MULTI-TURN COIL ON METAL BACKPLATE

• US 20160254678A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Standke, Randy, Ko, Chih-Hsiang, Jeong, Seong Heon
• Granted Patent: US 10,122,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• 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 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless power transfer apparatus that includes a case for an electronic device. The case may have an electrically conductive panel portion and side portions defined along sides of the panel portion. The case further have at least one opening formed one of the side portions. A coil configured to couple to an externally generated magnetic field may have first segments that span a width of the panel portion of the case and second segments arranged along the side portions of the case and exposed through the at least one opening.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer apparatus comprising:

a case configured to house electronic components of an electronic device, the case having an electrically conductive panel portion and side portions defined along sides of the panel portion, the case having at least one opening formed therethrough at one of the side portions thereof; and

a coil configured to couple to an externally generated magnetic field, the coil having first segments that span a width of the panel portion of the case and second segments arranged along the side portions of the case and exposed to the externally generated magnetic field through the at least one opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a resonant circuit comprising the coil, wherein the coil is configured to provide power received from the externally generated magnetic field to the electronic components.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising ferrite material disposed between a portion of the coil and electronic components spanned by the portion of the coil.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel portion includes a central opening formed therethrough, wherein the coil is disposed in the central opening.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the panel portion comprises a first panel portion having the central opening formed therethrough and a second panel portion disposed in the central opening, wherein the coil is disposed in a slot defined between the first panel portion and the second panel portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first segments of the coil are enclosed by the panel portion of the case.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second segments of the coil are magnetically exposed through the at least one opening.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is electrically separate from the panel portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel portion of the case is metallic.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the case further comprises an upper panel portion and a lower panel portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the panel portion includes a slot formed therethrough that extends from an interior of the panel portion to a periphery of the panel portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first segments of the coil are disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB) housed within the case.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the side portions of the case comprise one or more strips of material that comprises the case, the one or more strips of material disposed parallel to the at least one opening.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil comprises a multi-turn winding of electrically conductive material.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil comprises a multi-turn winding of electrically conductive material having a first plurality of turns wound about a circumference of the panel portion of the case and a second plurality of turns wound within the periphery of the panel portion.

16. A method for wireless power transfer to electronic components of an electronic device comprising:

coupling power from an externally generated magnetic field to a first segment of a multi-turn coil through a case that houses the electronic components;

coupling power from the externally generated magnetic field to a second segment of the multi-turn coil through an opening formed through the case at a side portion of the case through which the second segment of the multi-turn coil is exposed to the externally generated magnetic field; and

providing the power coupled from the externally generated magnetic field to the electronic components.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling power from the externally generated magnetic field to the second segment of the multi-turn coil includes coupling to the externally generated magnetic field through a cap that covers the opening formed through the case at the side portion of the case.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling power from the externally generated magnetic field to the second segment of the multi-turn coil includes coupling to the externally generated magnetic field through a plurality of openings at the side portion of the case.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second segments of the multi-turn coil constitute a first plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil, the method further comprising coupling power from the externally generated magnetic field to a second plurality of turns of the multi-turn coil wound about an additional opening formed through the case.

20. An apparatus for wireless power transfer comprising:

means for housing electronic components of an electronic device; and

means for coupling to an externally generated magnetic field, the means for coupling having at least a first segment contained within the means for housing and at least a second segment exposed through an opening formed through the means for housing.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the opening formed through the means for housing is at a side portion thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first segment of the means for coupling is configured to couple to the externally generated magnetic field through material comprising the means for housing, wherein the second segment is exposed to the externally generated magnetic field.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for housing comprises an upper panel, a middle panel, and a lower panel, wherein the first segment of the means for coupling is enclosed by the middle panel.

24. A wireless power transfer apparatus comprising:

a case configured to house electronic components of an electronic device, the case having an electrically conductive panel portion, the panel portion having a central opening formed therethrough, the panel portion further having a gap that extends between an exterior surface of the panel portion and the central opening formed through the panel portion; and

a coil disposed within the central opening of the panel portion and configured to couple to an externally generated magnetic field.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the coil is electrically separate from the panel portion.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the coil comprises the same material as the panel portion.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the coil is a component of the panel portion.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the panel portion comprises a first panel portion having the central opening formed therethrough and a second panel portion disposed in the central opening, wherein the coil is disposed in a slot defined between the first panel portion and the second panel portion.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the second panel portion is connected to the coil as one end of the coil.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first panel portion and the second panel portion are electrically connected together.