Patent Application
20170353046
The present application relates generally to wireless power charging of chargeable devices, and more particularly, to modular and assemblable wireless charging systems, devices, and methods.
An increasing number and variety of electronic devices are powered via rechargeable batteries. Such devices include mobile phones, electric vehicles, portable music players, laptop computers, tablet computers, computer peripheral devices, communication devices (e.g., Bluetooth devices), digital cameras, hearing aids, and the like. While battery technology has improved, battery-powered electronic devices increasingly require and consume larger amounts of power, thereby often requiring recharging. Wireless charging systems permit recharging such devices through coupling a magnetic or electrical field generated by a transmit coil, included in a transmitter, to a receiver coil. Wireless charging systems using multiple transmit coils, each fed by a separate power amplifier, or single transmit coils having numerous turns may have advantages such as being able to provide wireless energy over a larger area, where that energy may be used for charging multiple devices. Additionally, the use of multiple transmit coils or numerous turns may provide a more uniform wireless field and may improve efficiency. However, the transmit coils are typically fixed in size covering a large area as required by the transmit coils. Further, being of a fixed size, the transmit coils are capable of charging receivers of predetermined sizes or a range of predetermined sizes. Thus, there is a need for systems and methods for providing a wireless charging systems capable of providing adaptable and modular transmit coils that can be dynamically modified so as to alter the size, area, and shape of the magnetic or electric filed generated by the transmit coil.
Various implementations of methods and apparatus within the scope of the appended claims each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes described herein. Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, some prominent features are described herein.
Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a device for distributing power. The device includes multiple assemblable elements. Each assemblable element may be configured to permit interlocking between one or more of the multiple assemblable elements. The multiple assemblable elements include at least a first assemblable element including a first portion of a coil, and a second assemblable element including a second portion of the coil. The first and second portions of the coil are electrically interconnected and configured to provide wireless power. In some embodiments, the first assemblable element is configured to supply power from a power source to the other assemblable elements. In some embodiments, each assemblable element includes a portion of the coil, where the portions of the coil are electrically interconnected to form one or more coils. In some embodiments, the wireless power is provided based on the electrical interconnection of all portions of the coil. In some embodiments, the first and second portions of the coil are electrically interconnected through a coil in line and a coil out line. The assemblable elements may include an interlocking element, configured to permit the plurality of assemblable elements to be mechanically interconnected.
In some embodiments, the multiple assemblable elements are interconnected in an arrangement. In some embodiments, the multiple assemblable elements may include at least a third assemblable element. The third assemblable element may include a third portion of the coil, where the first, second and third portions of the coil are electrically interconnected and configured to provide wireless power. In one embodiment, the assemblable elements are arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement. In another embodiments, the assemblable elements are arranged in a three-dimensional arrangement. In some embodiments, the assemblable elements are tubular, where the assemblable elements are configured to interlock to form a tubular shaped coil.
In some embodiments, the coil includes multiple loops that may be based on the electrical interconnection of the plurality of assemblable elements. The multiple loops may include at least a first and second loop, where the first loop may be disposed on an outer most edge or periphery of the interlocking assemblable elements and the second loop may be disposed concentric to and nested within the first loop. In some embodiments, one of the assemblable elements may be a crossover assemblable element. The crossover assemblable element may include one or more switches configured to control the density of loops at the outer edge of the interlocked assemblable elements, and configured to periodically skip the second loop. In some embodiments, alternatively or in combination, the loops may include a passive loop.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for distributing power. The method includes providing multiple assemblable elements, where each assemblable element is configured to interlock between one or more of the assemblable elements and the each of the plurality of assemblable elements comprises a portion of a coil. The method also includes selectively interlocking the assemblable elements, where interlocking the assemblable elements electrically interconnects the portions of the coil. In some embodiments, selectively interlocking the assemblable elements further includes forming a coil comprising a plurality of loops based on electrically interconnecting the portions of the coil. In some embodiments, the loops may include a first loop and a second loop, the first loop disposed on the periphery of the interlocking assemblable elements and the second loop disposed concentric to and nested within the first loop. In one embodiment, the method also may include controlling the density of loops at the periphery based a crossover assemblable element comprising one or more switches. The method further includes providing wireless power by the coil.
