Apparatus and method for wireless charging

• US 9,590,446 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Ji Man, Lee, Kang Bok, Baek, Kyu-Ha
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/147,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• 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 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection

Abstract

A wireless charging apparatus is provided. The wireless charging apparatus includes: an antenna that receives electrical waves; at least two charging power generators that generate charging power for charging a battery using the electrical waves received through the antenna; and a controller that senses a frequency of the electrical waves received through the antenna and that activates one of the at least two charging power generators according to a sensed result.

Claims

1. A wireless charging apparatus, comprising:

an antenna that receives electrical waves;

a first charging power generator including a first switch that connects the first charging power generator to the antenna in response to a first control signal, the first charging power generator generating charging power for charging a battery using the electrical waves received by the antenna;

a second charging power generator including a second switch that connects the second charging power generator to the antenna in response to a second control signal, the second charging power generator generating charging power for charging the battery using the electrical waves received through the antenna; and

a controller that senses a frequency of the electrical waves received through the antenna, activates the first control signal when the sensed frequency corresponds to a first frequency band, and activates the second control signal when the sensed frequency corresponds to a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band.

2. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first charging power generator further comprises:

a first rectifier coupled between the first switch and the battery, the first rectifier generating DC power by rectifying the electrical waves from the antenna; and

a first converter that generates the charging power by adjusting a level of the DC power that is output from the first rectifier to correspond to a capacity of the battery, and

wherein the second charging power generator further comprises;

a second rectifier coupled between the second switch and the battery, the second rectifier generating DC power by rectifying the electrical waves from the antenna; and

a second converter that generates the charging power by adjusting a level of the DC power output from the second rectifier to correspond to the capacity of the battery.

3. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first charging power generator further comprises a third switch that transfers the charging power that is output from the first converter to the battery, when a third control signal is activated, and

the second charging power generator further comprises a fourth switch that transfers the charging power that is output from the second converter to the battery, when a fourth control signal is activated,

wherein the controller senses a charge state of the battery and activates the third control signal and the fourth control signal according to a sensed result.

4. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a first impedance matching unit that performs impedance matching of the electrical waves received through the antenna with a first impedance value corresponding to the first frequency band; and

a second impedance matching unit that performs impedance matching of the electrical waves received through the antenna with a second impedance value corresponding to the second frequency band,

wherein an output of the first impedance matching unit is transferred to the first switch, and

an output of the second impedance matching unit is transferred to the second switch.

5. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first impedance matching unit is connected to a first receiving terminal and a second receiving terminal of the antenna,

the second impedance matching unit is connected to the second receiving terminal and a third receiving terminal of the antenna, and

the second receiving terminal of the antenna is disposed between the first receiving terminal and the third receiving terminal.

6. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller transmits data representing the sensed charge state of the battery to an external transmitting apparatus having transmitted the electrical waves.

7. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first frequency band is a frequency band for near field communication (NFC) communication, and

the controller determines, when the frequency of the electrical waves received through the antenna corresponds to the first frequency band, whether the electrical waves are for the NFC communication according to whether data is loaded in the electrical waves, and if the electrical waves are for the NFC communication, the controller controls an NFC communication module to perform the NFC communication, and inactivates the third and fourth control signals regardless of the sensed charge state of the battery.

8. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the NFC communication module is positioned within the wireless charging apparatus.

9. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and second charging power generators each comprise:

a clock signal recovery unit that recovers a clock signal of the electrical waves received through the antenna and that outputs the clock signal to the controller; and

a modulation unit that modulates data representing the charge state of the battery that is sensed by the controller, and

wherein the first charging power generator further comprises a demodulation unit that demodulates data that is loaded in the electrical waves received through the antenna, and that outputs the data to the controller.

10. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller comprises a frequency determination unit that divides the frequency of electrical waves having the clock signal that is recovered by the clock signal recovery unit into a predetermined size, that counts a pulse width of the divided frequency with a reference clock signal, and that determines the frequency of the electrical waves received through the antenna using the counted value.

11. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first charging power generator generates the charging power with a resonant method, and

wherein the second charging power generator generates the charging power with a magnetic induction method.

12. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a limiter that protects a circuit from an overvoltage between the first rectifier and the first switch.

13. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first converter further comprises an over voltage protection (OVP) circuit.

14. A wireless charging apparatus, comprising:

an antenna that receives electrical waves;

an impedance matching unit comprising a plurality of capacitors activated by a plurality of first control signals, the impedance matching unit performing impedance matching of the electrical waves received through the antenna with an impedance value generated by the plurality of capacitors;

a charging power generator that generates charging power for charging a battery using electrical waves output from the impedance matching unit; and

a controller that senses a frequency band of the electrical waves received through the antenna generates the plurality of first control signals according to the sensed frequency band, and outputs the plurality of first control signals to the impedance matching unit.

15. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 14, wherein the charging power generator comprises:

a rectifier that generates DC power by rectifying the electrical waves that are output from the impedance matching unit;

a converter that generates the charging power by adjusting a level of the DC power that is output from the rectifier to correspond to a capacity of the battery; and

a switch that transfers the charging power output from the converter to the battery when a second control signal is activated,

wherein the controller senses a charge state of the battery and activates the second control signal according to the sensed charge state.

16. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a near field communication (NFC) module that is activated in response to a third control signal to perform NFC communication,

wherein, when a frequency of the electrical waves received through the antenna corresponds to a frequency band for the NFC communication, the controller determines whether the electrical waves are for the NFC communication according to whether data is loaded in the electrical waves, and

wherein, when the electrical waves are for the NFC communication, the controller activates the third control signal and inactivates the second control signal regardless of the sensed charge state of the battery.

17. The wireless charging apparatus of claim 16, wherein the charging power generator further comprises:

a clock signal recovery unit that recovers a clock signal of the electrical waves received through the antenna and that outputs the clock signal to the controller;

a modulation unit that modulates data representing the charge state of the battery that is sensed by the controller; and

a demodulation unit that demodulates data that is loaded in the electrical waves received through the antenna and that outputs the data to the controller.

18. A wireless charging method, comprising:

receiving electrical waves through an antenna;

determining whether a frequency of the received electrical waves corresponds to one of a first frequency band and a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band;

activating, by a controller, a first control signal when the frequency corresponds to the first frequency band and a second control signal when the frequency corresponds to the second frequency band; and

charging a battery with the electrical waves, by a first charging power generator, by activating a first switch in response to the first control signal;

charging the battery with the electrical waves, by a second charging power generator, by activating a second switch in response to the second control signal.