Energy transfer optimization by detecting and mitigating magnetic saturation in wireless charging with foreign object detection

• US 9,391,470 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Patino, Joseph, Thekkevalappil, Soniya Noormuhamed, Sibecas, Salvador
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Application Number:
  US14/073,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20150123602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

A method is provided for optimizing wireless charging of a mobile device by a wireless charger. The method comprises determining whether magnetic saturation occurred in at least one of the mobile device and the wireless charger during a first wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device; and, when magnetic saturation is determined to have occurred, successively reducing transmit power in the wireless charger until reaching an operating wireless transmit power, wherein neither the mobile device nor the wireless charger is in magnetic saturation at the operating wireless transmit power.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing wireless charging of a mobile device by a wireless charger, the method comprising:

determining whether a first power loss for a first wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device exceeds a threshold;

in response to determining that the first power loss exceeds the threshold, determining a second power loss for a second wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device;

determining whether magnetic saturation occurred in at least one of the mobile device and the wireless charger during a wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device based on a percentage difference between the first power loss and the second power loss; and

when magnetic saturation is determined to have occurred, successively reducing transmit power in the wireless charger until reaching an operating wireless transmit power, wherein neither the mobile device nor the wireless charger is in magnetic saturation at the operating wireless transmit power.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the first power loss exceeds the threshold, determining that a foreign object is present on the wireless charger and disabling charging by the wireless charger.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein a power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power is a fixed percentage less than a power measured in the wireless charger during the wireless transmission of power;

wherein determining whether magnetic saturation occurred comprises, when the percentage difference is not equal, within a defined margin of error, to the fixed percentage, determining that magnetic saturation has occurred.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first power loss is a difference between the power measured in the wireless charger during the first wireless transmission of power and a power induced in the mobile device by the wireless charger during the first wireless transmission of power, and wherein the second power loss is a difference between the power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power and a power induced in the mobile device by the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising, when the percentage difference is equal, within the defined margin of error, to the fixed percentage, determining that a foreign object is present on the wireless charger and disabling charging by the wireless charger.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power is reduced by the fixed percentage relative to the power measured in the wireless charger during the wireless transmission of power by decreasing a current in a coil in the wireless charger.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising when the first power loss does not exceed the threshold, determining that a foreign object is not present on the wireless charger and maintaining the operating wireless transmit power.

8. A method of wirelessly charging a mobile device by a wireless charger, the method comprising:

determining a first power loss for a first wireless transmission of power to the mobile device;

when the first power loss is greater than a threshold, determining a second power loss for a second wireless transmission of power to the mobile device, wherein the power of the second wireless transmission is reduced by a fixed percentage relative to the power of the first wireless transmission;

determining a percentage difference between the first power loss and the second power loss; and

when the percentage difference is not equal, within a defined margin of error, to the fixed percentage, determining that magnetic saturation has occurred in at least one of the mobile device and the wireless charger.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when the percentage difference is equal, within the defined margin of error, to the fixed percentage, determining that a foreign object is present on the wireless charger and disabling charging by the wireless charger.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the power of the second wireless transmission is reduced by the fixed percentage relative to the power of the first wireless transmission by decreasing a current in a coil in the wireless charger.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when it is determined that magnetic saturation has occurred:

determining a third power loss in a third wireless transmission of power to the mobile device, wherein the power of the third wireless transmission is reduced by a second fixed percentage relative to the power of the second wireless transmission;

determining a second percentage difference between the second power loss and the third power loss; and

when the second percentage difference is equal, within the defined margin of error, to the second fixed percentage, determining that neither the mobile device nor the wireless charger is in magnetic saturation.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, when it is determined that neither the mobile device nor the wireless charger is in magnetic saturation:

comparing the third power loss to a threshold;

when the third power loss does not exceed the threshold, determining that no foreign object is present on the wireless device and maintaining a current in a coil in the wireless charger at a level that was attained for the third wireless transmission.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, when the second percentage difference is not equal, within the defined margin of error, to the second fixed percentage:

determining that at least one of the mobile device and the wireless charger is still in magnetic saturation;

decreasing a current in a coil in the wireless charger by successive increments;

determining a power loss ratio associated with pairs of successive decreases in the current in the coil in the wireless charger;

when the power loss ratio associated with a pair of successive decreases in the current in the coil in the wireless charger is equal, within the defined margin of error, to a ratio of a decrease in current, determining that there is no longer any magnetic saturation in either the mobile device or the wireless charger; and

when it is determined that no foreign object is present on the wireless charger, maintaining the current in the coil in the wireless charger at a level that was attained after the most recent decrease in current.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first amount of power loss is determined as a difference between a power measured in the wireless charger during the first wireless transmission and a power measured in the mobile device during the first wireless transmission, and wherein the second amount of power loss is determined as a difference between a power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission and a power measured in the mobile device during the second wireless transmission.

15. A wireless charger comprising:

a primary coil; and

a processor coupled to the primary coil and configured to;

determining whether a first power loss for a first wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device exceeds a threshold;

in response to determining that the first power loss exceeds the threshold, determining a second power loss for a second wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device;

determine whether magnetic saturation occurred in at least one of the primary coil and a mobile device being charged by the wireless charger during a wireless transmission of power from the wireless charger to the mobile device based on a percentage difference between the first power loss and the second power loss; and

when magnetic saturation is determined to have occurred, successively reduce current in the primary coil until reaching an operating wireless transmit power, wherein neither the primary coil nor the mobile device is in magnetic saturation at the operating wireless transmit power.

16. The wireless charger of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

when the first power loss exceeds a threshold, determine that a foreign object is present on the wireless charger and disable charging by the wireless charger.

17. The wireless charger of claim 15,

wherein a power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power is a fixed percentage less than a power measured in the wireless charger during the wireless transmission of power;

wherein determining whether magnetic saturation has occurred comprises, when the percentage difference is not equal, within a defined margin of error, to the fixed percentage, determining that magnetic saturation has occurred.

18. The wireless charger of claim 15, wherein the first power loss is a difference between the power measured in the wireless charger during the first wireless transmission of power and a power induced in the mobile device by the wireless charger during the first wireless transmission of power, and wherein the second power loss is a difference between the power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power and a power induced in the mobile device by the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power.

19. The wireless charger of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

when the percentage difference is equal, within the defined margin of error, to the fixed percentage, determine that a foreign object is present on the wireless charger and disable charging by the wireless charger.

20. The wireless charger of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

decrease a current in the primary coil to reduce the power measured in the wireless charger during the second wireless transmission of power by the fixed percentage relative to the power measured in the wireless charger during the wireless transmission of power.