System and method for facilitating avoidance of wireless charging cross connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9660478-B2
Application number	US-201314029689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2013
Priority date	Dec 12, 2012
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for charging a chargeable device is provided. The system can include a wireless charger including a wireless power antenna and a wireless power transmitter coupled to the wireless power antenna and configured to generate a wireless charging field in at least one charging region. The wireless charging field includes a plurality of power signals. The wireless charger further includes a communication antenna and a transceiver coupled to the communication antenna and configured to communicate with the chargeable device via the communication antenna. The wireless charger further includes a controller configured to facilitate avoidance of cross connection of the chargeable device with the wireless charger and at least one other wireless charger in which the chargeable device receives power from the wireless power transmitter of the wireless charger while communicating with at least one other wireless charger. The system can include a chargeable device including a controller configured to generate a load pulse configured to be received by the wireless charger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless charger for charging a chargeable device, the wireless charger comprising:
a wireless power transmitter configured to generate a wireless charging field in at least one charging region;
a transceiver configured to communicate with the chargeable device; and
a controller configured to detect an impedance change at the wireless power transmitter due to the chargeable device and to use the detected impedance change to facilitate avoidance of cross connection of the chargeable device in which the chargeable device receives power from the wireless power transmitter while communicating with at least one other wireless charger or in which the chargeable device receives power from the at least one other wireless charger while communicating with the transceiver.

2. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate a plurality of power signals by modulating the wireless charging field by an amplitude that is sufficiently low so as to not affect power transmission but sufficiently high to be detected by the chargeable device.

3. The wireless charger of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to modulate the wireless charging field in a pattern that is unique to the wireless charger.

4. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to accept out-of-band communication signals from the chargeable device during a predetermined period of time after the controller detects the impedance change at the wireless power transmitter being greater than a predetermined amount.

5. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to not accept out-of-band communication signals for a period of time if the controller does not detect an impedance change at the wireless power transmitter being greater than a predetermined amount.

6. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to detect whether a load pulse from the chargeable device and an advertisement from the chargeable device are concurrent with one another.

7. The wireless charger of claim 6 , wherein the load pulse comprises an AC side impedance modulation.

8. The wireless charger of claim 6 , wherein the load pulse comprises a DC side impedance modulation.

9. The wireless charger of claim 6 , wherein, upon detecting a load pulse but not an advertisement from the chargeable device, the controller is further configured to extend a beacon mode time period.

10. The wireless charger of claim 6 , wherein the load pulse comprises a single pulse of impedance modulation.

11. The wireless charger of claim 6 , wherein the load pulse comprises a train of pulses or a tone burst of impedance modulation.

12. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to communicate with the at least one other wireless charger.

13. The wireless charger of claim 12 , wherein the wireless power transmitter transfers power to the chargeable device if the transceiver has a larger received signal strength indication (RSSI) than does the at least one other wireless charger.

14. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the at least one charging region comprises a plurality of charging regions.

15. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to establish a communication link with the chargeable device if the transceiver has received an out-of-band communication signal having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) larger than a predetermined threshold and the controller detects the impedance change within a predetermined period of time of the out-of-band communication signal.

16. The wireless charger of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to establish a communication link with the chargeable device if the transceiver has received an out-of-band communication signal having a received signal strength indication (RSSI) larger than a predetermined first threshold and the controller detects that the impedance change is larger than a predetermined second threshold and within a predetermined period of time of the out-of-band communication signal.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Von Novak William H
• Kallal Edward

Classifications

• H02J50/12 Primary

  of the resonant type · CPC title

• H04B5/266

  One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils · CPC title

• H02J7/025 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B5/0037

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B5/0031

  Electricity · mapped topic