Packaging and Details of a Wireless Power device

• US 20090224609A1
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nigel Power LLC (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Widmer, Hanspeter, Sieber, Lukas, Cook, Nigel P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• 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 50/12 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 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings

Abstract

A wireless power system includes a power source, power receiver, and components thereof. A current sensor senses the amount of current through the antenna. That amount of current is then used to adjust characteristics of the transmitting or receiving.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter, comprising

a magnetically resonant antenna;

a transmit system that creates a driving signal at a frequency that is substantially resonant with said magnetically resonant antenna;

a current sensor, sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetically resonant antenna and creates a current sense signal indicative thereof; and

wherein said signal indicative of current is used by said transmit system to change said driving signal based on a characteristic of transmitting by said magnetically resonant antenna.

2. A transmitter as in claim 1, wherein said antenna is tuned to 13.56 Mhz

3. A transmitter as in claim 1, wherein said antenna is tuned to 135 Khz.

4. A transmitter as in claim 1, further comprising a controller that monitors said current sense signal, and uses said signal to change said driving signal.

5. A transmitter as in claim 4, further comprising a power indicator meter, and wherein said controller changes said signal based on an output of said power indicator meter.

6. A transmitter as in claim 4, further comprising an inverter that creates said signal at said frequency of said antenna.

7. A transmitter as in claim 6, wherein said controller controls characteristics of said inverter.

8. A transmitter as in claim 7, wherein said controller controls pulse width and electronic fine-tuning of said inverter.

9. A transmitter as in claim 1, wherein said magnetically resonant antenna includes at least one component with a specified voltage and/or current rating, and further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said amount of current, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components.

10. A wireless power transmitter, comprising

a magnetically resonant antenna;

a receive system that receives a signal at a frequency that is substantially resonant with said magnetically resonant antenna, and creates electrical power from said signal;

a current sensor, sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetically resonant antenna and creates a signal indicative thereof; and

wherein said signal indicative of current is used by said receive system to change a characteristic of receiving based on said signal from said current sensor.

11. A receiver as in claim 10, wherein said antenna is tuned to 13.56 Mhz

12. A receiver as in claim 10, wherein said antenna is tuned to 135 Khz.

13. A receiver as in claim 10, further comprising a controller that monitors said signal from said current sensor, and uses said signal to change said driving signal.

14. A receiver as in claim 13, further comprising a power indicator meter, and wherein said controller also changes said signal based on an output of said power indicator meter.

15. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said receive system further comprises a rectifier that rectifies an said signal to create said electrical power, said rectifier having characteristics of rectifying, that are controlled by said controller.

16. A receiver as in claim 15, wherein said rectifier is a synchronous rectifier, and said controller controls a frequency of the synchronous rectification.

17. A receiver as in claim 15, wherein said rectifier is a synchronous rectifier, and said controller controls characteristics of the adaptive load presented by the rectifier.

18. A receiver as in claim 10, further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said amount of current, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components.

19. A receiver as in claim 18, wherein said ratings are ratings of components forming the antenna.

20. A method, comprising

using an antenna which is tuned to have a magnetic resonance at a first frequency;

using electrical circuitry connected to said antenna;

sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetically resonant antenna and creates a current sense signal indicative thereof; and

said electrical circuitry changing a way that it interfaces with said antenna, based on said current sense signal, wherein said antenna is used for wireless power interfacing, and said current sense changes the characteristics of said wireless power interfacing based on a sensed current, where said changing changes an amount of transmitted power between a source and a recipient.

21. A method as in claim 20, wherein said using comprises using said antenna to transmit wireless power.

22. A method as in claim 20, wherein said using comprises using said antenna to receive wireless power.

23. A method as in claim 20, wherein said antenna is tuned to 13.56 Mhz

24. A method as in claim 20, wherein said antenna is tuned to 135 Khz.

25. A method as in claim 20, wherein said magnetically resonant antenna includes at least one component with a specified voltage and/or current rating, and further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said amount of current, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components.