Wireless Power Transfer Adaptation Triggers

• US 20140091755A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walley, John, van der Lee, Reinier
• Granted Patent: US 9,236,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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

Adaptive multi-pathway wireless charging is described. In one aspect, embodiments enable one or more wireless charging pathways to be established concurrently in a wireless charging environment. The wireless charging pathways use same or different frequencies, powers, wireless power transfer (WPT) standards, and WPT configurations. Embodiments for adaptively configuring wireless charging based on detected events or changes in WPT characteristics are also provided.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer (WPT) source device, comprising:

a coil configured to establish a wireless charging pathway with a corresponding coil of a WPT recipient device; and

a WPT monitor module configured to detect a first event based on at least one of the established wireless charging pathway and sensor information and to trigger a second event based on the first event in the WPT recipient device.

2. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the sensor information is generated by one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a motion sensor, a contact sensor, a camera, a microphone, a thermal imager, a seismic sensor, and an inertial sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a passive radar sensor, and a capacitive-proximity sensor.

3. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are located within one or more of the WPT source device, the WPT recipient device, and a third-party device.

4. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the first event includes human presence in a vicinity of the WPT source device, and wherein the second event includes adjusting a WPT configuration of the WPT recipient device.

5. The WPT source device of claim 4, wherein the second event further includes transitioning from a high-resonance to a low-resonance WPT configuration.

6. The WPT source device of claim 4, wherein the second event further includes adjusting at least one of an operating frequency and an operating WPT standard of the WPT recipient device.

7. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the first event includes that the WPT recipient device has been placed on top of the WPT source device or removed from the WPT source device, and wherein the WPT monitor module is configured to detect the first event by determining a coupling coefficient between the coil of the WPT source device and the corresponding coil of the WPT recipient device.

8. The WPT source device of claim 1, wherein the WPT monitor module is further configured to trigger a third event based on the first event in a third-party device.

9. A method for use in a wireless power transfer (WPT) source device, comprising:

detecting a first event based on at least one of sensor information and a wireless charging pathway established with a WPT recipient device; and

triggering a second event based on the first event in the WPT recipient device or a third-party device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor information is generated by at least one of the WPT source, the WPT recipient, and the third-party device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first event includes human presence in a vicinity of the WPT source device, and wherein the second event includes adjusting a WPT configuration of the WPT recipient device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second event further includes transitioning from a high-resonance to a low-resonance WPT configuration at the WPT recipient device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second event further includes adjusting at least one of an operating frequency and an operating WPT standard of the WPT recipient device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first event includes that the WPT recipient device has been placed on top of the WPT source device or removed from the WPT source device, and wherein the second event includes one or more of:

turning on/off wireless communication features of the WPT recipient device;

changing a mode of operation of the WPT recipient device;

adjusting graphical user interface (GUI) settings of the WPT recipient device; and

tuning on/off an application available on the WPT recipient device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first event includes that the WPT recipient device has been placed on top of the WPT source device or removed from the WPT source device, and wherein detecting the first event includes determining a coupling coefficient between a coil of the WPT source device and a corresponding coil of the WPT recipient device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein triggering the second event in the WPT recipient device comprises sending a message to the WPT recipient device or the third-party device.

17. A system, comprising:

a wireless power transfer (WPT) source device, comprising;

a first coil;

one or more sensors configured to produce sensor information; and

a WPT monitor module; and

a WPT recipient device having a second coil,

wherein the first coil is configured to establish a wireless charging pathway with the second coil of the WPT recipient device, and

wherein the WPT monitor module is configured to detect a first event based on at least one of the established wireless charging pathway and the sensor information and to trigger a second event based on the first event in the WPT recipient device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first event includes that the WPT recipient device is within a pre-defined separation distance from the WPT source device, and wherein the second event includes adjusting at least one of an operating frequency and an operating WPT standard of the WPT recipient device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first event includes that the WPT recipient device has been placed on top of the WPT source device or removed from the WPT source device, and wherein the WPT monitor module is configured to detect the first event by determining a coupling coefficient between the first coil of the WPT source device and the second coil of the WPT recipient device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first event includes that the WPT recipient device has been placed on top of the WPT source device or removed from the WPT source device, and wherein the second event includes one or more of:

turning on/off wireless communication features of the WPT recipient device;

changing a mode of operation of the WPT recipient device;

adjusting graphical user interface (GUI) settings of the WPT recipient device; and

turning on/off an application available on the WPT recipient device.