Wirelessly Charged Electronic Device With Shared Inductor Circuitry

• US 20140241555A1
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Terlizzi, Jeffrey J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,276,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2038/143 for signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/602 of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An electronic device may contain an input-output device such as a speaker, vibrator, or near field communications antenna. The input-output device may include an inductor. The inductor in the input-output device may be shared by wireless charging circuitry in the electronic device so that wireless charging signals can be converted into power to charge a battery in the electronic device. A separate inductor may also be provided within an input-output device to support wireless charging. A drive circuit may supply drive signals to the input-output device such as audio signals, vibrator control signals, or near field communications output signals for external near field communications equipment. An input amplifier that is coupled across the inductor in the input-output device may be used in receiving near field communications signals.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured to be powered using a battery, comprising:

storage and processing circuitry;

an input-output device coupled to the storage and processing circuitry, wherein the input-output device includes an inductor; and

wireless charging circuitry configured to receive wireless charging signals using the inductor and configured to charge the battery.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the input-output device comprises a speaker.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the speaker comprises a diaphragm coupled to the inductor.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the speaker comprises travel-limiting stop structures and wherein the electronic device further comprises a drive circuit that is configured to drive audio signals across the inductor to operate the speaker in a speaker mode and is configured to drive vibrator control signals across the inductor to operate the speaker in a vibrator mode in which the inductor strikes the travel-limiting stop structures.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the input-output device comprises a vibrator.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the input-output device comprises a near field communications antenna configured to communicate wirelessly with external equipment using near field communications, the electronic device further comprising near field communications circuitry coupled to the near field communications antenna.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the external equipment includes hearing aid equipment and wherein the near field communications circuitry is configured to transmit hearing aid signals using the near field communications antenna.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the inductor comprises first and second terminals and wherein the wireless charging circuitry comprises a capacitor coupled across the first and second terminals.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising:

a drive circuit that produces output signals; and

a switch that is interposed between the capacitor and the inductor and that is configured to selectively isolate the inductor from the capacitor when output signals are provided to the inductor from the drive circuit.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the input-output device comprises a speaker and wherein the output signals comprise audio output signals for the speaker.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 9 further comprising an input amplifier coupled across the inductor.

12. An electronic device configured to be powered using a battery, comprising:

storage and processing circuitry;

an input-output device coupled to the storage and processing circuitry, wherein the input-output device includes a first inductor;

a second inductor that is co-located with the first inductor within the input-output device and that is separate from the first inductor;

wireless charging circuitry that receives wireless charging signals using the second inductor and that charges the battery; and

drive circuitry that provides signals to the first inductor.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the input-output device comprises a speaker and wherein the signals that are provided to the first inductor by the drive circuitry comprise audio signals.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the input-output device comprises a vibrator and wherein the signals that are provided to the first inductor comprise vibrator control signals.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the first inductor comprises a near field communications antenna and wherein the signals that are provided to the first inductor comprise near field communications signals.

16. An electronic device that is configured to be powered using a battery, comprising:

wireless charging circuitry having an inductor that is configured to receive wireless charging signals, wherein the wireless charging circuitry is configured to charge the battery; and

a drive circuit that is configured to drive signals across the inductor.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a speaker having a diaphragm coupled to the inductor, wherein the signals that are driven across the inductor by the drive circuit comprise audio signals.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a vibrator, wherein the inductor forms part of the vibrator and wherein the signals that are driven across the inductor by the drive circuit comprise vibrator control signals.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising an input amplifier coupled to the inductor.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the wireless charging circuitry comprises a capacitor and switching circuitry, wherein the switching circuitry is configured to couple the capacitor to the inductor when the wireless charging signals are being received by the wireless charging circuitry and is configured to isolate the capacitor from the inductor when the drive circuit is supplying the drive signals to the inductor.