HK1158387B - Battery and circuit module thereof - Google Patents

Description

Battery and battery circuit module

Technical Field

The present invention relates to power conversion, and more particularly, to wireless power conversion and supported communications.

Background

The concept of wireless power (i.e., powering a device without a power cord) has existed for some time and has recently been commercialized. Moreover, there are two wireless communication alliances (WPCs) and Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) that are being discussed to standardize the wireless power supply system.

Wireless power products are now available on the market that include a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, and a bi-directional control channel. The most dominant energy transfer method in these products is inductive coupling, however, in some low power applications, solar energy transfer, thermionic energy transfer, and/or capacitive energy transfer may be involved. In the application of these products, the receiving unit is a separate unit that has to be connected to the device that needs to be powered wirelessly. Therefore, if the receiving unit is not connected to the device, the device itself cannot be wirelessly powered.

To develop these products, efforts have been made to support inductive power transfer, closed loop systems, and complex loads (multiploads). In the field of inductive power transfer, research has focused primarily on optimizing tuning of transmit and receive circuits (each circuit containing a single inductor) for resonance, efficiency, and/or heat dissipation (thermal issues), load sensing, inductive power transfer off, coil calibration, magnetic alignment (magnetic alignment), low voltage phantom power (low power), D, E grade power transmitter with load compensation, antenna design, and coil switching (coil switching).

In the field of closed loop systems, research has focused primarily on adjusting transmit power, transmit resonance, and reference with specific control channel protocols (e.g., backscattering protocol (backscatter), infrared data protocol (IrDA), or bluetooth protocol) to maximize safety and/or power transfer. Similarly, wireless power transfer can be achieved as long as the receiving unit and the transmitting unit are from the same vendor applying the same communication protocol over the control channel. Now, when the above standardization bodies attempt to establish standards regarding control channel protocols, vendors can freely use any one of the selected protocols to achieve compatibility of wireless power products of different vendors.

Although efforts have been made on commercialized wireless power supply systems, there is still a need to invest greater efforts in implementing wireless power supply systems that are cost effective and/or have rich characteristics.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides an apparatus and method of operation, and is further described in the summary and detailed description of the invention and in the claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery (battery) including:

an anode;

a cathode;

one or more rechargeable cells (rechargeable cells) connected to the anode and the cathode;

a voltage sensing circuit for determining a voltage of the one or more chargeable units; and

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, the RFID tag comprising:

a transceiver section (transceiver section);

a memory for storing battery information and battery charging parameters; and

a processing module to:

obtaining a voltage;

based on at least one of the voltage, the battery charging information, and the battery charging parameter

One to determine battery charging requirements; and

communicating the battery charging requirement through the transceiver portion.

Preferably, the battery further includes:

the transceiver portion includes a coil, wherein the coil is integratable in at least one of the anode and the cathode, and wherein the coil transceives electromagnetic signals within a given frequency band and is a conductive element of at least one of the anode and the cathode when in Direct Current (DC).

Preferably, the battery information includes at least one of:

a battery charging parameter;

a battery charging history;

the life of the battery; and

the number of times the battery can be recharged (rechargeable life).

Preferably, the battery charging requirements include at least one of:

a battery charging parameter; and

the level of battery charging requirements.

Preferably, the battery further includes:

a wireless power supply coil for generating an Alternating Current (AC) voltage from a wireless power supply electromagnetic field; and

a battery charging circuit for:

converting the AC voltage to a battery charging voltage; and

charging the one or more rechargeable batteries with the battery charging voltage.

Preferably, the battery further includes:

a flexible substrate (flex substrate) supporting the RFID circuit and the voltage sensing circuit; and

a case (casting) encasing the one or more rechargeable cells and the flexible substrate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery including:

one or more rechargeable batteries;

a wireless power supply coil for generating an Alternating Current (AC) voltage from a wireless power supply electromagnetic field; and

a battery charging circuit for:

generating a battery charging voltage from the AC voltage according to a battery charging control signal; and

when enabled, the one or more rechargeable batteries are charged by a battery charging voltage.

Preferably, the battery further includes:

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) module to:

generating the battery charge control signal; and

communicating with a wirelessly powered transmitter device.

Preferably, the battery charging circuit includes:

an output coupling circuit (output coupling circuit) for:

providing the battery charging voltage to the one or more rechargeable batteries;

disconnecting the one or more rechargeable batteries from the terminals of the battery when the wireless powering electromagnetic field is detected; and

connecting the output of the battery charging circuit to the pole terminal when the wireless powering electromagnetic field is detected.

Preferably, the battery charging circuit includes:

a voltage sensing circuit for determining a voltage of the one or more rechargeable batteries;

a detection circuit for detecting a wireless power supply electromagnetic field; and

a processing module for enabling a charging operation of the one or more rechargeable batteries based on the voltage and detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field.

Preferably, the battery further includes:

an anode connected to the one or more rechargeable cells; and

a cathode connected to the one or more chargeable units; wherein the wireless power supply coil may be integrated in at least one of the anode and the cathode.

Preferably, the battery further includes:

a flexible substrate supporting at least a portion of the battery charging circuit; and

a case (casting) encasing the one or more rechargeable batteries and the flexible substrate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery circuit module including:

a wireless power supply coil for generating an Alternating Current (AC) voltage from a wireless power supply electromagnetic field;

a battery charging circuit for:

generating a battery charging voltage from the AC voltage according to battery charging information; and

when enabled, charging the one or more rechargeable batteries with a battery charging voltage; and

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) module to:

communicating with a wirelessly powered transmitter device; and

generating battery charging information based at least in part on communication with a wirelessly powered transmitter device.

Preferably, the battery charging circuit includes:

a voltage sensing circuit for determining a battery voltage;

a detection circuit for detecting the wireless powering electromagnetic field; and

a processing module for enabling a charging operation of the one or more rechargeable unit cells based on the voltage and detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field.

Preferably, the battery circuit module further includes:

a flexible substrate supporting at least a portion of the voltage charging circuit and the RFID module.

Preferably, the RFID module includes:

a coil;

a transceiver portion coupled with the coil;

a memory for storing the battery charging information including at least one of battery information and battery charging parameters; and

and the processing module is used for processing the battery charging information.

Preferably, the battery circuit module further includes:

the coil integrated with the wireless power coil.

Preferably, the battery circuit module further includes:

a processing module to:

processing detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field;

processing the determination of the battery voltage;

enabling the battery based on the voltage and detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field

Charging operation;

processing a baseband portion in communication with the wirelessly powered transmitter device; and

battery charging information is generated.

The details of the various advantages, aspects, and novel features of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrated operation, are set forth in the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wireless power system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power system according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power system according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power system according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power system according to the invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a wireless power supply apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a portion of a wireless power supply system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of a portion of a wireless power supply system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power system according to the invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power supply apparatus according to the present invention;

fig. 11 is a state diagram of a processing module of the wireless power unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a logical block diagram of an embodiment of a method of a charge set (set up) state according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a logic block diagram of another embodiment of a method of setting a state of charge in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a logical block diagram of an embodiment of a method of state of charge in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a comparison of charging requirements and charging efficiency in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a logic block diagram of a method of wireless power supply management states in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a logic block diagram of a method of battery powered power management states in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a wirelessly powered computer system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a power module in a wirelessly powered computer system according to the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a computer power module according to the invention;

FIG. 21 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of a computer power module according to the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a peripheral power module according to the invention;

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a peripheral power module according to the invention;

FIG. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power supply system according to the invention;

fig. 25 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery according to the present invention;

fig. 26 is a schematic structural view of another embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery according to the invention;

fig. 27 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 28 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery in accordance with the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a wireless power supply system, including a wireless power supply (WP) Transmit (TX) unit 10 and one or more devices 12-14. WP TX unit 10 comprises a processing module 18, a WP transceiver 20, and a power TX circuitry 16. Each of the devices 12-14 includes WP RX (receive) circuitry 22, 28, processing modules 26, 30 and WP transceivers 24, 30. The devices 12-14 are likely to include a number of other components depending on their desired functionality. For example, the devices 12-14 may be cell phones, personal audio/video players, video game machines, toys, etc., and include corresponding circuitry.

The processing modules 18, 26, 32 in the WP TX unit 10 and in each of the devices 12-14 may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices. These processing devices may be microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, microcomputers, central processing units, field programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, logic circuits, analog circuits, digital circuits, and/or any devices that control signals (analog and/or digital) based on hard-coded and/or operational instructions for circuits. The processing modules 18, 26, 32 may have associated memory and/or storage units, which may be a single memory device, multiple memory devices, and/or embedded circuitry of the processing modules 18, 26, 32. These storage devices may be read-only memory, random access memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamic memory, flash memory, cache, and/or any device that stores digital information. It should be noted that if the processing modules 18, 26, 32 comprise more than one processing device, the processing devices may be centrally located (e.g., directly connected together via a wired and/or wireless bus structure) or distributed (e.g., cloud computing via indirect connections of a local area network and/or a wide area network). It should further be noted that when the processing modules 18, 26, 32 are capable of performing one or more functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or storage elements storing the corresponding operational instructions may be embedded within, or external to, the circuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry. It is still further noted that the memory unit stores, and the processing module 18, 26, 32 executes, hard-coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions described in fig. 1-28.

