Systems and methods for wireless power and data transfer utilizing multiple antenna receivers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12580430-B2
Application number	US-202519064355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2025
Priority date	Jan 3, 2020
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

A wearable device includes (i) a first antenna that is operable to wirelessly receive power, (ii) a second antenna that is operable to wirelessly receive data, (iii) a battery, (iv) a power conditioning system that is connected between the first antenna and the battery, (v) a data communications system, and (vi) a switch that is operable to selectively couple or decouple the second antenna to or from the data communications system. The wearable device is configured to (i) detect a trigger event for decoupling the second antenna from the data communications system and, (ii) in response to detecting the trigger event, control the switch to decouple the second antenna from the data communications system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A wearable device comprising:
a first antenna that is operable to wirelessly receive power and in-band data from an external charging device for the wearable device; a second antenna that is operable to wirelessly receive data from at least one external device other than the external charging device; a battery; a power conditioning system that is connected between the first antenna and the battery; a data communications system that is operable to engage in data communications with the at least one external device other than the external charging device via the second antenna; a switch that is operable to selectively couple or decouple the second antenna to or from the data communications system; and a control system that is operable to perform a set of functions comprising:
while the second antenna is decoupled from the data communications system, detecting a trigger event for coupling the second antenna to the data communications system, wherein the trigger event comprises an event indicating an availability of data for receipt by the wearable device via the second antenna;
in response to detecting the trigger event, controlling the switch to couple the second antenna to the data communications system, wherein data from a given external device other than the external charging device is thereafter received via the second antenna and passed to the data communications system; and
after the data from the given external device is received via the second antenna and passed to the data communications system, controlling the switch to decouple the second antenna from the data communications system, wherein power and in-band data from the external charging device is thereafter received via the first antenna.

2 . The wearable device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first set of one or more tuning components that is connected between the first antenna and the power conditioning system; and a second set of one or more tuning components that is connected between the second antenna and the data communications system.

3 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the control system comprises:
at least one processor; at least one non-transitory computer readable medium; and executable code stored on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the control system to perform the set of functions.

4 . The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor, the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium, and the executable code are included as part of at least one integrated circuit (IC).

5 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the data communications system and the control system are integrated together.

6 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each designed in accordance with one or more Near Field Communications (NFC) specifications.

7 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the data communications system comprises a Near Field Communications (NFC) tag reader circuit.

8 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the power conditioning system is operable to convert wireless power that is received from the external charging device via the first antenna into a corresponding power signal for charging the battery.

9 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the power conditioning system comprises a rectifier and a voltage regulator.

10 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna each have a flat spiral coil configuration.

11 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the trigger event for coupling the second antenna to the data communications system is a first type of trigger event, and wherein the set of functions further comprises:
while the second antenna is coupled to the data communications system, detecting a second type of trigger event for decoupling the second antenna from the data communications system, wherein the switch is controlled to decouple the second antenna from the data communications system in response to detecting the second type of trigger event.

12 . The wearable device of claim 11 , wherein the second type of trigger event for decoupling the second antenna from the data communications system comprises an indication that power from the external charging device is being received by the wearable device via the first antenna.

13 . The wearable device of claim 11 , wherein the second type of trigger event for decoupling the second antenna from the data communications system comprises an indication that the data from the given external device is no longer being received via the second antenna.

14 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second antennas are each configured to operate based on an operating frequency of 13.56 megahertz (MHz).

15 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the data from the given external device other than the external charging device that is received via the second antenna and passed to the data communications system comprises:
identification data from the given external device other than the external charging device that is (i) received via the second antenna, (ii) passed to the data communications system, and (iii) utilized in communications by the wearable device.

16 . The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein:
a first period of wireless power and in-band data from the external charging device is received via the first antenna prior to detecting the trigger event; and the wireless power and in-band data from the external charging device that is received via the first antenna after the data from the given external device is received via the second antenna and passed to the data communications system comprises a second period of wireless power and in-band data from the external charging device.

17 . A method carried out by a wearable device comprising (i) a first antenna that is operable to wirelessly receive power and in-band data from an external charging device for the wearable device, (ii) a second antenna that is operable to wirelessly receive data from at least one external device other than the external charging device, (iii) a battery, (iv) a power conditioning system that is connected between the first antenna and the battery, (v) a data communications system that is operable to engage in data communications with the at least one external device other than the external charging device via the second antenna, and (vi) a switch that is operable to selectively couple or decouple the second antenna to or from the data communications system, the method comprising:
while the second antenna is decoupled from the data communications system, detecting a trigger event for coupling the second antenna to the data communications system, wherein the trigger event comprises an event indicating an availability of data for receipt by the wearable device via the second antenna;
in response to detecting the trigger event, controlling the switch to couple the second antenna to the data communications system, wherein data from a given external device other than the external charging device is thereafter received via the second antenna and passed to the data communications system; and
after the data from the given external device is received via the second antenna and passed to the data communications system, controlling the switch to decouple the second antenna from the data communications system, wherein power and in-band data from the external charging device is thereaft

Assignees

• Nucurrent Inc

Inventors

• Luzinski Jason
• Peralta Alberto
• Shostak Pavel
• Babcock Jacob

Classifications

• H04B5/72

  for local intradevice communication · CPC title

• H04B5/79

  for data transfer in combination with power transfer · CPC title

• H04B5/26

  using coils · CPC title

• H02J50/10 Primary

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• H04B5/263

  Multiple coils at either side · CPC title