APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER TO MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20140008990A1
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: YOON, IN-SOO
• Granted Patent: US 9,685,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• 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: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for controlling wireless power transfer to mobile devices is disclosed. The system includes a power transmitter configured to transmit power via a wireless coupling to the mobile devices. Each of the mobile devices includes a power receiver configured to receive the power from the power transmitter via the wireless coupling with the power transmitter. Each power receiver is configured to transmit control data modulated with a spreading code via the wireless coupling to the power transmitter.

Claims

1. A power receiver, comprising:

a power pick-up unit configured to receive power from a power transmitter via a wireless coupling with the power transmitter; and

a control unit configured to adjust the power received from the power transmitter by transmitting control data to the power transmitter via the wireless coupling, wherein the control data is modulated with a spreading code.

2. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the spreading code is predefined.

3. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the power pick-up unit is configured to provide the received power to a load, and wherein the control unit is configured to generate the control data based on at least one of a status of the load and the received power.

4. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a first modulator configured to modulate the control data with the spreading code.

5. The power receiver of claim 4, wherein the power pick-up unit comprises a second modulator configured to transmit the modulated control data to the power transmitter by modulating the power being received via the wireless coupling.

6. The power receiver of claim 5, wherein the second modulator comprises an impedance modulator configured to modulate the power being received via the wireless coupling by modulating an impedance of the power pick-up unit based on the modulated control data.

7. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the power receiver comprises a plurality of wireless power receivers, each wireless power receiver including the power pick-up unit and the control unit.

8. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the power pick-up unit is configured to transmit the control data to the power transmitter a predetermined number of times.

9. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the control data is transmitted at a random time interval or a time interval determined based on an identification number assigned to the power receiver.

10. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the control data comprises at least one data packet, each data packet including information for adjusting the power from the power transmitter or power status information of the power receiver.

11. The power receiver of claim 10, wherein, if the at least one data packet includes information indicating the power status information of the power receiver, the power pick-up unit is configured to transmit the at least one data packet a predetermined number of times.

12. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the power pick-up unit and the power transmitter are wirelessly coupled via at least one of magnetic resonance, magnetic field induction, magnetic field radiation, electric field radiation, and electromagnetic field radiation.

13. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the power transmitter is a pad-type or a pod-type power transmitter.

14. The power receiver of claim 1, wherein the power receiver is configured to supply the power in a mobile device.

15. A power transmitter for supplying power to a plurality of power receivers, comprising:

a power conversion unit configured to transmit power to the plurality of power receivers via a wireless coupling with the power receivers; and

a control unit configured to receive, from at least one of the power receivers, control data modulated with a spreading code via the wireless coupling, the control unit being further configured to demodulate the control data with the spreading code to control the power transmitted to the at least one of the power receivers.

16. The power transmitter of claim 15, wherein the spreading code is predefined.

17. The power transmitter of claim 15, wherein the power conversion unit comprises a first demodulator configured to receive the modulated control data from the power receivers by detecting modulation of the power being transmitted to the power receivers via the wireless coupling.

18. The power transmitter of claim 17, wherein the control unit comprises a second demodulator configured to demodulate the modulated control data with the spreading code.

19. The power transmitter of claim 15, wherein the control data comprises at least one data packet from the at least one of the power receivers, each data packet including information for adjusting the power from the power transmitter or power status information of one of the power receivers.

20. The power transmitter of claim 15, wherein the control unit is configured to receive two or more data packets partially overlapping in time from at least two of the power receivers and recover the two or more data packets by demodulating the two or more packets with the spreading code.

21. The power transmitter of claim 15, wherein the power conversion unit is wirelessly coupled with the power receivers via at least one of magnetic resonance, magnetic field induction, magnetic field radiation, electric field radiation, and electromagnetic field radiation.

22. The power transmitter of claim 15, wherein the power transmitter is a pad-type or a pod-type wireless power transmitter.

23. A system for controlling wireless power transfer, comprising:

a power transmitter configured to transmit power via a wireless coupling; and

a plurality of power receivers configured to receive the power from the power transmitter via the wireless coupling with the power transmitter, each power receiver being configured to transmit control data modulated with a spreading code via the wireless coupling to the power transmitter, wherein the control data is adapted to control the power transmitted from the power transmitter,

wherein the power transmitter adjusts the power based on the control data from at least one of the power receivers and transmits the adjusted power via the wireless coupling.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the power transmitter receives and demodulates the control data with the spreading code.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the power transmitter is configured to receive and recover portions of the control data concurrently transmitted from the plurality of power receivers.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the power receivers comprises:

a first modulator configured to modulate the control data with the spreading code; and

a second modulator configured to transmit the modulated control data to the power transmitter by modulating the power being received via the wireless coupling.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the second modulator comprises an impedance modulator configured to modulate the power being received via the wireless coupling by modulating an impedance of the at least one of the power receivers based on the modulated control data.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the power receivers is configured to transmit the control data a predetermined number of times.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the control data comprises at least one data packet, including information for adjusting the power from the power transmitter or power status information of one of the power receivers.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein, if the at least one data packet includes the power status information, at least one of the power receivers is configured to transmit the at least one data packet a predetermined number of times.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the power transmitter comprises:

a first demodulator configured to receive the modulated control data via the wireless coupling by detecting a modulation of the power being transmitted to the at least one of the power receivers; and

a second demodulator configured to demodulate the modulated control data with the spreading code.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the power receivers are wirelessly coupled with the power transmitter via at least one of magnetic resonance, magnetic field induction, magnetic field radiation, electric field radiation, and electromagnetic field radiation.

33. The system of claim 23, wherein the power transmitter is a pad-type or a pod-type power transmitter.

34. A method for controlling power transmission to a mobile device, comprising:

receiving, by a power receiver in the mobile device, power from a power transmitter via a wireless coupling between the power transmitter and the power receiver; and

transmitting, by the power receiver, control data modulated with a spreading code via the wireless coupling to adjust the power from the power transmitter.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein transmitting the control data comprises:

generating the control data to be transmitted to the power transmitter;

modulating the control data with the spreading code; and

transmitting the modulated control data to the power transmitter via the wireless coupling.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein transmitting the control data comprises modulating the power being transmitted to the power receiver by modulating an impedance of the power receiver based on the modulated control data.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein transmitting the control data comprises transmitting the control data a predetermined number of times.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the control data comprises at least one data packet including information for adjusting the power from the power transmitter or power status information of the power receiver.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein transmitting the control data comprises, if the at least one data packet includes the power status information, transmitting the at least one data packet a predetermined number of times.