WPTX unit 10 communicates with WP transceivers 24, 30 of devices 12-14 over one or more control channels 34 using one or more frequencies in an ISM band 36 and/or one or more frequencies in another unlicensed band 38. Communications over the control channel 34 may use one or more standard protocols 40, 44 and/or one or more proprietary protocols 42, 46. For example, the standard protocols 40, 44 may include Bluetooth (2400MHz), HIPERLAN (high Performance Wireless local area network) (5800MHz), IEEE802.11(2400MHz and 5800MHz), and IEEE 802.15.4 (personal area networks using 915MHz or 2400 MHz).

The ISM band 36 includes:

each WP power transceiver 20, 24, 30 (e.g. in the WP TX unit 10 and each device 12-14) comprises baseband processing (implemented by respective processing modules 18, 26, 32), a Radio Frequency (RF) and/or MMWR (millimeter wave) transmitter part, and an RF and/or MMWR receiver part. In an example application, the baseband processing converts outbound data into outbound symbol streams in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards (e.g., GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, HSUPA, HSDPA, WiMAX, EDGE, GPRS, IEEE802.11, Bluetooth, ZigBee, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), LTE (Long term evolution), IEEE 802.16, EV-DO (evolution data optimized), proprietary protocols, etc.). These transformations include one or more of the following: scrambling, puncturing (puncturing), encoding, interleaving, constellation mapping (constellation mapping), modulation, spreading, frequency hopping, beamforming (beamforming), space-time block coding, space-frequency block coding, frequency-domain to time-domain conversion, and/or digital baseband to intermediate frequency conversion.

The transmitter section converts the outbound symbol stream into an outbound RF signal having a carrier frequency within a given frequency band (e.g., ISM band 36). In one embodiment, this is accomplished by mixing the outbound symbol stream with a local oscillator to produce an upconverted signal. One or more power amplifiers and/or power amplifier drivers amplify the upconverted signal (which may also be RF bandpass filtered) to generate an outbound RF signal. In another embodiment, the transmitter portion includes an oscillator that generates the oscillation. The outbound symbol stream provides phase information (e.g., +/-delta theta phase shift and/or theta (t) phase modulation) that adjusts the phase of the oscillation to produce a phase-adjusted RF signal that is transmitted as the outbound RF signal. In another embodiment, the outbound symbol stream includes amplitude information (e.g., a (t) [ amplitude modulation ]) for adjusting the amplitude of the phase-adjusted RF signal to produce the outbound RF signal.

In another embodiment, the transmitter portion includes an oscillator that generates the oscillation. The outbound symbol provides frequency information (e.g., +/- Δ f frequency shift and/or f (t) frequency modulation) that adjusts the oscillation frequency to produce a frequency-adjusted RF signal that is transmitted as the outbound RF signal. In another embodiment, the outbound symbol stream includes amplitude information for adjusting the amplitude of the frequency adjusted RF signal to produce the outbound RF signal. In a further embodiment, the transmitter portion comprises an oscillator generating the oscillation. The outbound symbol provides amplitude information (e.g., +/- Δ A [ amplitude shift ] and/or A (t) amplitude modulation) that adjusts the amplitude of the oscillation to produce an outbound RF signal.

The receiver portion receives and amplifies an inbound RF signal to produce an amplified inbound RF signal. The receiver portion may mix I (in-phase) and Q (quadrature) components of the amplified inbound RF signal with in-phase and quadrature components of the local oscillation to generate a mixed I signal and a mixed Q signal. The mixed I and Q signals are combined to produce an inbound symbol stream. In this embodiment, the inbound symbols may include phase information (e.g., +/- Δ θ [ phase shift ] and/or θ (t) [ phase modulation ]) and/or frequency information (e.g., +/- Δ f [ frequency shift ] and/or f (t) [ frequency modulation ]). In another and or further elaboration of the previous embodiment, the inbound RF signal includes amplitude information (e.g., +/- Δ A [ amplitude shift ] and/or A (t) amplitude modulation ]). To recover the amplitude information, the receiver section includes an amplitude detector, such as an envelope detector, a low pass filter, or the like.

The baseband processing converts the inbound symbol streams into inbound data (e.g., control channel data) in accordance with one or more wireless communication standards (e.g., GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, HSUPA, HSDPA, WiMAX, EDGE, GPRS, IEEE802.11, bluetooth, ZigBee, UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system), LTE (long term evolution), IEEE 802.16, EV-DO (evolution data optimized), proprietary protocols, etc.). These transformations include one or more of the following: digital intermediate frequency to baseband conversion, time-to-frequency domain conversion, space-time block decoding, space-frequency block decoding, demodulation, spread spectrum decoding, frequency hopping decoding, beamforming decoding, constellation demapping, deinterleaving, decoding, depuncturing, and/or descrambling.

The WP TX unit 10 communicates with the devices 12-14 over control channels to facilitate efficient wireless power transfer by the WP TX unit 10 to the power RX circuitry 22, 28 of the devices 12-14. For example, the communication may determine which frequency to use, reset the devices 12-14 to improve magnetic coupling, tune components of the components 22, 28 of the power TX circuit 16 and/or the power RX circuit, indicate a desired power level, adjust a power level, and so forth. In this regard, during wireless transmission of energy from the power TX circuitry 16 to the power RX circuitry 22, 28 of one or more devices 12-14, the WP TX unit 10 communicates with the devices 12-14 to provide a desired level of performance for the wireless energy transmission.

In another example of operation, the receiving unit processing modules 26, 32 are used to identify the control channel protocol used by the wireless power transmitting unit 10 for control channel communications. It should be noted that the control channel comprises one of a plurality of control channel protocols including at least one or more standard control channel protocols and/or one or more proprietary control channel protocols. It should further be noted that the transmit unit transceiver 20 may use one of the control channel protocols, but may also use a subset of the plurality of control channel protocols. For example, one transmitting unit transceiver 20 may use the bluetooth protocol or a proprietary protocol to act as a control channel protocol, while another transmitting unit transceiver 20 of another wirelessly powered transmitting unit 10 may use a different control channel protocol. In this regard, the receiving unit needs to identify the control channel protocol.

The receiving unit processing modules 26, 32 may determine the control channel protocol by analyzing the beacon signals transmitted by the transmitting unit transceivers to identify the control channel protocol. Alternatively, or in addition to the foregoing examples, the receiving unit processing modules 26, 32 may use a default control channel protocol and identify the control channel protocol by receiving a set up communication from the transmitting unit transceiver 20. Alternatively, or in addition to the foregoing examples, the receiving unit processing modules 26, 32 may identify the control channel protocol by scanning a spectrum of control channel activity to produce a scanned spectrum, and identify the control channel protocol from the scanned spectrum. In yet another alternative example, or in addition to the foregoing examples, the CU processing modules 26, 32 may use a known control channel protocol and identify the control channel protocol by waking a trial and error system (trial and error system).

When the receiving unit processing module 26, 32 recognizes the control channel protocol, it determines whether the receiving unit transceiver has the ability to communicate using the control channel protocol. For example, the processing module may determine whether the receiving unit transceiver 24, 30 is capable of supporting the control channel protocol. When the receiving unit transceivers 24, 30 are capable of communicating using the control channel protocol, the processing module coordinates the configuration of the receiving unit transceivers to transceive communications related to the wirelessly powered electromagnetic field over the control channel. The composition of the receive unit transceivers 24, 30 will be described in more detail in fig. 6.

In an alternative example of identifying a control channel protocol, the transmit unit transceiver 20 and the receive unit transceivers 24, 30 may negotiate which control channel protocol to use. For example, the transmitting unit transceiver may transceive negotiation information (e.g., which protocols they support, desired data transmission rates, available bandwidth, etc.) with the receiving unit transceiver to mutually select a control channel protocol.

If the processing module 26, 32 is unable to identify the control channel or the receiving unit transceiver 24, 30 is unable to use the control channel protocol, the processing module may determine whether the receiving unit transceiver lacks hardware or software to support the control channel protocol. When the receiving unit transceiver lacks software, the processing module generates a network message to download the software to support the control channel protocol. Once the software download is complete, the transceiver 24, 30 can support the control channel protocol.

