Wireless power system with selectable control channel protocols

• US 8,618,697 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2013
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Walley, John, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza, Seshadri, Nambirajan, Van Der Lee, Reinier Hendricus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US13/851,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0715 the arrangement including means to regulate power transfer to the integrated circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10207 parameter settings related to power consumption of the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

A wireless power system includes a wireless power transmit and receive units. The wireless power transmit unit includes a wireless power transmit circuit that generates a wireless power magnetic field and a transmit unit transceiver that transceives a communication regarding the wireless power magnetic field in accordance with a control channel protocol. The wireless power receive unit includes a wireless power receive circuit, a transceiver, and a processing module. The wireless power receive circuit converts the wireless power magnetic field into a voltage. The receive unit processing module is operable to: identify the control channel protocol; determine whether the receive unit transceiver is capable of communication using the control channel protocol; and, when the receive unit transceiver is capable of communication using the control channel protocol, coordinate configuration of the receive unit transceiver to transceive the communication regarding the wireless power magnetic field via the control channel.

Claims

1. A wireless power system in a device comprises:

a wireless power receiver operable to;

receive a wireless power magnetic field from a wireless power transmitter; and

convert the wireless power magnetic field into a power supply;

a transceiver unit operable to;

receive at least a first communication on a control channel identifying a control channel protocol; and

convert inbound data received on the control channel in accordance with the identified control channel protocol.

2. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit is further operable to:

when the transceiver unit is not capable of communication using the identified control channel protocol, attempt to update the transceiver unit to support the identified control channel protocol.

3. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit is further operable to:

determine whether the transceiver unit is lacking software to support the identified control channel protocol; and

when the transceiver unit is lacking software, generate a network message to download the software to support the identified control channel protocol.

4. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and wherein the identified control channel protocol includes one or more portions of Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

5. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit comprises one or more of:

a radio frequency transceiver, a millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and reader, and a near field communication (NFC) transceiver.

6. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit is operable to receive at least a second communication on the control channel from the wireless power transmitter and determine from the at least second communication at least one of:

a frequency for wireless power transfer;

a number of transmit unit coils;

to reposition the device to improve wireless power transfer;

a desired power level; and

to tune components of the wireless power receiver.

7. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit is operable to transmit at least a third communication on the control channel to communicate to the wireless power transmitter at least one of:

a frequency for wireless power transfer;

a number of receiver unit coils; and

a desired power level.

8. The wireless power system of claim 1, wherein the wireless power system further comprises:

a network transceiver operable to provide a connection to a network.

9. A wireless power receive unit, comprises:

a wireless power receive circuit, when operable, converts a wireless power magnetic field from a wireless power transmit unit into a voltage;

a receive unit transceiver operable to receive an identification packet on a control channel between the wireless power transmit unit and the wireless power receive unit; and

a receive unit processing module operable to;

identify a protocol version from an identification packet received on a control channel between the wireless power transmit unit and the wireless power receive unit;

determine whether the receive unit transceiver is capable of communication using the identified protocol version;

when the receive unit transceiver is capable of communication using the identified protocol version, coordinate configuration of the receive unit transceiver to transceive a communication regarding the wireless power magnetic field via the control channel using the identified protocol version.

10. The wireless power receive unit of claim 9, wherein the receive unit processing module is further operable to:

when the receive unit transceiver is not capable of communication using the identified protocol version, attempt to update the receive unit transceiver to support the identified protocol version.

11. The wireless power receive unit of claim 10, wherein the receive unit processing module is further operable to:

determine whether the receive unit transceiver is lacking software to support the identified protocol version; and

when the receive unit transceiver is lacking software, generate a network message to download the software to support the identified protocol version.

12. The wireless power receive unit of claim 9, wherein the receive unit transceiver comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and wherein the identified protocol version includes one or more portions of Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

13. The wireless power receive unit of claim 9, wherein the receive unit processing module is further operable to:

interpret at least a second packet received on the control channel from the wireless power transmit unit and determine from the at least second packet at least one of;

a frequency for wireless power transfer;

a number of transmit unit coils;

to reposition the device to improve wireless power transfer;

a desired power level; and

to tune components of the wireless power receiver.

14. The wireless power receive unit of claim 9, wherein the receive unit processing module is further operable to:

generate at least a third communication for transmission on the control channel to communicate to the wireless power transmitter at least one of;

a frequency for wireless power transfer;

a number of receiver unit coils; and

a desired power level.

15. The wireless power receive unit of claim 9, wherein the wireless power receive unit further comprises:

a network transceiver operable to provide a connection to a network.

16. A wireless power transmit unit, comprises:

at least one wireless power transmit circuit operable to generate a wireless power magnetic field for magnetic coupling with at least one wireless power receive unit;

at least one transceiver unit operable to;

transmit at least a first communication on a control channel indicating a control channel protocol; and

at least one processing module operable to;

generate an indication of a control channel protocol, wherein the transmit unit transceiver transmits the indication of the control channel protocol; and

convert inbound data received on the control channel in accordance with the identified control channel protocol.

17. The wireless power transmit unit of claim 16, wherein the at least one processing module if further operable to:

when requested by the wireless power receive unit, transceiving negotiation information with the wireless power receive unit to select another control channel protocol for the communication on the control channel between the wireless power receive unit and the wireless power transmit unit.

18. The wireless power transmit unit of claim 16, wherein the at least one transceiver unit comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and wherein the control channel protocol includes one or more portions of Bluetooth wireless communication standard.

19. The wireless power transmit unit of claim 16, wherein the at least one processing module is further operable to:

determine a number of transmit unit coils;

determine a number of proximal wireless power receive units;

determine whether the number of transmit unit coils is equal to or greater than the number of proximal wireless power receive units;

when the number of transmit unit coils is equal to or greater than the number of proximal wireless power receive units, determine pairings of a transmit unit coil of the transmit unit coils to a wireless power receive unit of the proximal wireless power receive units; and

determine, for each of the pairings, at least one of frequency allocation and power allocation.

20. The wireless power transmit unit of claim 19, wherein the at least one processing module is further operable to:

when the number of transmit unit coils is less than the number of proximal wireless power receive units, determine an affiliation of one of the transmit unit coils and at least two of the proximal wireless power receive units; and

determine sharing parameters of the one of the transmit unit coils by the at least two of the proximal wireless power receive units.