In some embodiments, the method includes retrieving an arrangement for interlocking the assemblable elements stored in a database. The method may also include selectively interlock the assemblable elements is based on the arrangement of the plurality of assemblable elements. In some embodiments, the arrangement is two-dimensional. In other embodiments, the arrangement is three-dimensional.
In some implementations, the method may also include forming one or more coils by electrically interconnecting the portions of coil of the assemblable elements. In some embodiments, either in combination or alternatively, the method also includes supplying power from a power source to the assemblable elements via one of the assemblable elements.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provide another device for distributing power. The device includes a first means for creating a charging coil, the first means including a first portion of the charging coil. The device also includes a second means for creating a charging coil, the second means including a second portion of the charging coil. The first means for creating a charging coil is configured to interlock to the second means for creating a charging coil, and the first and second portions of the charging coil are electrically interconnected and configured to provide wireless power based on the interlocking of the first and second means for creating a charging coil.
The above-mentioned aspects, as well as other features, aspects, and advantages of the present technology will now be described in connection with various embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Throughout the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and form part of this disclosure.
Wireless power transfer may refer to transferring any form of energy associated with electric fields, magnetic fields, electromagnetic fields, or otherwise from a transmitter to a receiver without the use of physical electrical conductors (e.g., power may be transferred through free space). The power output into a wireless field (e.g., a magnetic field or an electromagnetic field) may be received, captured by, or coupled by a “receive coil” to achieve power transfer. The term “coil” may also be referred to as an “antenna,” “loop antenna,” “resonator,” etc.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. It will be understood by those within the art that if a specific number of a claim element is intended, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
In one example implementation, the transmitter 104 and the receiver 108 are configured according to a mutual resonant relationship. When the resonant frequency of the receiver 108 and the resonant frequency of the transmitter 104 are substantially the same or very close, transmission losses between the transmitter 104 and the receiver 108 are minimal. As such, wireless power transfer may be provided over a larger distance in contrast to purely inductive solutions that may require large antenna coils which are very close (e.g., sometimes within millimeters). Resonant inductive coupling techniques may thus allow for improved efficiency and power transfer over various distances and with a variety of inductive coil configurations.
The receiver 108 may receive power when the receiver 108 is located in the wireless field 105 produced by the transmitter 104. The wireless field 105 corresponds to a region where energy output by the transmitter 104 may be captured by the receiver 108. The wireless field 105 may correspond to the “near-field” of the transmitter 104 as will be further described below. The transmitter 104 may include a transmit antenna or coil 114 for transmitting energy to the receiver 108. The receiver 108 may include a receive antenna or coil 118 for receiving or capturing energy transmitted from the transmitter 104. The near-field may correspond to a region in which there are strong reactive fields resulting from the currents and charges in the transmit coil 114 that minimally radiate power away from the transmit coil 114. The near-field may correspond to a region that is within about one wavelength (or a fraction thereof) of the transmit coil 114.
As described above, efficient energy transfer may occur by coupling a large portion of the energy in the wireless field 105 to the receive coil 118 rather than propagating most of the energy in an electromagnetic wave to the far field. When positioned within the wireless field 105, a “coupling mode” may be developed between the transmit coil 114 and the receive coil 118. The area around the transmit coil 114 and the receive coil 118 where this coupling may occur is referred to herein as a coupling-mode region.
The filter and matching circuit 226 may filter out harmonics or other unwanted frequencies and match the impedance of the transmitter 204 to the transmit coil 214. As a result of driving the transmit coil 214, the transmit coil 214 may generate a wireless field 205 to wirelessly output power at a level sufficient for charging a battery 236, for example.
