Configurable wireless transmitter device

• US 10,790,699 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2019
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pinciuc, Christopher M., Garbus, Brandon R., Herbst, Steven G., Moyer, Todd K., Bossetti, Chad A., Jol, Eric S., Graham, Christopher S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitmore, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US16/258,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20190319475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A wireless transmitter device is configurable and operable to transfer energy to multiple receiver devices at the same time. The transmitter device is configured to enable one or more sections of a charging surface to transfer energy by selectively choosing one or more conductive traces in the transmitter device based on the position of the receiver device on the charging surface. The size and shape of each section of the charging surface that is used to transfer energy to a receiver device can change dynamically based on each receiver device. Additionally, the process of transferring energy to each receiver device may be adjusted during energy transfer based on conditions specific to each receiver device.

Claims

1. A wireless transmitter device comprising:

a first substrate including a parallel set of linear conductive traces;

a second substrate positioned below the first substrate and including drive circuitry operably connected to the parallel set of linear conductive traces and configured to provide drive signals to the parallel set of linear conductive traces; and

a processing device operably connected to the drive circuitry and configured to;

select a first linear conductive trace from the parallel set of linear conductive traces based on a position of a receiver device on a charging surface of the wireless transmitter device;

select a second linear conductive trace from the parallel set of linear conductive traces based on the position of the receiver device;

cause the drive circuitry to drive the first linear conductive trace with a first drive signal; and

cause the drive circuitry to drive the second linear conductive trace with a second drive signal, the first drive signal and the second drive signal flowing in opposite directions and configured to transfer energy to a receiver coil in the receiver device.

2. The wireless transmitter device of claim 1, further comprising a detection layer configured to detect the position of the receiver device on the charging surface.

3. The wireless transmitter device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to:

determine a first drive signal characteristic of the first drive signal; and

determine a second drive signal characteristic of the second drive signal.

4. The wireless transmitter device of claim 3, wherein:

the first drive signal characteristic comprises at least one of;

a first phase of the first drive signal;

a first frequency of the first drive signal;

or

a first amplitude of the first drive signal; and

the second drive signal characteristic comprises at least one of;

a second phase of the second drive signal;

a second frequency of the second drive signal;

or

a second amplitude of the second drive signal.

5. The wireless transmitter device of claim 1, wherein:

the parallel set of linear conductive traces is a first parallel set of linear conductive traces; and

the wireless transmitter device further comprises a third substrate positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate, the third substrate including a second parallel set of linear conductive traces.

6. The wireless transmitter device of claim 5, wherein the second parallel set of linear conductive traces is oriented perpendicularly to the first parallel set of linear conductive traces.

7. The wireless transmitter device of claim 6, wherein the first parallel set of linear conductive traces and the second parallel set of linear conductive traces form a grid pattern.

8. The wireless transmitter device of claim 5, wherein each of the first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate comprises a printed circuit board.

9. A method of operating a wireless transmitter device, the method comprising:

selecting a first set of linear conductive traces in a parallel set of linear conductive traces based on a first position of a first receiver device on a charging surface of the wireless transmitter device, the first set of linear conductive traces forming a first transmitter structure and comprising;

a first linear conductive trace; and

a second linear conductive trace;

providing a first drive signal to the first linear conductive trace of the first set of linear conductive traces and a second drive signal to the second linear conductive trace of the first set of linear conductive traces to transfer energy from the first transmitter structure to the first receiver device, the first drive signal and the second drive signal flowing in opposite directions;

selecting a second set of linear conductive traces in the parallel set of linear conductive traces based on a second position of a second receiver device on the charging surface of the wireless transmitter device, the second set of linear conductive traces forming a second transmitter structure and comprising;

a third linear conductive trace; and

a fourth linear conductive trace; and

providing a third drive signal to the third linear conductive trace of the second set of linear conductive traces and a fourth drive signal to the fourth linear conductive trace of the second set of linear conductive traces to transfer energy from the second transmitter structure to the second receiver device, the third drive signal and the fourth drive signal flowing in opposite directions.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a first drive signal characteristic of the first drive signal and the second drive signal; and

determining a second drive signal characteristic of the third drive signal and the fourth drive signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the first drive signal characteristic and the second drive signal characteristic comprises at least one of:

a frequency;

an amplitude;

or

a phase.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting the first drive signal characteristic of at least one of the first drive signal or the second drive signal to modify an energy transfer to the first receiver device.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting the first position of the first receiver device on the charging surface prior to selecting the first set of linear conductive traces; and

detecting the second position of the second receiver device on the charging surface prior to selecting the second set of linear conductive traces.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first position of the first receiver device and the second position of the second receiver device are detected by a detection layer included in the wireless transmitter device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising stopping energy transfer to the first receiver device based on a detection layer detecting an absence of the first receiver device on the charging surface.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether to stop energy transfer to the second receiver device; and

stopping energy transfer to the second receiver device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether energy transfer to the second receiver device is to stop comprises determining whether a battery in the second receiver device is charged beyond a threshold.

18. A method of operating a wireless transmitter device, the method comprising:

selecting a first linear conductive trace from a parallel set of linear conductive traces based on a position of a receiver device on a charging surface of the wireless transmitter device;

selecting a second linear conductive trace from the parallel set of linear conductive traces based on the position of the receiver device;

providing a first drive signal to the first linear conductive trace to transfer energy from the wireless transmitter device to the receiver device; and

providing a second drive signal to the second linear conductive trace to transfer energy from the wireless transmitter device to the receiver device, the first drive signal and the second drive signal flowing in opposite directions.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting an absence of the receiver device;

stopping energy transfer from the first linear conductive trace to the receiver device; and

stopping energy transfer from the second linear conductive trace to the receiver device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a battery of the receiver device is charged beyond a threshold;

stopping energy transfer from the first linear conductive trace to the receiver device; and

stopping energy transfer from the second linear conductive trace to the receiver device.