WIRELESS CHARGING MAT WITH DYNAMIC SURFACE TEXTURE

• US 20190081509A1
• Filed: 03/01/2018
• Published: 03/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Timothy J., Jol, Eric S., Thompson, Paul J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,447,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 27/0243 Features of decorative rugs or carpets
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 27/0275 Surface patterning of carpet modules, e.g. of carpet tiles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A wireless charging mat has a surface area for receiving an electronic device to be charged. The surface area of the charging mat includes an inner region having a rough surface texture and an outer region having s smooth surface texture, and the outer region is elevated relative to the inner region.

Claims

1. A wireless charging mat comprising a surface area for receiving an electronic device to be charged, the surface area including an inner region and an outer region, the inner region having a rough surface texture and the outer region having s smooth surface texture, the outer region being elevated relative to the inner region.

2. The wireless charging mat of claim 1, wherein the surface of the outer region has a higher coefficient of friction than the surface of the inner region.

3. The wireless charging mat of claim 1, wherein the surface area further includes a transition region between the inner region and the outer region, the transition region having a surface texture gradient that continuously changes from the rough surface texture of the inner region to the smooth surface texture of the outer region.

4. The wireless charging mat of claim 1, wherein the surface area further includes a transition region that continuously increases in height from the surface of the inner region to the elevated surface of the outer region.

5. The wireless charging of mat of claim 1 wherein the outer region is elevated relative to the inner region so as to ensure an electronic device placed on the wireless charging mat makes physical contact with the surface area in the outer region in the event the electronic device slips off the inner region and overlaps the outer region.

6. The wireless charging mat of claim 1 wherein the outer region is elevated relative to the inner region by a height h, the height h being equal to or greater than an Ra value of the rough surface texture of the inner region.

7. The wireless charging mat of claim 1 wherein the outer region is in the form an elevated strip extending along a perimeter of the charging mat.

8. The wireless charging mat of claim 1 wherein a width of the outer region is in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm.

9. The wireless charging mat of claim 3 wherein a width of the transition region is in the range of 2 mm to 15 mm.

10. The wireless charging mat of claim 1 wherein the outer region is elevated relative to the inner region by a height in the range of 20 μ

m to 100 μ

m.

11. A wireless charging mat comprising a surface area for receiving an electronic device to be charged, the surface area having a rough texture with friction bumps dispersed therein, the friction bumps having a smooth surface texture and forming less than 20% of the surface area.

12. The wireless charging mat of claim 11, wherein the regions of the surface area that do not have friction bumps have a lower coefficient of friction than a surface of the friction bumps.

13. The wireless charging mat of claim 11 wherein the surfaces of the friction bumps form plateaus that are higher than the peaks of the rough texture.

14. A wireless charging mat comprising a surface area for receiving an electronic device to be charged, the surface area including a first region with an asymmetrical surface texture geometry oriented so as to promote movement of an overlying electronic device toward the center of the mat.

15. The wireless charging mat of claim 14, wherein the surface area further includes a second region with an asymmetrical surface texture geometry oriented so as to promote movement of an overlying electronic device toward the center of the mat, the surface texture in the first region being symmetrical with respect to the surface texture in the second region.

16. The wireless charging mat of claim 14, wherein the asymmetrical surface texture geometry has a triangular shape.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)