The receiver 208 may include a receive circuitry 210 that may include a matching circuit 232 and a rectifier circuit 234. The matching circuit 232 may match the impedance of the receive circuitry 210 to a receive coil 218. The rectifier circuit 234 may generate a direct current (DC) power output from an alternate current (AC) power input to charge the battery 236, as shown in
The receiver 208 may be configured to determine whether an amount of power transmitted by the transmitter 204 and received by the receiver 208 is appropriate for charging the battery 236. Transmitter 204 may be configured to generate a predominantly non-radiative field with a direct field coupling coefficient (k) for providing energy transfer. Receiver 208 may directly couple to the wireless field 205 and may generate an output power for storing or consumption by a battery (or load) 236 coupled to the output or receive circuitry 210.
As discussed above, both transmitter 204 and receiver 208 are separated by a distance and may be configured according to a mutual resonant relationship to minimize transmission losses between the transmitter 204 and the receiver 208. When the transmit coil 214 and the receive coil 218 are mutually resonant and in close proximity, the wireless power transfer system 200 may be described as a strongly coupled regime where the coupling coefficient (coupling coefficient k) is typically above 0.3. In some embodiments, the coupling coefficient k between the transmitter 204 and receiver 208 may vary based on at least one of the distance between the two corresponding coils or the size of the corresponding coils, etc.
The coil 352 may include an air core or a physical core such as a ferrite core (not shown in this figure). Air core loop antennas may be more tolerable to extraneous physical devices placed in the vicinity of the core. Furthermore, an air core loop antenna 352 allows the placement of other components within the core area. In addition, an air core loop may more readily enable placement of the receive coil 218 (
As stated, efficient transfer of energy between the transmitter 104 (transmitter 204 as referenced in
The resonant frequency of the loop or magnetic coils is based on the inductance and capacitance. Inductance may be simply the inductance created by the coil 352, whereas, capacitance may be added to the coil's inductance to create a resonant structure at a desired resonant frequency. As a non-limiting example, a capacitor 354 and a capacitor 356 may be added to the transmit or a receive circuitry 350 to create a resonant circuit that selects a signal 358 at a resonant frequency. Accordingly, for larger diameter coils, the size of capacitance needed to sustain resonance may decrease as the diameter or inductance of the loop increases.
Furthermore, as the diameter of the coil increases, the efficient energy transfer area of the near-field may increase. Other resonant circuits formed using other components are also possible. As another non-limiting example, a capacitor may be placed in parallel between the two terminals of the circuitry 350. For transmit coils, the signal 358, with a frequency that substantially corresponds to the resonant frequency of the coil 352, may be an input to the coil 352.
In
The transmit circuitry 406 can include a fixed impedance matching circuit 409 for presenting a load to the driver circuit 424 such that the efficiency of power transfer from DC to AC is increased or maximized. The transmit circuitry 406 can further include a low pass filter (LPF) 408 configured to reduce harmonic emissions to levels to prevent self-jamming of devices coupled to receivers 108 (
Transmit circuitry 406 can further include a controller 415 for selectively enabling the oscillator 423 during transmit phases (or duty cycles) for specific receivers, for adjusting the frequency or phase of the oscillator 423, and for adjusting the output power level for implementing a communication protocol for interacting with neighboring devices through their attached receivers. It is noted that the controller 415 can also be referred to herein as a processor 415. Adjustment of oscillator phase and related circuitry in the transmission path can allow for reduction of out of band emissions, especially when transitioning from one frequency to another.
The transmit circuitry 406 can further include a load sensing circuit 416 for detecting the presence or absence of active receivers in the vicinity of the near-field generated by transmit coil 414. By way of example, the load sensing circuit 416 monitors the current flowing to the driver circuit 424, that can be affected by the presence or absence of active receivers in the vicinity of the field generated by transmit coil 414 as will be further described below. Detection of changes to the loading on the driver circuit 424 are monitored by controller 415 for use in determining whether to enable the oscillator 423 for transmitting energy and to communicate with an active receiver. As described more fully below, a current measured at the driver circuit 424 can be used to determine whether a receiving device is positioned within a wireless power transfer region of the transmitter 404.
The transmit coil 414 can be implemented with a Litz wire or as an antenna strip with the thickness, width and metal type selected to keep resistive losses low. In one embodiment, the transmit coil 414 can generally be configured for association with a larger structure such as a table, mat, lamp or other less portable configuration. Accordingly, the transmit coil 414 generally may not need “turns” in order to be of a practical dimension. An exemplary embodiment of a transmit coil 414 can be “electrically small” (i.e., fraction of the wavelength) and tuned to resonate at lower usable frequencies by using capacitors to define the resonant frequency.
