Near-field microwave wireless power system

• US 10,714,983 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2018
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jiang, Bing, Schauer, Martin, Sen, Indranil S., Jadidian, Jouya, Neumann, Mark D., Narang, Mohit, Pathak, Vaneet, Jiang, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Borroto, Alfonso Perez
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeshaw, Esayas G
• Application Number:
  US15/902,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20190199137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/43 Antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A wireless power system may use a wireless power transmitting device to transmit wireless power to a wireless power receiving device. The wireless power transmitting device may have microwave antennas that extend along an axis in a staggered arrangement. In the staggered arrangement, the microwave antennas are positioned on alternating sides of the axis. Each microwave antenna is elongated along a dimension that is perpendicular to the axis. Multiple antennas may overlap a wireless power receiving antenna in the wireless power receiving device. Control circuitry may use oscillator and amplifier circuitry to provide antennas that have been overlapped by the wireless power receiving antenna with drive signals. The drive signals may be adjusted based on feedback from the wireless power receiving device to enhance power transmission efficiency. The system may have a wireless power transmitting device with inductive wireless power transmitting coils.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitting device configured to transmit wireless power to a wireless power receiving device through a charging surface, comprising:

a plurality of wireless power transmitting antennas having respective patch antenna resonating elements, wherein the charging surface is characterized by a longitudinal axis and wherein the patch antenna resonating elements are arranged in a staggered configuration along the longitudinal axis; and

a transmitter configured to supply alternating-current drive signals to the plurality of wireless power transmitting antennas to transmit the wireless power.

2. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 wherein the transmitter comprises an oscillator configured to supply the alternating-current drive signals at a frequency of 500 MHz to 5 GHz.

3. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 wherein the patch antenna resonating elements are rectangular patch antenna resonating elements and wherein the rectangular patch antenna resonating elements have centers alternately located on opposing first and second sides of the longitudinal axis.

4. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 wherein the patch antenna resonating elements are rectangular patch antenna resonating elements and wherein each rectangular patch antenna resonating element is elongated along a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

5. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 wherein the patch antenna resonating elements are rectangular patch antenna resonating elements, wherein each rectangular patch antenna resonating element is elongated along a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the rectangular patch antenna resonating elements have centers alternately located on opposing first and second sides of the longitudinal axis, and wherein each rectangular patch antenna resonating element has a width and a length that is at least two times the width.

6. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 further comprising inductive wireless charging coils.

7. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of inverters; and

a plurality of inductive wireless power transmitting coils each coupled to a respective one of the inverters.

8. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of inductive wireless power transmitting coils, each surrounding a respective one of the patch antenna resonating elements.

9. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 further comprising inductive wireless charging coils, wherein each of the patch antenna resonating elements lies within a respective one of the inductive wireless charging coils and wherein each of the patch antenna resonating elements includes at least one slot.

10. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 wherein each of the patch antenna resonating elements is configured to transmit wireless power with an efficiency of less than 5% when the wireless power receiving device is not overlapping that patch antenna resonating element and is configured to transmit wireless power with an efficiency of at least 10% when the wireless power device is overlapping that patch antenna resonating element.

11. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 further comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

supply a first drive signal to a first of the patch antenna resonating elements and a second drive signal to a second of the patch antenna resonating elements;

receive wireless feedback information from the wireless power receiving device; and

in response to the wireless feedback information, adjust the first and second drive signals.

12. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 11 wherein the first and second drive signals have different phases and wherein the wireless feedback information comprises information on an amount of power wirelessly received at the wireless power receiving device while the wireless power is transmitted by the transmitter.

13. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 1 further comprising:

control circuitry configured to adjust phases of drive signals applied respectively to a first of the patch antenna resonating elements and a second of the patch antenna resonating elements based on wirelessly received information from the wireless power receiving device.

14. A wireless power transmitting device configured to transmit wireless power to a wireless power receiving device through a charging surface, comprising:

a row of microwave antennas extending along an axis that runs parallel to the charging surface, wherein each microwave antenna has a corresponding patch antenna resonating element with a center, and wherein the microwave antennas extending along the axis have the centers of their patch antenna resonating elements on alternating sides of the axis; and

power transmitting circuitry coupled to the row of microwave antennas.

15. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 14 wherein the power transmitting circuitry is configured to provide a first drive signal to a first of the microwave antennas overlapped by a wireless power receiving antenna element in the wireless power receiving device and is configured to provide a second drive signal of a different phase than the first drive signal to a second of the microwave antennas overlapped by the wireless power receiving antenna element in the wireless power receiving device.

16. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 14 wherein each of the patch antenna resonating elements has a rectangular shape with a width and a length of at least two times the width that extends along a dimension perpendicular to the axis.

17. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 14 further comprising:

an inverter configured to supply an alternating-current signal; and

a wireless power transmission coil coupled to the inverter that receives the alternating-current signal and provides corresponding wireless power signals to the wireless power receiving device.

18. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 17 wherein at least one of the patch antenna resonating elements has at least one slot configured to reduce eddy currents when the alternating-current signal is received by the wireless power transmission coil.

19. A wireless power transmitting device configured to transmit wireless power to a wireless power receiving antenna in a wireless power receiving device, comprising:

a row of patch antenna resonating elements including first and second patch antenna resonating elements near-field-coupled to the wireless power receiving antenna;

a first amplifier coupled to the first patch antenna resonating element and a second amplifier coupled to the second patch antenna resonating element;

a first oscillator coupled to the first amplifier and a second oscillator coupled to the second amplifier; and

control circuitry configured to use the first oscillator and the first amplifier to provide a first drive signal to the first patch antenna resonating element and configured to use the second oscillator and the second amplifier to provide a second drive signal to the second patch antenna resonating element with a different phase than the first drive signal.

20. The wireless power transmitting device of claim 19 wherein the patch antenna resonating elements extend in a staggered row along an axis and wherein each patch antenna resonating elements is elongated along a dimension that is perpendicular to the axis.