Wireless charging device and system for wearable device

• US 10,250,063 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Woo, Seungwon
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Application Number:
  US14/666,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20160190854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters

Abstract

A wireless charging device includes a plurality of antennas, a plurality of AC/DC converters, and a controller. The antennas receive power, are located at different positions of an electronic device, and are oriented in different directions. The AC/DC converters are connected to respective ones of the antennas and convert AC signals from the antennas to DC signals. The controller measures intensities of the converted signals from the AC/DC converters, compares the intensities, and selects one of the antennas having a greater intensity for charging a battery.

Claims

1. A wireless charging device, comprising:

a plurality of antennas to wirelessly receive power through electromagnetic induction, the antennas located at different positions of an electronic device and oriented in different directions;

a plurality of AC/DC converters connected to respective ones of the antennas, the AC/DC converters to convert AC signals from the antennas to DC signals; and

a controller to measure intensities of the converted signals from the AC/DC converters, compare the intensities, and select one of the antennas having a greater intensity for charging a battery,

wherein the antennas are at different positions along a single curved surface of the electronic device.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of antenna matching circuits connected between the antennas and the AC/DC converters, the antenna matching circuits to perform antenna impedance matching for receiving power based on the signals from the antennas.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of switches connected between the antennas and the antennas matching circuits.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller is to control the switches to select the antenna having the greater intensity.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller is to:

constantly measure signal intensity from the selected antenna while charging the battery, and

turn ON the switches of unselected ones of the antennas to measure the intensities of the signals from all of the antenna matching circuits when the signal intensity of the selected antenna changes, the controller to compare the measured intensities from the antenna matching circuits and to select one of the unselected ones of the antennas having the greater signal intensity based on the comparison.

6. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the antenna matching circuits includes an inductor connected in parallel to a first capacitor.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

each of the AC/DC converters includes a plurality of AC/DC conversion sub circuits connected in parallel, and

each of the AC/DC conversion sub circuits includes;

a second capacitor having a first terminal connected to a first terminal of the first capacitor;

a first diode having a cathode electrode connected to a second terminal of the second capacitor and an anode electrode connected to a second terminal of the first capacitor and a reference terminal;

a third capacitor having a first terminal connected to the anode electrode of the first diode; and

a second diode having a cathode electrode connected to a second terminal of the third capacitor and an anode electrode connected to the cathode electrode connected to the first diode.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the antennas is flexible printed circuit board type.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

an interface; and

a controller to receive power signals from a plurality of electromagnetic induction antennas through the interface, the controller to select at least one antenna based on the power signals and to control charging of a battery of an electronic device based on the power signal from the at least one antenna, wherein the power signals from the antennas have different levels based on different positions of the antennas on the electronic device,

wherein the plurality of antennas are at different positions along a single curved surface of the electronic device.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is to select only one of the antennas based on the power signals to control charging of the battery.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is to simultaneously select more than one of the antennas based on the power signals to control charging of the battery.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is to select another one of the antennas when the power signal of the at least one selected antenna falls below a predetermined level, the controller to control continued charging of the battery based on the power signal from the other selected antenna.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is to:

monitor the power signals of the antennas during battery charging, and

select another one of the antennas when the level of power signal of the at least one selected antenna is lower than the level of the other one of the antennas, the controller to control continued charging of the battery based on the power signal from the other selected antenna.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the electronic device is a wearable electronic device.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the antennas are flexible printed circuit board antennas.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the apparatus is included in the electronic device.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

first logic to receive power signals from a plurality of electromagnetic induction antennas;

second logic to compare the power signals from the antennas; and

third logic to select at least one antenna based on the comparison, the third logic to control charging of a battery of an electronic device based on the power signal from the at least one antenna, wherein the power signals from the antennas have different levels based on different positions of the antennas on the electronic device,

wherein the plurality of antennas are at different positions along a single curved surface of the electronic device.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein at least one of the first logic, the second logic, or the third logic is based on one or more instructions to be executed by a circuit.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein after the third logic selects the at least one antenna:

the first logic is to receive power signals from the antennas,

the second logic is to compare the power signals from the antennas, and

the third logic is to selected a different one of the antennas based on the comparison, the third logic to control continued charging of the battery based on the power signal from the selected different one of the antennas.