METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20150097442A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: MUURINEN, Jari Juhani
• Granted Patent: US 9,948,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus comprises a wireless power receiver configured to receive a wireless power signal, a communication circuitry configured to transmit one or more change requests associated with a quantity of the wireless power signal, and a control circuit configured to measure a plurality of reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal and to determine whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to the one or more change requests.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless power receiver configured to receive a wireless power signal;

communication circuitry configured to transmit one or more change requests associated with a quantity of the wireless power signal;

a control circuitry configured to measure a plurality of reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal and to determine whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to a linear model of expected reception levels, wherein the linear model is calculated based on the one or more change requests.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to cause a further change request to be transmitted in response to determining that at least one of the plurality of reception levels does not correspond to the linear model.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the quantity of the wireless power signal is a power of the wireless power signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the linear model comprises a linear regression over the plurality of reception levels, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of reception levels is determined not to correspond to the one or more change requests when a residual error of the linear regression exceeds a residual threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to calculate an estimated transmission power of the wireless power signal, and wherein the plurality of reception levels is determined not to correspond to the one or more change requests when a difference between at least one of the plurality of reception levels and the estimated transmission power exceeds an error threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is configured to calculate the estimated transmission power based on a current reception power of the wireless power signal and at least one of the one or more change requests.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the communication circuitry is further configured to receive information about a transmit power of the wireless power signal, and wherein the plurality of the reception levels is determined not to correspond to the one or more change requests when a difference between at least one of the plurality of reception levels and the transmit power exceeds an error threshold, wherein the transmit power is derived from the information about the transmit power.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the further change request comprises at least one of a request to decrease the power of the wireless power signal, a request to suspend transmission of the wireless power signal for a predetermined time, and a request to end power transfer.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless power transmitter configured to transmit a wireless power signal;

control circuitry configured to cause a change of a quantity of the wireless power signal among a plurality of transmit levels;

communication circuitry configured to receive at least one control message indicating a plurality of measured reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to a linear model of expected reception levels, wherein the linear model is calculated based on the plurality of transmit levels.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to cause a further change of the quantity of the wireless power signal in response to determining that the plurality of reception levels does not correspond to the plurality of transmit levels.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the quantity of the wireless power signal is a power of the wireless power signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the linear model comprises a linear regression over the plurality of reception levels and, and wherein the plurality of transmit levels is determined not to correspond to the plurality of reception levels when a residual error of the linear regression exceeds a residual threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein communication circuitry is further configured to receive one or more change requests, and wherein the change comprises adjusting the power of the wireless power signal according to the one or more change requests.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the change comprises increasing the power of the wireless power signal and the further change comprises at least one of decreasing the power of the wireless power signal, a suspending transmission of the wireless power signal for a predetermined time, and ending power transfer.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless power signal;

transmitting one or more change requests associated with a quantity of the wireless power signal;

measuring a plurality of reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal; and

determining whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to a linear model of expected reception levels, wherein the linear model is calculated based on the one or more change requests.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a further change request in response to determining that at least one of the plurality of reception levels does not correspond to the one or more change requests.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the quantity of the wireless power signal is a power of the wireless power signal.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the linear model comprises a linear regression over the plurality of reception levels, and wherein the plurality of reception levels is determined not to correspond to the one or more change requests when a residual error of the linear regression exceeds a residual threshold.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising calculating an estimated transmission power of the wireless power signal, and wherein the plurality of reception levels is determined not to correspond to the one or more change requests when a difference between at least one of the plurality of reception levels and the estimated transmission power exceeds an error threshold.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving information about a transmit power of the wireless power signal, and wherein the plurality of the reception levels is determined not to correspond to the one or more change requests when a difference between at least one of the plurality of reception levels and the transmit power exceeds an error threshold, wherein the transmit power is derived from the information about the transmit power.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the further change request comprises at least one of a request to decrease the power of the wireless power signal, a request to suspend transmission of the wireless power signal for a predetermined time, and request to end power transfer.

22. A method comprising:

transmitting a wireless power signal;

changing a quantity of the wireless power signal among a plurality of transmit levels;

receiving at least one control message indicating a plurality of measured reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal; and

determining whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to a linear model of expected reception levels, wherein the linear model is calculated based on the plurality of transmit levels.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising to cause a further change of the quantity of the wireless power signal in response to determining that the plurality of reception levels does not correspond to the plurality of transmit levels.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the quantity of the wireless power signal is a power of the wireless power signal.

25. A computer program, comprising:

code configured to receive a wireless power signal;

code configured to transmit one or more change requests associated with a quantity of the wireless power signal;

code configured to measure a plurality of reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal; and

code configured to determine whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to a linear model of expected reception levels, wherein the linear model is calculated based on the one or more change requests.

26. A computer program, comprising:

code configured to transmit a wireless power signal;

code configured to cause a change of a quantity of the wireless power signal among a plurality of transmit levels;

code configured to receive at least one control message indicating a plurality of measured reception levels associated with the quantity of the wireless power signal; and

code configured to determine whether the plurality of reception levels corresponds to a linear model of expected reception levels, wherein the linear model is calculated based on the plurality of transmit levels.