Wireless charging system with object detection

• US 10,530,191 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Russell, Antoin J., Patel, Bharat K., Pandya, Manisha P., Moussaoui, Zaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Application Number:
  US15/804,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20180219430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/18 using inductive devices, e.g. transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings

Abstract

A wireless power transmitting device transmits wireless power signals to a wireless power receiving device using an output circuit that includes a wireless power transmitting coil. Measurement circuitry is coupled to the output circuit to help determine whether the wireless power receiving device is present and ready to accept transmission of wireless power. The measurement circuitry includes a measurement circuit that is coupled to the output circuit and that measures signals while oscillator circuitry supplies the output circuit with signals at a probe frequency. The measurement circuitry also includes a measurement circuit that is coupled to the output circuit and that measures signals while the oscillator circuitry sweeps signals applied to the output circuit between a first frequency and a second frequency to detect sensitive devices such as radio-frequency identification devices. Impulse response circuitry in the measurement circuitry is used to make inductance and Q factor measurements.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitting device with a charging surface, comprising:

a coil;

measurement circuitry coupled to the coil;

wireless power transmitting circuitry coupled to the coil and configured to transmit wireless power signals to a wireless power receiving device with the coil; and

control circuitry configured to control transmission of the wireless power signals, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate in;

a first mode in which the control circuitry uses the wireless power transmitting circuitry and the coil to transmit the wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device without transmitting wireless power to a radio-frequency identification device detected with the measurement circuitry that overlaps a portion of the charging surface that is non-overlapping with the coil; and

a second mode in which the control circuitry forgoes using the wireless power transmitting circuitry to transmit the wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device upon detecting with the measurement circuitry that the radio-frequency identification device is overlapped by the wireless power receiving device.

2. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to detect foreign objects with the coil based at least partly on coil inductance information from the measurement circuitry.

3. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuitry comprises:

an output circuit that includes the coil;

oscillator circuitry coupled to the output circuit;

a first measurement circuit configured to measure signals in the output circuit while the oscillator circuitry produces output at a probe frequency; and

a second measurement circuit configured to measure signals in the output circuit while the oscillator circuitry produces a frequency-swept output ranging from a first frequency to a second frequency.

4. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 3, wherein the measurement circuitry further comprises an impulse response measurement circuit configured to measure a response of the output circuit that includes the coil to an impulse signal, wherein the wireless power transmitting circuitry comprises an inverter, wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the impulse signal to the coil with the inverter, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure an inductance associated with the coil using the impulse response measurement circuit.

5. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure a Q factor associated with the coil using the impulse response measurement circuit.

6. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 5, wherein a frequency of 13.56 MHz lies between the first and second frequencies.

7. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 3, wherein the measurement circuitry further comprises an impulse response measurement circuit that is coupled to the output circuit and that is configured to make inductance and Q factor measurements, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control transmission of wireless power to the wireless power receiving device with the wireless power transmitting circuitry based at least partly on information from the impulse response measurement circuit.

8. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 3, wherein the control circuitry is configured to detect foreign objects overlapping the coil based at least partly on information from the first measurement circuit.

9. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 3, wherein the control circuitry is configured to detect the radio-frequency identification device overlapped by the wireless power receiving device based at least partly on information from the second measurement circuit.

10. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 3, wherein the wireless power receiving device is configured to overlap an area on the charging surface and wherein the control circuitry is configured to identify the area based at least partly on information from the first measurement circuit.

11. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 10, wherein the first measurement circuit includes a first peak detector and wherein the second measurement circuit comprises a second peak detector and a band pass filter.

12. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 11, wherein the wireless power transmitting circuitry comprises an inverter, wherein the control circuitry is configured to apply an impulse signal to the output circuit that includes the coil with the inverter, wherein the wireless power transmitting device further comprises an impulse response measurement circuit, wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the impulse response measurement circuit to measure a resonant frequency associated with the output circuit upon application of the impulse signal, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control transmission of wireless power to the wireless power receiving device with the wireless power transmitting circuitry based at least partly on the measured resonant frequency.

13. A method of using a wireless power transmitting device having wireless power transmitting circuitry that transmits wireless power signals to a wireless power receiving device using a coil, comprising:

operating the wireless power transmitting device in a first mode in which the wireless power transmitting device uses the coil to transmit the wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device without transmitting wireless power to a radio-frequency identification device that overlaps a portion of the wireless power transmitting device non-overlapping with the coil; and

operating the wireless power transmitting device in a second mode in which the wireless power transmitting device forgoes transmitting the wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device upon detecting that the radio-frequency identification device is overlapped by the wireless power receiving device.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

detecting foreign objects on the wireless power transmitting device based at least partly on coil inductance information gathered from the coil.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

measuring signals in the wireless power transmitting device while oscillator circuitry in the wireless power transmitting device produces output at a probe frequency; and

measuring signals in the wireless power transmitting device while the oscillator circuitry produces a frequency-swept output ranging from a first frequency to a second frequency.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

measuring a response of the coil to an impulse signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless power transmitting device comprises an inverter, the method further comprising:

supplying the impulse signal to the coil with the inverter; and

measuring an inductance associated with the coil using an impulse response measurement circuit.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising instructions for:

transmitting wireless power signals to a wireless power receiving device with wireless power transmitting circuitry coupled to a coil;

operating control circuitry in a first mode in which the control circuitry uses the wireless power transmitting circuitry and the coil to transmit the wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device without transmitting wireless power to a radio-frequency identification device that overlaps a portion of the wireless power transmitting circuitry that is laterally separated from the coil; and

operating the control circuitry in a second mode in which the control circuitry forgoes using the wireless power transmitting circuitry to transmit the wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device upon detecting that the radio-frequency identification device is overlapped by the wireless power receiving device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions for detecting foreign objects based at least partly on coil inductance information gathered from the coil.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions for measuring a response of the coil to an impulse signal.