POWER LOSS DETECTION FOR WIRELESS CHARGING

• US 20150372529A1
• Filed: 09/25/2012
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: LAMPINEN, Harri
• Application Number:
  US14/667,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20150372529A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/005 with inductive power transfer for charging H02J7/025
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity

Abstract

It is inter alia disclosed to an apparatus (100), comprising at least one receiving coil (110) configured to receive electromagnetic energy from a wireless signal provided by a wireless charger, an interface (140) connected to the at least one receiving coil (110) and configured to be connected to a rechargeable energy source for charging the rechargeable energy source with energy received at the at least one receiving coil (110), an analyser (120) configured to measure at least one parameter being indicative of a property of the wireless signal provided by the wireless charger and configured to control the charging of a rechargeable energy source connected to the interface (140) based on the at least one measured parameter.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one receiving coil configured to receive electromagnetic energy from a wireless signal provided by a wireless charger,

an interface connected to the at least one receiving coil and configured to be connected to a rechargeable energy source for charging the rechargeable energy source with energy received at the at least one receiving coil,

an analyser configured to measure at least one parameter being indicative of a property of the wireless signal provided by the wireless charger and configured to control charging of the rechargeable energy source connected to the interface based on the at least one measured parameter.

41. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the analyser is further configured to detect a predefined state of the wireless signal based on at least one parameter of the at least one measured parameter, wherein the charging of the rechargeable energy source connected to the interface including at least one of:

reducing a charging current provided to the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected,

increasing a charging current provided to the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected,

stopping the charging of the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected,

preventing start of charging of the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected.

42. The apparatus according to claim 40, further comprising at least one sensor, wherein the analyser is configured to measure a parameter of at least one of the at least one parameter based on a signal provided by each of said at least one sensor,

wherein one sensor of the at least one sensor represents at least one further coil configured to receive electromagnetic energy,

wherein one coil of the at least one further coil at least partially surrounds one receiving coil of the at least one receiving coil, and

wherein the one coil of the at least one further coil is placed in proximity to the one receiving coil of the at least one receiving coil.

43. The apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected based on at least one of the following:

a voltage measured at the one coil of the at least one further coils exceeds a predefined voltage threshold,

a frequency measured at the one coil of the at least one further coils is less than a predefined frequency threshold, and

a frequency measured at the one coil of the at least one further coils is higher than a predefined frequency threshold, and

wherein the analyser is further configured to determine a misalignment of a position of the at least one receiving coil with respect to a position of the wireless charger based on a signal provided by the at least one further coil, and wherein the apparatus comprises an interface configured to provide directional information for correcting the misalignment.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein said at least one coil represents at least two further coils arranged at predefined positions around the at least one receiving coil,

wherein said determining a misalignment is performed based on a measured signal level of the signal of said at least two further coils.

45. The apparatus according to one of claim 42, wherein the at least one sensor comprising any combination of one or more of the following:

a temperature sensor,

a magnetic field sensor, and

a structural element of the apparatus,

wherein a sensor of the at least one sensor is placed in proximity to a receiving coil of the at least one receiving coil.

46. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the analyser is configured to measure the parameter of at least one of the at least one parameter based on a signal provided by the at least one receiving coil,

wherein the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected based one of the following:

a frequency measured at a receiving coil of the at least one receiving coils is less than a predefined frequency threshold, and

a frequency measured at a receiving of the at least one further coils is higher than a predefined frequency threshold.

47. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the analyser is configured to determine a power received by the at least one receiving coil, wherein the analyser is further configured to detect the predefined state of the wireless signal if said measured power is approximately constant while a parameter of one of the at least one parameter changes significantly, and wherein said predefined state indicates that the transmit power of the wireless charger exceeds a predefined power level.

48. The apparatus according to claim 40 wherein said measured at least one parameter is associated with one or more of:

a signal level associated with the wireless signal,

a waveform associated with the wireless signal,

a duty cycle associated with the wireless signal,

a frequency associated with the wireless signal,

a temperature, and

an amplitude of a magnetic field.

49. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said apparatus is a mobile phone.

50. A method performed by an apparatus, comprising:

measuring at least one parameter indicative of a property of a wireless signal provided by a wireless charger,

receiving, using at least one receiving coil of the apparatus, electromagnetic energy from a wireless signal provided by the wireless charger, and

controlling a charging of a rechargeable energy source with energy received at the at least one receiving coil based on the at least one measured parameter.

51. The method according to claim 50, comprising detecting a predefined state of the wireless signal based on at least one parameter of the at least one measured parameter, wherein said controlling the charging of a rechargeable energy source connected to the interface includes at least one of:

reducing a charging current provided to the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected,

increasing a charging current provided to the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected,

stopping the charging of the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected,

preventing start of charging of the rechargeable energy source if the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected.

52. The method according to claim 50, wherein the apparatus further comprising at least one sensor, the method comprising measuring a parameter of at least one of the at least one parameter based on a signal provided by each of said at least one sensor,

wherein one sensor of the at least one sensor represents at least one further coil configured to receive electromagnetic energy,

wherein one coil of the at least one further coil at least partially surrounds one receiving coil of the at least one receiving coil, and

wherein one coil of the at least one further coil is placed in proximity to the one receiving coil of the at least one receiving coil.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected based on at least one of the following:

a voltage measured at the one coil of the at least one further coils exceeds a predefined voltage threshold,

a frequency measured at the one coil of the at least one further coils is less than a predefined frequency threshold, and

a frequency measured at the one coil of the at least one further coils is higher than a predefined frequency threshold, and

comprising determining a misalignment of a position of the at least one receiving coil with respect to a position of the wireless charger based on a signal provided by the at least one further coil, and wherein the apparatus comprises an interface configured to provide directional information for correcting the misalignment.

54. The method according to claim 53, wherein said at least one coil represents at least two further coils arranged at predefined positions around the at least one receiving coil,

wherein said determining a misalignment is performed based on a measured signal level of the signal of said at least two further coils.

55. The method according to claim 52, wherein the at least one sensor comprising any combination of one or more of the following:

a temperature sensor,

a magnetic field sensor, and

a structural element of the apparatus, and

wherein a sensor of said the at least one sensor is placed in proximity to a receiving coil of the at least one receiving coil.

56. The method according to claim 50, comprising measuring the parameter of at least

one of the at least one parameter based on a signal provided by the at least one receiving coil, wherein the predefined state of the wireless signal is detected based on one of the following:

a frequency measured at a receiving coil of the at least one receiving coils is less than a predefined frequency threshold, and

a frequency measured at a receiving coil of the at least one further coils is higher than a predefined frequency threshold.

57. The method according to claim 51, comprising determining a power received by the at least one receiving coil, and detecting the predefined state of the wireless signal if said measured power is approximately constant while a parameter of one of the at least one parameter changes significantly, and

wherein said predefined state indicates that the transmit power of the wireless charger exceeds a predefined power level.

58. The method according to claim 50, wherein said measured at least one parameter is associated with one or more of:

a signal level associated with the wireless signal,

a waveform associated with the wireless signal,

a duty cycle associated with the wireless signal,

a frequency associated with the wireless signal,

a temperature, and

an signal level of a magnetic field.

59. A computer program product comprising a least one computer readable non-transitory medium having program code stored thereon, the program code, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to measure at least one parameter representative being indicative of a property of a wireless signal provided by a wireless charger, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one receiving coil configured to receive electromagnetic energy from a wireless signal provided by the wireless charger, and to control a charging of a rechargeable energy source connected to an interface of the apparatus based on the at least one measured parameter, wherein the interface is connected to the at least one receiving coil and configured to be connected to a rechargeable energy source for charging the rechargeable energy source with energy received at the at least one receiving coil.