WIRELESSLY CHARGEABLE BATTERY APPARATUS

• US 20160301240A1
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ossia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ossia, Inc.
• Inventors: Neugebauer, Chris, Zeine, Hatem Ibrahim, Ebadi, Siamak, Saghati, Alireza, Alfarra, Anas
• Granted Patent: US 10,559,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, apparatuses for wirelessly charging handheld and consumer electronics in wireless power delivery environments. In some embodiments, techniques are described for retrofitting wireless power receivers into existing devices e.g., through wirelessly powered battery apparatuses. For example, the apparatuses discussed herein allow any device that accepts standard form factor batteries to be transformed into a wirelessly powered device. The wirelessly rechargeable battery apparatuses can be applied to any battery form factor including custom or semi-custom battery form factors for mobile phones, laptops, tablet computers, etc. Advantageously, among other benefits, the apparatuses discussed herein overcome the product integration challenges discussed above.

Claims

1. A wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus comprising:

a housing configured in dimensions that conform to standardized battery dimensions;

one or more antennas situated within the housing, the antennas configured to receive wireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless charging system;

one or more electronic circuit boards situated within the housing, the one or more electronic circuit boards configured to convert the received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) power; and

one or more battery modules configured to store the DC power.

2. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises the one or more antennas.

3. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is constructed of a radio frequency (RF) transparent material.

4. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an external indicator designating a particular placement of the wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus in a battery-powered device.

5. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises:

detachable upper and lower cover portions; and

terminal caps situated at each end of the housing, the terminal caps configured to deliver the converted wireless power to a battery-powered device when the terminal caps are in contact with battery contact portions of the battery-powered device.

6. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more antennas comprises a three-dimensional antenna that is constructed using thin film, copper tape or printed metal.

7. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more battery modules are used as a ground plane for at least one of the one or more antennas.

8. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more reflector or director planes situated on the inner surface or the outer surface of the housing.

9. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more reflector or director planes is constructed using thin film, copper tape or printed metal.

10. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more electronic circuit boards comprises a flexible printed circuit board (PCB).

11. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric configured to isolate the one or more battery modules from at least one of the one or more antennas, wherein the dielectric is constructed of a flexible material.

12. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a radio frequency (RF) board and a control board.

13. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more antennas are situated around the inner perimeter of the housing or around the outer perimeter of the housing.

14. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more output ports or caps configured to provide the DC power to a battery-powered device.

15. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the standard form factor comprises one of a cylindrical or non-cylindrical cell battery, a camera battery, a button cell battery.

16. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, wherein the standard form factor comprises one of a AA, AAA, C, D, 4.5-vot, 9-volt, Lantern (spring) battery.

17. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage configuration module operable to dynamically configure and reconfigure the output voltage of the battery based on a multiple-battery configuration associated with a corresponding wireless device.

18. The wireless battery apparatus of claim 17, wherein the voltage configuration module is operable to detect the multiple-battery configuration.

19. The wireless battery apparatus of claim 17, wherein the voltage configuration module is operable to receive input from a user or a charger indicating the multiple-battery configuration or from one or more dummy batteries to determine the multiple-battery configuration.

20. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

multiple storage cells, wherein voltage configuration module is operable to configure and reconfigure the output of the battery by modifying a configuration of the multiple storage cells.

21. A wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus for an electronic device, the wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus comprising:

a housing configured in dimensions that conform to standardized battery dimensions;

a wireless power receiver disposed within the housing, the wireless power receiver configured to receive wireless power from a wireless charging system, convert the wireless power to a medium suitable for storage in one or more battery modules, and store the converted wireless power in the one or more battery modules; and

terminal caps configured to deliver the converted wireless power to the electronic device when the terminal caps are in contact with battery contact portions of the electronic device.

22. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless power receiver comprises:

one or more antennas configured to receive wireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless charging system;

one or more electronic circuit boards situated within the housing, the one or more electronic circuit boards configured to convert the received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) power; and

one or more battery modules configured to store the DC power.

23. A wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus comprising:

a housing configured in dimensions that conform to aggregate dimensions of multiple standardized batteries each having standardized battery dimensions;

one or more antennas situated within the housing, the antennas configured to receive wireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless charging system;

one or more electronic circuit boards situated within the housing, the one or more electronic circuit boards configured to convert the received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) power; and

one or more battery modules configured to store the DC power.

24. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 23, wherein the multiple standardized batteries are connected in parallel or in series.