Inductive charging

• US 9,412,512 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Powermat Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Anttila, Sami, Byman, Ville
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Danny
• Application Number:
  US13/701,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 320/108
• 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 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

There is provided a method including transmitting inductively a first signal, receiving inductively a second signal in response to the first signal, determining whether the inductively received signal includes a modulation, and adjusting a power of the transmitted signal on the basis of a modulation of the received signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising

transmitting inductively a first signal;

receiving inductively a second signal in response to the first signal;

determining whether the inductively received signal comprises a modulation;

adjusting a power of the transmitted signal on the basis of a modulation of the received signal, and;

decoding the modulation of the received signal and continuing the transfer of power when the decoding fails.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

transmitting inductively a first signal;

receiving inductively a second signal in response to the first signal; and

transmitting inductively a third signal with a lower power than the first signal, when the received signal does not comprise a modulation.

3. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

decoding the modulation of the received signal;

identifying a device originating the received signal on the basis of a result of the decoding; and

determining a signal power to be used in inductive transmissions on the basis of the identified originating device.

4. A method according to claim 1, comprising determining a modulation on the basis of a change in amplitude of the inductively received signal exceeding a threshold, wherein the threshold comprises a triggering threshold to determine values of data corresponding to a modulation.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit inductively a first signal;

a receiver configured to receive inductively a second signal in response to the first signal;

a controller configured to determine whether the inductively received signal comprises a modulation;

a controller configured to adjust a power of the transmitted signal on the basis of a modulation of the received signal; and

a controller configured to decode the modulation of the inductively received signal and continue the transfer of power when the decoding fails.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, comprising:

a controller configured to decode the modulation of the received signal;

identify a device originating the received signal on the basis of a result of the decoding; and

determine a signal power to be used in inductive transmissions on the basis of the identified originating device.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 comprising a controller configured to determine a modulation on the basis of a change in amplitude of the inductively received exceeding a threshold, wherein the threshold comprises a triggering threshold to determine values of data corresponding to a modulation.