The transmitter 404 can gather and track information about the whereabouts and status of receiver devices that can be associated with the transmitter 404. Thus, the transmit circuitry 406 can include a presence detector 480, an enclosed detector 460, or a combination thereof, connected to the controller 415 (also referred to as a processor herein). The controller 415 can adjust an amount of power delivered by the driver circuit 424 in response to presence signals from the presence detector 480 and the enclosed detector 460. The transmitter 404 can receive power through a number of power sources, such as, for example, an AC-DC converter (not shown) to convert conventional AC power present in a building, a DC-DC converter (not shown) to convert a conventional DC power source to a voltage suitable for the transmitter 404, or directly from a conventional DC power source (not shown).
As a non-limiting example, the presence detector 480 can be a motion detector utilized to sense the initial presence of a device to be charged that is inserted into the coverage area of the transmitter 404. After detection, the transmitter 404 can be turned on and the RF power received by the device can be used to toggle a switch on the receive device in a pre-determined manner, which in turn results in changes to the driving point impedance of the transmitter 404.
As a non-limiting example, the enclosed detector 460 (can also be referred to herein as an enclosed compartment detector or an enclosed space detector) can be a device such as a sense switch for determining when an enclosure is in a closed or open state. When a transmitter is in an enclosure that is in an enclosed state, a power level of the transmitter can be increased.
In exemplary embodiments, a method by which the transmitter 404 does not remain on indefinitely can be used. In this case, the transmitter 404 can be programmed to shut off after a user-determined amount of time. This feature prevents the transmitter 404, notably the driver circuit 424, from running long after the wireless devices in its perimeter area fully charged and/or no longer present in the wireless field. This event can be due to the failure of the circuit to detect the signal sent from either the repeater or the receive coil that a device is fully charged. To prevent the transmitter 404 from automatically shutting down if another device is placed in its perimeter, the transmitter 404 automatic shut off feature can be activated only after a set period of lack of motion detected in its perimeter. The user can be able to determine the inactivity time interval and change it as desired. As a non-limiting example, the time interval can be longer than that needed to fully charge a specific type of wireless device under the assumption of the device being initially fully discharged.
Receive coil 518 can be tuned to resonate at the same frequency, or within a specified range of frequencies, as transmit coil 414 (
Receive circuitry 510 can provide an impedance match to the receive coil 518. Receive circuitry 510 includes power conversion circuitry 506 for converting a received RF energy source into charging power for use by the device 550. Power conversion circuitry 506 includes an RF-to-DC converter 520 and can also in include a DC-to-DC converter 522. RF-to-DC converter 520 rectifies the RF energy signal received at receive coil 518 into a non-alternating power with an output voltage represented by Vrect. The DC-to-DC converter 522 (or other power regulator) converts the rectified RF energy signal into an energy potential (e.g., voltage) that is compatible with device 550 with an output voltage and output current represented by Vout and Iout. Various RF-to-DC converters are contemplated, including partial and full rectifiers, regulators, bridges, doublers, as well as linear and switching converters.
Receive circuitry 510 can further include switching circuitry 512 for connecting receive coil 518 to the power conversion circuitry 506 or alternatively for disconnecting the power conversion circuitry 506. Disconnecting receive coil 518 from power conversion circuitry 506 not only suspends charging of device 550, but also changes the “load” as “seen” by the transmitter 404 (
As disclosed above, transmitter 404 includes load sensing circuit 416 that can detect fluctuations in the bias current provided to transmitter driver circuit 424. Accordingly, transmitter 404 has a mechanism for determining when receivers are present in the transmitter's near-field.
