System and method for providing and controlling inductive power charging

• US 9,088,168 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Powermat Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Powermat Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mach, Elieser, Moshkovich, Oz, Podkamien, Ian, Koren, Yuval
• Primary Examiner(s): AMAYA, CARLOS DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/273,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20140239733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

The disclosure relates to inductive charging systems comprising at least one power access point (PAP) comprising a primary inductor connectable to a power supply, a PAP credential characterizing said PAP and a charger link comprising at least one wireless communication component; at least one device comprising a secondary inductor, a device credential characterizing said device and a device link comprising at least one wireless communication component; and a power controller comprising a communicator comprising at least one wireless communication component and a server having a database. The disclosure further relates to methods of controlling the inductive charging performed by an inductive charging system.

Claims

1. An inductive power receiver having a signal transfer system to communicate with an inductive power outlet, the signal transfer system comprising circuitry configured to:

construct a digital communication having multiple bits of information to allow data communication, each bit having a logic state selected from a logic state 1 and a logic state 0;

assign peak pulses having a first characteristic frequency to represent the logic state 0 wherein said first characteristic frequency is selected from any one of a first set of characteristic frequencies;

assign peak pulses having a second characteristic frequency to represent said logic state 1 wherein at least one of said second characteristic frequencies is selected from any one of a second set of characteristic frequencies; and

transmit the digital communication from the inductive power receiver to said inductive power outlet;

such that said peak pulses having any of said first set of characteristic frequencies are all interpreted as the logic state 0 and said peak pulses having any of said second set of characteristic frequencies are all interpreted as the logic state 1;

wherein at least one of said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies comprises more than one characteristic frequency.

2. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said at least one of said first characteristic frequency is selected from any one of said first set of characteristic frequencies according to transmission requirements and wherein said at least one of said second characteristic frequency is selected from any one of said second set of characteristic frequencies according to transmission requirements.

3. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies, comprises at least one frequency encoding a P-UP signal used to instruct a driver of said inductive power outlet to increase power by an incremental value.

4. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies comprises at least one frequency encoding a P-DOWN signal used to instruct a driver of said inductive power outlet to decrease power by an incremental value.

5. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies comprises at least one frequency encoding a P-SAME signal used to instruct a driver of said inductive power outlet to continue at a same power.

6. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies comprises at least one frequency encoding a END-SIG signal used to instruct a driver of said inductive power outlet to terminate power transmission.

7. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies comprises at least one frequency selected from a group consisting of:

2 kilohertz, 4 kilohertz, 5 kilohertz, 6 kilohertz, 10 kilohertz and 50 kilohertz.

8. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication is transferred from the inductive receiver to the inductive outlet concurrently with power transmission instruction signals to control power levels of the inductive power outlet.

9. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication is constructed to communicate identification data.

10. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication is constructed to communicate operational data.

11. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication is constructed to communicate supplementary data.

12. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication is constructed to communicate data pertaining to power transfer.

13. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication comprises data pertaining to a code used to determine permissions of the inductive power receiver to draw power from inductive power outlet.

14. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication comprises data pertaining to a code used to perform user specific actions associated with local environment of the user.

15. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication comprises data pertaining to a code used for billing purposes.

16. The inductive power receiver of claim 1 wherein said digital communication comprises data pertaining to a code used to determine personalized advertising targeted to a user.

17. A method for communicating digital signals from an inductive power receiver, comprising:

constructing a digital communication comprising multiple bits of information to allow data communication, each bit having a logic state selected from a logic state 0 and a logic state 1;

assigning peak pulses having a first characteristic frequency to represent the logic state wherein said first characteristic frequency is selected from any one of a first set of characteristic frequencies;

assigning peak pulses having a second characteristic frequency to represent the logic state 0 wherein said second characteristic frequency is selected from any one of a second set of characteristic frequencies;

transmitting said digital communication from said inductive power receiver such that said peak pulses having any frequency of said first set of characteristic frequencies are all interpreted as the logic state 0 and said peak pulses having any of said second set of characteristic frequencies are all interpreted as the logic state 1;

wherein at least one of said first set of characteristic frequencies and said second set of characteristic frequencies comprises more than one characteristic frequency.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein assigning peak pulses comprises:

selecting a first characteristic frequency from said first set of characteristic frequencies according to a power transmission requirement;

representing one of the first and second logic states with the selected first characteristic frequency;

selecting a second characteristic frequency from said second set of characteristic frequencies according to said power transmission requirement; and

representing said logic state 1 with the selected second characteristic frequency.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein assigning peak pulses comprises:

selecting a characteristic frequency encoding a P-UP signal used to request an increase in power by an incremental value; and

representing said logic state 0 or logic state 1 with said P-UP signal.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein assigning pulses comprises:

selecting a characteristic frequency encoding a P-DOWN signal used to request a decrease in power by an incremental value; and

representing said logic state 0 or logic state 1 with said P-DOWN signal.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein assigning pulses comprises:

selecting a characteristic frequency encoding a P-SAME signal used to request no change in power; and

representing said logic state 0 or logic state 1 with said P-SAME signal.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein assigning pulses comprises:

selecting a characteristic frequency encoding a END-SIG signal used to request termination of power transmission; and

representing said logic state 0 or logic state 1 with said END-SIG signal.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein assigning peak pulses comprises representing said logic state 0 or logic state 1 by a characteristic frequency selected from a group consisting of:

2 kilohertz, 4 kilohertz, 5 kilohertz, 6 kilohertz, 10 kilohertz and 50 kilohertz.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein said digital communications are transferred from the inductive receiver concurrently with power transmission instruction signals to control power levels of an inductive power outlet.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing a digital communication comprises constructing a communication comprising data pertaining to identification data.

26. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing a digital communication comprises constructing a communication comprising data pertaining to operational data.

27. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing a digital communication comprises constructing a communication comprising data pertaining to power transfer management.

28. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing a digital communication comprises constructing a communication comprising a code used to determine permissions of the inductive power receiver to draw power.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing a digital communication comprises constructing a communication comprising a code used for billing purposes.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing a digital communication comprises constructing a communication comprising a code used to determine personalized advertising targeted to a user.