Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The present invention relates generally to a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices.
BACKGROUND
[002] The wireless power transfer (or transmission) technology corresponds to a technology that can wirelessly transfer (or transmit) power between a power source and an electronic device. Apart from the wireless charging of wireless devices, the wireless power transfer technique is raising attention as a replacement for the conventional wired power transfer environment in diverse fields, such as electric vehicles, Bluetooth earphones, 3D glasses, diverse wearable devices, household (or home) electric appliances, furniture, underground facilities, buildings, medical equipment, robots, leisure, and so on.
[003] When the battery is attached to a load (e.g., an electric circuit such as found in a mobile phone), elements within the battery are changed due to a chemical reaction within the battery in order to allow ions (atoms having a positive or negative charge) to move between the battery's positive and negative terminals. However, a limited amount of ions is available for moving from one terminal to another, and over time the chemical arrangement within the battery changes such that the ions are depleted. In disposable batteries this chemical rearrangement is permanent. However, in a rechargeable battery, the original chemical arrangement within the battery can be restored by applying a reverse electrical current, thereby restoring ions to a position for generating electrical current. Thus, a battery charger provides the reverse current needed for restoring a battery's charge. The wireless power transmission apparatus is unable to adjust a power level actively on a desired timing and unable to perform an authentication.
[004] Therefore, there is a need of a system which overcomes the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY
[005] Embodiments of the present disclosure present technological improvements as solutions to one or more of the above-mentioned technical problems.
[006] Before the present subject matter relating to a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular system described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the implementations or versions or embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present subject matter.
[007] This summary is provided to introduce aspects related to a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the present subject matter.
[008] In an embodiment, a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, the system includes a receiving area, a plurality of electrically conductive coils, a power transmitter and a controller. The receiving area is configured to accommodate one or more electronic devices. The plurality of electrically conductive coils is disposed within the receiving area. The power transmitter is configured to generate and transmit wireless power to the electronic devices within the receiving area; and. The controller is operatively connected to the power transmitter, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmission of wireless power based on one or more parameters.
[009] In another embodiment, A method for wirelessly charging electronic devices, the method includes the step of placing an electronic device in a holder of a charging apparatus. The method includes the step of initiating a digital ping to solicit a response from a wireless power reception of a charging apparatus. The method includes the step of supplying electrical power to the electronic device via coils. The method includes the step of controlling, by the controller, the power supply as per the needs of the electronic device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0010] The foregoing detailed description of embodiments is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the disclosure, there is shown in the present document example constructions of the disclosure; however, the disclosure is not limited to the specific system or method disclosed in the document and the drawings.
[0011] The present disclosure is described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer various features of the present subject matter.
[0012] Figure 1 shows a top perspective view of a wireless charger.
[0013] Figure 2 shows a wireless power receiver according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] Figure 3 is a graph showing three phases of electric current in a disclosed three-phase wireless charger system.
[0015] In the above accompanying drawings, a non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.
[0016] Further, the figures depict various embodiments of the present subject matter for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the present subject matter described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure, the exemplary, a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices is now described.
[0018] Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. For example, although the present disclosure will be described in the context of a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices can be utilized in any situation. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments illustrated but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
[0019] In an embodiment, a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, the system includes a receiving area, a plurality of electrically conductive coils, a power transmitter and a controller. The receiving area is configured to accommodate one or more electronic devices. The plurality of electrically conductive coils is disposed within the receiving area. The power transmitter is configured to generate and transmit wireless power to the electronic devices within the receiving area; and. The controller is operatively connected to the power transmitter, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmission of wireless power based on one or more parameters.
[0020] In another implementation, the plurality of electrically conductive coils is arranged in a specific configuration to optimize wireless power transmission efficiency.
[0021] In another implementation, the power transmitter comprises a resonant circuit configured to resonate at a frequency conducive to efficient wireless power transmission.
[0022] In another implementation, the controller is further configured to monitor the power consumption of the electronic devices and adjust the transmission of wireless power accordingly.
[0023] In another implementation, a communication interface enabling communication with the electronic devices, wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the electronic devices and adjust the transmission of wireless power based on the received information.