By establishing a control channel between the wireless power transmitting unit 10 and the devices 12, 14, the wireless power transmitting circuit 16 generates a wireless power electromagnetic field based on the control channel data (e.g., power level, frequency, tuning, etc.). The wireless power receiving circuitry 22, 28 converts the wireless power electromagnetic field into a voltage for charging the device battery and/or powering at least a portion of the device 12, 14.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power supply system of the present invention, including a WP (wireless power supply) TX (transmission) unit 10 and one or more devices. WP TX unit 10 comprises a processing module 18, a WP transceiver 20, an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag and/or reader 48, and power TX circuitry 16. Each device 12-14 includes WP Receive (RX) circuitry 24, 28, a processing module 26, 32, an RFID tag and/or reader 50, 52, and a WP transceiver 24, 30. The devices 12-14 are likely to include a number of other components depending on the desired functionality. For example, the device may be a cell phone, a personal audio/video player, a video game player, a toy, etc., and include corresponding circuitry.

In this embodiment, the RFID tags 48, 50, 52 include information about the wireless power requirements and capabilities of the devices 12-14 and WP TX unit 10. For example, the information may include the communication protocol used (e.g., one or more standard protocols 40, 44 or one or more proprietary protocols 42, 46), the wireless power spectrum, impedance matching information, battery charging requirements, and the like. The RFID readers and tags 48, 50, 52 may be active or passive devices and may communicate using backscattering. Likewise, the devices 12-14 first communicate with the WP TX unit 10 to exchange set up (set up) information, and once the setup is complete, the devices 12-14 will communicate with the WP TX unit 10 through the WP transceivers 20, 24, 30.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of a wireless power supply system of the present invention, including a WP (wireless power supply) TX (transmitting) unit 10 and one or more devices 12-14. WP TX unit 10 comprises a processing module 18, an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag and/or reader 48, and power TX circuitry 16. Each device 12-14 includes WP Receive (RX) circuitry 22, 28, a processing module 26, 32, and an RFID tag and/or reader 50, 52. The devices 12-14 are likely to include a number of other components depending on the desired functionality. For example, the device may be a cell phone, a personal audio/video player, a video game player, a toy, etc., and include corresponding circuitry.

In this embodiment, the RFID tags 48, 50, 52 include information about the wireless power requirements and capabilities of the devices 12-14 and WP TX unit 10. For example, the information may include the communication protocol used (e.g., one or more standard protocols 54 or one or more proprietary protocols 56), the wireless power spectrum, impedance matching information, battery charging requirements, and the like. In addition to exchanging setup information, WP TX unit 10 and devices 12-14 use RFID tags and readers 48, 50 as the primary means of communication between them. It should be noted that the RFID readers and tags 48, 50, 52 may be active or passive devices and may communicate using backscatter.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the wireless power supply system of the present invention, including the WP TX unit 10 and the device 58. The device 58 includes a power receiver circuit 62, a battery charger 64, a battery 66, a dc-to-dc converter 68, a processing module 70, a memory 72, a plurality of I/O (input/output) modules 74, a plurality of circuit modules 76-78, a clock generation unit 80, and a power management unit 82. It should be noted that the device 58 may be one of the devices 12-14 shown in fig. 1-3.

In the present embodiment, after the WP TX unit 10 and the device 58 establish communication, the WP TX unit 10 generates an electromagnetic field that is received by a power receiver circuit 62 integrated in the device 58. This will be described in more detail in connection with one or more of the following figures. The power receiver circuit 62 generates an AC voltage through an electromagnetic field, rectifies the AV voltage to generate a rectified voltage, and then filters the rectified voltage to generate a DC mains voltage (DC voltage rail) (e.g., V + and V-). The power receiver circuit 62 may be tuned based on the control signal provided by the processing module 70. The tuning includes adjusting one or more electromagnetic fields and/or electromagnetic properties of the wirelessly powered receiver circuit 62, such as quality factor (q factor) of the circuit, adjusting impedance, current limiting, and so forth.

The battery charger 64 converts the DV rail voltage to a battery charging voltage that is provided to the battery 66. The battery charger 64 monitors the charging process to ensure proper charging depending on the battery model and may implement a continuous recharge once the battery 66 is charged. It should be noted that the processing module 70 may provide control signals to the battery charger 64 to control the charging operation depending on the battery model.

The dc-to-dc converter 68 converts the battery voltage (e.g., 1.5V, 4.2V, etc.) to one or more supply voltages (e.g., 1V, 2.2V, 3.3V, 5V, 12V, etc.). The dc-to-dc converter 68 provides a supply voltage to one or more other modules 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80 under the control of a power management module 82. In general, power management module 82 is used to control power consumption of the power source by device 58 to an optimal level (e.g., to balance performance and battery life). In this regard, power management module 82 may treat each module 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80 as a separate power island (separately powered island) that may be separately controlled. For example, the power management module 82 may shut off power to the circuit modules 76-78 when the circuit modules 76-78 are inactive. In another example, the power management module 82 may reduce the voltage provided to the circuit modules 76-78 when the circuit modules 76-78 do not need to operate in a maximum potential state.

In addition to controlling the supply voltage provided to each power island, the power management module 82 may use the clock signal to control the clock signal provided to each circuit module 76-78. For example, when the circuit is idle, the power management module 82 may reduce providing a reduced supply voltage to the circuit modules 76-78 but disable providing the clock signal to the circuit modules 76-78. In this way, power consumption is minimized, but the circuit blocks 76-78 can be activated quickly once needed. In another example, the power management module 82 may reduce the frequency of the clock signal provided to the circuit modules 76-78 when the circuit modules 76-78 do not need to operate in a maximum potential state.

A plurality of circuit modules 76-78 provide at least a portion of the functionality for the device 58. For example, if the device is a mobile telephone, the circuit modules 76-78 may provide digital image capture functionality, digital image display functionality, audio file playback functionality, data messaging functionality, voice call functionality, and the like. A plurality of I/O (input/output) modules 74 provide interfaces for user input/output components (e.g., speaker, microphone, display, keys, etc.) for the device 58. For example, the circuit module may generate outbound data (e.g., a captured digital image). The processing module processes the outbound data to generate processed data (e.g., to generate a digital image file) and provides the processed outbound data to the input/output module for display on a peripheral output device (e.g., an LCD display). In another example, the input/output module may receive inbound data (e.g., a call placement instruction) from a peripheral input component (e.g., a keyboard of the device) and provide it to the other module. The processing module processes the inbound data to generate processed inbound data (e.g., to retrieve a telephone number of a target identified in the call command). The processing module provides the processed inbound data to the circuit module and performs a function on the processed inbound data (e.g., placing a call to a target user).

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of the wireless power supply system of the present invention, including a power transmitter circuit 84 and a power receiver circuit 86. The power transmitter circuit 84 includes a coil (i.e., inductor), a rectifying and conditioning circuit 88, an impedance matching and triggering circuit 90, a processing module 92, and an RF and/or MMW transceiver 94. The power receiver circuit 86 includes a coil, an impedance matching and rectifying circuit 96, a conditioning circuit 98, and an RF and/or MMW transceiver 100. The power receiver circuit 86 is connected to the battery charger 104 and the processing module 102. In this regard, the power receiver circuit 84 may be readily integrated into a device and use components of the device (e.g., the processing module 102). In this regard, the power receiver circuit 86 is not a separate component connected to the device, but is an integral part of the device. It should be noted that the devices 12, 14, 58 will typically include a housing for housing the power receiver circuit 86, battery charger 104, battery 106, and RF/MMW transceiver 100, processing module 102, and the components shown in fig. 4.

In an example of operation, the rectifying and regulating circuits of the power transceiving circuitry 84 convert an AC voltage (e.g., 110VAC, 2202VAC, etc.) to a DC voltage (e.g., 160VDC, 320VDC, etc.). The impedance matching and triggering circuit 90 connects the TX power coil (power coil) to the DC voltage in an alternating manner (e.g., full bridge inverter, half bridge inverter) at a given frequency (e.g., 10MHz, etc.). Impedance matching allows the LC circuit of the capacitor and coil to be tuned to a desired resonant frequency and to achieve a desired quality factor. For example, the LC circuit may be tuned to resonate at an excitation rate.