In some embodiments, a receiver 508 can be cloaked in order to eliminate coupling to other nearby receivers or to reduce loading on nearby transmitters. This “unloading” of a receiver is also known herein as a “cloaking.” Furthermore, this switching between unloading and loading controlled by receiver 508 and detected by transmitter 404 can provide a communication mechanism from receiver 508 to transmitter 404 as is explained more fully below. Additionally, a protocol can be associated with the switching that enables the sending of a message from receiver 508 to transmitter 404. By way of example, a switching speed can be on the order of 100 μsec.
In an exemplary embodiment, communication between the transmitter 404 and the receiver 508 refers to a device sensing and charging control mechanism, rather than conventional two-way communication (i.e., in band signaling using the coupling field). In other words, the transmitter 404 can use on/off keying of the transmitted signal to adjust whether energy is available in the near-field. The receiver can interpret these changes in energy as a message from the transmitter 404. From the receiver side, the receiver 508 can use tuning and de-tuning of the receive coil 518 to adjust how much power is being accepted from the field. In some cases, the tuning and de-tuning can be accomplished via the switching circuitry 512. The transmitter 404 can detect this difference in power used from the field and interpret these changes as a message from the receiver 508. It is noted that other forms of modulation of the transmit power and the load behavior can be utilized.
Receive circuitry 510 can further include signaling detector and beacon circuitry 514 used to identify received energy fluctuations, that can correspond to informational signaling from the transmitter to the receiver. Furthermore, signaling and beacon circuitry 514 can also be used to detect the transmission of a reduced RF signal energy (e.g., a beacon signal) and to rectify the reduced RF signal energy into a nominal power for awakening either un-powered or power-depleted circuits within receive circuitry 510 in order to configure receive circuitry 510 for wireless charging.
Receive circuitry 510 further includes processor 516 for coordinating the processes of receiver 508 described herein including the control of switching circuitry 512 described herein. Cloaking of receiver 508 can also occur upon the occurrence of other events including detection of an external wired charging source (e.g., wall/USB power) providing charging power to device 550. Processor 516, in addition to controlling the cloaking of the receiver, can also monitor signaling detector and beacon circuitry 514 to determine a beacon state and extract messages sent from the transmitter 404. Processor 516 can also adjust the DC-to-DC converter 522 for improved performance.
The signal output by the filter circuit 626 can be provided to a transmit circuit 650 comprising a coil 614. The transmit circuit 650 can include a series resonant circuit having a capacitance 620 and inductance that can resonate at a frequency of the filtered signal provided by the driver circuit 624. In various embodiments, the coil or an additional capacitor component can create the inductance or capacitance. The load of the transmit circuit 650 can be represented by the variable resistor 622. The load can be a function of a wireless power receiver 508 that is positioned to receive power from the transmit circuit 650.
In various embodiments, the efficiency of power transfer of a wireless power transfer system is proportional to how closely the transmit coil and receive coil can be aligned with one another. For example, how closely the wireless field radiating from the transmitter can be aligned with the receive coil of a receiver. Typically, a transmitter, including a transmit coil, and a receiver, including a receiver coil, are aligned by a user of the wireless power transfer system such that the receive coil is positioned within the wireless field produced by the transmit coil (e.g., the coupling mode). Conventionally, transmitters are fixed in size, and as such the transmit coils are capable of charging only one predetermined receiver size or a single range of receiver sizes.
Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to dynamic or modular transmit areas comprising one or more coils for use with wireless power transfer systems. Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to foldable transmit areas. Other embodiments, disclosed herein relate to assemblable transmit areas for use with wireless power transfer systems. For example, a plurality of assemblable transmit areas or elements, containing at least a portion of a coil therein, may be configured to interlock into various shapes and sizes. In various embodiments, the interlocking of the plurality of assemblable elements electrically interconnects the portions of the coil to provide wireless power transfer. In some embodiments, the assemblable elements may be interconnected or assembled into a two-dimensional shape, while in other embodiments, the shape may be three-dimensional. Other embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods for configuring transmit coils within and among the modular or assemblable elements, either in a specific or a random arrangement. For, example a transmit area may comprise multiple portions of a coil that may be configured into a plurality of coils for generating a wireless field, each coil may be dynamically reconfigurable (e.g., switched and reshaped) due to the multiple portions and based on the power receiving requirements of the receiver. As such, embodiments disclosed herein describe wireless power transfer systems that are modular and assemblable, for example, to provide flexibility in charging various sizes or shapes of receivers or to assist with storage. Such embodiments may be expanded or assembled to provide a variety of transmit areas that are capable of providing efficient wireless power transfer.
