Tuning in a wireless power transmitter

• US 10,431,991 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Xiao, Bin, Yang, Songnan, Lin, Xintian E., Shao, Lei, Chen, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Jeffrey M
• Application Number:
  US14/863,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

Techniques for tuning in a wireless power transmitter in a system, method, and apparatus are described herein. For example, an apparatus may include a transmitter coil configured to generate a magnetic field. The apparatus may also include a set of capacitors in series with the transmitter coil, wherein a capacitance value for each of capacitors in the set is associated with a reactance shift.

Claims

1. An apparatus for tuning in a wireless power transmitter, comprising:

a transmitter coil configured to generate a magnetic field for wirelessly charging a battery;

a differential amplifier to deliver current to the transmitter coil, wherein the differential amplifier comprises a first output and a second output;

a first set of capacitors arranged in series between the first output and the transmitter coil, and a second set of capacitors arranged in series between the second output and the transmitter coil, the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors configured to retune the transmitter coil in response to detuning upon placement of a device over the transmitter coil;

wherein each capacitor in the first set and the second set is coupled to a parallel switch that causes the capacitor to be short circuited to adjust an overall capacitance of the set;

wherein a capacitance value for each of the capacitors in the first set and the second set is a fixed capacitance level that provides a uniform reactance shift each time a new combination of capacitors is activated; and

wherein the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors are switched asynchronously with a step difference between the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors being less than or equal to one.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a reactance shift step size associated with combinations of capacitors is substantially uniform for each progression of a binary combination of capacitors in the first set.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a set of solid state relays each configured to activate a corresponding capacitor from among the first set of capacitors.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each solid state relay in the set of solid state relays is parallel to a corresponding capacitor in the first set of capacitors.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each solid state relay is configured to exhibit a parasitic capacitance during an off state.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second set of capacitors are configured to reduce the reactance shift difference associated with two of the adjacent combination steps of capacitors of the first set.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the reduction is a half step size.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first set of capacitors comprises:

a first capacitor associated with a first capacitance value;

a second capacitor associated with a second capacitance value substantially equal to twice the first capacitance value;

a third capacitor associated with a third capacitance value substantially equal to four times the first capacitance value; and

a fourth capacitor associated with a fourth capacitance value substantially equal to eight times the first capacitance value.

6. The apparatus of 5, wherein each capacitor in the first set is configured to absorb the parasitic capacitance exhibited by each corresponding solid state relay.

10. A method for tuning in a wireless power transmitter, comprising:

generating a magnetic field at a transmitter coil powered by a differential amplifier comprising a first output and a second output; and

tuning the transmitter coil by activating one or more of a first set of capacitors arranged in series between the first output and the transmitter coil and a second set of capacitors arranged in series between the second output and the transmitter coil, wherein each capacitor in the first set and the second set is coupled to a parallel switch that causes the capacitor to be short circuited to adjust an overall capacitance of the set; and

wherein a capacitance value for each of the capacitors in the set is a fixed capacitance level that provides a uniform reactance shift each time a new combination of capacitors is activated; and

wherein the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors are switched asynchronously with a step difference between the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors being less than or equal to one.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a reactance shift difference associated with two adjacent combination steps of capacitors in the first set is substantially uniform.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating one or more capacitors from among the first set of capacitors via one or more corresponding solid state relays from among a set of solid state relays.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein activating the one or more capacitors comprises activating the one or more corresponding solid state relays in parallel to a corresponding capacitor in the first set of capacitors.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising exhibiting a parasitic capacitance during an off state of one or more of the solid state relays.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising fine tuning the reactance shift associated with each of the capacitors of the first set via the second set of capacitors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein fine tuning comprises reducing the reactance shift by a half step size.

18. The method of claim 10, comprising:

activating a first capacitor associated with a first capacitance value;

activating a second capacitor associated with a second capacitance value substantially equal to twice the first capacitance value;

activating a third capacitor associated with a third capacitance value substantially equal to four times the first capacitance value; and

activating a fourth capacitor associated with a fourth capacitance value substantially equal to eight times the first capacitance value.

15. The method of 14, further comprising absorbing the parasitic capacitance exhibited by each corresponding solid state relay by each corresponding capacitor in the first set.

19. A system for tuning in a wireless power transmitter, comprising:

a transmitter coil configured to generate a magnetic field for wirelessly charging a battery;

a differential amplifier to deliver current to the transmitter coil, wherein the differential amplifier comprises a first output and a second output;

a first set of capacitors arranged in series between the first output and the transmitter coil, and a second set of capacitors arranged in series between the second output and the transmitter coil, wherein a capacitance value for each of the capacitors in the first set and the second set is a fixed capacitance level that provides a uniform reactance shift each time a new combination of capacitors is activated; and

a first set of solid state relays each configured to activate a corresponding capacitor from among the first set of capacitors to retune the transmitter coil, and a second set of solid state relays each configured to activate a corresponding capacitor from among the second set of capacitors to retune the transmitter coil, wherein each solid state relay in the first set and the second set of solid state relays is in parallel with a corresponding capacitor in the first set and the second set of capacitors and is configured to short circuit the corresponding capacitor to adjust an overall capacitance of the set of capacitors; and

wherein the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors are switched asynchronously with a step difference between the first set of capacitors and the second set of capacitors being less than or equal to one.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein a reactance shift difference associated with two adjacent combination steps of capacitors in the first set is substantially uniform.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein each solid state relay in the set of solid state relays is parallel to a corresponding capacitor in the first set of capacitors.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first set of capacitors comprises:

a first capacitor associated with a first capacitance value;

a second capacitor associated with a second capacitance value substantially equal to twice the first capacitance value;

a third capacitor associated with a third capacitance value substantially equal to four times the first capacitance value; and

a fourth capacitor associated with a fourth capacitance value substantially equal to eight times the first capacitance value.