[0024] In another implementation, the controller is further configured to detect the presence and positioning of electronic devices within the receiving area and adjust the transmission of wireless power based on the detected presence and positioning.
[0025] In another embodiment, A method for wirelessly charging electronic devices, the method includes the step of placing an electronic device in a holder of a charging apparatus. The method includes the step of initiating a digital ping to solicit a response from a wireless power reception of a charging apparatus. The method includes the step of supplying electrical power to the electronic device via coils. The method includes the step of controlling, by the controller, the power supply as per the needs of the electronic device.
[0026] In another implementation, the reported amount of power received is within the first predetermined threshold range to prevent further provision of power to the corresponding conductive coil.
[0027] In another implementation, the plurality of conductive coils includes one or more pairs of the conductive coils, and the coil controller is further configured to provide the changing electrical current.
[0028] Figure 1 shows a top perspective view of a wireless charger.
[0029] In an embodiment, the wireless charger may include several source antennas, attached by leads to electronic circuitry. The electronic circuitry may include one or more antenna controllers and a power receiving circuit that may receive power from an external power source. The wireless power transmitter directly transfers (or transmits) power to the wireless power receiver, the wireless power system may also be equipped with a separate wireless power transceiver, such as a relay or repeater, for increasing a wireless power transport distance between the wireless power transmitter and the wireless power receiver. In this case, power is delivered to the wireless power transceiver from the wireless power transmitter, and then, the wireless power transceiver may transfer the received power to the wireless power receiver. The wireless power receiver, power receiver, and receiver, which are mentioned in this specification, will refer to the wireless power receiver. Also, the terms wireless power transmitter, power transmitter, and transmitter, which are mentioned in this specification, will refer to the wireless power transmitter. The induction power or resonance power, the base station may include at least one of a wireless power transmitter and a system unit.
[0030] A charging area 223, 224, 225 may be a two- or three-dimensional space within a perimeter 226. Energy may be transferred wirelessly from the wireless charger to a wireless-power receiving device placed within the charging region, as discussed in more detail below. It will be recognized by those of skill in the art that a container, such as a cupholder, having a charging area may have an irregular perimeter, for instance including a notch for a coffee cup handle. However, the charging area may include or exclude areas of the corresponding container for which a pertinent portion of an electronic device would not likely enter. The source antennas 220 in some instances may roughly form the perimeter 226 of the charging area into which a wirelessly chargeable device may be placed for charging. The source antennas 220 being planar, perpendicular to the page. However, as shown in later figures, the antennas 220 may be formed in a non-planar shape, e.g., conforming to a curved, spherical, or other surface.
[0031] The processor may include one or more appropriately configured microprocessor or microcontroller circuits, digital processors, programmable logic arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, discrete components or combinations thereof. The memory may include one or more read only memory (ROM) and/or random access (RAM) memory, magnetic media such as a hard-disk drive, optical media and optical reader, flash memory, solid-state memory, and the like.
[0032] The wireless power transmitter may transmit induction power or resonance power and may control the transmission. The wireless power transmitter may include a power conversion unit converting electric energy to a power signal by generating a magnetic field through a primary coil (or primary coils), and a communications & control unit controlling the communication and power transfer between the wireless power receiver in order to transfer power at an appropriate (or suitable) level. The system unit may perform input power provisioning, controlling of multiple wireless power transmitters, and other operation controls of the base station, such as user interface control.
[0033] In another embodiment, the smart wireless charging service may also include receiving an automatic input Wi-Fi credentials. For example, the wireless charger transmits Wi-Fi credentials to the smartphone, and the smartphone executes a suitable application and automatically inputs the Wi-Fi credentials that are received from the wireless charger.
