Auxiliary receiver coil to adjust receiver voltage and reactance

• US 9,711,972 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Von Novak, III, William Henry, Kallal, Edward Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US14/671,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20160285280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling

Abstract

In a wireless charging system, a receiver device includes a second coil that performs a reactance shift. The reactance shift may be used to conform the device reactance to a reactance range, or to adjust a rectified voltage of the wireless power provided to the device electronics. The reactance shift differs from resonance matching in that the power transfer efficiency may be decreased.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

device electronics;

a first coil, coupled to the device electronics, wherein the first coil is configured to wirelessly couple power via a wireless power field generated by a transmitter device and to provide a first electrical current based on the power to the device electronics, wherein the device electronics and the first coil have a load impedance, wherein the load impedance includes a load reactance;

a reactance adjustment circuit;

a second coil, coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, wherein the second coil is isolated from the first coil and configured to wirelessly couple the power via the wireless power field generated by the transmitter device and to provide a second electrical current based on the power to the reactance adjustment circuit to adjust device reactance of the electronic device presented to the transmitter device so as to control reflected impedance from the electronic device to the transmitter device, wherein the reactance adjustment circuit and the second coil have a tank impedance, wherein the tank impedance includes a tank reactance, wherein the tank reactance is adjustable, wherein a device impedance includes the load impedance and the tank impedance, and wherein the device reactance includes the load reactance and the tank reactance; and

a control circuit, coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, that is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance and in accordance therewith to dynamically adjust the device reactance.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter device has a transmitter impedance, wherein the transmitter impedance includes a transmitter reactance,

wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance in order to conform the device reactance to a reactance range for the transmitter reactance of the transmitter device.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive a control signal from the transmitter device, and to dynamically adjust the tank reactance in response to the control signal.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance in order to dynamically adjust a rectified voltage of the power provided to the device electronics.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, further comprising:

a voltage sensor, coupled to the device electronics, that is configured to sense the rectified voltage, and to provide a voltage measurement signal to the control circuit,

wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the voltage measurement signal, and to dynamically adjust the tank reactance in response to the voltage measurement signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter device includes a transmitter impedance, wherein the transmitter impedance includes a transmitter reactance, wherein the control circuit is configured to selectively operate in a first mode and a second mode, according to a control signal,

wherein in the first mode the control circuit dynamically adjusts the tank reactance in order to conform the device reactance to a reactance range for the transmitter reactance of the transmitter device, and

wherein in the second mode the control circuit dynamically adjusts the tank reactance in order to dynamically adjust a rectified voltage of the power provided to the device electronics.

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

a resonance matching circuit, coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, that is configured to adjust the tank reactance in order to adjust a resonant frequency of the electronic device to match a resonant frequency of the transmitter device,

wherein the control circuit is configured to deactivate the resonance matching circuit when the resonance matching circuit adjusts the device reactance outside of a defined range.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance such that a power transfer efficiency of the wireless power field is decreased.

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

a voltage sensor that is configured to detect a rectified voltage of the power provided to the device electronics, wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance based on the rectified voltage.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the reactance adjustment circuit comprises:

a plurality of capacitors; and

a plurality of switches, coupled to the plurality of capacitors, that is configured to receive a control signal from the control circuit and to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of capacitors in response to the control signal.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the reactance adjustment circuit comprises:

a plurality of resistors; and

a plurality of switches, coupled to the plurality of resistors, that is configured to receive a control signal from the control circuit and to selectively connect at least one of the plurality of resistors in response to the control signal.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the reactance adjustment circuit comprises:

a variable capacitor that has a plurality of selectable capacitances, wherein the variable capacitor is configured to receive a control signal from the control circuit and to select one of the plurality of selectable capacitances in response to the control signal.

