Wearable mobile device charger

• US 9,553,475 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boysen Agency LLC
• Original Assignee: Sol Cuff Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Vaughan, Mark W. M., Boysen, Lawrence III
• Primary Examiner(s): Memula, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US14/310,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20140375246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells

Abstract

A wireless charging device may be worn as a wristband wearable on a user'"'"'s wrist. The device includes one or more energy collection components located on the wristband. The energy collection components may collect ambient energy and convert the ambient energy to electrical energy. One or more energy storage components located on the wristband and electrically coupled to the energy collection components may store at least some of the electrical energy from the energy collection components. One or more energy transmission components may be located on the wristband and electrically coupled to the energy collection components and the energy storage components. The energy transmission components may wirelessly couple with a mobile device to wirelessly transmit at least some of the collected electrical energy to the mobile device for charging a battery on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A wireless charging device, comprising:

a wristband wearable on a user'"'"'s wrist;

one or more energy collection components located on the wristband, wherein the energy collection components are configured to collect ambient energy and convert the ambient energy to electrical energy;

one or more energy storage components located on the wristband and electrically coupled to the energy collection components, wherein the energy storage components are configured to store at least some of the electrical energy from the energy collection components; and

one or more energy transmission components located on the wristband and electrically coupled to the energy collection components and the energy storage components, wherein at least one of the energy transmission components comprises an oscillator and a first magnetic coil, the oscillator being configured to receive electrical energy as direct current electrical energy and configured to convert the direct current electrical energy to alternating current electrical energy and provide the alternating current electrical energy to the first magnetic coil, and wherein the first magnetic coil is configured to wirelessly couple with a second magnetic coil attached to the battery of a mobile device to wirelessly couple the energy transmission component with the mobile device, the first magnetic coil being configured to wirelessly transmit at least some of the alternating current electrical energy to the mobile device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the energy transmission components are configured to wirelessly transmit at least some of the electrical energy stored in the energy storage components to the mobile device for charging the battery on the mobile device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the energy transmission components are configured to wirelessly transmit at least some of the electrical energy directly from the energy collection components to the mobile device for charging the battery on the mobile device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic coil and the second magnetic coil are tuned to resonate at a same frequency such that the at least one energy transmission component wirelessly transmits at least some of the alternating current electrical energy to the mobile device by resonant inductive coupling.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic coil and the second magnetic coil are inductively coupled such that the at least one energy transmission component wirelessly transmits at least some of the alternating current electrical energy to the mobile device by magnetic inductance.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the energy storage components is configured to wirelessly receive electrical energy from at least one of the energy collection components.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the energy collection components comprises a solar energy collection component.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the energy storage components comprises a battery, a capacitor, or another storage medium.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one illuminated power level indicator located on the wristband, wherein the at least one illuminated power level indicator is configured to provide an output indicative of a power level of at least one of the energy storage components.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more electrical circuit components coupled to the energy collection components, wherein the electrical circuit components are configured to control a voltage of the electrical energy provided to the energy storage components.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to convert the alternating current electrical energy to direct current electrical energy on the mobile device.

12. A wireless charging device, comprising:

a wristband wearable on a user'"'"'s wrist;

one or more energy collection components located on the wristband, wherein the energy collection components are configured to collect ambient energy and convert the ambient energy to electrical energy;

one or more energy storage components located on the wristband and wirelessly coupled to the energy collection components, wherein the energy storage components are configured to wirelessly receive and store at least some of the electrical energy from the energy collection components; and

one or more energy transmission components located on the wristband and electrically coupled to the energy storage components, wherein the energy transmission components are configured to electrically couple with a mobile device to transmit at least some of the collected electrical energy to the mobile device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the energy storage components are wirelessly coupled to the energy collection components using at least one pair of inductively coupled magnetic coils, wherein a first magnetic coil in the pair of inductively coupled magnetic coils is directly connected to at least one of the energy collection components and a second magnetic coil in the pair of inductively coupled magnetic coils is directly connected to at least one of the energy storage components, and wherein the first magnetic coil and the second magnetic coil are inductively coupled such that the at least one energy collection component wirelessly transmits at least some of the electrical energy to the at least one energy storage component by magnetic inductance.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the energy transmission components are configured to wirelessly couple with the mobile device to wirelessly transmit at least some of the collected electrical energy to the mobile device for charging a battery on the mobile device.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the energy transmission components comprises a port connection, wherein the port connection provides a wired connection for charging the battery on the mobile device.

16. The device of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of light emitting components embedded in an outer front edge of the wristband, wherein the light emitting components are powered by at least some of the electrical energy stored in the energy storage components.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising at least one switch coupled to the energy storage components and the energy transmission components, wherein the switch is configured to control power transmission to at least one of the plurality of light emitting components.

18. A wireless charging device, comprising:

a wristband wearable on a user'"'"'s wrist;

at least one magnetic coil located on the wristband, wherein the at least one magnetic coil is configured to receive electrical energy;

one or more energy storage components located on the wristband and directly connected to the at least one magnetic coil, wherein the energy storage components are configured to receive and store at least some of the electrical energy received by the at least one magnetic coil; and

one or more energy transmission components located on the wristband and electrically coupled to the energy storage components, wherein at least one energy transmission component is wirelessly coupled to the at least one magnetic coil, the at least one energy transmission component being configured to wirelessly receive at least some of the electrical energy from the at least one magnetic coil, and wherein the energy transmission components are configured to electrically couple with a mobile device to transmit at least some of the collected electrical energy to the mobile device.

19. The device of claim 18, further comprising a second magnetic coil electrically coupled to at least one energy collection component, wherein the second magnetic coil is inductively coupled to the at least one magnetic coil, and wherein the second magnetic coil is configured to provide electrical energy to the at least one magnetic coil through electromagnetic induction.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the at least one magnetic coil is configured to receive at least some electrical energy from ambient energy sources.