Patent Description:
Portable digital communication devices have become a must-have item for everyone in the modern era. Customers desire to receive various high-quality services anytime, anywhere. Recent development of Internet of Thing (IoT) technology bundles various sensors, home appliances, and communication devices up into a single network. A diversity of sensors requires a wireless power transmission system for seamless operations.

Wireless power transmission may come in various types, such as magnetic induction, magnetic resonance, and electromagnetic waves, among which the electromagnetic wave type may advantageously work for remote power transmission as compared with the others.

Wireless power transmitters of electromagnetic wave type may transmit power in such a manner as to form RF waves. Wireless power transmitters may beam-form RF waves toward an electronic device, and the electronic device may receive the beam-formed RF waves. In relation to the conventional electromagnetic wave types, there is no disclosure as to a configuration of adjusting the beam width of RF waves for charging. However, if a wireless power transmitter forms a fixed beam width of RF waves without considering the charging environment, wireless power transmission/reception would not be done at optimal efficiency.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, a wireless power transmitter and its method of operation may adjust the beam width of RF waves for charging an electronic device considering various charging environments. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device wirelessly receiving power and its method of operation may transmit various pieces of information for adjusting the beam width of RF waves for charging to a wireless power transmitter and, upon receiving the information, the wireless power transmitter may adjust the beam width of RF waves. <CIT> relates to wireless power transmitting devices capable of wirelessly transmitting power to electronic devices and methods for controlling the same.

According to various aspects, a wireless power transmitter comprises a plurality of patch antennas, a communication circuit and a processor configured to control to form an RF wave of a first beam width via the plurality of patch antennas, receive sensing data about at least one of a motion of the electronic device or a posture of the electronic device via the communication circuit from the electronic device, and adjust a beam width of the RF wave formed by the plurality of patch antennas from the first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the received sensing data.

According to various aspects, an electronic device comprises a plurality of patch antennas, a sensor, a communication circuit, and a processor configured to control to receive at least part of an RF wave of a first beam width formed from a wireless power transmitter via the plurality of patch antennas, obtain sensing data about at least one of a motion of the electronic device or a posture of the electronic device via the sensor, transmit the sensing data to the wireless power transmitter via the communication circuit, and control to receive at least part of the RF wave whose beam width has been adjusted from the first beam width to a second beam width via the plurality of patch antennas.

According to various aspects, the RF signal adjustment circuit may include a first balun configured to receive an input RF signal and generate a differential signal corresponding to the input RF signal, an I/Q generation circuit configured to generate a positive I signal, a negative I signal, a positive Q signal, and a negative Q signal corresponding to the differential signal, an I/Q amplification circuit configured to adjust an amplitude of at least one of the positive I signal, the negative I signal, the positive Q signal, or the negative Q signal, a combiner configured to generate synthesized differential signals by synthesizing the positive I signal, the negative I signal, the positive Q signal, and the negative Q signal the amplitude of at least one of which has been adjusted, and a second balun configured to output an output RF signal by synthesizing the synthesized differential signals.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, there may be provided a wireless power transmitter capable of adjusting the beam width of RF waves considering various charging environments and a method of operating the same. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, there may be provided an electronic device capable of transmitting various pieces of information for adjusting the beam width of RF waves and a method of operating the same. It is thus possible to form RF waves with the optimal beam width depending on the charging environment, thus enabling wireless power transmission/reception at relatively high efficiency.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and the terminology used herein. The same or similar reference denotations may be used to refer to the same or similar elements throughout the specification and the drawings. As used herein, the terms "A or B" or "at least one of A and/or B" may include all possible combinations of A and B. As used herein, the terms "first" and "second" may modify various components regardless of importance and/or order and are used to distinguish a component from another without limiting the components. It will be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being (operatively or communicatively) "coupled with/to," or "connected with/to" another element (e.g., a second element), it can be coupled or connected with/to the other element directly or via a third element.

As used herein, the terms "configured to" may be interchangeably used with other terms, such as "suitable for," "capable of," "modified to," "made to," "adapted to," "able to," or "designed to" in hardware or software in the context. Rather, the term "configured to" may mean that a device can perform an operation together with another device or parts. For example, the term "processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may mean a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or application processor) that may perform the operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device or a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing the operations.

For example, examples of the wireless power transmitter or electronic device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a desktop PC, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a workstation, a server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a MP3 player, a medical device, a camera, or a wearable device. The wearable device may include at least one of an accessory-type device (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, glasses, contact lenses, or a head-mounted device (HMD)), a fabric- or clothes-integrated device (e.g., electronic clothes), a body attaching-type device (e.g., a skin pad), or a body implantable device. In some embodiments, examples of the wireless power transmitter or electronic device may include at least one of a television, a digital video disk (DVD) player, an audio player, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washer, a drier, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a home automation control panel, a security control panel, a media box, a gaming console, an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, or an electronic picture frame.

