Wirelessly rechargeable battery and components thereof

• US 9,735,586 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: PowerbyProxi Limited (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Hao, Qin, Aijun, Ren, Saining
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Application Number:
  US14/347,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20140225562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2003/005 Magnetic cores for receiving several windings with perpendicular axes, e.g. for antennae or inductive power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A receiver coil assembly for a wirelessly rechargeable battery including first and second transverse coils and a third coil encompassing the first and second coils. The receiver coil may be employed in a power receiver of a wirelessly rechargeable battery. Also disclosed is a wirelessly rechargeable battery having a power receiver demountable from an electrochemical cell.

Claims

1. A rechargeable battery including:

first and second receiver coils having magnetic axes oriented transverse to one another;

a third receiver coil having a magnetic axis transverse to the magnetic axes of the first and second receiver coils and encompassing the first and second receiver coils;

a power receiver circuit, operatively connected to the first, second, and third receiver coils, for rectifying an alternating current received by at least one of the first, second, and third receiver coils; and

an electrochemical cell, operatively connected to the power receiver circuit, for receiving the rectified current.

2. A rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1 wherein third coil is a substantially annular coil.

3. A rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second coils are arranged in a cross.

4. A rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1 including a ferrite core located within all coils.

5. A rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 4 wherein the ferrite core is in the form of a cross with the first and second coils wound about arms of the cross and the third coil wound about the distal ends of the arms of the cross.

6. A rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1 of substantially cylindrical form.

7. A rechargeable battery comprising:

first, second and third receiver coils having magnetic axes oriented transverse to one another, wherein one of the receiver coils enables greater power transfer than the other receiver coils;

a power receiver circuit, operatively connected to the first, second, and third receiver coils, for rectifying an alternating current received by at least one of the first, second, and third receiver coils; and

an electrochemical cell, operatively connected to the power receiver circuit, for receiving the rectified current;

wherein the coil enabling greater power transfer encompasses the other coils.

8. A receiver coil assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the first and second coils are in a cross arrangement.

9. A receiver coil assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the power transfer capacity of the third coil is at least 10% more than that of the first and second coils.

10. A receiver coil assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the power transfer capacity of the third coil is at least 20% more than that of the first and second coils.

11. A receiver coil assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the length of the conductor of the third coil is at least 25% greater than the length of the first and second coil conductors.

12. A receiver coil assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the length of the conductor of the third coil is at least 50% greater than the length of the first and second coil conductors.

13. A wirelessly rechargeable battery comprising two or more receiver coils having magnetic axes oriented transverse to one another, a power receiver, operatively connected to receiver coils, for rectifying an alternating current received by the receiver coils, and an electrochemical cell, operatively connected to the power receiver circuit, for receiving the rectified current, wherein the power receiver is housed within a first battery sub-casing and the electrochemical cell is housed within a second battery sub-casing wherein the first and second sub-casings are demountable.

14. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 13 wherein the power receiver is demountable from the electrochemical cell.

15. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 14 wherein the power receiver is user-demountable from the electrochemical cell.

16. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 13 wherein the power receiver and the electrochemical cell screw together.

17. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 13 wherein the power receiver and the electrochemical cell are held together magnetically.

18. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 13 wherein the power receiver and the electrochemical cell are held together via a push-fit coupling.

19. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 13 wherein the electrochemical cell is magnetically shielded.

20. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 19 wherein the electrochemical cell is magnetically shielded by a metal layer.

21. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 20 wherein the metal layer is of about one skin depth.

22. A wirelessly rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 20 wherein the metal is copper.