Battery with integrated wireless power receiver and/or RFID

• US 8,716,977 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walley, John, Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza, Seshadri, Nambirajan, Van Der Lee, Reinier Hendricus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/766,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 307/104, 455/573
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes one or more rechargeable cells, a wireless power coil, a battery charger circuit, and may further include an RFID module. The wireless power coil is operable to generate an AC voltage from a wireless power electromagnetic field. The battery charger circuit is operable to generate a battery charge voltage from the AC voltage in accordance with a battery charge control signal and, when enabled, to charge the one or more rechargeable cells via the battery charge voltage. If the battery further includes the RFID module, it is operable to generate the battery charge control signal and communicate with a wireless power transmitter device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

wireless power receive circuitry to generate power from a received wireless power signal;

a first wireless power transceiver configured to communicate, via a control channel, with a second wireless power transceiver included in a wireless power transmission unit;

a processing module coupled to the wireless power receive circuitry and the first wireless power transceiver, the processing module configured to;

identify a control channel protocol usable by the second wireless power transceiver;

select the control channel protocol from among a plurality of control channel protocols usable by the first wireless power transceiver; and

control the first wireless power transceiver to use the control channel protocol.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

the processing module further configured to select the control channel protocol based on a beacon signal.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

the processing module further configured to select the control channel protocol based on a setup communication received using a default control channel protocol.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

the processing module further configured to select the control channel protocol based on scanning a frequency spectrum.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

the processing module further configured to select the control channel protocol based on trial and error using known control channel protocols.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

the first wireless transceiver configured to transmit, via the control channel, control data indicating power transmission parameters to be used by the wireless power transmission unit.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery coupled to an output of the wireless power receive circuit.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the power transmission parameters are based, at least in part, on battery charging parameters.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a near-field communication (NFC) power recovery module.

10. A wireless charging system including a wireless power receiving unit, the wireless power receiving unit comprising:

a first wireless power transceiver to receive and transmit data related to wireless transmission parameters over a control channel;

wireless power receive circuitry to generate power from a received wireless power signal;

a first processing module coupled to the first wireless power transceiver and the wireless power receive circuitry; and

the first wireless power transceiver configurable, under control of the first processing module, to communicate with a second wireless power transceiver using multiple different control channel protocols.

11. The wireless charging system of claim 10, further comprising a wireless power transmission unit, the wireless power transmission unit comprising:

a second wireless power transceiver;

power transmission circuitry; and

a second processing module coupled to the second wireless power transceiver and the power transmission circuitry, the processing module configured to control power transmissions based on communications received via the second wireless power transceiver.

12. The wireless charging system of claim 11, the first processing module further configured to:

identify a control channel protocol usable by the second wireless power transceiver; and

control the first wireless power transceiver to use the control channel protocol.

13. The wireless charging system of claim 12, the first processing module further configured to select the control channel protocol based on at least one of the following:

a setup communication received using a default control channel protocol;

a beacon signal;

scanning a frequency spectrum;

trial and error using known control channel protocols; and

information obtained from an RFID tag.

14. The wireless charging system of claim 10, further comprising:

the first wireless power transceiver configured to transmit, via the control channel, control data indicating power transmission parameters to be used by a wireless power transmission unit.

15. The wireless charging system of claim 10, further comprising:

the first wireless power transceiver configurable to communicate with a plurality of other wireless power transceivers using a plurality of different control channel protocols.

16. The wireless charging system of claim 10, wherein the wireless power receiving unit further comprising:

a battery coupled to an output of the wireless power receive circuitry.

17. The wireless charging system of claim 10, wherein:

the second processing module is configured to control power transmission based on battery charging parameters associated with the wireless power receiving unit.

18. A wireless charging device comprising:

a RFID circuit;

a first wireless power transceiver to receive and transmit data related to wireless transmission parameters over a control channel;

wireless power receive circuitry to generate power from a received wireless power signal;

a processing module coupled to the first wireless power transceiver and the wireless power receive circuitry; and

the first wireless power transceiver configurable, under control of the first processing module, to communicate with a second wireless power transceiver using multiple different control channel protocols.

19. The wireless charging device of claim 18, wherein the first processing module further configured to:

identify a control channel protocol usable by the second wireless power transceiver; and

control the first wireless power transceiver to use the control channel protocol.

20. The wireless charging device of claim 18, wherein the processing module configures the first wireless power transceiver to communicate with a plurality of other wireless power transceivers using a plurality of different control channel protocols.