The coil of the power RX unit 86 is close to the coil of the TX unit 84 to receive the electromagnetic field generated by the TX coil and thereby generate an AC voltage. The RX coil and capacitance of the LC circuit may be tuned to achieve a desired resonance and/or quality factor. An impedance matching and rectifying circuit 96 rectifies the AC voltage of the RX coil to produce a DC mains voltage which is regulated by a regulating circuit. The remaining functions in the figures have been described above and/or will be described further below.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the wireless power supply 108 of the present invention, including a power RX circuit 110, an RF and/or MMW data processing module 112 (to be implemented in the processing module), and an RF and/or MMW transceiver 114. The RF and/or MMW data processing module 112 includes an outbound symbol conversion module 120, and an inbound symbol conversion module 122. The RF and/or MMW transceiver 114 includes a transmitter 124 and a receiver 126. Transmitter 124 includes a low IF (e.g., 0 to low MHz) bandpass filter 128, a mixing module 130, a PA (power amplifier) 132, and an RF bandpass filter 134. The receiver 126 includes an RF bandpass filter 136, an LNA (low noise filter) 138, a mixing module 140, and a low IF bandpass filter 142. If the transmitter 125 and receiver 126 share an antenna, the transceiver 114 will further include TX/RX isolation circuitry 144 (e.g., circulator (circulator), transformer balun (transformer base), TX/RX switch, etc.).

In an example of operation, the data processing module 112 configures itself based on the communication protocol being implemented and the corresponding data modulation. Also, the transceiver control module provides control signals to the transceiver 114 to adjust one or more elements thereof based on the protocol being implemented. In this regard, the data processing module 112 and the transceiver 114 may implement one or more communication protocols and/or one or more proprietary communication protocols. It should be noted that the device 108 may include one or more configurable RF/MMW data processing modules 112 and/or one or more configurable RF/MMW transceivers 114.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a portion of a wireless power supply system of the present invention including a power transmitter circuit 144 and a power receiver circuit 146. The power transmitter circuit 144 includes a rectifying and conditioning circuit 148, an impedance matching and triggering circuit 150, a processing module 152, an NFC modulator/demodulator 154, and an NFC coil 156. The power receiver circuit 146 includes an impedance matching and rectifying circuit 158, a conditioning circuit 160, an NFC modulator/demodulator 162, and an NFC coil 164. The power receiver circuit 146 is coupled to a battery charger (not shown) and a processing module 166.

In an example of operation, the rectification and regulation circuit 148 of the power transmitter circuit 144 converts an AC voltage (e.g., 110VAC, 220VAC, etc.) to a DC voltage (e.g., 160VDC, 320VDC, etc.). The impedance matching and triggering circuit 150 connects the TX power coil to the DC voltage in an alternating manner (e.g., full bridge inverter, half bridge inverter) at a given frequency (e.g., 10MHz, etc.). Impedance matching allows the LC circuit of the capacitor and coil to be tuned to a desired resonant frequency and to achieve a desired quality factor. For example, the LC circuit may be tuned to resonate at the trigger rate.

The coil of the power receiver circuit 146 is in close proximity to the coil of the transmitter circuit 144 to receive the magnetic field generated by the TX coil and thereby generate an AC voltage. The LC circuit formed by the RX coil and the capacitor can be tuned to a desired resonance and/or quality factor. An impedance matching and rectifying circuit 158 rectifies the AC voltage of the RX coil to produce a DC mains voltage which is regulated by a regulating circuit 160.

The device communicates with the power transmitter circuit 144 via NFC (near field communication) 170. For example, when the device has data to transmit to the power transmitter circuit 144, the processing module 166 generates the data that is provided to the NFC modulator/demodulator 162. The NFC modulator/demodulator 162 modulates data at a given frequency (e.g., 13MHz, 900MHz, etc.) to drive the NFC coil 164. The NFC coil 164 generates a magnetic field that is received by the NFC coil 156 of the power transmitter circuit 144. The NFC modulation/demodulation unit 154 demodulates the signal provided by the NFC coil 156 to recover the transmit data provided to the processing module 152. Data transmitted from the power transmitter circuit 144 to the device is processed in a similar manner.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a portion of a wireless power supply system of the present invention including a power transmitter circuit 172 and a power receiver circuit 174. The power transmitter circuit 172 includes a rectifying and conditioning circuit 176, an impedance matching and triggering circuit 178, a processing module 190, NFC modulators/demodulators 188, 200, and a shared WP & NFC coil 202. The power receiver circuit 174 includes an impedance matching and rectifying circuit 204, a conditioning circuit 206, NFC modulator/demodulators 216, 220, and an NFC coil 222. The power receiver circuit 174 is coupled to a battery charger (not shown) and the processing module 218.

In an example of operation, the rectification and regulation circuit 176 of the power transmitter circuit 172 converts an AC voltage (e.g., 110VAC, 220VAC, etc.) to a DC voltage (e.g., 160VDC, 320VDC, etc.). The impedance matching and triggering circuit 178 connects the TX power coil 202 to the DC voltage in an alternating manner (e.g., full bridge inverter, half bridge inverter) at a given frequency (e.g., 10MHz, etc.). Impedance matching allows the LC circuit of the capacitor and coil to be tuned to a desired resonant frequency and to achieve a desired quality factor. For example, the LC circuit may be tuned to resonate at the trigger rate.

The coil 202 of the power receiver circuit 174 is proximate to the coil 222 of the power transmitter circuit 172 to receive the electromagnetic field generated by the TX coil 202 and thereby generate an AC voltage. The LC circuit formed by RX coil 222 and the capacitor may be tuned to achieve a desired resonance and/or a desired quality factor. The impedance matching and rectifying circuit 204 rectifies the AC voltage of the RX coil 222 to produce a DC mains voltage that is regulated by the regulating circuit.

The device communicates with the WP TX unit by NFC (near field communication) using the shared WP & NFC coil 202, 222. For example, when the device has data to transmit to the WP TX unit, the processing module 218 generates data that is provided to the NFC data modulator 216. The NFC data modulator 216 modulates data at a given frequency (e.g., 13MHz, 900MHz, etc.) to produce an amplitude component (a (t))212 and a phase component (Φ (t)) 214. The phase component 214 adjusts the phase of the oscillation (cos ω (t)) to produce a phase modulated oscillation (cos (ω (t) + Φ (t)) 210. the power amplifier 208 amplifies the phase modulated oscillation 210 by the amplitude component 212 to produce an amplitude modulated and phase modulated signal (a (t) cos (ω (t) + Φ (t))) which is transmitted to the WPTX unit through AC coupling to the shared WP & NFC coil 222.

The shared coil 202 of the WP TX unit receives a signal (e.g., A)₀cos(ω₀(t)). A (t) cos (ω (t)) + Φ (t)), wherein A₀Is the amplitude, ω, of the WP signal₀Is the frequency of the WP signal). The NFC signal component is AC coupled with the data demodulator 200 and the WP component is provided to the impedance matching circuit 178. Data demodulator 200 recovers data from amplitude component 186 and phase component 184 and provides the data to processing module 190.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the wireless power supply system of the present invention, including a WP TX unit 226 and a device 228. Device 228 includes WP coil 230, power RX circuitry 232, battery charger 234, battery 236, multiplexer 238 or the like, dc-to-dc converter 240, processing module 242, IO interface module 244, memory 246, power management unit 248, NFC power recovery module 252, and/or RF/MMW power recovery module 250.

In an example of operation, when battery 236 has been depleted or is about to be depleted and there is insufficient power to power the minimum circuitry to charge the battery, NFC power recovery module 252 and/or RF/MMW power recovery module 250 generates an emergency voltage to power the initiating battery charge. Upon receiving power from the WP TX unit 226, the emergency power generator will stop functioning, and the supply voltage V1 can then be used to power the device 228 during and/or after charging is complete (e.g., a continuous boost charging module). Note that V1 or other voltage derived from WP power will power device 228 as long as power from WP is received.

Fig. 10 is a structural schematic of another embodiment of a wireless power supply 254 of the present invention, the wireless power supply 254 including a processing module 256, a rectifying and impedance matching circuit (e.g., capacitor and diode) 258, an RX coil 260, a buck (buck) and/or boost (boost) converter 262, a continuous boost charging circuit (three charge circuit)264, a battery 266, and a battery current sensor 268. Processing module 256 includes a battery charger controller 270, a boost controller 272, a buck controller 274, an impedance matching control 280, an RF/MMW and/or an NFC data processing module 276. The processing module 256 may further include a power management unit 282. Note that the processing module 256 may be disposed on a single integrated circuit or on multiple integrated circuits with one or more components of the converter 262, the rectifying circuit 258, the continuous boost charging circuit 264, and/or the battery current sensor 268.

In an example of operation, RX coil 260 (comprising one or more adjustable inductors) receives a magnetic field from WP TX unit and generates an AC voltage therefrom. The adjustable inductance is tuned (with RX coil 260 only) to a desired resonant frequency, impedance, and/or quality factor in order to generate the AC voltage. A full bridge rectifier (e.g., a diode) rectifies the AC voltage to produce a rectified voltage, which is capacitively filtered to produce a DC rail voltage (e.g., 3-20V)

Buck and/or boost converter 262 enables the buck converter to generate the battery charging voltage (and provide voltage Vdd to the device) when the DC rail voltage drops, and enables the boost converter to generate the battery charging voltage (and provide voltage Vdd) when the DC rail voltage rises. Note that when buck and/or boost converter 262 is in the boost mode, the buck transistor (transistor) is enabled. It is also noted that buck and/or boost converter 262 may include multiple inductors, transistors, diodes, and capacitors to generate multiple supply voltages.

