Wireless charging device and system for wearable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016190854-A1
Application number	US-201514666710-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 24, 2015
Priority date	Dec 24, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wireless charging device includes a plurality of antennas, a plurality of AC/DC converters, and a controller. The antennas receive power, are located at different positions of an electronic device, and are oriented in different directions. The AC/DC converters are connected to respective ones of the antennas and convert AC signals from the antennas to DC signals. The controller measures intensities of the converted signals from the AC/DC converters, compares the intensities, and selects one of the antennas having a greater intensity for charging a battery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wireless charging device, comprising:
a plurality of antennas to wirelessly receive power, the antennas located at different positions of an electronic device and oriented in different directions; a plurality of AC/DC converters connected to respective ones of the antennas, the AC/DC converters to convert AC signals from the antennas to DC signals; and a controller to measure intensities of the converted signals from the AC/DC converters, compare the intensities, and select one of the antennas having a greater intensity for charging a battery.

2 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of antenna matching circuits connected between the antennas and the AC/DC converters, the antenna matching circuits to perform antenna impedance matching for receiving power based on the signals from the antennas.

3 . The device as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
a plurality of switches connected between the antennas and the antennas matching circuits.

4 . The device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the controller is to control the switches to select the antenna having the greater intensity.

5 . The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the controller is to:
constantly measure signal intensity from the selected antenna while charging the battery, and turn ON the switches to measure the intensities of the signals from the antenna matching circuits when the signal intensity of the selected antenna changes, the controller to compare the measured intensities from the antenna matching circuits and to select a different one of the antennas having the greater signal intensity based on the comparison.

6 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antennas are at different positions of a curved surface of the electronic device.

7 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the antennas is flexible printed circuit board type.

8 . The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the antenna matching circuits include an inductor connected in parallel to a first capacitor.

9 . The device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein:
each of the AC/DC converters includes a plurality of AC/DC conversion sub circuits connected in parallel, and each of the AC/DC conversion sub circuits includes: a second capacitor having a first terminal connected to a first terminal of the first capacitor; a first diode having a cathode electrode connected to a second terminal of the second capacitor and an anode electrode connected to a second terminal of the first capacitor and a reference terminal; a third capacitor having a first terminal connected to the anode electrode of the first diode; and a second diode having a cathode electrode connected to a second terminal of the third capacitor and an anode electrode connected to the cathode electrode connected to the first diode.

10 . An apparatus, comprising:
an interface; and a controller to receive power signals from a plurality of antennas through the interface, the controller to select at least one antenna based on the power signals and to control charging of a battery of an electronic device based on the power signal from the at least one antenna, wherein the power signals from the antennas have different levels based on different positions of the antennas on the electronic device.

11 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the controller is to select only one of the antennas based on the power signals to control charging of the battery.

12 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the controller is to simultaneously select more than one of the antennas based on the power signals to control charging of the battery.

13 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the controller is to select another one of the antennas when the power signal of the at least one selected antenna falls below a predetermined level, the controller to control continued charging of the battery based on the power signal from the other selected antenna.

14 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the controller is to:
monitor the power signals of the antennas during battery charging, and select another one of the antennas when the level of power signal of the at least one selected antenna is lower than the level of the other one of the antennas, the controller to control continued charging of the battery based on the power signal from the other selected antenna.

15 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the electronic device is a wearable electronic device.

16 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the antennas are flexible printed circuit board antennas.

17 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is included in the electronic device.

18 . An apparatus, comprising:
first logic to receive power signals from a plurality of antennas; second logic to compare the power signals from the antennas; and third logic to select at least one antenna based on the comparison, the third logic to control charging of a battery of an electronic device based on the power signal from the at least one antenna, wherein the power signals from the antennas have different levels based on different positions of the antennas on the electronic device.

19 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein at least one of the first logic, the second logic, or the third logic is based on one or more instructions to be executed by a circuit.

20 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein after the third logic selects the at least one antenna:
the first logic is to receive power signals from the antennas, the second logic is to compare the power signals from the antennas, and the third logic is to selected a different one of the antennas based on the comparison, the third logic to control continued charging of the battery based on the power signal from the selected different one of the antennas.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Woo Seungwon

Classifications

• H02J7/933

  the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters · CPC title

• H02J2007/0059

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/025 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/0052

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/00

  Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries · CPC title