CHARGING KEYBOARD BASED ON MAGNETIC FIELD GENERATED BY COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20160241076A1
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: BOWERS, Andrew, YU, Michelle
• Granted Patent: US 10,181,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A base may include a frame, a keyboard partially enclosed by the frame, a battery, and a single coil coupled to the battery. The keyboard may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a computing device. The battery may be configured to provide power to the keyboard. The single coil may be configured to induce a current from a magnetic field to charge the battery. The base may not include any charging coils other than the single coil.

Claims

1. A base comprising:

a frame;

a keyboard partially enclosed by the frame, the keyboard being configured to wirelessly communicate with a computing device;

a battery configured to provide power to the keyboard; and

a single coil coupled to the battery, the single coil being configured to induce a current from a magnetic field to charge the battery, the base not including any charging coils other than the single coil.

2. The base of claim 1, wherein the frame is made of metal and at least a portion of the keyboard facing away from the frame includes plastic.

3. The base of claim 1, wherein the single coil is oval-shaped.

4. The base of claim 1, wherein a first diameter of the single coil in a first direction is between twenty and thirty-five millimeters and a second diameter of the single coil in a second direction is between five and ten millimeters.

5. The base of claim 1, wherein a first diameter of the single coil in a first direction is between twenty-five and thirty millimeters and a second diameter of the single coil in a second direction is between six and eight millimeters.

6. The base of claim 1, wherein a first diameter of the single coil in a first direction is between three and five times a second diameter of the single coil in a second direction.

7. The base of claim 1, wherein the single coil is located in a corner portion of the keyboard.

8. The base of claim 1, wherein the single coil includes litz wire.

9. The base of claim 1, wherein the single coil includes between four and eight turns.

10. The base of claim 1, wherein:

the frame is disposed on a bottom side of the keyboard; and

the single coil is included in the keyboard and is closer to a top side of the keyboard than the bottom side of the keyboard, the top side of the keyboard being opposite from the bottom side of the keyboard.

11. The base of claim 1, wherein:

the keyboard includes a first side, a second side adjacent to the first side, a third side adjacent to the second side and opposite from the first side, and a fourth side adjacent to the first side and to the second side and opposite from the second side;

the first side of the keyboard contacts a perimeter of the frame;

the second side of the keyboard contacts the perimeter of the frame;

the third side of the keyboard does not contact the perimeter of the frame; and

the fourth side of the keyboard contacts the perimeter of the frame.

12. The base of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, the sensor being configured to detect a proximity of a magnet in the computing device and prompt the keyboard to power on.

13. The base of claim 12, wherein the sensor includes a Hall-effect sensor.

14. The base of claim 1, further comprising a magnet configured to prompt the computing device to generate the magnetic field to charge the battery.

15. The base of claim 1, further comprising a mount hingedly attached to the frame, wherein:

the single coil is included in a first end portion of the keyboard; and

the mount is hingedly attached to a portion of the frame that is adjacent to a second end portion of the keyboard, the second end portion of the keyboard being opposite from the first end portion of the keyboard.

16. The base of claim 15, further comprising:

a sensor included in the mount,

wherein the base is configured to initiate a communication protocol with the computing device in response to the sensor detecting proximity of the computing device.

17. A tablet computing device comprising:

a display;

at least one processor;

a single charging coil;

a communication sensor;

a charging sensor; and

a housing enclosing the display, the at least one processor, the single charging coil, the communication sensor, and the charging sensor,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the tablet computing device to;

in response to the communication sensor detecting proximity of a keyboard, initiate wireless communication between the keyboard to the tablet computing device; and

in response to the charging sensor detecting proximity of the keyboard, cause the single charging coil to induce a magnetic field to charge the keyboard.

18. The tablet computing device of claim 17, wherein the single charging coil is located in a corner portion of the housing.

19. The tablet computing device of claim 17, wherein the tablet computing device does not include any charging coils other than the single charging coil capable of charging the keyboard.

20. The tablet computing device of claim 17, wherein the single charging coil has a diameter of between twenty and thirty-five millimeters.

21. A system comprising:

a keyboard comprising;

a battery configured to provide power to the keyboard; and

a single keyboard coil coupled to the battery, the single keyboard coil being configured to induce a current from a magnetic field to charge the battery; and

a tablet computing device laying across the keyboard, the tablet computing device comprising a single tablet coil aligned with the single keyboard coil, the single tablet coil being configured to induce the magnetic field to charge the battery.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the tablet computing device further comprises a sensor configured to detect proximity of the keyboard and prompt the tablet computing device to generate a current through the single tablet coil.