As the battery 266 charges, the battery charge control module 270 monitors battery current and voltage to ensure that charging is performed in accordance with the charging requirements of the battery 266. When charging of the battery 266 is complete, the battery 266 is disconnected from the converter 262 (the converter 262 may be disabled or enabled to provide Vdd) and the battery 266 will undergo continuous boost charging. Note that when WP is lost, the battery 266 is connected to provide power to the device 254.

Fig. 11 is a state diagram of the processing modules of the wireless power-supplying devices 12-14, 58 of the present invention, including 6 states 286: idle 284, charge setting 288, charge 290, continuous boost charge 292, WP operation power management 294, battery operation power management 296. The device begins in an idle state 284 and then waits to detect either a WP TX unit, a WP operation enable, or a battery operation enable. The device may be in one of the charging states 286 and the WP operation power management state 294 simultaneously.

When the device detects a WP TX unit (e.g., via RFID communication, control channel communication, induced magnetic field, etc.), the device transitions from the idle state 284 to a charge set state 288. The device functions as shown in fig. 12 and/or 13 when in the charge set state 288 are described below. If the setup fails, the device will return to the idle state, the failure being caused by a failed establishment of control channel communication, the WP TX unit currently being unable to service the device, a circuit failure, a bad battery, or a connection loss.

When the charging setup is complete, the device transitions to the charging state 290. The device functions as shown in fig. 14 and/or 15 when in the charging state 290 will be described below. If charging fails or is complete but continuous boost charging is not required, the device will return to the idle state. If charging is complete and the battery is to be continuously recharged, the device will transition to a continuous boost charging state 292. The device will remain in this state until an error is reported (e.g., the connection to the WPTX unit is lost) or continuous boost charging is complete. Either of these two situations occurs and the device will return to the idle state 284.

When device operation is enabled, the device transitions to the WP operation power management state 294 once the device is enabled and connected to the WP TX unit. When in this state, the device functions as shown in fig. 16 will be described below. The device returns to the idle state 284 when the device is not enabled (e.g., turned off, placed in a sleep mode, etc.). Note that when the device is in this state, the device may also be in one of the charging states.

When the device is disconnected from the WP TX unit, the device will transition from the WP operational state 294 to a battery operational power management state 296. The device may also enter a battery operating state 296 from the idle state 284 when the device is enabled and not connected with the WP TX unit. When in this state, the device functions as shown in fig. 17 will be described below. When connected again with the WP TX unit, the device will return to the WP operation state 294. When the device is not enabled (e.g., turned off, put in sleep mode, low battery, etc.), the device will return to the idle state 284.

In an embodiment, the apparatus may include an Integrated Circuit (IC) that includes at least a portion of the wireless power receiver circuit 86 (e.g., an on-chip coil, an on-chip variable capacitance, components of the impedance matching and rectifying circuit 96 (diodes of the rectifying circuit may not be on-chip), and components of the conditioning circuit 98), a transceiver, and a processing module. The wireless power receiver circuit converts the electromagnetic signal into a voltage and transceives control channel communications when the transceiver is operational.

The processing module is to transition the device from an idle state to a charging state upon detection of the wireless power transmitter unit. The processing module is also to transition the device from an idle state to a wirelessly powered operating state when the wirelessly powered transmitter circuit is detected and the device is enabled. The processing module is also for transitioning the device from an idle state to a battery operating state when the device is operational and the wireless power transmitter circuit is not detected.

Alternatively, or in addition to the foregoing, the processing module may be operative to detect the availability of the wireless power transmitter unit via control channel communication. The processing module may then determine a battery charging requirement and whether the device is active when the wireless power transmitter unit is available. The processing module may then initiate charging of the battery with the voltage when the battery demand is less than the threshold. The process enables wireless power operation when the device is activated, and enables a battery mode of operation of the device when the wireless power transmitter is not available.

Fig. 12 is a logical block diagram of an embodiment of a method of the charge setting state 298 of the present invention, first, the device selects a standard communication protocol 300 with the WPTX unit. Examples of communication protocols 300 are shown in fig. 1-3. Note that the steps may begin by assuming a default communication protocol (e.g., RFID, bluetooth, etc.) to initiate communication, and then once communication is established, selecting another communication protocol. The method then continues with the device determining whether the device is synchronized 302 with the WPTX unit over the control channel. In other words, it is determined whether an available control channel is established between the device and the WP TX unit. If so, the device establishes control channel communication with the WP TX unit 304 and then exits state 306.

If the control channel is not established, the method continues with the device determining if the standard communication protocol (e.g., a protocol capable of handling) is exhausted 308, if not, the device repeatedly performs selecting another standard protocol 300, if the standard protocol is exhausted, the method continues with the device selecting a proprietary communication protocol 310. Note that the method may start with a proprietary protocol and if the proprietary protocol runs out, a standard protocol may be tried. It is also noted that, whether it is a standard protocol or a proprietary protocol, there is no distinction between the standard protocol and the proprietary protocol for the purpose of the method trying to find a usable protocol.

The method continues with the device using the proprietary protocol to determine if the device is synchronized 312 with the WPTX unit over the control channel. If so, the method continues with the device establishing 314 control channel communications with the WP TX unit using the proprietary protocol, and then jumping out of step 318.

If the control channel is not established using the proprietary protocol, the method continues with the device determining whether the proprietary protocol (e.g., executable protocol) is exhausted 316. If not, the device repeatedly performs the selection of another proprietary protocol 310. If the proprietary protocol is exhausted, the method continues and the device exits this state 318 due to an error.

Fig. 13 is a logic block diagram of another embodiment of the method of the charge set state 320 of the present invention, first, the device reads the RFID tag of the WP TX unit to determine the desired control channel protocol 322. The method continues with the device determining whether the desired control channel protocol 324 can be executed. If so, the method continues with the device establishing control channel communication 326 with the WP TX and jumping out of state 328.

If the device does not have the desired control channel protocol, the method continues with the device determining if it has hardware supporting the desired control channel protocol 330. E.g., whether NFC circuitry, RF circuitry, and/or MMW circuitry is included to support the operating frequency, power requirements, transmission range, etc., of the desired control channel protocol. If so, the device lacks the software for the desired control channel protocol, the method continues with the device downloading the software for the desired control channel protocol 332. After the device installs the software, the method continues with the device establishing control channel communications 326 with the WPTX unit.

If the device does not have hardware to support the control channel protocol, the method continues with the device determining whether RFID can be used as the control channel protocol 334 for communicating with the WPTX unit. In one embodiment, if the device requests to use RFID, if the WP TX unit allows, the method continues with the device using RFID as the control channel protocol 336 with the WPTX unit. If the device cannot use RFID as a control channel, the device exits this state 338 due to an error.

Fig. 14 is a logical block diagram of an embodiment of a method of charging status 340 of the present invention, first, a device determines a battery level 342 (e.g., battery remaining life based on battery model, power requirements of the device, etc.). The method continues with the device determining if the battery requires charging 344 and 346. For example, whether the charge of the battery falls below a threshold may be based on battery life, an under-charge, and/or other conditions.

If the battery does not need to be charged, the method returns to the starting state and executes the next step if necessary. In a next step, the device communicates with the WP TX unit to determine one or more of: impedance matching settings, operating frequency, power level, number of coils, etc. 348. The method continues with the device determining whether an adjustment of the impedance of one or more of the power RX circuits, the operating frequency of the power RX circuits, the power level, etc. is required and making the appropriate adjustment when required 350.

The method continues with the device setting a charging parameter 352 (e.g., Vdd, current limit, continuous charge level, charge interval, etc.). The method continues with the device charging the battery and monitoring the charging process 354 (e.g., charging current and/or charging voltage). The device also determines if it is still within range of the WP TX unit 356. If so, the method continues and the device determines if charging is complete 358. If not, the method continues with setting (e.g., adjusting if needed in a subsequent cycle) the charging parameters 348. If the device is not within range of the WP TX unit, the method continues with the device exiting state 360 due to an error. The device also exits state 360 if the battery charging is complete.

Fig. 15 is a block diagram of a comparison of charging requirements and charging efficiency of the present invention by which a device determines whether charging as described in fig. 14 is required. As can be seen from fig. 15, the determination of whether charging is necessary is changed in proportion to the battery life and the charging efficiency. In this regard, when the battery life is high, the battery is charged only when efficient charging is possible. As battery life decreases, at some point, the charging requirements increase, much greater than the requirements for efficient charging.

