WIRELESS POWER TRANSMITTER AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20160365737A1
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vladan, Marius Ionel
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a wireless power transmitter that includes a coil assembly configured to transmit a power signal to a power receiving unit of at least one wireless power client. The coil assembly includes a first coil and a second coil configured to generate the power signal via a combined magnetic field. A first driver is configured to generate a first current signal on the first coil. A second driver is configured to generate a second current signal on the second coil at a first controllable phase relative to the first current signal to control the combined magnetic field. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter comprising:

a coil assembly configured to transmit a power signal to a power receiving unit of at least one wireless power client, the coil assembly comprising a first coil and a second coil configured to generate the power signal via a combined magnetic field;

a first driver configured to generate a first current signal on the first coil; and

a second driver configured to generate a second current signal on the second coil at a first controllable phase relative to the first current signal to control the combined magnetic field.

2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1 further comprising:

a controller configured to control the first controllable phase based on a feedback signal.

3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 2 further comprising:

a matching network configured to provide impedance matching to the coil assembly and further to generate the feedback signal.

4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3 wherein matching network includes a compensation capacitor and wherein the feedback signal is proportional to a compensation capacitor current.

5. The wireless power transmitter of claim 2 wherein the controller generates a phase control signal based on the feedback signal.

6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5 wherein the controller further generates a first clock signal and the first driver generates the first current signal based on the first clock signal.

7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 6 further comprising:

a phase adjustor configured to generate a second clock signal, based on the phase control signal, at the first controllable phase relative to the first clock signal and wherein the second driver generates the second current signal based on the second clock signal.

8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1 wherein first coil and the second coil have the same number of spires.

9. The wireless power transmitter of claim 2 wherein the controller controls a magnitude of the power signal via control of a magnitude of the combined magnetic field.

10. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1 wherein the coil assembly further includes an integer number of additional coils, and the wireless power transmitter further comprises:

a corresponding number of additional drivers configured to generate the corresponding number of additional current signals on the corresponding additional coils each at a corresponding controllable phase relative to the first current signal.

11. A wireless power transmitter comprising:

a coil assembly configured to transmit a wireless power signal to a power receiving unit of at least one wireless power client having a single receiving coil, the coil assembly comprising a first coil and a second coil configured to generate the wireless power signal via a combined magnetic field received by the single receiving coil;

a first driver configured to generate a first current signal on the first coil; and

a second driver configured to generate a second current signal on the second coil at a first controllable phase relative to the first current signal to control the combined magnetic field received by the single receiving coil.

12. The wireless power transmitter of claim 11 further comprising:

a controller configured to generate a phase control signal based on a feedback signal, and to generate a first clock signal, wherein the first driver generates the first current signal based on the first clock signal; and

a phase adjustor configured to generate a second clock signal, based on the phase control signal, at the first controllable phase relative to the first clock signal and wherein the second driver generates the second current signal based on the second clock signal.

13. The wireless power transmitter of claim 12 further comprising:

a matching network configured to provide impedance matching to the coil assembly and further to generate the feedback signal.

14. The wireless power transmitter of claim 13 wherein matching network includes a compensation capacitor and wherein the feedback signal is proportional to a compensation capacitor current.

15. The wireless power transmitter of claim 12 wherein the controller controls a magnitude of the wireless power signal via control of a magnitude of the combined magnetic field.

16. The wireless power transmitter of claim 11 wherein first coil and the second coil have the same number of spires.

17. The wireless power transmitter of claim 11 wherein the coil assembly further includes an integer number of additional coils, and the wireless power transmitter further comprises:

a corresponding number of additional drivers configured to generate the corresponding number of additional current signals on the corresponding additional coils each at a corresponding controllable phase relative to the first current signal.

18. A method comprising:

generating a first current signal on a first coil of a coil assembly to generate a first component of a wireless power signal having a first magnetic field; and

generating a second current signal on a second coil of the coil assembly at a first controllable phase relative to the first current signal to generate a second component of the wireless power signal having a second magnetic field to control a combined magnetic field of the wireless power signal received by a coil of a power receiving unit.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

generating a first clock signal to control a phase of the first current signal;

generating a phase control signal at the first controllable phase, based on a feedback signal; and

generating a second clock signal based on the phase control signal to control a phase of the second current signal.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein generating the second clock signal includes:

receiving the first clock signal; and

adjusting a phase of the first clock signal based on the phase control signal to generate the second clock signal.