VARIABLE WIRELESS TRANSFER

• US 20150365137A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PNC Bank National Association (The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enovate Medical, LLC (Enovate Medical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Miller, David R., Moody, Jay, Kilbourne, Allen
• Granted Patent: US 9,991,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/342 Non-re-sealable arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A technology for a wireless transfer station that is operable to wirelessly transfer data or energy. Energy or data can be wirelessly transferred to another wireless transfer station using one or more wireless transfer coils. An amount of energy or data transferred to the other wireless transfer station can be dynamically adjusted by adjusting the one or more wireless transfer coils. Data can be communicated to the other wireless transfer station using a communication module.

Claims

1. A wireless transfer station operable to wirelessly transfer data or energy, the wireless transfer station comprising:

one or more wireless transfer coils for transferring energy or data;

a power management module configured to;

wirelessly transfer energy or data to another wireless transfer station using the one or more wireless transfer coils; and

adjust the one or more wireless transfer coils to dynamically adjust an amount of energy or data transferred to the other wireless transfer station; and

a communications module configured to communicate data with the other wireless transfer station.

2. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is configured to dynamically adjust the amount of energy or data transferred using the one or more wireless transfer coils by changing a coil size of the one or more wireless transfer coils.

3. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is configured to adjust the amount of energy or data transferred to the other wireless transfer station by adjusting a frequency of the one or more wireless transfer coils.

4. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more wireless transfer coils further comprises a resonant transmitting coil with a variable capacitor; and

the power management module is configured to dynamically vary a resonant frequency of the resonant transmitting coil by adjusting a capacitance of the variable capacitor.

5. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more wireless transfer coils further comprises an induction transmitting coil with one or more switches along a length of the induction transmitting coil; and

the power management module is configured to adjust a size or shape of the induction transmitting coil using the one or more switches.

6. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is configured to adjust a size of the one or more wireless transfer coils using ferrite material.

7. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is configured to adjust the amount of energy transferred to the other wireless transfer station by adjusting a distance or an alignment between a wireless transmitting coil of the one or more wireless charging coils coupled to the wireless transfer station and a wireless receiving coil of the other wireless transfer station.

8. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein:

the communications module is configured to receive coil information from the other wireless transfer station; and

the power management module is configured to use the coil information to adjust one or more wireless transfer coil settings of the power management module using the received coil information.

9. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein:

the communications module is configured to transmit coil information to the other wireless transfer station; and

a power management module of the other wireless transfer station is configured to use the coil information to adjust wireless transfer coil settings of the power management module of the other wireless transfer station.

10. The wireless transfer station of claim 9, wherein the coil information includes:

a frequency of the one or more wireless transfer coils of the wireless transfer station used for transferring energy or data;

a coil size of the one or more wireless transfer coils of the wireless transfer station;

a coil shape of the one or more wireless transfer coils of the wireless transfer station;

alignment information of the one or more wireless transfer coils of the wireless transfer station;

amplitude information of the energy transferred by the wireless transfer station;

or

transmission timing information indicating when the wireless transfer station transfers energy or data.

11. The wireless transfer station of claim 9, wherein the power management module is configured to use the coil information to synchronize a coil setting of the one or more wireless transfer coils of the wireless transfer station to substantially match a coil setting of one or more wireless transfer coils of the other wireless transfer station.

12. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module adjusts the amount of energy transferred by the one or more wireless transfer coils based on:

an energy input capability of the other wireless transfer station;

a present power level of the wireless transfer station;

a present power level of the other wireless transfer station;

a priority level of the other wireless transfer station;

a number of additional wireless transfer stations receiving energy from the wireless transfer station;

or

a presence of a foreign object in a magnetic field of the one or more wireless transfer coils.

13. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein:

the communications module is configured to receive wireless transfer station information from the other wireless transfer station; and

the power management module is configured to adjust the energy transferred by the one or more wireless transfer coils based on the wireless transfer station information.

14. The wireless transfer station of claim 13, wherein the wireless transfer station information includes:

a type of the other wireless transfer station;

a type of device the other wireless transfer station is attached to;

a number of wireless transfer coils coupled to the other wireless transfer station;

or

an energy requirement of the device that the other wireless transfer station is attached to.

15. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, further comprising a beam steering module to adjust a shape or coverage range of an electromagnetic field emitted by the one or more wireless transfer coils.

16. The wireless transfer station of claim 15, wherein:

the communications module of the wireless transfer station is configured to receive a beacon from the other wireless transfer station, wherein the beacon indicates a location of a wireless transfer coil of the other wireless transfer station; and

the beam steering module is configured to adjust a shape or a coverage range of a magnetic field emitted from the one or more wireless transfer coils based on the beacon.

17. The wireless transfer station of claim 15, wherein:

the communications module of the wireless transfer station is configured to receive a received energy message from the other wireless transfer station indicating the amount of energy received by a wireless transfer coil of the other wireless transfer station; and

the beam steering module is configured to adjust a shape or a coverage range of a magnetic field emitted from the one or more wireless transfer coils based on the received energy message.

18. A wireless transfer station operable to wirelessly transfer data or energy, the wireless transfer station comprising:

one or more wireless transfer coils for transferring energy or data;

a power management module configured to;

wirelessly receive energy or data from another wireless transfer station using the one or more wireless transfer coils; and

adjust the one or more wireless transfer coils to dynamically change an amount of energy or data received from the other wireless transfer station; and

a communications module configured to communicate data with the other wireless transfer station.

19. The wireless transfer station of claim 18, wherein the power management module is configured to dynamically adjust the amount of energy or data received using the one or more wireless transfer coils by changing a coil size of the one or more wireless transfer coils.

20. The wireless transfer station of claim 18, wherein the power management module is configured to adjust the amount of energy or data received to the other wireless transfer station by adjusting a frequency of the one or more wireless transfer coils.

21. A method for adjusting a wireless transfer data or energy of a wireless transfer station, comprising:

wirelessly receiving, at a wireless transfer station, energy or data from another wireless transfer station using one or more wireless transfer coils coupled to the wireless transfer station;

receiving from the other wireless transfer station transfer information, wherein the transfer information include an amount of energy or data transmitted from the other wireless transfer station to the wireless transfer station; and

adjusting the one or more wireless transfer coils based on the transfer information to dynamically change an amount of energy or data received from the other wireless transfer station.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, at the wireless transfer station, a frequency message from the other wireless transfer station, wherein the frequency message includes a frequency to receive wireless energy or data from the other wireless transfer station; and

adjusting the one or more wireless transfer coils based on the frequency message.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising wirelessly receiving, at a wireless transfer station, energy or data from another wireless transfer station using the one or more adjusted wireless transfer coils.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

communicating a wireless transfer request to the other wireless transfer station;

receiving a transfer approval message from the other wireless transfer station, wherein the transfer approval message includes a frequency for the one or more wireless transfer coils to receive energy or data from the other wireless transfer station; and

receiving, from the other wireless transfer station, energy and/or data at the frequency indicated in the transfer approval message.