Techniques for Wireless Charging Communication

• US 20150256226A1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Xintian E., Kasturi, Sreenivas
• Granted Patent: US 10,110,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 50/80 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 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Wireless charging communication examples are described. Various techniques for establishing a communication link between a power transmit unit and a power receive unit through a low energy wireless communication interface to enable the power receive unit to receive power are described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry for a power transmit unit (PTU) capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to one or more power receive units (PRUs);

a detect component for execution by the circuitry to detect a first PRU based on use of a transmitted short beacon to detect an impedance or charging load associated with the first PRU;

a beacon component for execution by the circuitry to transmit a long beacon that includes a first modulated signature, the long beacon to cause the first PRU to energize a low energy wireless communication interface;

a receive component for execution by the circuitry to receive an advertisement (ADV) packet from the first PRU;

a connection component for execution by the circuitry to send a first connection request to the first PRU to establish a first communication link with the first PRU through the low energy wireless communication interface when the ADV packet from the first PRU includes a signature that matches the first modulated signature; and

a transfer component for execution by the circuitry to cause transfer of power to the first PRU while maintaining the first communication link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

the receive component to receive a first ADV packet from a second PRU while power is being transferred to the first PRU, the first ADV packet including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature matching the first modulated signature;

a power modulation component for execution by the circuitry to modulate power provided to the first PRU responsive to the receive component receiving the first ADV packet, the power modulated to generate a second modulated signature that is capable of being detected by the second PRU;

the receive component to receive a second ADV packet from the second PRU;

the connection component to send a second connection request to the second PRU to establish a second communication link with the second PRU through a low energy wireless communication interface at the second PRU when the second ADV packet includes a signature that matches the second modulated signature; and

the transfer component to cause transfer of power to the second PRU while maintaining the second communication link.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising the first and second modulation signatures, when decoded, result in a same signature.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the first modulated signature comprising a sequence modulated on an amplitude of the long beacon, the sequence to indicate an identifier for the PTU.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a transmit resonator arrange to transfer power to the first PRU via resonate coupling with the first PRU.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, resonate coupling with the first PRU is at an operating frequency in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band that includes 6.78 megahertz (MHz).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the PTU arranged to operate in compliance with one or more industry standards including Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Version 1.0 Baseline System Specification or the Bluetooth Specification, Version 4.1.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the short and long beacons comprising A4WP beacons and the low energy wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) interface.

9. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry for a power transmit unit (PTU) capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to one or more power receive units (PRUs);

a detect component for execution by the circuitry to detect a first PRU based on use of a transmitted short beacon to detect an impedance or charging load associated with the first PRU;

a beacon component for execution by the circuitry to transmit a long beacon to cause the first PRU to energize a low energy wireless communication interface;

a receive component for execution by the circuitry to receive a first advertisement (ADV) packet from the first PRU including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature field, the beacon component to module a remaining portion of the long beacon responsive to the receive component receiving the first ADV packet, the remaining portion of the long beacon modulated to include a modulated signature, the receive component to receive a second ADV packet from the first PRU;

a connection component for execution by the circuitry to send a connection request to establish a first communication link with the first PRU through the low energy wireless communication interface when the second ADV packet includes a signature that matches the modulated signature included in the remaining portion of the long beacon; and

a transfer component for execution by the circuitry to cause transfer of power to the first PRU while maintaining the first communication link.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising:

the receive component to receive a first ADV packet from a second PRU while power is being transferred to the first PRU, the first ADV packet from the second PRU including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature matching the first modulated signature;

a power modulation component for execution by the circuitry to modulate power provided to the first PRU responsive to the receive component receiving the first ADV packet from the second PRU, the power modulated to generate a second modulated signature that is capable of being detected by the second PRU;

the receive component to receive a second ADV packet from the second PRU;

the connection component to send a second connection request to the second PRU to establish a second communication link with the second PRU through a low energy wireless communication interface at the second PRU when the second ADV packet from the second PRU includes a signature that matches the second modulated signature; and

the transfer component to cause transfer of power to the second PRU while maintaining the second communication link.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising the first and second modulation signatures, when decoded, result in a different signature.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, the first modulated signature comprising a sequence modulated on an amplitude of the remaining portion of the long beacon, the sequence to indicate an identifier for the PTU.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising a transmit resonator arrange to transfer power to the first PRU via resonate coupling with the first PRU.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, resonate coupling with the first PRU is at an operating frequency in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band that includes 6.78 megahertz (MHz).

15. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising the PTU arranged to operate in compliance with one or more industry standards including Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Version 1.0 Baseline System Specification or the Bluetooth Specification, Version 4.1.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the short and long beacons comprising A4WP beacons and the low energy wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) interface.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, at a power receive unit (PRU), a long beacon including a modulated signature that identifies a power transmit unit (PTU) capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to the PRU;

energizing a low energy wireless communication interface responsive to receiving the long beacon;

decoding the modulated signature;

generating an advertisement (ADV) packet that includes the decoded signature;

transmitting the ADV packet to the PTU to establish a communication link with the PTU through the low energy wireless communication interface; and

receiving power from the PTU while maintaining the communication link.

18. The method of claim 17, the PTU capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to the PRU via resonate coupling at an operating frequency in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band that includes 6.78 megahertz (MHz).

19. The method of claim 17, comprising the PRU arranged to operate in compliance with one or more industry standards including Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Version 1.0 Baseline System Specification or the Bluetooth Specification, Version 4.1.

20. The method of claim 19, the long beacon comprising an A4WP beacon and the low energy wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) interface.

21. At least one machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed by circuitry for a power receive unit (PRU) causes the circuitry to:

receive a long beacon from a power transmit unit (PTU) capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to the PRU;

energize a low energy wireless communication interface responsive to receiving the long beacon;

generate a first advertisement (ADV) packet, the first ADV packet including fields indicating support for forward signaling and no signature field;

transmit the first ADV packet to the PTU, the PTU capable of modulating a remaining portion of the long beacon to include a modulated signature responsive to receiving the first ADV;

decode the modulated signature included in the remaining portion of the long beacon;

generate a second ADV packet that includes the decoded signature;

transmit the second ADV packet to the PTU to establish a communication link with the PTU through the low energy wireless communication interface; and

receive power from the PTU while maintaining the communication link.

22. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 21, the PTU capable of inductively, magnetically or wirelessly transferring power to the PRU via resonate coupling at an operating frequency in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band that includes 6.78 megahertz (MHz).

23. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 21, comprising the PRU arranged to operate in compliance with one or more industry standards including Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Version 1.0 Baseline System Specification or the Bluetooth Specification, Version 4.1.

24. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 23, the long beacon comprising an A4WP beacon and the low energy wireless communication interface is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) interface.

25. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 21, the PTU comprises a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a wearable computing device or a portable game device.