Power coupling device

• US 10,320,228 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Fine, Kevin S., Kruglick, Ezekiel
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Huy Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frederiksen, David B
• Application Number:
  US14/479,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type

Abstract

Systems and methods to wirelessly transmit power are provided. A coil assembly is provided. In some examples, the coil assembly is configured to generate a signal in response to an ambient field, and to magnetically couple with a device to deliver power to the device.

Claims

1. An apparatus to deliver a signal from a transmit coil to a device, the apparatus comprising:

a host object;

a first coil configured to receive a transmit signal from the transmit coil such that a first signal is induced in the first coil;

a second coil connected with the first coil such that the first signal is present in the second coil, wherein the second coil is configured to couple with the device, wherein the device includes an electronic communication device, wherein the first coil is larger in area than the second coil, wherein the first coil is located at a perimeter of the host object, and wherein the first coil and the second coil are configured to charge different electronic communication devices at a same time;

a controller configured to adjust a resonant frequency of the first coil to match a drive frequency of the transmit coil, wherein the controller is incorporated into the host object; and

an indicator incorporated into the host object and configured to indicate that the device is positioned at a specific position with respect to the second coil.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first coil and the second coil are formed from a loop of wire that includes at least one turn, wherein a portion of the loop of wire crosses itself at a location to form the first coil and the second coil, and wherein the first coil is separated from the second coil at the location.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first coil and the second coil are formed from a loop of wire that includes at least one turn, and wherein a portion of the loop of wire is brought close together without crossing at a location to form the first coil and the second coil.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the loop of wire is flexible such that an area of the first coil changes in accordance with a change in a shape of the first coil.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the resonant frequency in response to the change in the area of the first coil.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller comprises:

a rectifier that is connected to the loop of wire and that is configured to generate a voltage from a portion of the first signal that is correlated with a current in the loop of wire, wherein the voltage powers the controller;

an adjustable capacitance coupled with the first coil; and

control logic configured to adjust the adjustable capacitance to adjust the resonant frequency of the first coil such that the resonant frequency matches the drive frequency, wherein the resonant frequency matches the drive frequency when the voltage is maximized.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the adjustable capacitance is adjustable in steps that are less than or equal to 0.1% of a total capacitance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the adjustable capacitance includes a MOSFET switching network or a MEMs variable capacitor array.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine power delivered to the device via the second coil based on relative phases of a current and a voltage of the first signal in the first coil, and

output a status that indicates when the device is positioned at the specific position with respect to the second coil.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host object includes at least one of:

a mouse pad, an article of clothing, a furniture, or an external accessory.

11. An apparatus configured to couple with a transmit coil to deliver a signal to a device, the apparatus comprising:

a host object;

a coil assembly that is attached to the host object, wherein the coil assembly is configured to couple with the transmit coil such that the coil assembly delivers a first signal to the device, wherein the device includes an electronic communication device, wherein the coil assembly includes a receive coil and a coupler coil configured such that the first signal induced in the receive coil is present in the coupler coil, and wherein the receive coil and the coupler coil are configured to deliver power to different electronic communication devices at a same time;

a controller configured to change a resonant frequency of the coil assembly to match a drive frequency of the transmit coil, wherein the controller is incorporated into the host object; and

an indicator incorporated into the host object and configured to indicate that the device is positioned at a specific position with respect to the coupler coil.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the coil assembly is incorporated into a body of the host object.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receive coil is configured to be responsive to a second signal generated by the transmit coil, and wherein the coupler coil is configured to provide the first signal to the device in response to the second signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the coil assembly comprises at least one turn of a wire.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the coupler coil and the receive coil are formed from the wire.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wire is twisted at a location such that a first portion of the wire overlaps a second portion of the wire in order to form the receive coil apart from the coupler coil, and wherein an area of the receive coil is larger than an area of the coupler coil.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the coupler coil is located inside of the area of the receive coil or outside of the area of the receive coil.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a radius of the wire is about 1% of a radius of the coil assembly.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is coupled to the coil assembly, and wherein the controller includes:

a rectifier;

control logic; and

an adjustable capacitance,

wherein the rectifier is configured to convert a portion of a current, in the coil assembly that is generated in response to the second signal, into a third signal,

wherein the control logic is configured to adjust the adjustable capacitance to maximize a value of the third signal, and

wherein the resonant frequency matches the drive frequency when the third signal is maximized.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the third signal is correlated with the current in the coil assembly, and wherein the rectifier is further configured to generate a power signal to power the control logic.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the adjustable capacitance is adjusted in accordance with changes in a shape of the coil assembly.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller includes at least one LED that indicates a state of the apparatus.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the state of the apparatus includes a first state in which the at least one LED indicates that the coil assembly is responsive to the second signal generated by the transmit coil, a second state in which the at least one LED indicates that the coil assembly is coupled to the device, and a third state in which the at least one LED indicates that the coil assembly is unresponsive to the second signal.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first signal and the second signal include magnetic signals.

25. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receive coil is flexible.

26. A method to wirelessly transfer energy to a device within an apparatus, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving a first signal at a first coil, by magnetically coupling the first coil with a transmit coil;

inducing a current in the first coil in response to the first signal;

converting, at the first coil, the current into a detection signal, by sensing a voltage induced in the first coil through electromagnetic induction;

adjusting a reactance associated with the first coil based on the detection signal such that a resonant frequency of the first coil matches a drive frequency of the first signal;

providing a state of the apparatus, wherein the state of the apparatus indicates one or more of;

whether the first coil is magnetically coupled to the transmit coil, and

whether the device is positioned at a specific position with respect to a second coil, wherein the second coil is connected with the first coil such that the current is present in the second coil, and wherein the device includes an electronic communication device;

indicating that the device is positioned at the specific position with respect to the second coil based on the state of the apparatus;

transferring, by the second coil, the energy to the electronic communication device; and

transferring, by the first coil, the energy to another electronic communication device, wherein the energy is transferred to the electronic communication device and the another electronic communication device at a same time.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the reactance includes a capacitance, and the method further comprising adjusting the capacitance in steps, wherein the resonant frequency matches the drive frequency when the detection signal is maximized.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the second coil is connected with the first coil and has an area that is smaller than an area of the first coil.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining that the device is positioned relative to the second coil based on a phase relationship between the current and the voltage associated with the first coil.