INCREASING EFFICIENCY OF WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20100201313A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Loo, Insun, Vorenkamp, Pieter, Van Der Lee, Reinier
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Techniques are described herein that are capable of increasing efficiency of wireless power transfer. A wireless power transfer system includes features that allow the system to be deployed in public spaces such as airports or in commercial establishments such as restaurants or hotels to allow a user to recharge one or more portable electronic devices while away from home. To accommodate wireless recharging of a variety of device types and states, the system may receive parameters and/or state information associated with a portable electronic device to be recharged and may control the wireless power transfer in accordance with such parameters and/or state information. For instance, the system may increase efficiency of the wireless power transfer based on such parameters and/or state information. The system may also provide a secure and efficient means for obtaining required payment information from the user prior to the wireless power transfer, thereby facilitating fee-based recharging.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a wireless power transfer from a charging station to a portable electronic device via a wireless power link;

receiving at least one first parameter regarding the portable electronic device at the charging station via a wireless communication link in response to initiation of the wireless power transfer; and

increasing efficiency of the wireless power transfer based on the at least one first parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one first parameter comprises:

receiving a frequency parameter that specifies a resonant frequency of the portable electronic device; and

wherein increasing the efficiency of the wireless power transfer comprises;

changing a frequency at which a non-radiative magnetic field, which mediates the wireless power transfer, oscillates to be substantially equal to the resonant frequency of the portable electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one first parameter comprises:

receiving a power parameter that specifies a magnitude of power requested by the portable electronic device; and

wherein increasing the efficiency of the wireless power transfer comprises;

reducing a magnitude of power that is provided by the charging station with respect to the wireless power transfer to be substantially equal to the magnitude of power requested by the portable electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one first parameter comprises:

receiving a power parameter that specifies a magnitude of power consumed by the portable electronic device with respect to the wireless power transfer; and

wherein increasing the efficiency of the wireless power transfer comprises;

reducing a magnitude of power that is provided by the charging station with respect to the wireless power transfer to be substantially equal to the magnitude of power consumed by the portable electronic device with respect to the wireless power transfer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one first parameter comprises:

receiving a power parameter that specifies a maximum safe power that the portable electronic device is capable of consuming without substantial risk of damaging the portable electronic device; and

wherein increasing the efficiency of the wireless power transfer comprises;

controlling a magnitude of power that is provided by the charging station with respect to the wireless power transfer to be no greater than the maximum safe power.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one first parameter comprises:

receiving a position parameter that specifies a position of the portable electronic device; and

wherein increasing the efficiency of the wireless power transfer comprises;

changing an orientation of a transfer element of the charging station that generates a magnetic field for performing the wireless power transfer based on the position parameter to increase inductive coupling between the transfer element of the charging station and a receiving element of the portable electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one first parameter comprises:

receiving the at least one first parameter at the charging station via the wireless communication link in accordance with a Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, a Bluetooth™

protocol, a ZigBee®

protocol, or an IEEE 802.11 protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly transferring power from the charging station to the portable electronic device via the wireless power link is performed in accordance with an inductive coupling technique.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly transferring power from the charging station to the portable electronic device via the wireless power link is performed in accordance with a resonant inductive coupling technique.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the wireless power link and the wireless communication link via a common inductive link.

11. A system comprising:

a wireless power transfer module configured to wirelessly transfer power to a portable electronic device via a wireless power link;

a parameter analysis module configured to analyze a parameter received via a wireless communication link regarding the portable electronic device with respect to the wireless transfer of the power; and

an efficiency improvement module configured to increase efficiency with respect to the wireless transfer of the power based on analysis of the parameter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wireless power transfer module comprises:

a field generation module configured to generate a magnetic field that is used to wirelessly transfer the power to the portable electronic device; and

wherein the efficiency improvement module comprises;

a field manipulation module configured to change a characteristic of the magnetic field to increase the efficiency with respect to the wireless transfer of the power based on the analysis of the parameter.

13. A method comprising:

wirelessly receiving power for a first period of time at a portable electronic device from a charging station via a wireless power link having a first transmission efficiency;

providing at least one parameter regarding the portable electronic device with respect to receipt of the power during the first period of time to the charging station via a wireless communication link; and

wirelessly receiving power for a second period of time at the portable electronic device from the charging station via the wireless power link having a second transmission efficiency that is greater than the first transmission efficiency in response to providing the at least one parameter to the charging station.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the at least one parameter to the charging station comprises:

providing a frequency parameter that specifies a resonant frequency of the portable electronic device;

wherein the first efficiency is based on resonant inductive coupling of a first coil in the portable electronic device with a second coil in the charging station that generates a non-radiative magnetic field oscillating at a first frequency that is not substantially same as the resonant frequency of the portable electronic device; and

wherein the second efficiency is based on resonant inductive coupling of the first coil in the portable electronic device with the second coil in the charging station that generates a non-radiative magnetic field oscillating at a second frequency that is substantially same as the resonant frequency of the portable electronic device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the at least one parameter to the charging station comprises:

providing a power parameter that specifies a magnitude of power requested by the portable electronic device;

wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the first period of time comprises;

wirelessly receiving a magnitude of power that is greater than the magnitude of power requested by the portable electronic device for the first period of time; and

wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the second period of time comprises;

wirelessly receiving a magnitude of power that is substantially same as the magnitude of power requested by the portable electronic device for the second period of time.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the at least one parameter to the charging station comprises:

providing a power parameter that specifies a magnitude of power consumed by the portable electronic device during the first period of time;

wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the first period of time comprises;

wirelessly receiving a magnitude of power at the portable electronic device for the first period of time that is greater than the magnitude of power consumed by the portable electronic device for the first period of time; and

wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the second period of time comprises;

wirelessly receiving a magnitude of power at the portable electronic device for the second period of time that is substantially same as a magnitude of power consumed by the portable electronic device for the second period of time.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the at least one parameter to the charging station comprises:

providing a power parameter that specifies a maximum safe power that the portable electronic device is capable of consuming without substantial risk of damaging the portable electronic device;

wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the first period of time comprises;

wirelessly receiving a magnitude of power that is greater than the maximum safe power for the first period of time; and

wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the second period of time comprises;

wirelessly receiving a magnitude of power that is no greater than the maximum safe power for the second period of time.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the at least one parameter comprises:

providing the at least one parameter to the charging station via the wireless communication link in accordance with a Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, a Bluetooth™

protocol, a ZigBee®

protocol, or an IEEE 802.11 protocol.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the first period of time and wirelessly receiving the power for the second period of time are performed in accordance with an inductive coupling technique.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the first period of time and wirelessly receiving the power for the second period of time are performed in accordance with a resonant inductive coupling technique.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein wirelessly receiving the power for the first period of time, providing the at least one parameter to the charging station, and wirelessly receiving the power for the second period of time are performed via a common inductive link.