Fig. 16 is a logic diagram of a method of the wireless power management state 364 of the present invention, first, the device determines whether the battery needs to be charged 364. If so, the method continues and the device disconnects the battery from the charger 366. The device is continuously recharged if needed or requested by a battery charging request. The method continues with the device determining an active state 368 (e.g., not enabled, active, idle, etc.) of the circuit module. The method continues with the device determining a clock frequency to activate the circuit module (e.g., selecting a clock frequency that just meets the operational requirements, typically less than the highest clock frequency) 370.

The method continues with the device determining the supply voltage for the active and idle circuit modules 372. For example, the device may set a power level for the idle circuit module that is only sufficient to determine whether the circuit continues to remain in the idle state or jumps to the active state. In another example, the device may set a power level for the active circuit module that is only sufficient for the circuit module to perform its tasks, typically below the maximum power level.

The method continues with the device enabling the clock signal for the active circuit and then providing the selected power level to the active and idle circuit modules 374. The method continues with the device determining if there is still a connection 376 with the WP TX unit. If so, the method returns to the beginning to be executed again. If not, the method continues and the device exits state 378. Note that in this state, power management of the device is a less critical task when the device is battery operated. In this regard, the clock signal rate and power level may be set near maximum values to enhance performance.

Fig. 17 is a logical block diagram of the method of the battery powered power management state 380 of the present invention, first the device disconnects the battery from the charger and has the battery as the primary power source 382. The method continues with the device determining an active state 384 (e.g., not enabled, active, idle, etc.) of the circuit module. The method continues with the apparatus determining a minimum acceptable clock signal and a minimum acceptable supply voltage (e.g., Vdd) for each activated circuit module 386.

The method continues with the apparatus causing the clock generator to generate a minimum acceptable clock frequency and enabling the converter to generate a minimum acceptable supply voltage 388. The method continues with the device determining a minimum acceptable idle supply voltage and no clock signal 390 for each idle circuit module. The method continues with the device enable converter generating an idle supply voltage 392. The method continues with the device determining whether it is still in battery mode 394, if so repeating the method, and if not leaving this state 396.

FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a wirelessly powered computer system of the present invention, including a computer 600, a wireless keyboard 602, a wireless mouse 604, a mobile phone 606, a personal audio/video (A/V) player 608, peripheral hardware drivers 610, other potential peripheral computer devices (e.g., joysticks, touch pads, track balls, speakers, etc.). The computer 600 may be a laptop computer, a flat panel display (panl display) computer (e.g., a tablet), a conventional computer, etc., and further includes a wireless power supply module.

In an embodiment, the computer 600 is wirelessly powered by the power transmitter circuit 612 (i.e., WP TX unit) and wirelessly powers peripheral components (e.g., keyboard 602, mouse 604, mobile phone 606, personal AV player 608, hard drive 610, etc.). The computer 600 may simultaneously or sequentially provide wireless power to the peripheral devices 602 and 610. Each of the peripherals 602 and 610 can communicate wirelessly with the computer 600 using a conventional wireless communication protocol (e.g., bluetooth) and/or a WP control channel.

Although FIG. 18 illustrates a computer system, the present concepts are applicable to a broader system. For example, the wireless power system may include basic devices (e.g., a computer, a television, a display, a cable set-top box, a satellite set-top box, a home electronics device, etc.) and at least one peripheral (e.g., a peripheral shown in fig. 35, a voice and/or video entertainment component, a remote controller, etc.). The basic device includes a power conversion unit, a functional module, and a transceiver. The peripheral includes a wireless power receiver, a peripheral unit, and a transceiver.

In the basic device, a power conversion unit converts a power source into an electromagnetic signal. For example, the power conversion unit may include a power source and a wireless power transmitter circuit. The power supply converts a power source (e.g., an AC voltage) to an output DC voltage. The wireless power transmitter circuit converts the output DC voltage to an electromagnetic signal. In another example, a power conversion unit includes a wireless power receiver circuit and a power conversion transmit circuit. The wireless power receiver circuit converts a power source (e.g., an input electromagnetic signal) into a supply voltage. The power conversion transmitting circuit converts the supply voltage into an electromagnetic signal. In the latter example, the input electromagnetic signal may have a first frequency and the electromagnetic signal may have a second frequency to minimize interference therebetween.

The functional blocks of the base device perform functions related to peripheral information (e.g., communication protocols used to communicate peripheral information, input data from the peripheral, input commands from the peripheral, output data from the peripheral, and/or output commands from the peripheral). For example, if the functional module is a central processing unit and the peripheral device is a user input device (e.g., touch screen, keypad, mouse, keyboard, etc.), the user input device may generate data and/or commands for execution by the central processing unit. In another example, if the functional module is a memory and the peripheral is a user output device, the memory provides data for display (e.g., audible and/or visible) by the user output device.

The transceiver of the base device communicates information related to the electromagnetic signal with the transceiver of the peripheral device. The information associated with the electromagnetic signal may include a control channel protocol, an electromagnetic signal frequency, an impedance matching parameter, a resonant frequency tuning parameter, and/or other electromagnetic characteristics described herein.

The transceiver of the base unit also communicates peripheral information with the peripheral transceivers. In this regard, the transceiver is used for wireless power control channel communications and peripheral function (e.g., data and/or command) communications.

In addition to including a power conversion unit, a functional module, and a transceiver, the base device also includes a battery, a battery charger, and a processing module. The battery charger charges the basic battery as illustrated in one or more of the figures using the supply voltage. The processing module coordinates the charging of the battery, the transfer of information about the electromagnetic signal, and the transfer of peripheral information.

The peripheral wireless power receiver circuit converts the electromagnetic signal to a voltage set forth in one or more of the figures. The peripheral unit of the peripheral processes the peripheral information. For example, the peripheral unit may generate input data for the base device, wherein the peripheral information includes the input data. In another example, the peripheral unit may generate an input command for the base device, wherein the peripheral information includes the input command. In another example, the peripheral unit may perform a function on output data of the base device, wherein the peripheral information includes the output data. In another example, the peripheral unit may perform a function in accordance with an output command from the base device, wherein the peripheral information includes the output command.

The peripheral device includes a battery, a battery charger, and a processing module in addition to a wireless power receiver, a peripheral unit, and a transceiver. The battery charger charges the peripheral battery using the supply voltage. The processing module coordinates the charging of the battery, the transfer of information about the electromagnetic signal, and the transfer of peripheral information.

The basic device and/or the peripheral may include an IC (integrated circuit) to support the above functions. For example, the IC may include at least a portion of a wireless power receiver circuit (e.g., one or more coils, capacitors, and diodes of a rectifier circuit that may not be on-chip), at least a portion of a battery charger (e.g., one or more switching transistors, an output filter capacitor, and an inductor that may not be on-chip), a transceiver, and a processing module.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a power module (e.g., computer power module 616 and peripheral power module 614) of a wirelessly powered computer system of the present invention. The computer power module 616 includes a wireless transceiver 620, a power receiver circuit 622, a battery charger 624, a battery 626, a power conversion TX (transmit) circuit 628, a processing module 630, and a memory 632. The peripheral power module 614 includes a wireless transceiver 634, a power receiving circuit (RX ckt)636, a battery charger 638, and a battery 640.

In an embodiment, the power transmitter circuit 618 generates an electromagnetic field that is received by the power receiver circuit 622 of the computer power module 616 to enable wireless power transfer. The power receiver circuit 622 generates the DC rail voltage from the control signal provided by the processing module 630. The battery charger 624 converts the DC rail voltage to a battery charging voltage that is provided to the battery 626. The power conversion TX circuit 628 generates a magnetic field that is magnetically coupled to the power RX circuit 636 of the peripheral power module 614. The power conversion TX circuitry 628 is powered by the DC rail voltage when the computer power module 616 is in proximity to the power transmitter circuitry 618, or the power conversion TX circuitry 628 is powered by the use of a battery 626 when the computer power module 616 is not in proximity to the power transmitter circuitry 618.

The power RX circuitry of the peripheral power module 636 generates a DC rail voltage from the magnetic field of the power conversion TX circuitry 628. The battery charger 624 converts the DC rail voltage to a battery charging voltage for charging the battery 626. The computer power module 616 communicates with the peripheral power module 614 via the wireless transceivers 620, 634 (e.g., RF, MMW, and/or NFC) regarding wireless power considerations (e.g., frequency selection, operating frequency, impedance matching settings, power level, etc.). Also, the wireless transceivers 620, 634 may be used to transfer data between the peripheral and the computer. For example, if the peripheral device is a wireless keyboard, the keyboard signal will be transmitted to the computer via the wireless transceiver. Note that the plurality of peripherals each include a wireless transceiver, an established local area network requiring a network layer to coordinate communications.

