Electrically tunable inductor

• US 8,723,368 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Choudhary, Vijay N., Loke, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US13/204,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20120169134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/08 by varying the permeability of the core, e.g. by varying magnetic bias
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0081 with antenna coils loop aerials H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An electrically tunable inductor with an equivalent inductance includes a main winding and a tuning winding magnetically coupled to the main winding. The current through the tuning winding is controlled to adjust the equivalent inductance of the electrically tunable inductor. A device may include an electrically tunable inductor. A system may include multiple devices, one or more of the devices including an electrically tunable inductor. A tuning controller within the system may control the current in tuning windings of one or more of the multiple devices in the system. When an electrically tunable inductor is part of a resonant circuit, the resonant frequency may be controlled by adjusting the equivalent inductance of the electrically tunable inductor through controlling the current in the tuning winding. Controlling the current in the tuning winding includes one or more of controlling the peak, direction, frequency, duty cycle, or phase of the current.

Claims

1. An electrically tunable inductor with an equivalent inductance, comprising:

a main winding configured to wirelessly transfer power;

a tuning winding magnetically coupled to the main winding, the current through the tuning winding being controlled to adjust the equivalent inductance of the electrically tunable inductor;

wherein, the current is being controlled by controlling the peak value of the current;

wherein, the current is being controlled by selectively controlling the direction of current flow.

2. The electrically tunable inductor of claim 1, the current through the tuning winding being controlled by controlling the phase of the current.

3. The electrically tunable inductor of claim 2, the current being controlled to be one of:

in-phase with the current through the main winding;

or

180 degrees out-of-phase with the current through the main winding.

4. The electrically tunable inductor of claim 1, the electrically tunable inductor being part of a resonant circuit, such that adjustment of the equivalent inductance causes adjustment of the resonant frequency in the resonant circuit.

5. The electrically tunable inductor of claim 4, the resonant circuit being part of a wireless transmitter.

6. The electrically tunable inductor of claim 4, the resonant circuit being part of a wireless receiver.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a power transfer coil configured for wireless power transfer;

a tuning winding magnetically coupled to the power transfer coil, the power transfer coil when coupled with the tuning winding having an equivalent inductance; and

a tuning controller controlling the current through the tuning winding by controlling the peak value of the current, the phase of the current, and selectively controlling the direction of the current flow, thereby controlling the equivalent inductance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the power transfer coil being a component in a resonant circuit, such that controlling the equivalent inductance further constitutes controlling the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a tunable component in the resonant circuit, the tunable component being one of a tunable capacitor, a tunable inductor, or a tunable power source.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the tunable component being a tunable power source, the tunable power source having one of tunable frequency or tunable phase.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, the apparatus being a wireless transmitter.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, the apparatus being a wireless receiver.

13. A system, comprising:

a first device including;

a power transfer coil configured for wireless power transfer; and

a tuning winding magnetically coupled to the power transfer coil, the power transfer coil when coupled with the tuning winding having an equivalent inductance; and

a second device including;

a tuning controller controlling current through the tuning winding, thereby controlling the equivalent inductance;

wherein the first device further includes a tuning network;

the tuning network, the power transfer coil, and the tuning winding being part of a resonant circuit, such that adjustment of the equivalent inductance further adjusts the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit;

wherein, the system is a wireless power transfer system and the first device being a transmitter, the second device including;

at least one interface for receiving information from the first device and information from a third device that is a receiver;

logic for determining an amount to adjust the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit in the first device based on the received information; and

an interface for providing control information to the first device.

14. The system of claim 13, the system being a wireless power transfer system and the first device being a receiver, the second device including:

at least one interface for receiving information from the first device and information from a third device that is a transmitter;

logic for determining an amount to adjust the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit in the first device based on the received information; and

an interface for providing control information to the first device.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a third device, the second device configured to receive information from the first device and information from the third device, and further configured to determine an amount to adjust the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit in the first device and a resonant circuit in the third device based on the received information.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a tunable component in the resonant circuit, the tunable component being one of a tunable capacitor, a tunable inductor, or a tunable power source.

17. The system of claim 13, the first device being a transmitter configured to wirelessly transfer power to a plurality of receivers.

18. The system of claim 13, the first device being a receiver configured to wirelessly receive power from a plurality of transmitters.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of transmitters configured to wirelessly transfer power to at least one receiver;

a plurality of receivers configured to wirelessly receive power from at least one transmitter;

the first device being one of a transmitter of the plurality of transmitters or a receiver of the plurality of receivers;

the second device providing control information to at least one transmitter of the plurality of transmitters and at least one receiver of the plurality of receivers.