WIRELESS POWER UTILIZATION IN A LOCAL COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140054974A1
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: SIMON, David I., BILBREY, Brett C., CULBERT, Michael F., ARNOLD, Peter M., SARWAR, Mushtaq, DeVAUL, Richard W.
• Application Number:
  US14/070,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140054974A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3692 involving signal transmission without using electrically conductive connections, e.g. wireless communication or optical communication of the MR signal or an auxiliary signal other than the MR signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Various embodiments of a wirelessly powered local computing environment are described. The wireless powered local computing environment includes at least a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply arranged to wirelessly provide power to any of a number of suitably configured devices. In the described embodiments, the devices arranged to receive power wirelessly from the NFMR power supply must be located in a region known as the near field that extends no further than a distance D of a few times a characteristic size of the NFMR power supply transmission device. Typically, the distance D can be on the order of 1 meter or so.

Claims

1. A method of determining a resonant frequency of a wireless powered local computing environment that includes at least a dynamically tunable near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply arranged to wirelessly provide power to at least one receiving unit located within an effective range of the NFMR power supply by way of a resonance channel including a resonator structure, and a communication mechanism for providing a communication channel between the NFMR power supply and the at least one receiving unit, the communication channel being separate from the resonance channel, the method comprising:

providing a magnetic field at a first frequency by the NFMR power supply;

receiving over the communication channel an indication of an amount of wireless power received at the receiving unit over the resonance channel from the NFMR power supply; and

updating the first frequency of the NFMR power supply to a second frequency by dynamically tuning the NFMR power supply if the received indication is less than a maximum power, otherwise,

setting the resonant frequency as the first frequency.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising arranging the NFMR power supply to provide a symmetric magnetic field with at least a “

D”

shaped resonator in the resonator structure.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, the updating the first frequency comprising altering a shape of the resonator structure.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, the updating the first frequency comprising modifying a capacitive load coupled to the resonator structure.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining that the amount of power received is indicative of maximum power by comparing the amount of wireless power received with a pre-determined power amount, or comparing the amount of wireless power received with a previous indication of received power.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising arranging at least two “

D”

shaped resonators in the resonator structure to provide an elliptically polarized magnetic field.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein arranging the at least two “

D”

shaped resonators comprises modifying the orientation of the axes of the magnetic fields produced by the at least two “

D”

shaped resonators.

8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising

generating a near field energy with a transmit circuit;

transmitting the near field energy with an antenna coupled to the transmit circuit; and

matching an impedance of the transmit circuit to an impedance of the antenna with an impedance matching circuit.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising reducing a harmonic emission from the antenna with a low pass filter.

10. The method as in claim 1, further comprising preferentially blocking a magnetic flux with a ground comb in proximity to the resonator structure.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the preferentially blocking a magnetic flux further comprises:

forming at least one aperture; and

allowing transmission of an incident magnetic field through the at least one aperture.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein forming at least one aperture comprises arranging a first plurality of magnetically active elements in relation to a second plurality of magnetically active elements.

13. A wirelessly powered local computing environment, comprising:

a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply comprising a first symmetric magnetic resonator structure;

at least one peripheral device comprising a second symmetric magnetic resonance structure having a shape in accordance with the first symmetric resonator structure, wherein the NFMR power supply uses the first symmetric magnetic resonance structure to create a symmetric magnetic field and a resonance channel coupling the NFMR power supply and the at least one peripheral device used to transfer useable energy from the first symmetric magnetic resonator structure to the second magnetic resonator structure; and

a central processing unit in communication with the NFMR power supply, the central processing unit providing processing resources to the NFMR power supply.

14. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in claim 13, wherein at least one of the peripheral devices includes a re-resonator circuit, the re-resonator circuit arranged to wirelessly provide a portion of the power received by the peripheral device from the NFMR power supply to at least one other peripheral device.

15. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a metallic surface, the metallic surface used as a magnetic flux concentrator arranged to increase a local magnetic flux of the symmetric magnetic field.

16. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a ground comb in proximity to the first symmetric magnetic resonance structure, the ground comb comprising;

a first plurality of magnetically active elements, and

a second plurality of magnetically active elements arranged in relation to the first plurality of magnetically active elements to form at least one aperture, wherein the first and second plurality of magnetically active elements permit transmission of an incident magnetic field through the ground comb only at the at least one aperture.

17. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as in claim 13, further comprising increasing a local magnetic flux of the symmetric magnetic field with a concentrator.

18. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as in claim 13, wherein the HF power source is arranged to modify an effective range of the NFMR by adjusting the orthogonal in-band power.

19. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as in claim 13, wherein the peripheral device is one of the group consisting of a keyboard and a mouse.

20. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as in claim 13, wherein the NFMR power supply provides a power that defines an effective range and the at least one peripheral device is located within the effective range from the NFMR power supply.