Wireless charging method and apparatus

• US 9,059,598 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Noh-Gyoung, Won, Eun-Tae, Park, Joon-Ho, Koh, Jun-Ho, Park, Se-Ho, Jung, Hee-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/278,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20120098485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/107, 320/138, 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

A wireless charging method includes synchronizing power phases of at least two charging power supply devices, and wirelessly charging a terminal using the at least two charging power supply devices.

Claims

1. A wireless charging method of a charging power supply device, comprising:

setting a power phase synchronization mode of the charging power supply device to one of a first mode and a second mode;

synchronizing a power phase of the charging power supply device and another power phase of another charging power supply device, based on the power phase synchronization mode; and

wirelessly charging a terminal using the synchronized power phase,

wherein in the first mode, the power phase of the charging power supply device is a reference for the another charging power supply device to synchronize the another power phase with the power phase of the charging power supply device, and

wherein in the second mode, the another power phase of the another charging power supply device is used as a reference for the charging power supply device to synchronize the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device.

2. The wireless charging method of claim 1, wherein, in the first mode, synchronizing the power phase of the charging power supply device and the another power phase of the another charging power supply device comprises transmitting, to the another charging power supply device, a synchronization signal for synchronizing the another power phase with the power phase of the charging power supply device.

3. The wireless charging method of claim 1, wherein, in the second mode, synchronizing the power phase of the charging power supply device and the another power phase of the another charging power supply device comprises:

requesting, from the another operating in the first mode, a synchronization signal for synchronizing the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device;

receiving, from the another operating in the first mode, the synchronization signal; and

synchronizing the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device, based on the synchronization signal.

4. The wireless charging method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a wireless charging request from the terminal.

5. The wireless charging method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending a response to the wireless charging request from the terminal; and

receiving, from the terminal, information for setting the power phase synchronization mode of the charging power supply device to one of the first mode and the second mode.

6. The wireless charging method of claim 1, wherein, in the second mode, synchronizing the power phase of the charging power supply device and the another power phase of the another charging power supply device comprises:

receiving, from the another charging power supply device in the first mode, a synchronization signal for synchronizing the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device; and

synchronizing the power phase of the charging power supply device with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device, based on the synchronization signal.

7. The wireless charging method of claim 1, wherein, in the second mode, synchronizing the power phase of the charging power supply device and the another power phase of the another charging power supply device comprises:

detecting, the another power phase from a charging power supplied to the terminal from the another charging power supply device operating in the first mode; and

synchronizing the power phase of the charging power supply device operating in the second mode with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device, based on the detected another power phase.

8. A charging power supply device comprising:

a wireless charging handler for controlling supply of charging power;

a power phase synchronizer configured to operate in one of a first mode and a second mode for synchronizing a power phase of the charging power supply device with another power phase of another charging power supply device; and

a power converter for converting power supplied from a power supply into wireless power to be supplied to a terminal based on the synchronized power phase,

wherein in the first mode, the power phase of the charging power supply device is a reference for the another charging power supply device to synchronize the another power phase with the power phase of the charging power supply device, and

wherein in the second mode, the another power phase of the another charging power supply device is used as a reference for the power phase synchronizer to synchronize the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device.

9. The charging power supply device of claim 8, wherein the power phase synchronizer operates in the second mode after detecting that the another charging power supply device in operating in the first mode.

10. The charging power supply device of claim 8, wherein the wireless charging handler sends a response to a wireless charging request from the terminal, receives, from the terminal, information about a power phase synchronization mode determined by the terminal, and controls the power phase synchronizer to operate in one of the first mode and the second mode, based on the received information.

11. The charging power supply device of claim 8, wherein, in the first mode, the power phase synchronizer transmits a synchronization signal for synchronizing power phases.

12. The charging power supply device of claim 8, wherein, in the second mode, the power phase synchronizer receives a synchronization signal from the another charging power supply device operating in the first mode, and synchronizes the power phase of the charging power supply device with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device, based on the synchronization signal.

13. The charging power supply device of claim 8, wherein, in the second mode, the power phase synchronizer detects the another power phase from a charging power that the another charging power supply device operating in the first mode supplies to the terminal, and synchronizes the power phase of the charging power supply device with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device, based on the detected power phase.

14. A wireless charging method comprising:

sending a wireless charging request to a charging power supply device;

receiving a response to the wireless charging request from the charging power supply device;

setting a power phase synchronization mode of the charging power supply device to one of a first mode and a second mode;

synchronizing a power phase of the charging power supply device with another power phase of another charging power supply device, based on the power phase synchronization mode; and

controlling the charging power supply device to perform wireless charging,

wherein in the first mode, the power phase of the charging power supply device is a reference for the another charging power supply device to synchronize the another power phase with the power phase of the charging power supply device, and

wherein in the second mode, the another power phase of the another charging power supply device is used as a reference for the charging power supply device to synchronize the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device.

15. The wireless charging method of claim 14, wherein synchronizing the power phase comprises transmitting information about the power phase synchronization mode to the charging power supply device.

16. The wireless charging method of claim 14, wherein synchronizing the power phase comprises transmitting information about the another power phase of the another charging power supply device operating in the first mode to the charging power supply device operating in the second mode.

17. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless charging handler for setting a power phase synchronization mode of a charging power supply device to one of a first mode and a second mode, synchronizing a power phase of the charging power supply device with another power phase of another charging power supply device, based on the power phase synchronization mode, and controlling wireless charging; and

a wireless power receiver for receiving wireless power supplied from the charging power supply device, and supplying the received wireless power to a battery,

wherein in the first mode, the power phase of the charging power supply device is a reference for the another charging power supply device to synchronize the another power phase with the power phase of the charging power supply device, and

wherein in the second mode, the another power phase of the another charging power supply device is used as a reference for the charging power supply device to synchronize the power phase with the another power phase of the another charging power supply device.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein wireless charging handler transmits information about the power phase synchronization mode to the charging power supply device.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the wireless charging handler transmits information about the another power phase of the another charging power supply device operating in the first mode to the charging power supply device operating in the second mode.