REPEATERS FOR ENHANCEMENT OF WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20090286470A1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Grob, Matthew S., Mohammadian, Alireza Hormoz, Ozaki, Ernest T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0715 the arrangement including means to regulate power transfer to the integrated circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/502 the energy repeater being integrated together with the emitter or the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0031 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 : for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 : using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 : Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 : for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power transfer. A wireless power transfer system include a transmit circuit with a transmit antenna driven from a power amplifier to generate a near field radiation at a resonant frequency within a first coupling mode region surrounding the transmit antenna. One or more repeater antennas are disposed at different locations within the first coupling mode region. Each repeater antenna generates an enhanced near field radiation at the resonant frequency within a coupling mode region corresponding to that repeater antenna. One or more receive circuits including a receive antenna receive power when they are disposed in one of the coupling mode regions corresponding to that repeater antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising a repeater antenna comprising a loop antenna and a capacitive element for coupling with a near field radiation generated by a transmit antenna when the repeater antenna is disposed in a coupling mode region of the transmit antenna, wherein the repeater enhances the near field radiation about the repeater antenna with an enhanced coupling mode region stronger than the coupling mode region of the transmit antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the repeater antenna is further disposed in a substantially coaxial position relative to the transmit antenna.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the repeater antenna is further disposed in a substantially coplanar position relative to the transmit antenna.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the near field radiation of the transmit antenna and the enhanced near field radiation by the repeater are at substantially a same frequency.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the same frequency is a resonant frequency of the repeater antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the repeater antenna further comprises an amplifier operably coupled to the loop antenna and the capacitive element, the amplifier for further enhancing the enhanced near field radiation by amplification at a resonant frequency of the repeater antenna.

7. A wireless power transfer system, comprising:

a transmit circuit including a transmit antenna to generate a near field radiation at a resonant frequency within a first coupling mode region thereabout in response to a driving signal from a power amplifier;

a repeater antenna to generate an enhanced near field radiation at the resonant frequency within a second coupling mode region thereabout when the repeater antenna is disposed within the first coupling mode region; and

receive circuit including a receive antenna for receiving power from at least one of the near field radiation and the enhanced near field radiation when disposed within the second coupling mode region.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the repeater antenna is further disposed in a substantially coaxial position relative to the transmit antenna.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the repeater antenna is further disposed in a substantially coplanar position relative to the transmit antenna.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the repeater antenna is further disposed within a perimeter of the transmit antenna.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the receive circuit further comprises a cloaking circuit coupled to the receive antenna to inhibit resonance of the receive antenna.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the cloaking circuit alters the value of a reactive element in the receive circuit to inhibit resonance of the receive antenna.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the cloaking circuit further comprises a switch for shorting-out at least a portion of a capacitance in the receive circuit in order to inhibit resonance of the receive antenna.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the receive circuit further comprises a processor operably coupled to the switch and the receive antenna to control resonance of the receive antenna according to a time-domain sequencing of activation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the time-domain sequencing is controlled by an on-off keying signaling protocol of the near field radiation.

16. A wireless charging method, comprising:

generating a near field radiation at a resonant frequency within a first coupling mode region with a transmit antenna;

enhancing the near field radiation to generate an enhanced near field radiation at the resonant frequency within a second coupling mode region with a repeater antenna disposed within the first coupling mode region; and

receiving power from at least one of the near field radiation and the enhanced near field radiation with a receive antenna disposed within the second coupling mode region.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising disposing the repeater antenna in a substantially coaxial position relative to the transmit antenna.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising disposing the repeater antenna in a substantially coplanar position relative to the transmit antenna.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the repeater antenna is further disposed within a perimeter of the transmit antenna.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising cloaking the receive antenna by selectively modifying a resonant frequency of the receive antenna.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising selectively cloaking the receive antenna according to a time-domain sequencing protocol.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the time-domain sequencing protocol is controlled by an on-off keying signaling protocol of the near field radiation.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising cloaking the receive antenna by selectively operating a switch for shorting-out at least a portion of a capacitance operably coupled to the receive antenna in order to inhibit resonance of the receive antenna.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising selectively operating the switch according to a time-domain sequencing protocol.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the time-domain sequencing protocol is controlled by an on-off keying signaling protocol of the near field radiation.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein a second repeater antenna of the plurality of repeater antennas is further disposed in a substantially coplanar position relative to the transmit antenna.

33. The system of claim 23, wherein each receive circuit of the plurality of receive circuits further comprises a processor operably coupled to the cloaking circuit and the receive antenna to control cloaking of the receive antenna according to a time-domain sequencing of activation.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the time-domain sequencing is controlled by an on-off keying signaling protocol of the near field radiation.

26. A wireless power transfer system, comprising:

a transmit circuit including a transmit antenna to generate a near field radiation at a resonant frequency within a first coupling mode region thereabout in response to a driving signal from a power amplifier;

a plurality of repeater antennas, each repeater antenna of the plurality to generate an enhanced near field radiation at the resonant frequency within a corresponding coupling mode region, wherein each repeater antenna of the plurality is disposed at a different location within the first coupling mode region; and

a plurality of receive circuits, each receive circuit including a receive antenna for receiving power from at least one enhanced near field radiation from at least one of the plurality of repeater antennas.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein each receive circuit disposed in one of the coupling mode regions corresponding to a repeater antenna of the plurality receives power from the near field radiation.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of repeater antennas is further disposed in a substantially coplanar position relative to the transmit antenna.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein a first repeater antenna of the plurality of repeater antennas is further disposed in a substantially coaxial position relative to the transmit antenna.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the plurality of repeater antennas are further disposed within a perimeter of the transmit antenna.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein each receive circuit of the plurality of receive circuits further comprise a cloaking circuit coupled to the receive antenna to inhibit resonance of the receive antenna.