Wireless battery charging of electronic devices such as wireless headsets/headphones

• US 20070032274A1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ZeroG Wireless, Inc. (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lee, Thomas, Wong, Dickson, Collmeyer, Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

This disclosure relates to wireless battery charging of electronic devices such as wireless headsets/headphones. In one embodiment, an electronic device is provided comprising a speaker comprising a coil, and the coil is operative both to cause the speaker to produce sound and to receive energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling. The received energy is used to recharge a rechargeable battery in the electronic device. In other embodiments, the coil used to receive the energy that recharges the battery is received by a coil other than the coil in the speaker.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a rechargeable battery;

a speaker comprising a coil, wherein the coil is operative both to cause the speaker to produce sound and to receive energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling; and

a battery charging circuit in communication with the coil such that energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling is provided to the battery charging circuit, wherein the battery charging circuit is in communication with the rechargeable battery and is operative to recharge the rechargeable battery with energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a headphone.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the headphone comprises an earbud.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a headset.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a portable DVD player, an MP3 player, and a portable computing device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a switch positioned between the coil and the battery charging circuit, the switch operable to selectively (i) put the coil in communication with the battery charging circuit and (ii) isolate the coil from the battery charging circuit.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the switch is operative to automatically put the coil in communication with the battery charging circuit when the electronic device is near a power adapter and automatically isolate the coil from the battery charging circuit when the electronic device is away from a power adapter.

8. A headset apparatus comprising:

a rechargeable battery;

a microphone;

a speaker comprising a coil, wherein the coil is operative both to cause the speaker to produce sound and to receive energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling; and

a battery charging circuit in communication with the coil such that energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling is provided to the battery charging circuit, wherein the battery charging circuit is in communication with the rechargeable battery and is operative to recharge the rechargeable battery with energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling.

9. The headset apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a switch positioned between the coil and the battery charging circuit, the switch operable to selectively (i) put the coil in communication with the battery charging circuit and (ii) isolate the coil from the battery charging circuit.

10. The headset apparatus of claim 9, wherein the switch is operative to automatically put the coil in communication with the battery charging circuit when the headset apparatus is near a power adapter and automatically isolate the coil from the battery charging circuit when the headset apparatus is away from a power adapter.

11. A system comprising:

an electronic device comprising;

a rechargeable battery;

a speaker comprising a first coil, wherein the first coil is operative both to cause the speaker to produce sound and to receive energy transferred to the first coil via inductive coupling; and

a battery charging circuit in communication with the first coil such that energy transferred to the first coil via inductive coupling is provided to the battery charging circuit, wherein the battery charging circuit is in communication with the rechargeable battery and is operative to recharge the rechargeable battery with energy transferred to the first coil via inductive coupling; and

a power adapter comprising a second coil and operative to transfer energy to the first coil via inductive coupling.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic device comprises a headphone.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the headphone comprises an earbud.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic device comprises a headset.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a portable DVD player, an MP3 player, and a portable computing device.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising a switch positioned between the first coil and the battery charging circuit, the switch operable to selectively (i) put the first coil in communication with the battery charging circuit and (ii) isolate the first coil from the battery charging circuit.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the power adapter is operative to wirelessly provide a switch control signal to control whether the switch (i) puts the first coil in communication with the battery charging circuit or (ii) isolates the first coil from the battery charging circuit.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the adapter and the electronic device are operative to establish a wireless data communication channel between with each other.

19. A headset apparatus comprising:

a microphone;

a speaker;

a rechargeable battery;

a coil operative to receive energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling; and

a battery charging circuit in communication with the coil such that energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling is provided to the battery charging circuit, wherein the battery charging circuit is in communication with the rechargeable battery and is operative to recharge the rechargeable battery with energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling.

20. An earbud apparatus comprising:

a speaker;

a rechargeable battery;

a coil operative to receive energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling; and

a battery charging circuit in communication with the coil such that energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling is provided to the battery charging circuit, wherein the battery charging circuit is in communication with the rechargeable battery and is operative to recharge the rechargeable battery with energy transferred to the coil via inductive coupling.