Speaker utilizing voice coil for wireless charging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11979704-B2
Application number	US-202117537263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2021
Priority date	Nov 29, 2021
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a device that includes a headphone speaker housing that includes a coil having a first terminal and a second terminal that is configured to operate in a sound generation mode and a battery charging mode. A class D amplifier circuit is configured to rectify in a battery charging mode and amplify in a sound generation mode, the class D amplifier is coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the coil. The class D amplifier including a first, second, third, and fourth switch, the first terminal coupled between the first and second switch, the second terminal coupled between the third and fourth switch. An audio generation circuit having a third terminal and a fourth terminal, the third terminal coupled between the first and third switch of the class D amplifier and the fourth terminal coupled between the second and fourth switch of the class D amplifier. A battery charging circuit coupled to the third terminal and the fourth terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a headphone speaker that includes:
a voice coil having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal;

a switching circuit coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the voice coil;
an amplifier coupled to the switching circuit and the third terminal, the amplifier including:
a first, second, third, and fourth transistor, the switching circuit coupled between a source/drain of the first transistor and a source/drain of the second transistor, the third terminal coupled between a source/drain of the third transistor and a source/drain of the fourth transistor;

an audio generation circuit coupled between a source/drain of the first transistor and a source/drain of the third transistor of the amplifier and between a source/drain of the second transistor and a source/drain of the fourth transistor of the amplifier;
a battery charging circuit coupled to the amplifier; and
a processor coupled between the audio generation circuit and the switching circuit, the processor being coupled to a first gate of the first transistor, a second gate of the second transistor, a third gate of the third transistor, and a fourth gate of the fourth transistor.

2. The device of claim 1 , comprising a housing that includes the headphone speaker, the switching circuit, the amplifier, the audio generation circuit, and the battery charging circuit.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the voice coil is configured to output an acoustic signal in a first sound generation mode and is configured to receive a charge in a second battery charging mode.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the first terminal and the third terminal of the voice coil are utilized during the first sound generation mode and the second terminal and the third terminal of the voice coil are utilized during the second battery charging mode.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein a first length of the voice coil between the first terminal and the third terminal is greater than a second length of the voice coil between the second terminal and the third terminal.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the switching circuit is configured to switch between the first sound generation mode and the second battery charging mode.

7. The device of claim 6 , comprising a control circuit that is configured to receive a sound generation signal from the audio generation circuit and transit a first mode activation signal.

8. A device, comprising:
a first headphone speaker housing that includes:
a first coil having a first terminal and a second terminal;
a first class D amplifier circuit that is configured to rectify in a battery charging mode and amplify in a sound generation mode, the class D amplifier is coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the coil, the class D amplifier including:
a first, second, third, and fourth transistor, the first terminal coupled between a source/drain of the first transistor and a source/drain of the second transistor, the second terminal coupled between a source/drain of the third transistor and a source/drain of the fourth transistor;

an audio generation circuit having a third terminal and a fourth terminal, the third terminal coupled between a source/drain of the first transistor and a source/drain of the third transistor of the class D amplifier and the fourth terminal coupled between a source/drain of the second transistor and a source/drain of the fourth transistor of the class D amplifier, the audio generation circuit configured to generate an audio signal and transmit the audio signal to the class D amplifier in the sound generation mode; and
a battery charging circuit coupled to the third terminal and the fourth terminal, the battery charging circuit configured to receive energy from the coil in the battery charging mode; and

a second headphone speaker housing that includes:
a second coil; and
a second class D amplifier coupled to the second coil, to the audio generation circuit, and the battery.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the class D amplifier is configured to synchronously rectify in the battery charging mode.

10. The device of claim 8 , comprising a switching circuit coupled between the coil and the class D amplifier, the coil includes a third terminal that is coupled to the switching circuit, the second terminal is coupled to the switching circuit.

11. A method, comprising:
generating a sound signal in an audio generation circuit in a sound generation mode, the sound generation mode including:
amplifying the sound signal through an amplifier, the amplifier coupled to the audio generation circuit, the amplifier including:
a first, second, third, and fourth transistor;

creating audible sound waves with a coil in a speaker with a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal being coupled to the amplifier, the first terminal coupled between a source/drain of the first transistor and a source/drain of the second transistor, the second terminal coupled between a source/drain of the third transistor and a source/drain of the fourth transistor,
wherein the audio generation circuit has a third terminal and a fourth terminal, the third terminal coupled between a source/drain of the source/drain of the first transistor and a source/drain of the second transistor, the second terminal coupled between a source/drain of the third transistor and a source/drain of the fourth transistor; and

switching to a battery charging mode via a control circuit activating a switching circuit coupled between the amplifier and the speaker, the control circuit coupled between the switching circuit and the audio generation circuit, the battery charging mode including:
receiving with the second terminal and a third terminal of the coil of the speaker a wireless AC charge current;
converting the wireless AC charge current into a DC charge current via a rectifier, the rectifier being coupled to the speaker; and
wirelessly charging a charge storage device by transferring the DC charge current from the rectifier to a battery charger circuit, the battery charger circuit being coupled to the rectifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the switching between the sound generation mode and the battery charging mode by activating the switching circuit includes coupling and decoupling the second terminal from the amplifier.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising automatically switching from the battery charging mode to the sound generation mode in response to an output signal from the audio generation circuit.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the amplifier and the rectifier are implemented with a class D amplifier.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein a first length of coil between the first and second terminals is greater than a second length of coil between the second and third terminals.

16. The method of claim 11 , comprising:
detecting the proximity of an external power transmission device; and
switching between a sound generation mode and a battery charging mode based on proximity of the external power transmission device.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Des & Appl

Inventors

• Teply Tomas
• Blaha Karel

Classifications

• H02J7/825

  Detection of fully charged condition · CPC title

• H04R1/1025 Primary

  Accumulators specially adapted for earpieces; Arrangements specially adapted for charging thereof · CPC title

• H04R1/1075

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R9/04

  Construction, mounting, or centering of coil · CPC title

• H04R9/06 Primary

  Loudspeakers · CPC title