, the at least one capacitor configured to:

provide substantially a short circuit between the metallic cover and the conductor when at least one of the plurality of antennas receives data in the plurality of frequency bands, and

provide substantially an open circuit between the metallic cover and the conductor when the coupler wirelessly receives power from the wireless power transmitter at a wireless power transmission frequency.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of feed points configured to extract one or both of the wirelessly received power and the wirelessly received data, each feed point electrically connected to a respective location on one or both of the metallic cover and the conductor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one slot antenna is formed from an edge of the metallic cover, a portion of the conductor, and a gap separating the edge of the metallic cover from the portion of the conductor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a current induced in one or both of the metallic cover and the conductor flows in a same clockwise or counterclockwise direction in the metallic cover and in the conductor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first non-conductive portion causes eddy currents induced in the metallic cover to flow around the first non-conductive portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a resonant circuit comprising the conductor and a capacitor electrically coupled to the conductor, the resonant circuit configured to resonate at a wireless power transfer frequency.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of a cellular phone, a UPS unit, a watch, a mobile media device, a laptop computer, or a key fob.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a housing coupled to the metallic cover.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metallic cover is configured as a metallic back cover of a portable electronic device.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductor comprises first and second turns disposed along the outer perimeter of the metallic cover and a choke is electrically connected in series with at least one of the first and second turns to:

provide a substantially open circuit in the at least one of the first and second turns when at least one of a plurality of slot antennas receives data in one of a plurality of frequency bands, the plurality of slot antennas formed based on a separation between the conductor and the metallic cover, and

provide substantially a short circuit in the at least one of the first and second turns when the coupler wirelessly receives power from the wireless power transmitter at a wireless power transmission frequency.