Wireless power system with reconfigurable rectifier circuitry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10923959-B2
Application number	US-201916505370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2019
Priority date	Apr 3, 2019
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A wireless power system has a wireless power transmitting device and a wireless power receiving device. The wireless power transmitting device may be a wireless charging mat or other device with coils for transmitting wireless power signals. The wireless power receiving device may be a cellular telephone or other device with coils for receiving the transmitted wireless power signals. The wireless power receiving device has adjustable rectifier circuitry coupled to a pair of coils. The pair of coils is coupled in series at a node. A transistor is coupled between ground and the node and is controlled by control circuitry. The state of the transistor can be changed to place the adjustable rectifier circuitry in either a first mode of operation in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms a full-bridge rectifier or a second mode of operation in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms a pair of parallel half-bridge rectifiers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless power receiving device configured to wirelessly receive power during wireless power transmission from a wireless power transmitting device, comprising:
first and second coils coupled in series and configured to receive wireless power signals; and
adjustable rectifier circuitry that is coupled to the first and second coils and that is configured to produce direct-current output power from the received wireless power signals, wherein the adjustable rectifier circuitry is configured to:
operate in a first mode in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms a full-bridge rectifier; and
operate in a second mode in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms a pair of parallel half-bridge rectifiers.

2. The wireless power receiving device of claim 1 wherein the first and second coils are connected to each other at a node, wherein the adjustable rectifier circuitry further comprises:
an array of four diodes;
capacitors coupled between the array of four diodes and the first and second coils; and
a transistor coupled to the node.

3. The wireless power receiving device of claim 2 further comprising control circuitry configured to control the transistor to adjust the adjustable rectifier circuitry.

4. The wireless power receiving device of claim 3 wherein the control circuitry is configured to turn the transistor on and off to switch the adjustable rectifier circuitry between the first and second modes.

5. The wireless power receiving device of claim 4 wherein the transistor has a first source-drain terminal coupled to the node and a second source-drain terminal coupled to ground.

6. The wireless power receiving device of claim 4 further comprising:
a display; and
a housing to which the display is mounted.

7. The wireless power receiving device of claim 6 wherein the first and second coils are in the housing and overlapped by the display.

8. The wireless power receiving device of claim 7 wherein in the first mode the adjustable rectifier circuitry is configured to use the first coil to receive a magnetic field and to use the second coil to receive a magnetic field that is in phase with the magnetic field received by the first coil.

9. The wireless power receiving device of claim 8 wherein in the second mode the adjustable rectifier circuitry is configured to use the first coil to receive a magnetic field that is out of phase with a magnetic field received by the second coil.

10. The wireless power receiving device of claim 1 wherein in the first mode the adjustable rectifier circuitry is configured to pass current in series through the first and second coils.

11. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted to the housing;
first and second coils in the housing that are configured to receive wireless power signals through;
adjustable rectifier circuitry coupled to the first and second coils; and
control circuitry configured to adjust the adjustable rectifier circuitry between:
a first configuration in which alternating-current signals are received by the adjustable rectifier circuitry from the first coil that are in phase with alternating-current signals received by the adjustable rectifier circuitry from the second coil; and
a second configuration in which alternating-current signals are received by the adjustable rectifier circuitry from the first coil that are out of phase with alternating-current signals received by the adjustable rectifier circuitry from the second coil.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the alternating-current signals received by the adjustable rectifier circuitry from the first coil are 180° out of phase with the alternating-current signals received by the adjustable rectifier circuitry from second coil during operation in the second configuration.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the first and second coils are coupled at a node and wherein the adjustable rectifier circuitry comprises a switch coupled to the node.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the adjustable rectifier circuitry by controlling the switch to operate in a selected one of:
1) a first state in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms a full-bridge rectifier; and
2) a second state that is different than the first state in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms two parallel half-bridge rectifiers.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the switch has a first state when the adjustable rectifier circuitry is in the first configuration and wherein the switch has a second state that is different than the first state when the adjustable rectifier circuitry is in the second configuration.

16. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the housing comprises a cellular telephone housing.

17. An electronic device comprising:
first and second coils that are configured to receive wireless power signals;
adjustable rectifier circuitry coupled to the first and second coils that is adjustable to operable in:
1) a first mode in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms a full-bridge rectifier; and
2) a second mode in which the adjustable rectifier circuitry forms two parallel half-bridge rectifiers.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 wherein the adjustable rectifier circuitry comprises a transistor, the electronic device further comprising:
control circuitry configured to control the transistor to adjust the adjustable rectifier circuitry between the first and second modes.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 wherein the first and second coils are connected in series at a node and wherein the transistor is coupled to the node.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 further comprising a display.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ren Saining
• Leung Ho Fai

Classifications

• H02J50/80

  involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices · CPC title

• H02J50/12 Primary

  of the resonant type · CPC title

• H02J50/402

  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 title

• H02J50/60

  responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings · CPC title

• H02J50/10 Primary

  using inductive coupling · CPC title