Wireless charging system

• US 9,680,316 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Almos Technologies Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Almos Technologies Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Rakoczy, Steve, McGuinness, Steven Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Memula, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US14/646,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20150318731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A system comprising a plurality of electronic devices, each comprising a device housing and a rechargeable battery, and a charger comprising a charger housing and arranged for charging said rechargeable batteries, wherein said charger comprises at least one, preferably a plurality of wireless power transmitting coils in said housing and said electronic devices each comprise a wireless power receiving coil in said housing, wherein said power transmitting coils are arranged in an array along an axis, and wherein said charger housing and said device housings are formed such that the power receiving coils of said electronic devices can be placed and held in an array along said axis by placing said electronic devices in an array against each other, such that each power receiving coil has a corresponding power transmitting coil in its vicinity.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of electronic devices, each comprising a device housing and a rechargeable battery; and

a charger comprising a charger housing and arranged for charging said rechargeable batteries,

wherein said charger comprises at least one wireless power transmitting coil in said charger housing and said electronic devices each comprise a wireless power receiving coil in said device housing,

wherein said at least one power transmitting coil in said charger housing is provided in a pillar member along an axis,

wherein said charger housing and said device housings are configured to accommodate and hold the power receiving coils of said electronic devices in an array along said pillar member by placing said electronic devices in an array against each other and holding each power receiving coil of said electronic devices in the vicinity of at least one power transmitting coil in said pillar member, and

wherein said pillar member extends from a base member of said charger housing, the pillar member further being configured to accommodate only a single electronic device against the base member when said multitude of electronic devices are placed in a stacked configuration along said pillar member.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said charger comprises a multitude of said wireless power transmitting coils arranged in an array along said pillar member, wherein each power receiving coil in said device housing is disposed in the vicinity of a corresponding one of said power transmitting coils in the pillar member.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pillar member and said through holes are cylindrical.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electronic devices are doughnut shaped.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said charger is provided with detection means arranged to detect the number of electronic devices present, and with charging control means arranged to power the power transmitting coils corresponding to said detected number.

6. The system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said detection means comprise an RFID tag reader in said charger housing and RFID tags on or in said device housing.

7. The system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said detection means further comprise an RFID tag reader in each of said device housings and wireless communication means for communicating RFID tag information to said charger.

8. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each electronic device has a height which is smaller than its depth and width, and said at least one power transmitting coil and said power receiving coil are arranged in their respective housings to transmit the maximum amount of power if said electronic devices are arranged in said array with their height direction in the same direction as said pillar member.

9. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each electronic device is a table number device.