Apparatus, system and method of wireless power transfer

• US 9,692,251 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sever, Isaac, Tadros, Karim H., Ramakrishnan, Siva, Yang, Songnan
• Primary Examiner(s): BOATENG, ALEXIS ASIEDUA
• Application Number:
  US14/323,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20160006289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 320107, 320109, 320137, 320139, 320122, 320140, 320141, 320148, 320149, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• 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: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of wireless power transfer. For example, a Wireless Power Receiver (WPR) may include a rectifier to convert a wireless charging signal received from Wireless Power Transmitter (WPT into a Direct Current (DC) power signal; a voltage regulator to regulate a voltage of the DC power signal according to a voltage range; a bypass path to bypass the voltage regulator; and a bypass controller to select between directing the DC power signal to the voltage regulator or to the bypass path, based on a voltage level of the DC power signal and the voltage range.

Claims

1. A Wireless Power Receiver (WPR) to receive a wireless charging signal from a Wireless Power Transmitter (WPT), the WPR comprising:

a rectifier to convert said wireless charging signal into a Direct Current (DC) power signal;

a voltage regulator to regulate a voltage of said DC power signal according to a voltage range;

a bypass path to bypass said voltage regulator; and

a bypass controller to select between directing said DC power signal to said regulator or to said bypass path, based on a voltage level of said DC power signal and said voltage range.

2. The WPR of claim 1, wherein said bypass controller is to direct said DC power signal to said bypass path, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is within said voltage range.

3. The WPR of claim 1, wherein said bypass controller is to direct said DC power signal to said regulator, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

4. The WPR of claim 1, wherein said bypass controller is to send to said WPT a request to adjust a power of said wireless charging signal, based on said voltage level and said voltage range.

5. The WPR of claim 4, wherein said bypass controller is to send said request to the WPT, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

6. The WPR of claim 4, wherein said request comprises said voltage range.

7. The WPR of claim 4, wherein said request comprises a request to decrease or to increase the power of said wireless charging signal.

8. The WPR of claim 4 comprising a communication module to transmit said request to said WPT.

9. The WPR of claim 8, wherein said communication module comprises a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication module.

10. A system comprising:

a battery;

a battery charger;

a Wireless Power Receiver (WPR) to receive from a Wireless Power Transmitter (WPT) a wireless charging signal to charge said battery, the WPR including;

a rectifier to convert said wireless charging signal into a Direct Current (DC) power signal;

a voltage regulator to regulate a voltage of said DC power signal according to a voltage range;

a bypass path to bypass said voltage regulator; and

a bypass controller to select between directing said DC power signal to said regulator or to said bypass path, based on a voltage level of said DC power signal and said voltage range.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said bypass controller is to direct said DC power signal to said bypass path, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is within said voltage range.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said bypass controller is to direct said DC power signal to said regulator, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said bypass controller is to send to said WPT a request to adjust a power of said wireless charging signal, based on said voltage level and said voltage range.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said bypass controller is to send said request to the WPT, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said WPR device comprises a communication module to transmit said request to said WPT.

16. A method comprising:

receiving at a Wireless Power Receiver (WPR) a wireless charging signal from a Wireless Power Transmitter (WPT);

converting said wireless charging signal into a Direct Current (DC) power signal; and

selecting whether or not to regulate a voltage of said DC power signal according to a voltage range, based on a voltage level of said DC power signal and said voltage range.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising directing said DC power signal to bypass a voltage regulator, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is within said voltage range.

18. The method of claim 16 comprising directing said DC power signal to a voltage regulator, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

19. The method of claim 16 comprising sending to said WPT a request to adjust a power of said wireless charging signal, based on said voltage level and said voltage range.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising sending said request to the WPT, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

21. A product including one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement a method comprising:

receiving at a Wireless Power Receiver (WPR) a wireless charging signal from a Wireless Power Transmitter (WPT);

converting said wireless charging signal into a Direct Current (DC) power signal; and

selecting whether or not to regulate a voltage of said DC power signal according to a voltage range, based on a voltage level of said DC power signal and said voltage range.

22. The product of claim 21, wherein said method comprises directing said DC power signal to bypass a voltage regulator, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is within said voltage range.

23. The product of claim 21, wherein said method comprises directing said DC power signal to a voltage regulator, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.

24. The product of claim 21, wherein said method comprises sending to said WPT a request to adjust a power of said wireless charging signal, based on said voltage level and said voltage range.

25. The product of claim 24, wherein said method comprises sending said request to the WPT, if the voltage level of said DC power signal is not within said voltage range.