13. A method of performing reactance adjustment in a wireless charging system, comprising:

receiving power wirelessly, by an electronic device from a transmitter device, via a wireless power field generated by the transmitter device, wherein the electronic device has device electronics, a first coil coupled to the device electronics, a reactance adjustment circuit, a second coil coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, and a control circuit coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit;

wirelessly coupling the power and providing, by the first coil, a first electrical current based on the power to the device electronics, wherein the device electronics and the first coil have a load impedance, wherein the load impedance includes a load reactance;

wirelessly coupling the power and providing, by the second coil, isolated from the first coil, a second electrical current based on the power to the reactance adjustment circuit to adjust device reactance of the electronic device presented to the transmitter device so as to control reflected impedance from the electronic device to the transmitter device, wherein the reactance adjustment circuit and the second coil have a tank impedance, wherein the tank impedance includes a tank reactance, wherein the tank reactance is adjustable, wherein a device impedance includes the load impedance and the tank impedance, and wherein the device reactance includes the load reactance and the tank reactance; and

dynamically adjusting, by the control circuit, the tank reactance and in accordance therewith dynamically adjusting the device reactance.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the electronic device further comprises a resonance matching circuit, wherein the resonance matching circuit is coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, the method further comprising:

adjusting, by the resonance matching circuit, the tank reactance in order to adjust a resonant frequency of the electronic device to match a resonant frequency of the transmitter device; and

deactivating, by the control circuit, the resonance matching circuit when the resonance matching circuit adjusts the device reactance outside of a defined range.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting, by the control circuit, the tank reactance such that a power transfer efficiency of the wireless power field is decreased.

16. A system, comprising:

a transmitter device, including a transmitter coil, wherein the transmitter device is configured to generate a wireless power field; and

an electronic device, comprising;

device electronics,

a first coil, coupled to the device electronics, wherein the first coil is configured to wirelessly couple power via the wireless power field generated by the transmitter device and to provide a first electrical current based on the power to the device electronics, wherein the device electronics and the first coil have a load impedance, wherein the load impedance includes a load reactance,

a reactance adjustment circuit,

a second coil, coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, wherein the second coil is isolated from the first coil and configured to wirelessly couple the power via the wireless power field generated by the transmitter device and to provide a second electrical current based on the power to the reactance adjustment circuit, to adjust device reactance of the electronic device presented to the transmitter device so as to control reflected impedance from the electronic device to the transmitter device wherein the reactance adjustment circuit and the second coil have a tank impedance, wherein the tank impedance includes a tank reactance, wherein the tank reactance is adjustable, wherein a device impedance includes the load impedance and the tank impedance, and wherein the device reactance includes the load reactance and the tank reactance, and

a control circuit, coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, that is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance and in accordance therewith to dynamically adjust the device reactance.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter device has a transmitter impedance, wherein the transmitter impedance includes a transmitter reactance, and wherein the transmitter device further comprises:

a reactance detector circuit, coupled to the transmitter coil, that is configured to detect the transmitter reactance and to transmit a control signal to the control circuit, wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance in response to the control signal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter device has a transmitter impedance, wherein the transmitter impedance includes a transmitter reactance, and wherein the transmitter device further comprises:

a reactance detector circuit, coupled to the transmitter coil, that is configured to detect the transmitter reactance;

a transmitter reactance adjustment circuit, coupled to the transmitter coil, wherein the transmitter reactance adjustment circuit has a transmitter tank reactance, wherein the transmitter reactance includes the transmitter tank reactance, wherein the transmitter tank reactance is adjustable; and

a resonance matching circuit, coupled to the reactance detector circuit and the transmitter reactance adjustment circuit, that is configured to adjust the transmitter tank reactance in order to adjust a resonant frequency of the transmitter device to match a resonant frequency of the electronic device,

wherein the reactance detector circuit is configured to deactivate the resonance matching circuit when the resonance matching circuit adjusts the transmitter reactance outside of a defined range.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

a resonance matching circuit, coupled to the reactance adjustment circuit, that is configured to adjust the tank reactance in order to adjust a resonant frequency of the electronic device to match a resonant frequency of the transmitter device,

wherein the control circuit is configured to deactivate the resonance matching circuit when the resonance matching circuit adjusts the device reactance outside of a defined range.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically adjust the tank reactance such that a power transfer efficiency of the wireless power field is decreased.