As used herein and throughout this disclosure, the term “assemblable elements” may refer to one or more transmitters, for example, such as transmitters 204 and/or 404 of
In some implementations, a wireless power transfer system is provided for distributing power that may be foldable or modular. For example, the wireless power transfer system may include a transmit area comprising a plurality of rigid segments arranged in a first arrangement. The plurality of rigid segments may be connected by a plurality of hinges disposed between the plurality of rigid segments. The plurality of hinges may be configured to permit the rigid segments be arranged into a second arrangement (e.g., folded into various configurations, assembled or dissembled, etc.). In some embodiments, at least one coil configured to provide wireless power is disposed in at least one of the plurality of rigid segments. In some embodiments, the coil is a single coil having multiple turns that is disposed amongst the plurality of rigid segments and the plurality of hinges. In another embodiment, the coil comprises a plurality of individual coils or portions of a coil, where each of the plurality of coils is disposed in one of the rigid segments.
In some embodiments, the rigid segments 710 may be similar to assemblable elements of the transmit area, as described above and throughout this disclosure. For example, rigid segments 710 may be constructed a circuit board comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) containing the coil and other transmit for generating a wireless field for wireless power transfer. In some embodiments, rigid segments may collectively comprise a transmitter 204 or 404 including all the transmit circuitry described in connection with
In some embodiments, the transmit area 700 may be configured as a wireless power transfer system, as described above with respect to
In some embodiments, switching between a first and second arrangement may be facilitated by the connection segments 720. In some embodiments, the connection segments facilitate switching between the first and second arrangements illustrated in
For example,
In another embodiment depicted in
While the embodiments described illustrate transmit areas having a rectangular shape that may be stacked or folded as described above, it will be understood that any arrangement is possible based on the wireless power transfer requirements, as described above, of the receiver. For example,
In some embodiments, a modular wireless power transfer system may comprise a plurality of assemblable elements configured to be interlocked to form wireless power transfer system. In some embodiments, assemblable elements can be re-used and re-assembled into various shapes and sizes, thereby permitting differently shaped wireless power systems from a collection of assemblable elements. In some embodiments, the modular wireless power transfer system may include a dynamically reconfigurable transmit coil made of the assemblable elements.
In some embodiments, the assemblable elements 1110 may be tiles (as illustrated in
Each assemblable element 1110 includes at least a portion of the coil 1114. Each assemblable element 1110 may include a portion of a coil or transmit coil 1114a-d. In various embodiments, when the assemblable elements 1110 are interlocked, the plurality of portions of the coil 1114 may be electrically interconnected. For example, the coil may comprise wires or conductors and the transmit circuitry as described above in
In some embodiments, the cross-over coil portion 1114d may include a plurality of switches 1117 configured to control cross-over of the coil portion 1114.
