Wireless charger and high speed data off-loader

• US 10,447,347 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medidata Solutions Incorporated (Dassault Systemes SA)
• Original Assignee: MC10, Inc.
• Inventors: Raj, Milan, McGrane, Bryan, Hanson, Valerie Susan, Murphy, Brian, Plumb, Emily
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Nhan T
• Application Number:
  US15/676,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20180205417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A wireless charging system for a wearable sensor device can include a wireless charging device and a user device. The wireless charging device can include a transmitter for sending a power signal to charge the wearable sensor device, a first receiver to receive a data signal and a second to receive a low energy signal. The wearable sensor device can include at least one memory for storing sensor data, a first receiver for receiving the power signal from the wireless charging device, a first transmitter to transmit a data signal and a second receive to receive a low energy signal. The user device can include a low energy transmitter for communicating with the wireless charging device and sensor device to control the charging function and the data communication function of the wireless charging device to selectively charge and transfer data with wearable sensor device.

Claims

1. A wireless control system comprising:

a wireless charging device including a transmitter to transmit a charging signal, a first receiver to receive a data signal and a second receiver to receive a low energy signal;

a sensor device including a memory for storing sensed data, a first receiver to receive a charging signal, a first transmitter to transmit a data signal, and a second receiver to receive a low energy signal, wherein the transmitter of the wireless charging device is a transceiver operating in a fast data transfer protocol and the second receiver of the wireless charging device operates in a slower data transfer protocol, and wherein one of the protocols is used for the data transfer from the sensor device; and

a user device including a low energy transmitter in communication with the second receiver of the wireless charging device and the second receiver of the sensor device, the user device operative to initiate a data transfer from the sensor device to the wireless charging device.

2. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is one of a plurality of sensor devices, each of the plurality of sensor devices in communication via a low energy signal with the user device.

3. The wireless control system of claim 2, wherein the user device is operative to initiate the transmission of a charging signal from the charging device to the sensor device.

4. The wireless control system of claim 3, wherein the user device prioritizes one of the plurality of sensor devices for receiving the charging signal from the charging device.

5. The wireless control system of claim 4, wherein the prioritization is based on a power level of each of the plurality of sensor devices.

6. The wireless control system of claim 3, wherein the prioritization is based on payment by a user through the user device for the sensor device.

7. The wireless control system of claim 2, wherein the user device prioritizes one of the plurality of sensor devices for transmitting the data signal to the charging device.

8. The wireless control system of claim 7, wherein the prioritization is based on the amount of data stored on each of the plurality of sensor devices.

9. The wireless control system of claim 7, wherein the prioritization is based on the power level on each of the plurality of sensor devices.

10. The wireless control system of claim 7, wherein the prioritization is based on payment by a user through the user device for the sensor device.

11. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is a wearable device adhered to the skin of a user.

12. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the user device transmitter and the second receiver of the sensor device and second receiver of the charging device are Bluetooth low energy transceivers.

13. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter of the wireless charging device transmits a charging signal and the second receiver of the wireless charging device receives the data signal from the sensor device simultaneously.

14. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the user device selects the fast data transfer protocol or the slower data transfer protocol for the charging device receiving the data signal from the sensor device.

15. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the fast data transfer protocol is the Enhanced Shock Burst data protocol and the slower data transfer protocol is the Bluetooth protocol.

16. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the selection of the protocol is based on payment received from a user through the user device.

17. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the user device is one of a smart phone, a lap top computer, a tablet, or a personal data assistant.

18. A method of transmitting data from a sensor device to a wireless charging device, the sensor device including a memory for storing sensed data, a first receiver to receive a charging signal, a transmitter to a data signal, and a second receiver to receive a low energy signal, wherein the transmitter of the wireless charging device is a transceiver operating in a fast data transfer protocol and the second receiver of the wireless charging device operates in a slower data transfer protocol, and wherein one of the protocols is used for the data transfer from the sensor device, the charging device including a transmitter to transmit a charging signal, a first receiver to receive a data signal and a second receiver to receive a low energy signal, the method comprising:

storing sensed data in the memory of the sensor device;

initiating communication between a user device and the charging device via a low energy transmitter on the user device;

initiating communication between the user device and the charging device via the low energy transmitter on the user device; and

initiating data transfer between the sensor device and the charging device via the first transmitter of the sensor device based on authorization from the user device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sensor device is one of a plurality of sensor devices, each of the plurality of sensor devices in communication via a low energy signal with the user device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising initiating transmission of a charging signal from the charging device to the sensor device by the user device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the user device prioritizes one of the plurality of sensor devices for receiving the charging signal from the charging device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the prioritization is based on a power level of each of the plurality of sensor devices.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the prioritization is based on payment by a user through the user device for the sensor device.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the user device prioritizes one of the plurality of sensor devices for transmitting the data signal to the charging device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the prioritization is based on the amount of data stored on each of the plurality of sensor devices.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the prioritization is based on the power level on each of the plurality of sensor devices.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the prioritization is based on payment by a user through the user device for the sensor device.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the sensor device is a wearable device adhered to the skin of a user.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the user device transmitter and the second receiver of the sensor device and the second receiver of the charging device are Bluetooth low energy transceivers.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein the wireless charging device transmits a charging signal and receives the data signal from the sensor device simultaneously.

31. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting the fast data transfer protocol or the slower data transfer protocol for the charging device receiving the data signal from the sensor device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the selection of the protocol is based on payment received from a user of the user device.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein the fast data transfer protocol is the Enhanced Shock Burst data protocol and the slower data transfer protocol is the Bluetooth protocol.

34. The method of claim 18, wherein the user device is one of a smart phone, a lap top computer, a tablet, or a personal data assistant.