Adaptive charger system and method

• US 20040145342A1
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lyon, Geoff M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,183,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• 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 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

A method and apparatus is used for adaptive inductive charging of a device. Charging includes detecting the presence of a device capable of receiving an inductive charge, determining a set of parameters for inductively charging the device, and transmitting an inductive charge corresponding to the set of parameters for charging the device. Another aspect of charging includes combining at least two inductive fields transmitted at different angles to each other, delivering the combined inductive field at an orientation to the device, measuring the load on the device to determine the effectiveness of the orientation of the inductive field when charging the device, and charging the device at the orientation of the inductive field when the measured load on the device exceeds a threshold load level.

Claims

1. A method of adaptively charging a device, comprising:

detecting the presence of a device capable of receiving an inductive charge;

determining a set of parameters for charging the device through induction; and

transmitting an inductive charge corresponding to the set of parameters for charging the device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising,

terminating the transmission of the inductive charge once the device is adequately charged.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the terminating further comprises:

receiving a signal from the device identifying a level of charge; and

determining the device has completed charging based on the level of charge identified.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the signal causes a change in the load over the same channel used to charge the device.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the signal is transmitted over a signal channel separate from the channel used to charge the device.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the signal is transmitted from the device using radio frequency identification device (RFID) compatible technology.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of parameters determined to charge the device provides a substantial load on a primary coil used for charging.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the providing the substantial load further comprises,

varying combinations of the parameters for charging the device during a time interval;

and

measuring the load on the primary coil for each of the various combinations of the parameters; and

selecting the parameters causing the greatest increase in the load on the primary coil.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one of the parameters includes an orientation of the inductive field.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the orientation of the inductive field is determined by combining inductive fields of one or more elements positioned at different angles to each other.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one of the parameters are selected from a set of parameters including a phase, an amplitude, and a frequency of an inductive field.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of parameters determined to charge the device are set according to a lookup table (LUT) with predetermined parameters for the particular device.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the device provides the set of parameters to be used for charging the device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the device provides the set of parameters over the charging channel using a radio-frequency identification device (RF-ID).

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the device provides the set of parameters using a communication link separate from the channel used to charge the device.

16. A method of charging a device through mutual inductance:

combining at least two inductive fields transmitted at different angles to each other;

delivering the combined inductive field at an orientation to the device;

measuring the load on the device to determine the effectiveness of the orientation of the inductive field when charging the device; and

charging the device at the orientation of the inductive field when the measured load on the device exceeds a threshold load level.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

charging additional devices at different orientations of the inductive field when the measured load on each of the multiple devices exceeds a threshold load level.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least two inductive fields are combined using vector operations.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the angles between the inductive fields are obtuse.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the angles between the inductive fields are acute.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the threshold load level selected is at least large enough to charge the device over a time interval.

22. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for adaptively charging a device, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

detect the presence of a device capable of receiving an inductive charge;

determine a set of parameters for efficiently charging the device through induction; and

transmit an inductive charge corresponding to the set of parameters for charging the device.

23. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for charging a device through mutual inductance, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

combine at least two inductive fields transmitted at different angles to each other;

deliver the combined inductive field at an orientation to the device;

measure the load on the device to determine the effectiveness of the orientation of the inductive field when charging the device; and

charge the device at the orientation of the inductive field when the measured load on the device exceeds a threshold load level.

24. An apparatus that inductively charges one or more devices, comprising:

a sensor that receives signals indicating a charge level of the one or more devices;

a set of two or more induction coils positioned at different angles and capable of charging the one or more devices through mutual inductance; and

a power source designed to deliver energy to the set of two or more induction coils and create an inductive field at different orientations to the one or more devices.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising:

a memory having parameters for controlling the inductive field of the two or more induction coils; and

a processor that selectively combines the parameters and delivers the parameters to the power source for control of the two or more induction coils.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising:

a communication port that exchanges charging information and status with the one or more devices over a communication channel separate from the charging channel.

27. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising:

a load sensor that monitors the load when charging the one or more devices and determines when at least one of the one or more devices has completed charging based on a information modulated through a variation in the load characteristic by the one or more devices.

28. An apparatus for adaptively charging a device, comprising:

means for detecting the presence of a device capable of receiving an inductive charge;

means for determining a set of parameters for efficiently charging the device through induction; and

means for transmitting an inductive charge corresponding to the set of parameters for charging the device.

29. An apparatus for charging a device through mutual inductance, comprising:

means for combining at least two inductive fields transmitted at different angles to each other;

means for delivering the combined inductive field at an orientation to the device;

means for measuring the load on the device to determine the effectiveness of the orientation of the inductive field when charging the device; and

means for charging the device at the orientation of the inductive field when the measured load on the device exceeds a threshold load level.