Adaptive Multi-Pathway Wireless Power Transfer

• US 20140091633A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: WALLEY, John, van der LEE, Reinier
• Granted Patent: US 9,331,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

Adaptive multi-pathway wireless charging is described. In one aspect, embodiments enable one or more wireless charging pathways to be established concurrently in a wireless charging environment. The wireless charging pathways use same or different frequencies, powers, wireless power transfer (WPT) standards, and WPT configurations. Embodiments for adaptively configuring wireless charging based on detected events or changes in WPT characteristics are also provided.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer (WPT) source device, comprising:

a coil;

a WPT monitor module configured to generate WPT related information; and

a controller operable to control the coil in response to the generated WPT related information.

2. The WPT source device of claim 1, further comprising:

a driver circuit configured to receive a control signal from the controller and to produce a current through the coil in response to the control signal.

3. The WPT source device of claim 2, wherein the controller is operable to control at least one of an amplitude, a phase, a frequency, and a duty cycle of the current in response to the generated WPT related information.

4. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the WPT related information includes a location estimate of a WPT recipient device relative to the WPT source device.

5. The WPT source device of claim 4, wherein the location estimate of the WPT recipient device is determined by the WPT source device or obtained from another device.

6. The WPT source device of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to tune a circuit structure of the coil to establish a high-resonance or a low-resonance WPT configuration with the WPT recipient device based on the location estimate of the WPT recipient device.

7. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the WPT related information includes a supported WPT standard by a WPT recipient device, and wherein the controller is configured to control the coil to adjust an operating WPT standard of the WPT source device.

8. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of an operating frequency, a transmission power, an active circuit structure, and an operating WPT standard of the coil in response to the generated WPT related information.

9. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the WPT related information includes an indication of human presence in a vicinity of the WPT source device.

10. The WPT source device of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of an operating frequency and an active circuit structure of the coil based on the indication of human presence in the vicinity of the WPT source device.

11. The WPT source device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sensors configured to provide sensor information to the WPT monitor module, wherein the WPT monitor is configured to generate the WPT related information based on the sensor information.

12. A method for operating a wireless power transfer (WPT) source device, comprising:

generating WPT related information; and

controlling a coil of the WPT source device in response to the generated WPT related information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein controlling the coil comprises controlling at least one of an amplitude, a phase, and a frequency of a current produced through the coil.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the WPT related information includes a location estimate of a WPT recipient device relative to the WPT source device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein controlling the coil comprises controlling at least one of an operating frequency, a transmission power, an active circuit structure, and an operating WPT standard of the coil based on the location estimate of the WPT recipient device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the WPT related information includes an indication of human presence in a vicinity of the WPT source device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein controlling the coil comprises controlling at least one of an operating frequency, a transmission power, an active circuit structure, and an operating WPT standard of the coil based on the indication of human presence in the vicinity of the WPT source device.

18. A system, comprising:

a wireless power transfer (WPT) source device, comprising;

a first coil;

a WPT monitor module; and

a controller; and

a WPT recipient device having a second coil,

wherein the WPT monitor module is configured to estimate a location of the WPT recipient device relative to the WPT source device, and wherein the controller is configured to control the coil in response to the estimated location of the WPT recipient device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the WPT monitor module is further configured to determine a coupling coefficient between the first coil and the second coil and to estimate the location of the WPT recipient device based on the coupling coefficient.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the WPT monitor module is further configured to compare the coupling coefficient against pre-determined coupling coefficient fingerprints to estimate the location of the WPT recipient device.