IDENTIFICATION USING SIGNALS FROM A SECONDARY DEVICE BEFORE WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20170063170A1
• Filed: 08/29/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification, Inc.
• Inventors: HARPER, MARCELLUS, LETHELLIER, PATRICE, WU, HUNTER
• Granted Patent: US 10,381,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

An apparatus includes a ping detection module that detects a ping signal transmitted from a secondary pad to a primary pad. The secondary pad is located on a mobile device and the primary pad located on a stationary WPT device, where the stationary WPT device transmits power through the primary pad to the secondary pad of the mobile device during a wireless power transfer operation. The ping signal includes a mobile device ID and the mobile device ID is unique to the mobile device. The apparatus includes an ID detection module that detects the mobile device ID from the ping signal received at the primary pad and a pairing module that pairs the stationary WPT device with the mobile device in response to detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a ping detection module that detects a ping signal transmitted from a secondary pad to a primary pad, the secondary pad located on a mobile device, the primary pad located on a stationary wireless power transfer (“

WPT”

) device, the stationary WPT device transmitting power through the primary pad to the secondary pad of the mobile device during a wireless power transfer operation, the ping signal comprising a mobile device identifier (“

ID”

), the mobile device ID being unique to the mobile device;

an ID detection module that detects the mobile device ID from the ping signal received at the primary pad; and

a pairing module that pairs the stationary WPT device with the mobile device in response to detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of:

the mobile device comprises one of a plurality of mobile devices; and

the stationary WPT device comprises one of a plurality of stationary WPT devices.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a communication module that communicates with at least the plurality of stationary WPT devices and alerts the plurality of stationary WPT devices that the stationary WPT device that received the ping signal is paired with the mobile device that transmitted the ping signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal strength module that determines a signal strength of the received ping signal; and

an alignment module that determines an amount of alignment of the secondary pad with respect to the primary pad based on the determined signal strength of the received ping signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein one or more of:

the pairing module pairs the stationary WPT device with the mobile device; and

a wireless power module initiates the wireless power transfer operation;

in response to;

the ID detection module detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device; and

the alignment module determining that the signal strength of the received ping signal is above a ping signal threshold signifying that the amount of alignment of the secondary pad with the primary pad is within a specified alignment tolerance.

6. An apparatus comprising:

an ID module that generates a mobile device identifier (“

ID”

), the mobile device ID being unique to a mobile device;

a ping transmit module that transmits a ping signal from a secondary pad to a primary pad, the secondary pad located on the mobile device, the primary pad located on a stationary wireless power transfer (“

WPT”

) device, the stationary WPT device transmitting power through the primary pad to the secondary pad of the mobile device during a wireless power transfer operation, the ping signal comprising the mobile device ID; and

a pairing module that pairs the stationary WPT device receiving the ping signal with the mobile device transmitting the ping signal in response to the stationary WPT device detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device, wherein one or more of;

the mobile device comprises one of a plurality of mobile devices; and

the stationary WPT device comprises one of a plurality of stationary WPT devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an alignment confirmation module that receives an alignment confirmation that the secondary pad is aligned within the primary pad within a specified alignment tolerance, the alignment confirmation in response to determining, at the primary pad, a signal strength of the received ping signal, and determining that an amount of alignment of the secondary pad with respect to the primary pad based on the determined signal strength of the received ping signal is within the specified alignment tolerance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein one or more of:

the pairing module pairs the stationary WPT device with the mobile device; and

a wireless power module initiates the wireless power transfer operation;

in response to;

the stationary WPT device detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device; and

the stationary WPT device determining that the signal strength of the received ping signal is above a ping signal threshold signifying that the amount of alignment of the secondary pad with the primary pad is within a specified alignment tolerance.

9. A method comprising:

detecting a ping signal transmitted from a secondary pad to a primary pad, the secondary pad located on a mobile device, the primary pad located on a stationary wireless power transfer (“

WPT”

) device, the stationary WPT device transmitting power through the primary pad to the secondary pad of the mobile device during a wireless power transfer operation, the ping signal comprising a mobile device identifier (“

ID”

), the mobile device ID being unique to the mobile device;

detecting the mobile device ID from the ping signal received at the primary pad; and

pairing the stationary WPT device with the mobile device in response to detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of:

the mobile device comprises one of a plurality of mobile devices; and

the stationary WPT device comprises one of a plurality of stationary WPT devices; and

further comprising communicating with at least the plurality of stationary WPT devices and alerting the plurality of stationary WPT devices that the stationary WPT device that received the ping signal is paired with the mobile device that transmitted the ping signal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a signal strength of the received ping signal; and

determining an amount of alignment of the secondary pad with respect to the primary pad based on the determined signal strength of the received ping signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of:

pairing the stationary WPT device with the mobile device; and

initiating the wireless power transfer operation;

occur in response to;

detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device; and

determining that the signal strength of the received ping signal is above a ping signal threshold signifying that the amount of alignment of the secondary pad with the primary pad is within a specified alignment tolerance.

13. A method comprising:

generating a mobile device identifier (“

ID”

), the mobile device ID being unique to a mobile device;

transmitting a ping signal from a secondary pad to a primary pad, the secondary pad located on the mobile device, the primary pad located on a stationary wireless power transfer (“

WPT”

) device, the stationary WPT device transmitting power through the primary pad to the secondary pad of the mobile device during a wireless power transfer operation, the ping signal comprising the mobile device ID; and

pairing the stationary WPT device with the mobile device in response to the stationary WPT device detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device, wherein one or more of;

the mobile device comprises one of a plurality of mobile devices; and

the stationary WPT device comprises one of a plurality of stationary WPT devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving an alignment confirmation that the secondary pad is aligned within the primary pad within a specified alignment tolerance, the alignment confirmation in response to determining, at the primary pad, a signal strength of the received ping signal, and determining that an amount of alignment of the secondary pad with respect to the primary pad based on the determined signal strength of the received ping signal is within the specified alignment tolerance.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more of:

pairing the stationary WPT device with the mobile device; and

initiating a wireless power transfer operation of power from the primary pad to the secondary pad;

occur in response to;

detecting the mobile device ID of the mobile device; and

determining that the signal strength of the received ping signal is above a ping signal threshold signifying that the amount of alignment of the secondary pad with the primary pad is within a specified alignment tolerance.