Inductive power outlet locator

• US 8,441,364 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Powermat Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Azancot, Yossi, Ben-Shalom, Amir, Greenwald, Oola, Rofe, Arik
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/563,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20100073177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 340/657, 340/572.1, 340/656, 702/65, 702/150, 320/108, 324/66, 34820799-376, 455/405, 455/566, 455 411- 413, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 340/657
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3376 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A power outlet locator for locating concealed inductive power outlet. A sensor is provided for detecting a signal emitted by an inductive power outlet. A processor uses the detected signal to compute location coordinates of the power outlet. A user interface is provided to communicate the location of the power outlet to a user.

Claims

1. A power outlet locator for locating an inductive power outlet concealed behind a surface, the power outlet comprising at least one primary coil wired to a power supply for inductively coupling with a secondary coil wired to an electrical load, wherein the power outlet locator comprises:

at least one sensor for detecting at least one detection signal emitted by the inductive power outlet;

at least one processor for receiving a sensor signal from the sensor and computing at least one coordinate of a location of the power outlet;

a visual display; and

at least one user interface for receiving a signal from the processor and communicating the location to a user through said visual display by displaying a target superimposed on an image of the surface.

2. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the sensor is selected to detect an electromagnetic field and the detection signal comprises electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least one primary coil.

3. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to calculate the distance between the sensor and the power outlet by comparing the intensity of the detection signal received by the sensor with a reference value.

4. The power outlet locator of claim 1 comprising a plurality of the sensors.

5. The power outlet location of claim 4 wherein the processor is configured to:

compare intensity of the detection signal as detected by at least two sensors, and to calculate at least one component of a vector indicating direction towards the power outlet.

6. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the location of the power outlet is encoded into the detection signal and the processor is configured to decode the detection signal.

7. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the visual display indicates a direction towards the power outlet.

8. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the visual display indicates a distance to the power outlet.

9. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the visual display comprises a graphical user interface representing at least a section of a target comprising concentric rings centered on a point indicating a location of the power outlet.

10. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises an audio emitter.

11. The power outlet locator of claim 10 wherein the audio emitter is configured to guide a user to the power outlet via audible signals varying in at least one of:

pitch, volume and timbre.

12. The power outlet locator of claim 1 wherein the inductive power outlet further comprises at least one circuit breaker configured to disconnect the primary coil from the power supply.

13. The power outlet locator of claim 12 wherein the inductive power outlet is configured to emit the detection signal while the primary coil is disconnected from the power supply.

14. An electrical device incorporating the power outlet locator of claim 1.

15. The electrical device of claim 14 additionally comprising said secondary inductive coil.

16. The electrical device of claim 14 additionally comprising at least one electrochemical power cell for powering the electrical device.

17. The electrical device of claim 16 further comprising said secondary inductive coil wired to the electrochemical cell via a rectifier for charging the electrochemical power cell.

18. The electrical device of claim 14 being selected from the group comprising:

telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cameras, media players, computers, keyboards and mice.

19. The power outlet locator of claim 1 further comprising an audio emitter.

20. The power outlet locator of claim 10 wherein the audio emitter is configured to guide a user to the power outlet via audible signals varying in at least one of:

pitch, volume and timbre.

21. The electrical device of claim 14 additionally comprising at least one electrochemical power cell for powering the electrical device.

22. The electrical device of claim 16 wherein said secondary inductive coil is wired to the electrochemical cell via a rectifier for charging the electrochemical power cell.

23. A power outlet locator operable to indicate the location of an inductive power outlet, said inductive power outlet comprising at least one primary inductive coil wired to a power supply for coupling with a secondary inductive coil wired to an electrical load, wherein said power outlet locator comprises:

a mobile phone comprising a visual display and a camera, said visual display being configured to display a graphical user interface indicating the location of said inductive power outlet superimposed upon a real time image captured by said camera.

24. The power outlet locator of claim 23 wherein said graphical user interface is operable to display a virtual target.

26. The power outlet locator of claim 23 wherein the visual display indicates a distance to the power outlet.

27. The power outlet locator of claim 23 wherein the visual display comprises a graphical user interface representing at least a section of a virtual target comprising concentric rings centered on a point indicating a location of the power outlet.

28. The power outlet locator of claim 27 wherein the power outlet is concealed behind a surface and the target is superimposed upon an image of the surface.

29. The power outlet locator of claim 23 further comprising said secondary inductive coil.

30. The power outlet locator of claim 23 wherein said graphical user interface is operable to display a virtual target centered upon the location of the power outlet.

25. The power outlet locator of 23 wherein the visual display indicates a direction towards the power outlet.