Inductive power supply with device identification

• US 8,097,984 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips IP Ventures B.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baarman, David W., Mollema, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Application Number:
  US13/166,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20110248674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 209 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 307/149, 320/108
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

An inductive power supply system to identify remote devices using unique identification frequencies. The system includes an AIPS and a tank circuit capable of inductively providing power to a remote device at different frequencies, and a sensor for sensing the reflected impedance of the remote device at tank circuit. The system further includes a plurality of different remote devices, each having a unique resonance frequency. In operation, the AIPS is capable of identifying the type of remote device present in the inductive field by applying power to a remote device at a plurality of unique identification frequencies until the remote device establishes resonance in response to one of the identification frequencies. The AIPS includes a controller that recognizes when resonance has been established by evaluating sensor data, which is representative of the reflected impedance of the remote device. Once the identity of a remote device is determined, the AIPS may pull operating parameters for the remove device from memory to ensure efficient operation and to assist in recognizing fault conditions.

Claims

1. An inductive power supply to supply operating wireless power to a remote device, said inductive power supply comprising:

inductive field generating circuitry;

frequency control circuitry electrically connected to said inductive field generating circuitry, said frequency control circuitry capable of operating said inductive field generating circuitry at an operating frequency;

reflected impedance sensing circuitry to sense a characteristic of power in said inductive power supply;

said characteristic being indicative of a reflected impedance of said remote device;

identification circuitry to determine an identification profile of said remote device as a function of said sensed characteristic of said reflected impedance sensing circuitry, said identification profile including one or more resonant frequencies;

a memory storing a common identification profile of a plurality of known remote devices, wherein said common identification profile includes one or more resonant frequencies; and

power supply control circuitry for supplying operating wireless power to said remote device if said remote device has an identification profile corresponding with said common identification profile.

2. The inductive power supply of claim 1 wherein said inductive field generating circuitry includes a tank circuit having a primary.

3. The inductive power supply of claim 2 wherein said frequency control circuitry includes an oscillator and a driver.

4. The inductive power supply of claim 3 wherein said reflected impedance sensing circuitry includes a current sense transformer coupled to said tank circuit.

5. The inductive power supply of claim 1 wherein said frequency control circuitry is capable of controlling an operating frequency of said inductive field generating circuitry as a function of said output of said reflected impedance sensing circuitry.

6. The inductive power supply of claim 1 wherein said power supply control circuitry manages supply of said operating wireless power to said remote device in order to charge a battery included in said remote device.

7. The inductive power supply of claim 1 wherein said power supply control circuitry manages supply of said operating wireless power to directly power said remote device.

8. The inductive power supply of claim 1 wherein said inductive power supply is capable of supplying operating wireless power to a plurality of said remote devices, and wherein said identification circuitry is capable of determining a plurality of identification profiles of each of said plurality of said remote devices.

9. The inductive power supply of claim 1 wherein said remote device includes an identification capacitor to provide said remote device with an identification profile corresponding to said common identification profile.

10. A method for controlling an inductive power supply to supply operating wireless power to a remote device, comprising the steps of:

determining a common identification profile for a plurality of known remote devices capable of being powered by the inductive power supply, the common identification profile including one or more resonant frequencies;

providing the remote device having device circuitry and a secondary configured for receiving the operating wireless power, wherein the operating wireless power is used to operate the device circuitry;

applying an inductive field to the remote device at the one or more resonant frequencies of the common identification profile;

determining whether the remote device has a resonant frequency profile corresponding with the common identification profile; and

operating the inductive power supply to supply operating wireless power to the remote device if the remote device has a resonant frequency profile corresponding to the common identification profile.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said providing step includes providing the remote device with an identification capacitor to provide the remote device with a resonant frequency profile corresponding to the common identification profile.

12. The method of claim 10 further including the steps of:

providing the remote device to be powered by the inductive power supply with a unique identification profile;

storing the unique identification profile and an associated operating parameter in a memory associated with the inductive power supply;

once it is determined that the remote device has a resonant frequency profile corresponding with the common identification profile, applying an inductive field to the remote device at one or more resonant frequencies corresponding to one or more of the unique identification profiles;

determining whether the remote device has a resonant frequency profile corresponding with one of the unique identification profiles;

retrieving the associated operating parameter from the memory upon determining that the remote device corresponds with one of the unique identification profiles; and

following said retrieving step, operating the inductive power supply in accordance with the retrieved operating parameter to supply the operating wireless power to the remote device.

13. A method for operating an inductive power supply to supply power to a remote device comprising the steps of:

providing the remote device having device circuitry and a secondary configured for receiving operating wireless power, wherein the operating wireless power is used to operate the device circuitry;

storing at least one known identification profile in a memory associated with the inductive power supply;

applying inductive power to the remote device at one or more frequencies to determine an identification profile of the remote device contained within the inductive field;

comparing the determined identification profile with the at least one stored known identification profile to determine if the determined identification profile corresponds to one or more of the at least one stored identification profile; and

operating the inductive power supply to supply the operating wireless power to the remote device based on the determination that said determined identification profile corresponds to one or more of the at least one stored identification profile.

14. The method of claim 13 further including the step of providing the remote device with an identification capacitor to provide the remote device with an identification profile corresponding to one or more of the at least one stored identification profile.

15. The method of claim 13 further including the step of retrieving an operating parameter for the inductive power supply from the memory based on the determination that the determined identification profile corresponds to one or more of the at least one stored identification profile, wherein the operating parameter includes an operating frequency that is different from the one or more frequencies of said applying inductive power step.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the remote device has identification circuitry connected to the secondary for providing at least one resonant identification frequency corresponding to at least one of the one or more frequencies applied in said applying inductive power step;

and

wherein the operating parameter includes an operating frequency other than the at least one resonant identification frequency provided by the identification circuitry.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the determined identification profile includes an inherent resonant frequency of the remote device at least in part defined by receiving circuitry of the remote device, wherein the receiving circuitry includes the secondary.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein each of the at least one known identification profiles includes one or more resonant frequencies.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said applying step includes the steps of:

applying a pulse of power at the one or more resonant frequencies associated with the known identification profile; and

sensing current in a tank circuit of the inductive power supply to determine whether the remote device has a resonant frequency at the one or more applied frequencies.

20. An inductive power supply for supplying operating wireless power to a remote device comprising:

a driver;

a primary circuit having a primary;

a sensor in said primary circuit adapted to sense a characteristic of power in said primary circuit indicative of a reflected impedance of said remote device;

identification circuitry to determine an identification profile of said remote device as a function of output of said sensor;

a memory storing at least one known identification profile; and

control circuitry for controlling operation of said inductive power supply to supply said operating wireless power to said remote device if said remote device has an identification profile corresponding with at least one known identification profile.

21. The inductive power supply of claim 20 wherein memory stores at least one operating parameter associated with said known identification profile.

22. The inductive power supply of claim 20 wherein said control circuitry controls operation of said inductive power supply to supply operation wireless power to said remote device according to an operating parameter selected as a function of said identification profile of said remote device.

23. The inductive power supply of claim 20 wherein said remote device includes a battery, wherein said operating wireless power is used to charge said battery.

24. The inductive power supply of claim 20 wherein said identification profile includes an inherent resonant frequency of said remote device.

25. The inductive power supply of claim 20 wherein said remote device includes an identification capacitor.

26. The inductive power supply of claim 20 wherein said remote device includes a plurality of identification capacitors.