[0034] Figure 2 shows a wireless power receiver according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] In an embodiment, the wireless power receiver (600) may include at least one of a user interface (620) providing information related to power transfer processing and other related information, a power receiver (630) receiving wireless power, a load circuit (640), and a base (650) supporting and covering the coil assembly. Most particularly, the user interface (620) may be optionally included or may be included as another user interface (620) of the wireless power receiver (600). The power receiver (630) may include at least one of a power converter (660), an impedance matching circuit (670), a coil assembly (680), a communication unit (690), and a control unit (610). The power converter (660) may convert the AC power that is received from the secondary coil to a voltage and electric current that are suitable for the load circuit. According to an exemplary embodiment, the power converter (660) may include a rectifier. The impedance matching circuit (670) may provide impedance matching between a combination of the power converter (660) and the load circuit (640) and the secondary coil. The coil assembly (680) includes at least one secondary coil, and, optionally, the coil assembly (680) may further include an element shielding the metallic part of the receiver from the magnetic field. The communication unit (690) may perform load modulation in order to communicate requests and other information to the power transmitter. The control unit (610) may control the received power. For this, the control unit (610) may determine/calculate a difference between an actual operation point and a desired operation point of the power receiver (630).
[0036] The wireless power receiver transmits sequences of data packets, such as two identification data packets (IDHI and IDLO), by using the locked slots. When this phase is completed, the wireless power receiver enters the negotiation phase. During the negotiation state, the wireless power transmitter continues to provide the locked slots for the exclusive usage of the wireless power receiver. This may ensure the wireless power receiver to proceed to the negotiation phase without any collision.
[0037] Figure 3 is a graph showing three phases of electric current in a disclosed three-phase wireless charger system.
[0038] In an embodiment, the three simultaneous phases 410, 412, 414 of a sine-wave electrical current, with each phase offset from the others by 120 degrees. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a time-varying electric current for generating a magnetic field need not be limited to a sinusoidal wave form, and need not be centered about a zero voltage as illustrated. The relative strength of a magnetic field generated at each of three groups of source antennas at any given time t in a wireless charging array may correspond proportionally to the electric current that energizes the corresponding source antenna(s) of the group, where each source antenna is energized according to a time-varying current waveform, such as a sinusoidal waveform. In the illustrated scenario, when one source antenna receives a maximum electrical current, another source antenna receives a lesser electrical current. In one aspect, different phases of the electrical current waveform may be simultaneously provided to permit all of the source antennas to be energized at the same time. This may reduce a surge of electrical current needed at any given moment, compared with providing the same phase to all source antennas at the same time. That is, if all source antennas received peak current at the same time, the circuitry needed to drive the source antennas would need to be selected for a higher total current than when only one source antenna, or sub-group of source antennas receives peak current at a given time. One advantage of this scenario may be the potential to provide wireless power to more than one device to be charged at a time without undue surges in current.
[0039] Although the description provides implementations of a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, it is to be understood that the above descriptions are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods or systems. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as examples of implementations for a charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices.
, Claims:We claim:
1. A charging apparatus for wirelessly charge electronic devices, comprising:
a receiving area configured to accommodate one or more electronic devices;
a plurality of electrically conductive coils disposed within the receiving area;
a power transmitter configured to generate and transmit wireless power to the electronic devices within the receiving area; and;
a controller operatively connected to the power transmitter, wherein the controller is configured to control the transmission of wireless power based on one or more parameters.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive coils are arranged in a specific configuration to optimize wireless power transmission efficiency.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power transmitter comprises a resonant circuit configured to resonate at a frequency conducive to efficient wireless power transmission.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to monitor the power consumption of the electronic devices and adjust the transmission of wireless power accordingly.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communication interface enabling communication with the electronic devices, wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the electronic devices and adjust the transmission of wireless power based on the received information.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the presence and positioning of electronic devices within the receiving area and adjust the transmission of wireless power based on the detected presence and positioning.
7. A method for wirelessly charging electronic devices, comprising:
placing an electronic device in a holder of a charging apparatus;
initiating a digital ping to solicit a response from a wireless power reception of a charging apparatus;
supplying electrical power to the electronic device via coils;
controlling, by the controller, the power supply as per the needs of the electronic device.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reported amount of power received is within the first predetermined threshold range to prevent further provision of power to the corresponding conductive coil.
9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of conductive coils includes one or more pairs of the conductive coils, and the coil controller is further configured to provide the changing electrical current.