METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING SIGNALS FROM A PLURALITY OF WIRELESS POWER RECEIVERS TO WIRELESS POWER SUPPLIER

• US 20130063083A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Sung-Kweon, KO, Kil-Soo, LEE, Kyung-Woo, PARK, Jin-Hyoung, KIM, Ki Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,276,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• 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

Methods and apparatus are provided for transmission and reception of signals. A signal is received that includes at least one of a power supply signal for wireless charging from a wireless power supplier and a power communication signal from at least one external wireless power receiver. The received signal is analyzed to determine whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal. A transmission frequency of a transmission signal is determined based on whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal. Transmission data for control of the wireless charging is modulated, and the modulated transmission data is output as the transmission signal over the transmission frequency.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a signal from a wireless power receiver, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal comprising at least one of a power supply signal for wireless charging from a wireless power supplier and a power communication signal from at least one external wireless power receiver;

analyzing the received signal to determine whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal;

determining a transmission frequency of a transmission signal based on whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal; and

modulating transmission data for control of the wireless charging, and outputting the modulated transmission data as the transmission signal over the transmission frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the transmission frequency of the transmission signal comprises determining the transmission frequency as a frequency that differs from frequencies of the power supply signal and the power communication signal, when the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the transmission frequency of the transmission signal comprises determining the transmission frequency as a frequency that differs from a frequency of the power supply signal, when the power communication signal is not included with the power supply signal in the received signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modulating the transmission data comprises modulating the transmission data to the transmission signal in one of an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) scheme and a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) scheme.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, when the transmission data is modulated using the ASK scheme, determining the transmission frequency comprises determining a sub-carrier frequency based on whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein modulating the transmission data comprises:

encoding the transmission data;

oscillating a sub-carrier signal with the sub-carrier frequency;

mixing the encoded transmission data with the sub-carrier signal; and

modulating the mixed transmission signal in a load modulation scheme.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein encoding the transmission data comprises ending the transmission data in one of a Non-Return to Zero (NRZ) scheme, a Return to Zero (RZ) scheme, a Manchester code scheme, and a bi-phase decoding scheme.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising rectifying the received signal after receiving the signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission data comprises at least one of IDentifier (ID) information, power reception relation information, location information of the wireless power receiver, environment setting information, safety relation information, and control information of the wireless power supplier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control information of the wireless power receiver comprises at least one of an applied voltage of the wireless power supplier, and frequency and duty cycle control information of the power supply signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting reception of a ping signal from the wireless power supplier before receiving the signal; and

driving the wireless power receiver when the reception of the ping signal is detected.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission frequency is determined based on a number of the at least one external wireless power receiver.

13. A method of receiving a signal at a wireless power supplier, comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal comprising one or more power communication signals with different frequencies from at least one wireless power receiver;

demultiplexing the received signal into the one or more power communication signals with different frequencies;

demodulating the one or more power communication signals into power communication data; and

analyzing the power communication data to control and supply wireless power to the at least one wireless power receiver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein demultiplexing the received signal comprises demodulating the one or more power communication signals into the power communication data using one of an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) scheme and a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) scheme.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, when the received signal is demodulated using the ASK scheme, demodulating the one or more power communication signals comprises:

demodulating the one or more power communication signal in a load demodulation scheme;

mixing the one or more demodulated power communication signals with respective corresponding sub-carrier signals; and

decoding the one or more demodulated power communication signals.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein demodulating the one or more power communication signals comprises decoding the one or more power communication signals using one of a Non-Return to Zero (NRZ) scheme, a Return to Zero (RZ) scheme, a Manchester code scheme, and a bi-phase decoding scheme.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication data comprises at least one of IDentifier (ID) information, power reception relation information, location information of a wireless power receiver, environment setting information, safety relation information, and control information of the wireless power supplier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the control information of the wireless power receiver comprises at least one of an applied voltage of the wireless power supplier, and frequency and duty cycle control information of a power supply signal.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting a ping signal for driving the at least one wireless power receiver before receiving the signal.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether a frequency collision occurs in the one or more power communication signals after demultiplexing the received signal into the one or more power communication signals; and

restarting the wireless power supplier when the frequency collision occurs.

21. A wireless power receiver comprising:

a communication unit for receiving a signal comprising at least one of a power supply signal for wireless charging from a wireless power supplier and a power communication signal from at least one external wireless power receiver;

a controller for analyzing the received signal to determine whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal, and determining a transmission frequency of a transmission signal based on whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal; and

a transmission signal generator for modulating transmission data for control of the wireless charging and outputting the modulated transmission data as the transmission signal for the transmission frequency to the communication unit,

wherein the controller controls the communication unit to transmit the transmission signal.

22. The wireless power receiver of claim 21, wherein the controller determines the transmission frequency as a frequency that differs from frequencies of the power supply signal and the power communication signal, when the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal.

23. The wireless power receiver of claim 21, wherein the controller determines the transmission frequency as a frequency that differs from a frequency of the power supply signal, when the power communication signal is not included with the power supply signal in the received signal.

24. The wireless power receiver of claim 21, wherein the transmission signal generator modulates the transmission data to the transmission signal in one of an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) scheme and a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) scheme.

25. The wireless power receiver of claim 24, wherein, when the transmission data is modulated using the ASK scheme, the controller determines a sub-carrier frequency based on whether the power communication signal is included with the power supply signal in the received signal.

26. The wireless power receiver of claim 25, wherein the transmission signal generator comprises:

a signal processor for encoding the transmission data;

a frequency synthesizer for oscillating a sub-carrier signal with the sub-carrier frequency;

a mixer for mixing the encoded transmission data with the sub-carrier signal; and

a load modulator for modulating the mixed transmission signal in a load modulation scheme.

27. A wireless power supplier comprising:

a power supply unit for supplying power to at least one wireless power receiver;

a communication unit for receiving a signal comprising one or more power communication signals with different frequencies from the at least one wireless power receiver;

a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the received signal into the one or more power communication signals with different frequencies;

a controller for demodulating the one or more power communication signals into power communication data, and analyzing the power communication data to control and supply wireless power to the at least one wireless power receiver.

28. The wireless power supplier of claim 27, wherein the controller demodulates the one or more power communication signals into the power communication data using one of an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) scheme and a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) scheme.

29. The wireless power supplier of claim 28, wherein, when the received signal is demodulated using the ASK scheme, the controller comprises:

a first demodulator for demodulating the one or more power communication signals in a load demodulation scheme;

a frequency synthesizer for oscillating sub-carrier signals corresponding to the first demodulated power communication signals, respectively;

a mixer for mixing the demodulated one or more power communication signals with respective corresponding sub-carrier signals and demodulating the one or more mixed signals; and

a signal processor for decoding the demodulated one or more power communication signals.

30. The wireless power supplier of claim 27, wherein the controller determines whether frequency collision occurs in the one or more power communication signals and controls a restart of the wireless power supplier when the frequency collision occurs.