The power modules (e.g., computer power module 616 and peripheral power module 614) may include ICs (integrated circuits) to support their functionality. For example, the IC may include at least a portion of a wireless power receiver circuit (e.g., one or more coils, capacitors, and diodes of a rectifier circuit that may not be on-chip), at least a portion of a wireless power transmitter circuit (e.g., one or more coils, capacitors, and switching transistors of a dc-to-ac circuit that may not be on-chip), and a transceiver. The wireless power receiver circuit is configured to convert an electromagnetic signal into a voltage, wherein the wireless power transmitter unit generates the electromagnetic signal. The wireless power transmitter circuit is for converting the voltage to a second electromagnetic signal. The receiver communicates first information about the first electromagnetic signal, second information about the second electromagnetic signal, and peripheral information about the performance of the function.

Fig. 20 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer power module 642 of the present invention, including a power receiver circuit 644, a battery charger 648, a battery 650, a power conversion TX circuit 646, a wireless transceiver 652, and a processing module 654. The power receiver circuit 644 includes an RX coil 656, an adjustable capacitor 658, an impedance matching and rectifying circuit 660, a conditioning circuit 662, and a control channel transceiver 664. The power conversion TX circuit 646 includes a multiplexer 666, a dc to ac converter 668, an impedance matching circuit 670, an adjustable capacitor 672, and a coil 674.

In an example of operation, RX coil 656 of power receiver circuit 644 generates an AC voltage from an electromagnetic field received from a TX coil of the WP TX unit. The impedance matching and rectifying circuit 660 converts the AC voltage to a DC rail voltage through a regulating circuit 662. The battery charger 648 uses the DC rail voltage to charge the battery 650.

The power conversion TX circuitry 646 is powered by the DC rail voltage when the computer receives wireless power from the WP TX unit 646, and the power conversion TX circuitry 646 is powered by the battery 650 when the computer is in a battery mode of operation (assuming that the battery 650 has sufficient power to charge the peripheral). In the WP mode, a DC to AC converter 668 converts the DC rail voltage to an AC voltage that is provided to coil 674 through an impedance matching circuit 670. Coil 674 produces a magnetic field for reception by the RX coil of the peripheral power module. In an embodiment, the AC voltage of the RX coil 656 of the power receiver circuit 644 of the computer power module 642 may have the same or a different frequency than the AC voltage of the TX coil 674 of the power conversion TX module 646.

When the computer is in a battery operating state, the power conversion TX circuitry 646 generates the magnetic field described above if the battery 650 has sufficient power (e.g., a desired battery life level) to charge one or more peripheral devices. If the battery 650 does not have sufficient power, the power conversion TX circuitry 646 will cease to operate.

Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a computer power module 676 according to the present invention, including an RX coil 678, an adjustable capacitor 680, a rectifier diode 682, a storage capacitor 684, a buck and/or boost converter 686, a battery 688, a battery current sensor 690, a continuous boost charging circuit 692, a dc-to-ac converter 694, another adjustable capacitor 696, and a processing module 698. Processing module 698 includes RX impedance matching module 700, control channel processing module 702, boost control module 706, buck control module 708, battery charger control module 710, dc-to-ac flow control module 712, and TX impedance matching control module 714. Also, the processing module 698 may implement the baseband processing 716 of the wireless transceiver. Note that processing module 698 and one or more components can be disposed on one or more integrated circuits.

In the latter half circuit embodiment, the DC-to-ac module 694 receives the DC rail voltage generated by the buck and/or boost converter 686. The dc-to-ac module 694 includes a full-bridge inverter topology to excite the coil 697. The dc to ac flow control module 712 generates a switching signal to drive the dc to ac module 694 at the desired frequency. The impedance matching control circuit 714 adjusts the impedance of the capacitor 696 and/or the coil 697 to achieve a desired resonant frequency and/or quality factor. For example, the impedance matching control circuit 714 may tune the capacitor 696 and the inductor 697 to resonate at the switching frequency of the dc-to-ac converter 694, making it an under-damped circuit or an over-damped circuit. In another embodiment, the dc to ac converter 694 may comprise a half-bridge converter topology. Note that the first half of the circuit shown in fig. 10 operates in the same manner.

Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a peripheral power module 722 of the present invention, including an RX coil 724, an adjustable capacitor 726, an impedance matching and rectifying circuit 728, an adjustment circuit 730, a battery charger 732, a battery 734, a processing module 736, and a wireless transceiver 738.

In an embodiment, RX coil 724 generates an AC voltage from a magnetic field received from a TX coil of a computer power supply module. The impedance matching and rectifying circuit 728 converts the AC voltage to a DC rail voltage through regulation by the regulating circuit 730. The battery charger 732 charges the battery 734 using the DC rail voltage.

Fig. 23 is a schematic block diagram of another embodiment of a peripheral power module 740 of the present invention, including a processing module 742, a rectifying and impedance matching circuit 744 (e.g., capacitors and diodes), an RX coil 746, a buck and/or boost conversion circuit 750, a continuous boost charging circuit 748, a battery 752, and a battery current sensor 754. Processing module 742 includes battery charger controller 756, boost controller 758, buck controller 760, impedance matching circuit 762, RF/MMW and/or NFC baseband processing module 764. Note that processing module 742 may be integrated with one or more elements of converter 750, rectifying circuit 744, continuous boost charging circuit 748, and/or battery current sensor 754 on a single integrated circuit or on multiple integrated circuits.

In an example of operation, RX coil 746 (including one or more adjustable inductors) receives a magnetic field from a computer power module and generates an AC voltage. Tunable capacitor 744 is tuned (disconnected or connected to RX coil 746) to a desired resonance, impedance, and/or quality factor that facilitates generating an AC voltage. A full bridge rectifier 744 (e.g., a diode) rectifies the AC voltage to produce a rectified voltage, which is filtered by a capacitor 744 to produce a DC rail voltage (e.g., 3-20V).

Buck and/or boost converter 750 may enable the buck converter to generate the battery charge voltage (and provide the supply voltage Vdd for the device) when the DC rail voltage drops, and may enable the boost converter to generate the battery charge voltage (and provide the supply voltage Vdd) when the DC rail voltage rises. Note that the buck transistor is enabled when buck and/or boost converter 750 is in the boost mode. It is also noted that buck and/or boost converter 750 may include multiple inductors, transistors, diodes, and capacitors to generate multiple supply voltages.

As the battery 752 charges, the battery charge control module 756 monitors the current and voltage of the battery 752 to ensure that the charging is performed in accordance with the charging requirements of the battery 752. When the charging of the battery 752 is complete, the battery 752 will be disconnected from the converter 750 (not enabled or enabled to provide Vdd) and the battery 752 will undergo continuous boost charging 748. Note that when WP is lost, a battery 752 is connected to provide power to the device.

Fig. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the wireless power supply system of the present invention, including a WP TX unit and a device 1050. The figure shows a power TX circuit and a reader of an RFID tag and/or a WP TX unit. Device 1050 includes power RX circuitry 1052, a battery charger and/or DC to DC converter 1054, a battery 1056 (including an RFID tag 1058), a processing module 1060, memory 1062, a plurality of input/output (I/O) modules 1064, a plurality of circuit modules 1068 and 1070, a clock generation unit 1072, an RFID tag and/or reader 1066, and a power management unit 1074.

In an example of operation, after WP TX unit and device 1050 establish communication, WP TX unit generates an electromagnetic field that is received by power RX circuitry 1052 of device 1050. The power RX circuit 1052 generates an AC voltage from the electromagnetic field, rectifies the AV voltage to a rectified voltage, and filters the rectified voltage to a DC rail voltage (e.g., V + and V-). The power RX circuit 1052 may be tuned based on a control signal provided by the processing module 1060. Tuning includes adjusting the quality factor of the circuit, adjusting the impedance, limiting the current, etc.

The battery charger 1054 converts the DV rail voltage to a battery charging voltage that the battery 1056 charges. The battery charger 1054 monitors the charging process to ensure proper charging depending on the battery model and provides continuous boost charging of the battery 1056 when charging is complete. Note that the processing module 1060 may provide control signals to the battery charger 1054 to adjust the charging process depending on the model of the battery 1056.

The dc-to-dc converter 1054 converts the battery voltage (e.g., 1.5V, 4.2V, etc.) to one or more supply voltages (e.g., 1V, 2.2V, 3.3V, 5V, 12V, etc.). Dc-to-dc converter 1054 provides a supply voltage to one or more other modules under the control of power management module 1074. In general, power management module 1074 is used to control power consumption of the power supply by device 1050 to an optimal state (e.g., balance performance and battery life). In this regard, power management module 1074 may treat each module as an independent power island that may be separately controlled. For example, the power management module 1050 may disconnect power to the circuit modules 1068-1070 when the circuit modules 1068-1070 are inactive. In another example, the power management module 1074 may reduce the voltage provided to the module 1068 + 1070 when the module 1068 + 1070 does not need to operate at the maximum potential state.

