RANGE ADAPTATION MECHANISM FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20160043572A1
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: COOPER, Emily B., YANG, Songnan, BONSAVAGE, Charles J., SMITH, Joshua R., SAMPLE, Alanson P., KONANUR, Anand S.
• Application Number:
  US14/826,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20160043572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• 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 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices

Abstract

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, a method and apparatus is disclosed that includes features of a switching mechanism coupled to a wireless power transmitting device, wherein the switching mechanism is configured to selectively control operation of a transmitting coil in the wireless power transmitting device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a power transmitting unit (PTU) configured to wirelessly transmit power to at least one power receiving unit (PRU), the power to provide operational power and/or power for charging a battery in the at least one PRU,

wherein the PTU comprises power transmitting circuitry and a communications radio for communicating with the at least one PRU;

wherein the PTU is configured to dynamically reallocate power to a changing number of PRUs;

wherein the dynamic reallocation is to result from at least one command transmitted over the radio from the PTU to the at least one PRU.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmit coil coupled to the power transmitting circuitry.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio is a Bluetooth radio.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an antenna coupled to the Bluetooth radio.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power transmitting circuitry comprises a component to modify an amount of power transmitted by the PTU.

6. A method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting power from a power transmitting unit (PTU) to multiple power receiving units (PRUs);

transmitting at least one command to at least one of the multiple PRUs to cause a reallocation of charging power to the multiple PRUs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said transmitting the at least one command includes transmitting the command with a Bluetooth radio.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a power receiving unit (PRU) configured to wirelessly receive power from a power transmitting unit (PTU), the wirelessly received power to provide operational power and/or power for charging a battery in the PRU;

wherein the PRU comprises power receiving circuitry and a communications radio for communicating with the PTU;

wherein the PRU is configured to receive a command from the PTU over the communications radio and to adjust received power in response to said receiving the command.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a receive coil coupled to the power receiving circuitry.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the radio is a Bluetooth radio.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an antenna coupled to the Bluetooth radio.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the PRU comprises a component in the power receiving circuitry to cause said adjusting the received power.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a power receiving unit (PRU) from a power transmitting unit (PTU), wireless power for providing operational power and/or power for charging a battery in the PRU;

receiving a command from the PTU over a radio, the command directing the PRU to dynamically adjust an amount of power received from the PTU;

adjusting the amount of power received from the PTU in response to said receiving the command.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said receiving the command comprises receiving the command over a Bluetooth radio.