INDUCTIVE CHARGING AND DATA TRANSFER FOR MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES ORGANIZED INTO A MESH NETWORK

• US 20120331316A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Eric, Chatterjee, Manjirnath, Grange, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Illustrated is a system and method to receive a data packet at a first mobile computing device that is part of a plurality of mobile computing devices organized as a mesh network, the data packet including a power up command and device identifier identifying a second mobile computing device requesting power. The system and method also include identifying a path from the first mobile computing device to the second mobile computing device, the path composed of at least the first and second mobile computing devices and including inductive links. Further, the system and method include transmitting electrical power, based upon the inductive links, from the first mobile computing device to a third mobile computing device, the third mobile computing device residing on the path from the first mobile computing device to the second mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a data packet at a first mobile computing device that is part of a plurality of mobile computing devices organized as a mesh network, the data packet including a power up command and device identifier identifying a second mobile computing device requesting power;

identifying a path from the first mobile computing device to the second mobile computing device, the path composed of at least the first and second mobile computing devices and including inductive links; and

transmitting electrical power, based upon the inductive links, from the first mobile computing device to a third mobile computing device, the third mobile computing device residing on the path from the first mobile computing device to the second mobile computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second and the third mobile computing devices are adjacent.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the electrical power is performed over an inductive power channel,

3. The computer-implemented method, wherein the path includes at least one of a shortest path, or a serially-organized path.

5. A mobile-computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory in communication with the at least one processor, the memory including logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to;

receive a data packet at a first mobile computing device that is part of a plurality of mobile computing devices organized as a mesh network, the data packet including an update up command;

get a device identifier that uniquely identifies the first mobile computing device within the mesh network;

establish an inductive link between the first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device that are part of the mesh network, the inductive link used to establish a session for inductive charging and data transfer between the first and the second mobile computing devices; and

broadcast the device identifier, based upon the inductive link, to the second mobile computing device.

6. The mobile-computing device of claim 5, wherein the device identifier is used to update a routing table that resides on the second mobile computing device.

7. The mobile-computing device of claim 6, wherein the routing table is accessed for at least one of inventory tracking purposes, or sales purposes.

8. The mobile-computing device of claim 5, further comprising the logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to generate a hash of the device identifier.

9. A mobile-computing device comprising:

a receiver to receive a data packet at a mobile computing device that is part of a plurality of mobile computing devices connected via inductive links and organized as a mesh network, the data packet including a data command;

an extraction module to extract data from a payload field that is part of the data packet; and

a storage module to store the data to a memory that is part of the mobile computing device, the memory to be accessed by an application that resides upon the mobile computing device.

10. The mobile-computing device of claim 9, further comprising a transmitter to forward, via the inductive links, the data packet to an additional mobile computing device that is part of the plurality of mobile computing devices.

11. The mobile-computing device of claim 10, wherein the additional mobile-computing device is part of a path within the mesh network that includes at least the mobile-computing device, the additional mobile-computing device and another mobile-computing device.

12. The mobile-computing device of claim 10, wherein a data channel exists between the mobile-computing device and the additional mobile computing device.

13. The mobile-computing device of claim 9, wherein the data is setting data for the mobile computing device.

14. The mobile-computing device of claim 9, wherein the data includes port information to uniquely identify the application.

15. The mobile-computing device of claim 9, wherein the data packet includes a command field, a first device identifier field, a second device identifier field and a payload field.

16. The mobile-computing device of claim 15, wherein the payload field is battery charge information.

17. The mobile-computing device of claim 16, wherein the battery charge information is used to control the amount of power sent from the first device.