In some implementations, the cross-over assemblable element 1110d may be configured to permit control over the turn density of the transmit coil 1114. In some embodiments, where one or more cross-over assemblable elements 1110d comprising one or more switches 1117 are used in a transmit area 1100 of
Accordingly, with reference to
A cross-over assemblable element 1110d may be included in the transmitter 1100 of
In some implementations, switches 1117 may be controlled by a controller (not shown) similar to controller 415 of
In some embodiments, the arrangement of assemblable elements 1110a-d may be determined by the user. In other embodiments, the arrangement of assemblable elements 1110a-d may be determined based on energy transfer requirements of the receiver. For example, some arrangements may be less suitable for efficiently transferring power to a given receiver, e.g., the generated wireless field is not efficiently coupled to the receiver coil or is not uniform across the receive coil. In some embodiments, the arrangement of the assemblable elements 1110a-d may be found on a look up table, where the arrangement is defined based on the requirements of a receiver. In some embodiments, the look up table may be stored in a database included in either the transmitter or an external or remote storage circuit. For example, in a case where the transmit area 1110 is configured to charge a single receiving device, the turns of the transmit coil 1114 may be evenly spaced to reduce losses, for example, due to capacitive coupling or other sources of loss. In another example, the transmit area 1114 may be configured to charge multiple receiving devices, the turns of the transmit coil 1114 may be concentrated near the periphery or edge of the transmit area 1114 to improve field uniformity. In some embodiments, software comprising instructions executed by a processor to retrieve said arrangements from the database may be configured to provide one or more arrangements of assemblable elements based on user inputs related to the receiver. For example, the user may input a receiver into a mobile device, which may access a database of known arrangements based on receiver requirements, and the mobile device may then display the appropriate known arrangements. In another embodiment, the transmitter may detect a size or type of receiver (as described below in connection with
In some embodiments, the one or more appropriate arrangements of assemblable elements 1110a-d for efficient power transfer may be unknown to the user. Due to the complexity of design for such arrangements, the processor executing the software can be configured to execute instructions to present to the user regarding one or more appropriate interlocking arrangements of the assemblable elements 1110a-d so as to construct a transmitter for a particular receiver. In some cases the processor may be operatively coupled to a controller (e.g., controller 415 of
Assemblable elements 1210a and 1210b are illustrated as square or rectangular. However, this need not be the case, and any shape may be used and any arrangement is possible. In one embodiment, the interlocking components need only facilitate the electrical connection of the coil portions 1214 and 1214b to construct a complete coil 1214. The interlocking edges 1220a and 1220b need not meet or interlock, so long as interlocking components securely facilitate the electrical connection of the coil portions.
Transmit area 1400 may also comprise a plurality of assemblable elements (e.g., assemblable elements 1410a and 1410b). The assemblable elements may similar to and include any of the assemblable elements 1110a-d of
In some implementations, a wireless power transfer system is provided comprising a transmit area. The transmit area may be made of a plurality of assemblable elements, where each assemblable element may be configured to permit interlocking between one or more of the plurality of assemblable elements. The plurality of assemblable elements may each include a portion of a coil configured to generate a wireless field for providing wireless power transfer. In some embodiments, as described above, the plurality of assemblable elements may be interlocked such that the coil portions are electrically interconnected and configured to provide wireless power. In some embodiments a control unit (e.g., in one or more of the assemblable elements) is provided. The control unit may be configured to instruct one or more coil portions to provide wireless power (e.g., an active area) and instruct the one or more other coil portions to not provide wireless power (e.g., an inactive area). The controller unit may be configured to determine which coil portion to instruct to provide wireless power based, in part, on power transfer or charging requirements of a receive coil relative to the coil portions.
In one implementation, the wireless power transfer system described above with respect to
For example, as discussed above with respect to
Referring back to
In various embodiments, each transmit coil 214 can be independently activated, based on detecting the presence or absence of receivers 208 and/or the size of their receive coils 218. For example, a single transmit coil 214 can provide wireless power to nearby receivers 208 having relatively small receive coils 218. On the other hand, multiple transmit coils 214 can be provide wireless power to nearby receivers having relatively large receive coils 218. Transmit coils 214 that are not near receive coils 218 can be deactivated.
In another embodiment, portions of transmit coil 214 can be connected and/or skipped in accordance with the above description of
In some embodiments, the plurality of transmit coils 214 can form a large transmit area. The transmit area can be scalable, covering a larger area using additional transmit coils 214. The transmit coils 214 can allow for free positioning of devices over a large area. Moreover, they can be configured to simultaneously charge a plurality of receivers 208. In some embodiments, individual transmit coils 214 can be coupled to each other via communication and synchronization lines configured to exchange control signals.
