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Microsoft patents ADVANCED INDUCTIVE CHARGING PAD FOR PORTABLE DEVICES

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Abstract:

Systems and methodologies for efficient inductive charging of electronic devices are provided herein. A charging device as described herein can utilize a sensor-integrated resonating circuit with automatic frequency control to provide low-cost inductive charging functionality for electronic devices. As further described herein, a device to be charged can be equipped with a power receiver operable to receive power from the charging device via electromagnetic induction. The power receiver can additionally be utilized for initiation of charging such that charging for a device commences upon its associated power receiver being brought within range of an inductive charging surface at the charging device. Further, a charging device as described herein can have an inductive charging surface as well as a non-charging surface for providing other services such as information display. A charging device can integrate with an external information source to obtain items to be displayed at a non-charging surface thereon.

Claims


1. A system for charging an electronic device, comprising:a charging device having at least one charging surface located thereon;an initialization component that enables charging at the charging device upon detecting that a charging surface located thereon is engageable by an electronic device;a load detection component that detects device engagement at the charging surface; anda charging component that wirelessly provides power to an engaged device at the charging surface via electromagnetic induction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the initialization component further comprises a timer module that disables charging at the charging device upon determining that no device engagement has occurred at the charging device within a predetermined time period following enablement of charging.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the load detection component detects device engagement at least in part by determining whether a power receiver associated with an electronic device has been brought within inductive range of the charging surface.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a resonating state monitor that determines a resonating frequency of the power receiver, wherein the charging component provides power to the associated electronic device via electromagnetic induction using the resonating frequency determined by the resonating state monitor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the charging component comprises a switching circuit that facilitates periodic variance in an inductive current utilized for providing power to the associated electronic device via electromagnetic induction at the resonating frequency determined by the resonating state monitor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging surface at the charging device facilitates simultaneous charging of a plurality of disparate electronic devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging surface comprises a visible indicator that charging is occurring for one or more electronic devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the initialization component comprises an orientation tracking component that determines whether the charging device is oriented such that a charging surface thereon is engageable.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the orientation tracking component comprises at least one accelerometer.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the charging device further comprises a display surface that displays graphical information upon a determination by the orientation tracking component that the charging device is oriented to allow viewing of the display surface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the charging device obtains information to display at the display surface from a disparate information source.

12. A method of controlling an electronic charging pad to facilitate charging of an electronic device, comprising:initializing a charging mode upon detecting that a charging area at the charging pad is oriented to allow engagement therewith;detecting engagement between the charging area and at least one power receiver associated with at least one electronic device to be charged; andproviding power to at least one engaged power receiver via electromagnetic induction.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting further comprises:determining whether a power receiver is detected within a predetermined time following initialization of the charging mode; anddisabling the charging mode pending detection of a power receiver upon determining that a power receiver has not been detected within the predetermined time.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing comprises:determining a resonating frequency of an engaged power receiver; andinductively providing power to the engaged power receiver at the determined resonating frequency.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising disabling the charging mode upon detecting removal of an engaged power receiver from the charging area.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing at least one visual or auditory indication that power is being provided to the at least one engaged power receiver.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein:the detecting comprises detecting engagement between a plurality of power receivers associated with respective electronic devices and the charging area; andthe providing comprises providing power to the engaged power receivers simultaneously.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:identifying a display surface associated with the charging pad; anddisplaying information at the display surface upon determining that the display surface is visibly oriented.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the displaying comprises:obtaining display information from an external information store; anddisplaying the obtained display information at the display surface.

20. A system for controlling an inductive charging surface to inductively provide power to a portable electronic device, comprising:means for initializing charging upon determining that the inductive charging surface is oriented to enable coupling thereto;means for detecting coupling of an inductive power receiver associated with a portable electronic device to the charging surface upon initialization of charging;means for determining a resonant frequency associated with the inductive power receiver; andmeans for providing power to the portable electronic device at least in part by passing a periodic inductive current through the inductive charging surface at the resonant frequency associated with the inductive power receiver, thereby creating a magnetic field between the charging surface and the power receiver and inducing a current at the power receiver.
Description


BACKGROUND

[0001]Due to high customer demand for portable devices and other similar electronic devices and continuous innovation in the field of mobile technology, the marketplace for portable devices is rapidly enlarging. However, techniques for charging portable devices have seen little innovation. While techniques for wirelessly charging an electronic device through electromagnetic induction and/or other means have been proposed, these previous techniques have encountered a number of shortcomings, and as a result wired charging remains the dominant charging technique for portable devices. For example, wireless charging techniques typically provide low efficiency and slow charging speeds as compared to comparable wired charging solutions. Further, wireless charging systems are often prohibitively costly to manufacture and require a form factor that is too large to fit inside a portable device. In addition, consumer concern with respect to electromagnetic radiation emitted by existing wireless charging devices has chilled the rate of adoption of such devices as a primary charging solution.

[0002]Accordingly, there is a need for wireless charging systems and/or techniques for portable devices that mitigate at least the above shortcomings.

SUMMARY

[0003]The following presents a simplified summary of the claimed subject matter in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview of the claimed subject matter. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject matter nor delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0004]Systems and methodologies are provided herein that facilitate improved inductive charging for portable devices. In accordance with one aspect, a charging device is described herein that utilizes a sensor-integrated resonating circuit with automatic frequency control to provide low-cost inductive charging functionality for electronic devices. By employing various techniques described herein, charging speed and efficiency of the inductive charging device is comparable to that of conventional wired charging. Additionally, electromagnetic radiation emitted by the charging device can be restricted to a substantially small area without affecting charging performance.

[0005]In accordance with one aspect, a charging device as described herein can have at least one inductive charging surface and at least one non-charging surface. Orientation of the charging device can detected, and charging can be initialized at the charging device if the device is oriented to allow engagement between a portable device and a charging surface. In one example, a portable device to be charged can be equipped with a power receiver such that a charging device can detect the presence of a device to be charged in order to provide power thereto. Upon a power receiver being placed in range of the inductive charging surface, a switching mechanism at the charging device can be driven to provide a varying current across the charging surface, thereby creating a magnetic field between the charging surface and the power receiver. From the created magnetic field, a circuit associated with the power receiver at the electronic device can receive power from the charging device.

[0006]In accordance with another aspect, a charging device as described herein can generally be constructed in the form of a charging pad having an inductive charging surface and a non-inductive display surface. The charging surface can be configured to enable charging of one or more similar or disparate electronic devices engaged therewith. Further, when visible, the display surface can provide a display for text, graphics, and/or other suitable items. In one example, the display surface can integrate with a computer or other device to display information provided by the integrated device.

[0007]The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the claimed subject matter. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the claimed subject matter may be employed and the claimed subject matter is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and distinguishing features of the claimed subject matter will become apparent from the following detailed description of the claimed subject matter when considered in conjunction with the drawings.



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