Electronic device with wireless charging and battery heating

• US 10,840,726 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Provencher, Corey S., Yeh, Michael V., Pang, Jason L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Henze-Gongola, David V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rankine, Tarikh Kanem
• Application Number:
  US15/587,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20180013311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 320137, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• 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 50/15 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A wireless power transmitting device may transmit wireless power signals to a wireless power receiving electronic device. The electronic device may have a coil that receives the transmitted wireless power signals and may have a power receiving circuit that rectifies the received wireless power signals to produce a corresponding direct-current voltage signal. The direct-current signal may be used to power circuitry in the electronic device and may be used to charge a battery in the electronic device. Control circuitry in the electronic device may use a temperature sensor to make temperature measurements. In response to detecting that the device is below a given threshold temperature and based on other information such as information on which applications are running on a controller in device, the device may supply drive current signals to the coil to heat the battery and improve battery performance.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured to receive wirelessly transmitted power signals from a power transmitting device, comprising:

a substrate;

a battery mounted on the substrate;

a wireless charging coil formed on the substrate and configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted power signals;

a wireless power receiving circuit coupled to the wireless charging coil, wherein the wireless power receiving circuit is configured to produce direct-current signals from the received wirelessly transmitted power signals that charge the battery;

a controller; and

a drive circuit coupled to the wireless charging coil, wherein the controller is configured to apply a signal to the wireless charging coil with the drive circuit that heats the battery.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a housing; and

a printed circuit having loops of metal traces that form the wireless charging coil, wherein the printed circuit is interposed between the battery and the housing, and wherein the wireless charging coil is coplanar with and overlaps the battery.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising at least one temperature sensor, wherein the controller is configured to gather temperature information with the at least one temperature sensor and is configured to apply the signal to the wireless charging coil based at least partly on the gathered temperature information.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to gather information on which applications are running on the controller and is configured to apply the signal to the wireless charging coil depending at least partly on which applications are running on the controller and wherein the temperature information comprises temperature information selected from the group consisting of:

a battery temperature associated with the battery and an exterior temperature.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the controller is configured to apply the signal to the wireless charging coil based at least partly on identifying that the applications running on the controller include an application selected from the group consisting of:

a flashlight application, a camera application, a video playback application, a file download application, and an internet browsing application.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising a display having a display brightness setting, wherein the controller is configured to apply the signal to the wireless charging coil based at least partly on the display brightness setting.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the drive circuit is configured to produce a direct-current signal and wherein the controller is configured to apply the direct-current signal to the wireless charging coil with the drive circuit to heat the battery.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the drive circuit is configured to produce an alternating-current signal and wherein the controller is configured to apply the alternating-current signal to the wireless charging coil with the drive circuit to heat the battery.

9. An electronic device configured to receive wirelessly transmitted power signals from a power transmitting device, comprising:

a battery;

a wireless charging coil configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted power signals;

a wireless power receiving circuit coupled to the wireless charging coil, wherein the wireless power receiving circuit is configured to rectify the received wirelessly transmitted power signals and produce corresponding direct-current signals to charge the battery; and

control circuitry that is configured to supply a signal to the wireless charging coil to heat the battery at least partly in response to determining that the battery is at a temperature below a threshold temperature, wherein the signal supplied to the wireless charging coil is a direct-current signal, and wherein the control circuitry includes a drive circuit coupled to the wireless charging coil that is configured to apply the direct-current signal to the wireless charging coil to ohmically heat the wireless charging coil and thereby heat the battery.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9, wherein the electronic device has opposing front and rear faces, the electronic device further comprising:

a display on the front face;

a housing having a rear wall portion on the rear face, wherein the wireless charging coil is interposed between the rear wall portion and the battery.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the wireless charging coil comprises multiple loops of metal traces on a printed circuit substrate.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to gather temperature measurements with the temperature sensor.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising:

an input-output device that is configured to receive user input, wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the direct-current signal to the wireless charging coil with the drive circuit to heat the battery at least partly based on the user input.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to identify which applications are running on the control circuitry and wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the direct-current signal to the wireless charging coil with the drive circuit to heat the battery at least partly dependent on which applications are identified as running on the control circuitry.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to identify which applications are running on the control circuitry and wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the signal to the wireless charging coil to heat the battery at least partly based on which applications are identified to be running on the control circuitry.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the signal to the wireless charging coil to heat the battery at least partly in response to determining that the battery is at the temperature below the threshold temperature using the temperature sensor.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a battery;

a wireless charging coil on a printed circuit that is configured to receive wirelessly transmitted power signals;

a wireless power receiving circuit coupled to the wireless charging coil, wherein the wireless power receiving circuit is configured to rectify the received wirelessly transmitted power signals and is configured to produce a corresponding direct-current voltage that charges the battery; and

control circuitry that is configured to supply a signal to metal traces overlapping with the wireless charging coil on the printed circuit and a signal to the wireless charging coil to heat the battery.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure temperature with the temperature sensor and is configured to supply the signal based at least partly on the measured temperature.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the signal that is supplied to the metal traces is a direct-current signal, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the direct-current signal to the loops of metal traces.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the metal traces are nested within the wireless charging coil on the printed circuit.