Contactless EHF data communication

• US 9,473,207 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keyssa, Inc.
• Inventors: McCormack, Gary D., Kyles, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/215,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/91, 455/102, 455/73, 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An electronic device may include an auxiliary circuit providing an operative function, a data signal circuit, and an extremely high frequency (EHF) wireless transmitter. The auxiliary circuit may produce a first low frequency data signal. The data signal circuit may be coupled to the auxiliary circuit for encoding a first composite data signal including the first low frequency data signal and the first base high frequency data signal. The EHF wireless transmitter may transmit the first encoded composite data signal to an external device over a wireless EHF communication link. The transmitted encoded composite data signal may have a predefined rate of carrier modulation.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

an auxiliary circuit producing a first low frequency data signal;

a first data signal circuit coupled to receive the first low frequency data signal from the auxiliary circuit and a first base high frequency data signal from an amplifier, and configured to generate an encoded first composite signal by incorporating the first low frequency data signal in bits added to the first base high frequency data signal when the first base high frequency data signal is encoded according to a coding protocol; and

an extremely high frequency (EHF) wireless transmitter coupled to transmit the encoded first composite data signal from the first data signal circuit over a first wireless EHF communication link to an external device, the transmitted encoded first composite data signal having a predefined rate of carrier modulation.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary circuit is a power transfer circuit configured to produce a first low frequency power management signal as the first low frequency data signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first low frequency power management signal is a low frequency control signal used in the control of power transfer between the electronic device and the external device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the EHF transmitter receives the encoded first composite data signal at a first composite bit rate and maintains the predefined rate of carrier modulation such that a bit rate at which data is transmitted over the first wireless EHF communication link is at a bit rate corresponding to the bit rate of the encoded first composite data signal.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first low frequency data signal is associated with the electronic device and has a lower frequency bit rate than the first base high frequency data signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first low frequency data signal is not associated with the electronic device and has a lower frequency bit rate than the first base high frequency data signal.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

an EHF wireless receiver for receiving an encoded second composite data signal with a second low frequency data signal and a second base high frequency data signal over a second wireless EHF communication link from the external device;

a second data signal circuit coupled to a second auxiliary circuit for decoding the second encoded composite data signal into the second low frequency data signal and the second base high frequency data signal, and communicating the second low frequency data signal to the second auxiliary circuit.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second auxiliary circuit is a contactless power transfer circuit configured to receive the second low frequency data signal as a first low frequency power management signal.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second low frequency data signal and the second base high frequency data signal have respective bit rates, and the second low frequency data signal is associated with the electronic device and has a lower frequency bit rate than the bit rate of the second base high frequency data signal.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the second low frequency data signal and the second base high frequency data signal have respective bit rates, and the second low frequency data signal is not associated with the electronic device and has a lower frequency bit rate than the second base high frequency data signal.

11. An electronic device comprising:

an extremely high frequency (EHF) wireless receiver to receive an encoded composite data signal from an external device over a EHF communication link, the encoded composite data signal formed by incorporating a low frequency data signal in bits added to a base high frequency data signal when the base high frequency data signal is encoded according to a coding protocol;

a first data signal circuit coupled to the EHF wireless receiver and configured to decode the encoded composite data signal into the low frequency data signal and the base high frequency data signal; and

an auxiliary circuit coupled to receive the decoded low frequency data signal.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary circuit is a contactless power transfer circuit responsive to the low frequency data signal for controlling operation of the contactless power transfer circuit.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the decoded base high frequency data signal has a first data bit rate, and the EHF receiver receives the first encoded composite data signal at a second bit rate that is at least as high as the first data bit rate.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the low frequency data signal is associated with the electronic device and has a lower frequency bit rate than the base high frequency data signal.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the low frequency data signal is not associated with the electronic device and has a lower frequency bit rate than the base high frequency data signal.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a first power transfer circuit including an inductive coil for providing contactless power transfer between the electronic device and an external device, the power transfer being controlled by a first low-frequency power control signal produced or received by the first power transfer circuit;

a first circuit module configured to receive the first low frequency power control signal produced by the first power transfer circuit and an input base high frequency data signal, the first circuit module comprising;

a first data signal circuit configured to generate an encoded first composite data signal using the first low-frequency power control signal and the input base high frequency data signal; and

an extremely high frequency (EHF) wireless transmitter for transmitting over a first wireless EHF communication link the encoded first composite data signal to the external device, the transmitted encoded first composite data signal having a predefined rate of carrier modulation; and

a second circuit module configured to output a second low frequency power control signal and an output base high frequency data signal, the second circuit module comprising;

an EHF wireless receiver for receiving an encoded second composite data signal over a second wireless EHF communication link from the external device, the encoded second composite data signal comprising the second received low frequency power control signal and the output base high frequency data signal;

a second data signal circuit coupled to a second power transfer circuit for decoding the encoded second composite data signal into the second low frequency power control signal and the output base high frequency data signal, and communicating the second low frequency power control signal to the second power transfer circuit.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein an input base high frequency data signal has a data bit rate that is higher than a data bit rate of the first low-frequency power control signal.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the EHF transmitter receives the encoded first composite data signal at a first composite bit rate and maintains the predefined rate of carrier modulation such that a bit rate at which data is transmitted over the first wireless EHF communication link is at a bit rate corresponding to the bit rate of the encoded input base high frequency data signal.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the first low frequency power control signal has a lower data bit rate than a data bit rate of the input base high frequency data signal.

20. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the first data signal circuit encodes the first composite data signal so as to maintain a rate of carrier modulation that is in a bandwidth of the input base high frequency data signal encoded according to a predetermined standard coding protocol.

21. A method comprising:

producing a first low frequency data signal by an auxiliary circuit;

receiving by a first data signal circuit the first low frequency data signal and a first base high frequency data signal;

generating an encoded composite data signal by incorporating the first low frequency data signal in bits added to the first base high frequency data signal when the first base high frequency data signal is encoded according to a coding protocol; and

transmitting over a first wireless extremely high frequency (EHF) communication link the encoded first composite data signal to an external device, the transmitted encoded first composite data signal having a predefined rate of carrier modulation.

22. The method of claim 21, where the auxiliary circuit is a contactless power transfer circuit, and wherein producing the first low frequency data signal includes producing a first low frequency power management signal as the first low frequency data signal for controlling power transfer between the electronic device and the external device.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving by an EHF transmitter the encoded first composite data signal at a first composite bit rate and maintaining the predefined rate of carrier modulation such that a bit rate at which data is transmitted over the first wireless EHF communication link is at a bit rate corresponding to at least as high as the bit rate of the encoded first base high frequency data signal.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein producing a first low frequency data signal includes producing the first low frequency data signal with a lower frequency bit rate than a bit rate of the first base high frequency data signal.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving an encoded second composite data signal with a second low frequency data signal and a second base high frequency data signal over a second wireless EHF communication link from the external device; and

decoding the encoded second composite data signal into a second low frequency data signal and a second base high frequency data signal; and

communicating the decoded second low frequency data signal to the auxiliary circuit.

26. The method of claim 25, where the auxiliary circuit is a contactless power transfer circuit, the method further comprising controlling the transfer of power based on the received second low frequency data signal.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein communicating the decoded second low frequency data signal includes communicating the decoded second low frequency data signal with a lower frequency bit rate than a bit rate of the second base high frequency data signal.