SELECTING A CONFIGURATION OF COILS IN RESPONSE TO A MULTI-COIL WIRELESS CHARGING SYSTEM INITIATING CHARGING

• US 20160028266A1
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Zack, Gary Edward, Madau, Dinu Petre
• Granted Patent: US 9,537,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A system and method for selecting a configuration of coils in response to a multi-coil wireless charging system initiating charging are provided. The system includes a ping generator to measure a reference coil peak voltage for each of the coils of the multi-coil wireless charging system; an object detector to detect that an object is placed on a surface associated with the wireless charging system; a charge detector to detect that the object is chargeable; and in response to the object being chargeable, a switch transmitter determines which of the coils of the multi-coil wireless charging system to connect to a power source.

Claims

1. A system for selecting a configuration of coils in response to a multi-coil wireless charging system initiating charging, comprising:

a data store comprising a computer readable medium storing a program of instructions for the selecting of the configuration;

a processor that executes the program of instructions;

a ping generator to measure a reference coil peak voltage for each of the coils of the multi-coil wireless charging system;

an object detector to detect that an object is placed on a surface associated with the wireless charging system;

a charge detector to detect that the object is chargeable; and

in response to the object being chargeable, a switch transmitter determines which of the coils of the multi-coil wireless charging system to connect to a power source.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object detector detects that an object is placed on the surface by detecting a change in coil peak voltage from the reference coil peak voltage for each of the coils.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the charge detector determines that the object is chargeable by detecting a decrease in coil peak voltage from the reference coil peak voltage and a coil peak voltage measured when the object is placed on the surface.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the charge detector determines that the object is chargeable by detecting a decrease in the coil peak voltage.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the decrease is over a predetermined threshold.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ping generator scans each of the coils and individually measures each of the coils when a respective coil is being scanned.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object detector scans each of the coils and individual measures each of the coils when a respective coil is being scanned.

8. A method implemented via a processor for selecting a configuration of coils in response to a multi-coil wireless charging system initiating charging, comprising:

determining a reference coil peak voltage for each of the coils;

polling the coils to measure a coil peak voltage associated with each of the coils;

determining if a difference exists between the reference coil peak voltage and the measured coil peak voltage;

in response to the difference existing, determining whether an object is placed on a surface of the wireless charging system, and

determining whether the object is a chargeable device based on the difference; and

selecting a switch associated with one of the coils based on the difference.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the determination of whether the object is placed on a surface further comprises detecting a change in coil peak voltage from the reference coil peak voltage for each of the coils.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprises determining whether a decrease occurs in coil peak voltage from the reference coil peak voltage and the coil peak voltage measured when the object is placed on the surface.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising determining that the object is chargeable by detecting a decrease in the coil peak voltage.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the decrease is over a predetermined threshold.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the determination of the reference coil peak voltage for each of the coils further comprises scanning each of the coils and individually measuring each of the coils when a respective coil is being scanned.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the polling of the coils to measure the coil peak voltage associated with each of the coils further comprises scanning each of the coils and individually measuring each of the coils when a respective coil is being scanned.