Two-way communication using wireless power signal

• US 9,503,178 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jaesung, Chu, Inchang, Seo, Jeongkyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Jung-Jen
• Application Number:
  US14/131,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20140153491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/00 Modulated-carrier systems

Abstract

The present description relates to an apparatus for transmitting wireless power and a method for same, comprising: a power transmission control portion for generating a packet comprising data for at least one electronic device; a modulation/demodulation portion for modulating a carrier signal so as to comprise the packet that is generated; and a power conversion portion for forming the wireless power signal for transmitting power, based on the carrier signal that is modulated, wherein the power transmission control portion transmits the packet to the at least one electronic device through the wireless power signal. Also, the present description relates to the electronic device and a method for receiving power by same, comprising: a power reception portion for receiving the wireless power signal from the apparatus for transmitting wireless power; a modulation/demodulation portion for demodulating the packet which is comprised in the wireless power signal; and a power reception control portion for obtaining data based on the packet that is demodulated.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter, comprising

a power transmission controller which generates a packet for one or more electronic devices, wherein the one or more electronic devices comprises a first electronic device and a second electronic device and the packet comprises a first packet transmitted to the first electronic device and a second packet transmitted to the second electronic device;

a modulation/demodulation unit which modulates a carrier signal to contain the generated packet; and

a power conversion unit which forms a wireless power signal for power transmission based on the modulated carrier signal,

wherein the power transmission controller transmits the first packet to the first electronic device, waits for a first response from the first electronic device for a first expiration period of time, transmits the second packet to the second electronic device when the first response is not received, and waits for a second response from the second electronic device for a second expiration period of time, and

wherein the second packet is transmitted after the first expiration period of time for the first response.

2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the first packet is retransmitted after the second expiration period of time for the second response of the second packet when the first response of the first packet is not received.

3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the power conversion unit receives a wireless power signal modulated by the one or more electronic devices, and the modulation/demodulation unit demodulates the received wireless power signal,

wherein the generated packet comprises a destination address, and the destination address indicates an electronic device for transmitting the data among the one or more electronic devices, and

wherein the power transmission controller transmits a first wireless power signal to the first electronic device when the first response is received within the first expiration period of time, or transmits a second wireless power signal to the second electronic device when the second response is received within the second expiration period of time.

4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3, wherein the destination address is an identifier of an electronic device for receiving the data or an identifier of a group to which one or more electronic devices for receiving the data belong.

5. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3, wherein the power transmission controller determines status information on the electronic device according to whether or not a response packet for the data is received within an expiration period of time from the electronic device corresponding to the destination address.

6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5, wherein the power transmission controller determines the status information on the electronic device as a removed state when the response packet is not received from the electronic device corresponding to the destination address within the expiration period of time.

7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5, wherein the power transmission controller determines the status information on the electronic device as a normal state when the response packet is received from the electronic device corresponding to the destination address within the expiration period of time.

8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 7, wherein the power transmission controller generates packets containing the destination addresses of electronic devices, respectively, having the status information of a normal state, and sequentially transmits the generated packets to electronic devices corresponding to the packets, respectively.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

a power receiver which receives a wireless power signal from a wireless power transmitter;

a modulation/demodulation unit which demodulates a first packet contained in the wireless power signal; and

a power receiving controller which acquires data based on the demodulated first packet,

wherein the first packet is transmitted from the wireless power transmitter to the electronic device, a first response in response to the first packet is transmitted to the wireless power transmitter for a first expiration period of time, and a second packet is transmitted from the wireless power transmitter to a second electronic device arranged thereon when the first response is not received, and

wherein the second packet is transmitted after the first expiration period of time for the first response.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first packet is retransmitted after a second expiration period of time for a response of the second packet when the first response is not received.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the power receiving controller transmits the first response packet corresponding to the acquired data to the wireless power transmitter, and

wherein the first packet comprises a destination address.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the power receiving controller determines whether or not to respond based on the destination address, and the determination of whether or not to respond determines whether the destination address indicates an identifier of the electronic device or an identifier of a group to which the electronic device belongs.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the power receiving controller transmits the first response to the wireless power transmitter when the first response is required as a result of the determination of whether or not to respond.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the modulation/demodulation unit modulates the received wireless power signal, and

the first response is modulated by the modulation/demodulation unit to be contained in the received wireless power signal for transmission.

15. A wireless power transmission method, comprising:

transmitting a first packet to a first electronic device;

waiting for a first response from the first electronic device for a first expiration period of time;

transmitting a second packet to a second electronic device when the first response is not received; and

waiting for a second response from the second electronic device for a second expiration period of time,

wherein the first and second packet are modulated to generate a first and second wireless power signal based on a carrier signal for the first and second electronic device, and the first and second packets are transmitted to the first and second electronic devices through the first and second wireless power signals, and

wherein the second packet is transmitted after the first expiration period of time for the first response.

16. The wireless power transmission method of claim 15, wherein the first packet is retransmitted from the wireless power transmitter after the second expiration period of time for the second response of the second packet when the first response of the first packet is not received.

17. The wireless power transmission method of claim 16, wherein the first packet comprises a destination address, and the destination address is information indicating the first electronic device, and

wherein the destination address is an identifier of the first electronic device or an identifier of a group to which the first electronic device belongs.

18. The wireless power transmission method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether or not the first response has been received within the first expiration period of time from the first electronic device.

19. The wireless power transmission method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining status information on the first electronic device as a removed state when the first response is not received within the first expiration period of time from the first electronic device.

20. The wireless power transmission method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining status information on the first electronic device as a normal state when the first response is received within the first expiration period of time from the first electronic device.

21. The wireless power transmission method of claim 20, further comprising:

modulating the first response received from the first electronic device.

22. The wireless power transmission method of claim 15, further comprising:

forming the second wireless power signal for power transmission; and

transmitting the second wireless power signal to a second electronic device,

wherein the second wireless power signal is formed based on a carrier signal modulated to contain a data packet generated for the second electronic device, and the second packet is transmitted to the second electronic device through the second wireless power signal.

23. A wireless power receiving method, comprising:

receiving a wireless power signal from a wireless power transmitter;

demodulating a first packet contained in the wireless power signal; and

acquiring data based on the demodulated first packet,

wherein the first packet is transmitted from the wireless power transmitter to the electronic device, a first response in response to the first packet is transmitted to the wireless power transmitter for a first expiration period of time, and a second packet is transmitted from the wireless power transmitter to a second electronic device arranged thereon when the first response is not received, and

wherein the second packet is transmitted from the wireless power transmitter after the first expiration period of time for the first response.

24. The wireless power receiving method of claim 23, wherein the first packet is retransmitted from the wireless power transmitter after the second expiration period of time for the second response.

25. The wireless power receiving method of claim 24, further comprising:

transmitting the first response corresponding to the acquired data to the wireless power transmitter,

wherein the packet comprises a destination address.

26. The wireless power receiving method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining whether or not to respond based on the destination address,

wherein the determination of whether or not to respond determines whether the destination address indicates an identifier of the electronic device or an identifier of a group to which the electronic device belongs.

27. The wireless power receiving method of claim 26, wherein said transmitting the first response packet transmits the response packet to the wireless power transmitter when the first response is required as a result of the determination of whether or not to respond.

28. The wireless power receiving method of claim 24, wherein said transmitting the first response modulates the received wireless power signal, and the first response is modulated to be contained in the received wireless power signal for transmission.