In addition to controlling the supply voltage provided to each power island, the voltage management module 1074 may use the clock signal to control the clock signal provided to each circuit module 1068 and 1070. For example, when the circuit 1068-. In this way, power consumption is minimized and the circuit module 1068, 1070 can be activated quickly once needed. In another example, the power management module 1074 may decrease the frequency of the clock signal provided to the circuit module 1068-1070 when the circuit module 1068-1070 does not need to operate at the maximum potential state.

To facilitate charging of the battery 1056, the RFID tag 1058 of the battery 1056 stores information regarding the efficient and effective charging of the battery 1056. For example, the information may indicate the model number of the battery 1056, the number of times the battery 1056 has been charged, the desired charging current, the desired charging voltage, the desired charging duration, a time-based change in charging current, a time-based change in charging voltage, a continuous boost charging demand, and the like. In this way, battery 1056 provides information about the optimal charging to enable device 1050 to configure itself to be able to optimally charge battery 1056.

Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery 1080 of the present invention including a coil 1090, an impedance matching and rectifying circuit 1082, a battery charger 1084, a battery unit 1086, an RFID tag and/or reader 1088. Note that the physical size of the components is determined by the operating frequency of the charger 1084 and the charging requirements of the battery 1086.

In an example of operation, coil 1090 of power RX unit receives a magnetic field from TX coil and generates an AC voltage. An impedance matching and rectifying circuit 1082 adjusts the impedance of the coil 1090 and rectifies the AC voltage of the RX coil 1090 to produce a DC rail voltage, which is regulated by a regulating circuit (not shown). Note that impedance matching may be removed from the battery charging circuitry within the battery. The battery charger 1084 regulates the voltage to the desired charging voltage and monitors the charging current to ensure proper charging.

Fig. 26 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery 1092 of the invention, including a processing module 1094, a rectifying and impedance matching circuit (e.g., capacitor and diode) 1096, an RX coil 1098, a buck and/or boost converter 1100, a continuous boost charging circuit 1101, a battery cell 1102, and a battery current sensor 1104. The processing module 1094 includes a battery charger controller 1106, a buck (and/or boost) controller 1108, and an RFID data processing module 1110. Note that the processing module 1094 may be provided in a single integrated circuit or in multiple integrated circuits with one or more components of the converter 1100, the rectifying circuit 1096, the continuous boost charging circuit 1101, and/or the battery current sensor 1104.

In an example of operation, RX coil 1098 (including one or more adjustable inductors) receives a magnetic field from the WPTX unit and generates an AC voltage therefrom. A full bridge rectifier 1096 (e.g., a diode) rectifies the AC voltage to produce a rectified voltage and is capacitively filtered to produce a DC rail voltage (e.g., 3-20V). Buck (and/or boost) converter 1100 may enable a buck converter to generate a battery charging voltage when the DC rail voltage drops (or may enable a boost converter to generate a battery charging voltage when the DC rail voltage rises).

As the battery 1902 charges, the battery charge control module 1106 monitors battery current and voltage to ensure that charging is in accordance with the charging requirements of the battery 1096. When charging of battery 1092 is complete, battery 1092 will be disconnected from converter 1100 (not enabled) and battery 1102 will undergo continuous boost charging.

Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery of the invention, including the components shown in fig. 25 and/or fig. 26. As shown, the RX coil may be disposed in the cathode and/or anode. Other components may be provided on a flexible circuit board that forms the housing or sleeve for the battery.

Fig. 28 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a wirelessly rechargeable battery of the invention, including the components shown in fig. 25 and/or fig. 26. As shown, the RX coil may be disposed in the cathode and/or anode. Other components may be provided on a flexible circuit board that forms the housing or sleeve for the battery.

It will be understood by those within the art that the term "substantially" or "about," as may be used herein, provides an industry-accepted tolerance to the corresponding term. Such an industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than 1% to 50% and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process fluctuations, temperature fluctuations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. It will be further understood by those within the art that the term "operably coupled", as may be used herein, includes direct coupling and indirect coupling via another component, element, circuit, or module where, for indirect coupling, the intervening component, element, circuit, or module does not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two elements in the same manner as "operably coupled". One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the term "compares favorably", as may be used herein, indicates that a comparison between two or more elements, items, signals, etc., provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater amplitude than signal 2, favorable comparison results may be obtained when the amplitude of signal 1 is greater than the amplitude of signal 2 or the amplitude of signal 2 is less than the amplitude of signal 1.

The transistors illustrated and described above are FETs (field effect transistors) and any type of transistor structure may be used for the transistors, including but not limited to bipolar transistors, MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors), N-polarity transistors, P-polarity transistors, enhancement, depletion, 0VT (voltage threshold) transistors, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The invention has been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating specified functions and relationships. For convenience of description, the boundaries and sequence of these functional building blocks and method steps have been defined herein specifically. However, given the appropriate implementation of functions and relationships, changes in the limits and sequences are allowed. Any such boundaries or sequence of changes should be considered to be within the scope of the claims.

The invention has also been described above with the aid of functional blocks illustrating some important functions. For convenience of description, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been defined specifically herein. When these important functions are implemented properly, varying their boundaries is permissible. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may be specifically defined herein to illustrate certain important functions, and the boundaries and sequence of the flow diagram blocks may be otherwise defined for general application so long as the important functions are still achieved. Variations in the boundaries and sequence of the above described functional blocks, flowchart functional blocks, and steps may be considered within the scope of the following claims. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the functional blocks described herein, and other illustrative blocks, modules, and components, may be implemented as discrete components, special purpose integrated circuits, processors with appropriate software, and the like.

Claims (9)

1. A battery, comprising:

an anode;

a cathode;

one or more chargeable units connected to the anode and the cathode;

a voltage sensing circuit for determining a voltage of the one or more chargeable units; and

a radio frequency identification tag, the radio frequency identification tag comprising:

a transceiver section;

a memory for storing battery charging information and battery charging parameters; and

a processing module to:

obtaining the voltage of the chargeable unit;

determining a battery charging requirement based on at least one of the voltage, the battery charging information, and the battery charging parameter; and

communicating the battery charging requirement through the transceiver portion.

2. The battery of claim 1, further comprising:

the transceiver section comprises a coil, wherein the coil is integratable in at least one of the anode and the cathode, and wherein the coil transceives electromagnetic signals within a given frequency band and is a conductive element of at least one of the anode and the cathode at direct current.

3. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery charging information comprises at least one of:

a battery charging history;

the life of the battery; and

the number of remaining recharges of the battery.

4. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery charging requirements include at least one of:

a battery charging parameter; and

the level of battery charging requirements.

5. The battery of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless power supply coil for generating an alternating current voltage from a wireless power supply electromagnetic field; and

a battery charging circuit for:

converting the alternating current voltage to a battery charging voltage; and

the one or more rechargeable cells are charged by the battery charging voltage.

6. A battery, comprising:

one or more chargeable units;

a wireless power supply coil for generating an alternating current voltage from a wireless power supply electromagnetic field; and

a battery charging circuit, comprising:

an output coupling circuit for:

providing the battery charging voltage to the one or more rechargeable units;

disconnecting the one or more chargeable units from the terminals of the battery when the wireless powering electromagnetic field is detected; and

connecting an output of the battery charging circuit to the pole terminal when a wireless powering electromagnetic field is detected,

wherein the battery charging circuit is configured to:

generating a battery charging voltage from the alternating current voltage according to a battery charging control signal; and

when enabled, the one or more rechargeable cells are charged by a battery charging voltage.

7. The battery of claim 6, further comprising:

a radio frequency identification module to:

generating the battery charge control signal; and

communicating with a wirelessly powered transmitter device.

8. A battery circuit module, comprising:

a wireless power supply coil for generating an alternating current voltage from a wireless power supply electromagnetic field;

a battery charging circuit for:

generating a battery charging voltage from the alternating current voltage according to battery charging information; and

when enabled, charging one or more of the rechargeable cells with a battery charging voltage; and

a radio frequency identification module to:

communicating with a wirelessly powered transmitter device; and

generating battery charging information based at least in part on communication with a wirelessly powered transmitter device;

a processing module to:

processing detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field;

processing the determination of the battery voltage;

enabling a charging operation of the battery based on the battery voltage and detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field;

processing a baseband portion in communication with the wirelessly powered transmitter device; and

generating the battery charging information.

9. The battery circuit module of claim 8, wherein the battery charging circuit comprises:

a voltage sensing circuit for determining a battery voltage;

a detection circuit for detecting the wireless powering electromagnetic field; and

a processing module for enabling a charging operation of the battery in dependence on the battery voltage and detection of the wireless powering electromagnetic field.