Patent Application
20160118841
The present disclosure relates to wireless power charging and, more particularly, to wireless power charging stations for portable electronic devices.
Portable electronic devices require periodic charging. It can be inconvenient, however, to utilize power cords and cables for charging portable electronic devices because, oftentimes, the power cords or cables for particular electronic devices are not interchangeable. Additionally, plugging portable electronic devices into power outlets for charging using power cords or cables may inhibit use of the portable electronic devices by effectively tethering the portable electronic devices to the outlets, thereby limiting the ability to use the portable electronic devices while they are being charged.
According to the present disclosure, a wireless power charging station includes a bowl-shaped body with a bottom portion and a sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom portion. A wireless power transmitter is disposed within the bottom portion and connected to a power supply supplying power thereto. The wireless power transmitter is configured to transmit a wireless charging field upwardly from the bottom portion to a top of the sidewall.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent in light of the detailed description of embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Before the various embodiments are described in further detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described. It is also to be understood that the terminology used is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present application.
Referring to
The wireless portion 16, including a magnetic resonant wireless power transmitter or coil 28, provides power to compatible receivers 30 disposed in devices 20 placed on/into the charging bowl 10. The wireless portion 16 may implement any suitable wireless power standards/technologies for wirelessly transmitting charging power to one or more electronic devices 20.
The charging bowl 10 may also include one or more USB ports 31 operatively connected to the power cord 22 or battery power portion 24 for supplying power to one or more electronic devices 20 via a cable or corded connection. The one or more USB ports 31, thus, allow electronic devices 20, that may or may not included compatible receivers 30 for wireless charging, to be plugged in and charged by the charging bowl 10 through a cable or corded connection.
The transmitter or coil 28 is substantially planar and is accommodated within the bottom portion 13 of the bowl 10. For example, the transmitter or coil 28 may be a Titan 16 Watt Power Transmitting Unit manufactured by Gill Electronics or any other similar transmitter or coil. The transmitter or coil 28 is connected to and receives power from the power cord 22 and/or the battery power portion 24. The transmitter or coil 28 is tuned to transmit a charging field 32 having a height that extends to at least the top of the sidewalls 14 of the charging bowl 10 by throwing the charging field 32 outward. The sidewalls 14 of the bowl are sufficiently shallow to allow receivers 30 of devices 20 to be within the range of the transmitter 28 to charge devices 20 placed within the bowl 10. For example, the sidewalls may extend to a height in the range of twenty-five (25) millimeters to forty-five (45) millimeters or the sidewalls may extend to a height smaller than twenty-five (25) millimeters, such as five (5) millimeters. Devices 20 may be placed either in a flat position or at an angle in the bowl and still be wirelessly charged therein. Angled positioning of the devices within the bowl advantageously allows for the bowl 10 to accommodate more devices therein.
The charging bowl 10 allows convenient wireless charging of various devices 20 while keeping various devices neatly in one place and without requiring separate power cords or cables for each device. Additionally, other items 32, such as for example, keys and coins can also be placed in the bowl 10 upon entering the house and will not interfere with the charging function of the bowl 10. Additionally, the charging bowl 10 can be conveniently moved and placed in any location.
While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with respect to a particular embodiment thereof, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
This application claims the priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/069,479, filed Oct. 28, 2014, the contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62069479 | Oct 2014 | US |