For example, as described above in relation to
The assemblable elements 1710a and 1710b are shown as being hexagonal; however, in some embodiments, the transmit coils may be of any other shape (e.g., triangular, circular, hexagonal, etc.). The transmit coils 1714 are shown as being circular; however, the transmit coils may be of any other shape. In some embodiments, the transmit coils may form an array of transmit coils, wherein each transmit coil is positioned substantially adjacent to the other transmit coils of the transmit area 1700. In some embodiments, the transmit coils may be positioned in an overlapping manner, wherein each of the transmit coils may overlap with one or more other transmit coils in the transmit area 1700. In another embodiment, the transmit coils may be portions of one or more dynamically reconfigurable transmit coils configured into a plurality of transmit coils disposed throughout the assemblable elements 1710a and 1710b. For example, as described above in accordance with
In some embodiments, assemblable element 1710b may be a main or master assemblable element. Assemblable element 1710b may comprise power in line 1702 connected to a power source. Remaining assemblable elements 1710a may include electrical connections or lines (not shown) operatively coupled between neighboring assemblable elements and configured to distribute power (e.g., AC or DC power) from assemblable element 1710b to active region 1730 to generate a desired wireless field based on the detected receiver.
In some embodiments, the assemblable elements 1710a and 1710b may include a synchronization line (not shown) configured to facilitate synchronization and control of the phase of the transmit coils 1714. For example, synchronization line may be disposed between oscillators (e.g., oscillator 423 of
In some embodiments, alternatively or in combination, the assemblable elements 1710a and 1710b may comprise a communication line (not shown) configured to permit the exchange of communication and control signals between the plurality of assemblable elements 1710a and 1710b. The communication line may permit an exchange of information concerning characteristics of the wireless power transfer (e.g., information pertaining charging power levels, presence or absence of a receiver, defining the active and/or inactive regions, etc.). In some embodiments, the communication line may be a means for coordinating the wireless power transfer of the transmit area 1700 based on the exchanged information. For example, the transmit circuits may each be configured to generate a wireless field by the associated transmit coils based on a signal generated by the power amplifiers in response to the exchanged information, as discussed above in relation to
As described above, the assemblable elements 1710a and 1710b may each comprise some or all of the transmit circuitry described above in relation to
In one embodiment, each assemblable element 1710a and 1710b may be substantially similar to the transmitters described in connection with
In another embodiment, each assemblable element 1710a comprises some of the transmit circuit described in above, including, for example, an AC-DC converter (not shown), controller 415, oscillator 222, driver circuit 224, etc. of
In another embodiment, main assemblable element 1710b may be a power assemblable element having power input line 1702 connected to a power source, such as for example, an AC-DC converter. Remaining assemblable elements 1710a may not include such a converter, while still comprising, at least, power amplifiers 424 and controllers 415 of
In another embodiment, assemblable element 1710b may be a master assemblable element 1710b configured to control and monitor the functions of the assemblable elements 1710a (e.g., slave assemblable elements). In this embodiment, assemblable element 1710b may comprise a AC-DC converter configured to supply DC power, as described above, to the remaining assemblable elements 1710a; provide a master clock for controlling synchronization of the phase of the assemblable elements 1710a (e.g., a master oscillator 222); and a controller 415 of
At block 1810, a plurality of assemblable elements are provided. For example, the assemblable elements may be similar to assemblable elements 1110a-d of
At block 1820, the plurality assemblable elements may be interlocked to form a single structure or arrangement of elements. The structure may form a transmit area having one or more transmit coils. In some embodiments, the assemblable elements may be selectively interlocked based on the wireless power transfer requirements of the transmitter and/or receiver. For example, the assemblable elements may be interlocked as described above in
At block 1830, the plurality of assemblable elements may be configured to provide wireless power transfer. In some embodiments, the assemblable elements may be driven by transmit circuitry to generate a wireless field based on the transmit coils formed through electrically interconnecting the portions of transmit coils. The wireless field may be used to wirelessly transfer power to or wirelessly communicate with another device (e.g., a receiver).
The various operations of methods described above can be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the operations, such as various hardware and/or software component(s), circuits, and/or module(s). Generally, any operations illustrated in the Figures can be performed by corresponding functional means capable of performing the operations.
Information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionality can be implemented in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
The various illustrative blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
The steps of a method or algorithm and functions described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium. A software module can reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantages and novel features of the present disclosure have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure can be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as can be taught or suggested herein.
Various modifications of the above described embodiments will be readily apparent, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
