Method, system and apparatus for communication through wireless charging network

• US 10,123,154 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Laudebat, Remi
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US14/757,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20170188179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412- 413
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The disclosure generally relates to a method, system and apparatus to utilized a network of wireless transmission units (PTUs) to communicate between devices connected to the network through each of the PUTs. In certain embodiments, a plurality of PTUs are interconnected into a Local Area Network (LAN) such that messages may be broadcast to all PTUs connected to the network. Each PTU may then relay the broadcast message to each of the mobile devices being under its charge.

Claims

1. A first Power Transmission Unit (PTU), comprising:

a wireless charging circuitry including a power amplifier to electromagnetically charge a first device under charge (DUC);

a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication platform to communicate a plurality of A4WP-Compliant BLE messages with the first DUC, wherein the plurality of A4WP-Compliant BLE messages of the first DUC are destined for a second DUC associated with a second PTU; and

a processing circuitry to convert the plurality of A4WP-Compliant BLE messages to non-BLE messages; and

a non-BLE communication platform to communicate the non-BLE messages to the second PTU to be relayed by the second PTU as A4WP-Compliant BLE messages to the second DUC.

2. The PTU of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to direct the second PTU to communicate the non-BLE messages to a second DUC associated with the second PTU.

3. The PTU of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to direct the second PTU to communicate non-BLE messages to a plurality of DUCs associated with the second PTU.

4. The PTU of claim 1, wherein the non-BLE communication platform defines one or more of WiFi, LAN or cellular communication platforms.

5. The PTU of claim 1, wherein the non-BLE communication platform is further configured to form an actual link, a virtual link or a combination of actual and virtual links with the second PTU.

6. The PTU of claim 5, wherein the non-BLE communication platform is further configured to form a non-Internet Protocol (non-IP) communication link with the second PTU to transmit non-BLE messages.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions to cause a processor circuitry to perform a process comprising:

receiving a BLE message at a first PTU, the BLE message defined by A4WP standards and communicated from a first device under charge (DUC) to the first PTU associated therewith, wherein the BLE message of the first DUC is destined for a second DUC associated with a second PTU;

converting the first BLE message content to a non-BLE message content at the first PTU;

transmitting the non-BLE message content from the first PTU to the second PTU;

converting the non-BLE message contents to one or more BLE messages; and

communicating the one or more BLE messages from the second PTU to the second DUC associated with the second PTU by BLE signaling.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein transmitting the non-BLE message content from the second PTU to a second DUC further comprises converting the non-BLE message content to a BLE message at the second PTU and communicating the BLE message to the second DUC compliant with A4WP Standard.

9. The medium of claim 7, further comprising transmitting the non-BLE message content from the first PTU to the second PTU through a server connected to each of the first and the second PTU through an actual link, a virtual link or a combination of actual and virtual links.

10. The medium of claim 9, further comprising propagating the BLE message from the first PTU to a plurality of PTUs through the server and directing each of the plurality of PTUs to communicate the message to at least one DUC associated with each of the respective plurality of PTUs.

11. The medium of claim 7, further comprising transmitting the non-BLE message content from the first PTU to the second PTU by directly linking the first PTU to the second PTU.

12. The medium of claim 7, further comprising simultaneously electromagnetically charging each of the first and the second DUCs by the first and the second PTUs, respectively.

13. The medium of claim 7, wherein the non-BLE message content is communicated by one or more of Wi-Fi, LAN or cellular signaling.

14. The medium of claim 7, wherein the first DUC identifies the second DUC in the BLE message.

15. A method to communicate between two or more wireless devices through a Power Transmission Unit (PTU) network, the method comprising:

receiving a BLE message at a first PTU, the BLE message defined by A4WP standards and communicated from a first device under charge (DUC) to the first PTU associated therewith, the BLE messages from the first DUC intended for a second DUC associated with a second PTU;

converting the first BLE message content to a non-BLE message content at the first PTU;

transmitting the non-BLE message content from the first PTU to the second PTU;

converting the non-BLE message content to one or more BLE messages at the second PTU; and

communicating the non-BLE message content from the second PTU to the second DUC associated with the second PTU by BLE signaling.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the non-BLE message content from the second PTU to a second DUC further comprises converting the non-BLE message content to a BLE message at the second PTU and communicating the BLE message to the second DUC compliant with A4WP Standard.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the non-BLE message content from the first PTU to the second PTU through a server connected to each of the first and the second PTU through an actual link, a virtual link or a combination of actual and virtual links.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising propagating the BLE message from the first PTU to a plurality of PTUs through the server and directing each of the plurality of PTUs to communicate the message to at least one DUC associated with each of the respective plurality of PTUs.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the non-BLE message content from the first PTU to the second PTU by directly linking the first PTU to the second PTU.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising simultaneously electromagnetically charging each of the first and the second DUCs by the first and the second PTUs, respectively.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-BLE message content is communicated by one or more of Wi-Fi, LAN or cellular signaling.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the first DUC identifies the second DUC in the BLE message.

23. A local network, comprising:

a plurality of Power Transmission Units (PTUs), a first of the plurality of the PTUs having;

a wireless charging circuitry to electromagnetically charge a first device under charge (DUC) associated with therewith,

a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication platform to communicate BLE messages between the first PTU and the first DUC, and

a processing circuitry to convert BLE messages to non-BLE messages at the first PTU; and

a server linked to each of the plurality of PTUs, the server configured to transmits non-BLE messages from the first PTU to a second of the plurality of PTUs, the server further configured to direct each of the plurality of PTUs to relay the non-BLE messages to at least one other DUC associated with a second of the plurality of PTUs;

wherein the server is further configured to direct the second PTU to convert the non-BLE messages to one or more BLE messages and to transmit the one or more BLE messages to a second DUC associated with the second PTU.

24. The network of claim 23, wherein the first PTU further comprises a non-BLE communication platform to communicate non-BLE messages to the server.

25. The network of claim 23, wherein the server is further configured to direct the second of the plurality of PTUs to propagate the non-BLE messages in BLE format to a third DUC associated with the second PTU.

26. The network of claim 23, wherein the server is further configured to direct the second of the plurality of PTUs to propagate the non-BLE message to a plurality of DUCs associated with the second PTU.

27. The network of claim 23, wherein non-BLE messages are communicated through one or more of WiFi, WiLAN or cellular communication platforms.

28. The network of claim 23, wherein the server comprises a network server or a cloud-based server and wherein the link is an actual link, a virtual link or a combination of actual and virtual links.

29. The network of claim 23, wherein the server comprises a non-Internet Protocol (non-IP) communication platform to transmit the non-BLE messages.