According to another embodiment, the wireless power transmitter or the electronic device may include at least one of various medical devices (e.g., diverse portable medical measuring devices (a blood sugar measuring device, a heartbeat measuring device, or a body temperature measuring device), a magnetic resource angiography (MRA) device, a magnetic resource imaging (MRI) device, a computed tomography (CT) device, an imaging device, or an ultrasonic device), a navigation device, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), an automotive infotainment device, an sailing electronic device (e.g., a sailing navigation device or a gyro compass), avionics, security devices, vehicular head units, industrial or home robots, drones, automatic teller's machines (ATMs), point of sales (POS) devices, or internet of things (IoT) devices (e.g., a bulb, various sensors, a sprinkler, a fire alarm, a thermostat, a street light, a toaster, fitness equipment, a hot water tank, a heater, or a boiler). According to various embodiments of the disclosure, examples of the wireless power transmitter or electronic device may at least one of part of a piece of furniture, building/structure or vehicle, an electronic board, an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, or various measurement devices (e.g., devices for measuring water, electricity, gas, or electromagnetic waves). According to embodiments, the wireless power transmitter or electronic device may be flexible or may be a combination of the above-enumerated electronic devices. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the wireless power transmitter or electronic device is not limited to the above-listed embodiments. As used herein, the term "user" may denote a human using the electronic device or another device (e.g., an artificial intelligent electronic device) using the wireless power transmitter or electronic device.

<FIG> is a concept view illustrating a wireless power transmission system according to various embodiments.

The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may wirelessly transmit power to at least one electronic device <NUM> or <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may include a plurality of patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM>. The patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> are not limited as long as they each are an antenna capable of producing RF waves. At least one of the amplitude or phase of RF waves produced by the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> may be adjusted by the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. For ease of description, the RF waves respectively generated by the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> are denoted sub-RF waves.

According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust at least one of the amplitude or phase of each of the sub-RF waves generated by the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM>. The sub-RF waves may interfere with one another. For example, the sub-RF waves may constructively interfere with one another at one point or destructively interfere at another point. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust at least one of the amplitude or phase of each of the sub-RF waves generated by the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> so that the sub-RF waves may constructively interfere with one another at a first point (x1, y1, z1). The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals individually input to the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM>, thereby adjusting at least one of the amplitude or phase of each sub RF wave.

For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine that the electronic device <NUM> is positioned at the first point (x1, y1, z1). Here, the position of the electronic device <NUM> may be where, e.g., a power receiving antenna of the electronic device <NUM> is located. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the position of the electronic device <NUM> in various manners. In order for the electronic device <NUM> to wirelessly receive power at a higher transmission efficiency, the sub-RF waves should constructively interfere with one another at the first point (x1, y1, z1). Accordingly, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may control the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> so that the sub-RF waves may constructively interfere with one another at the first point (x1, y1, z1). Here, controlling the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> may mean controlling the magnitude of electrical signals inputted to the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> or controlling the phase (or delay) of signals inputted to the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM>. Meanwhile, beamforming, a technique for controlling RF waves to be subject to constructive interference at a certain point, would readily be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. It is also appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the beamforming used in the disclosure is not particularly limited in type. For example, various beamforming methods may be adopted as disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT>. An RF wave formed by beamforming may be denoted a pocket of energy.

Hence, an RF wave <NUM> formed by interference among the sub-RF waves may have the maximum amplitude at the first point (x1, y1, z1), and thus, the electronic device <NUM> may receive wireless power at higher efficiency. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may detect that the electronic device <NUM> is positioned at the second point (x2, y2, z2). The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may control the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> so that the sub-RF waves may constructively interfere with one another at the second point (x2, y2, z2) in order to charge the electronic device <NUM>. Hence, an RF wave <NUM> formed by the sub-RF waves may have the maximum amplitude at the second point (x2, y2, z2), and thus, the electronic device <NUM> may receive power at a higher efficiency.

Specifically, the electronic device <NUM> may be positioned relatively at a right side. In this case, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may apply a relatively larger delay to sub-RF waves formed by the patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) positioned relatively at a right side. In other words, a predetermined time after the sub-RF waves are formed by patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) positioned relatively at a left side, sub-RF waves may be generated by the patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) positioned relatively at a right side. Thus, the sub-RF waves may simultaneously meet at a relatively right-side point. In other words, the sub-RF waves may constructively interfere with one another at the relatively right-side point. Where beamforming is conducted at a relatively middle point, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may apply substantially the same delay to the left-side patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) and the right-side patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>). Further, where beamforming is conducted at a relatively left-side point, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may apply a larger delay to the left-side patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) than to the right-side patch antennas (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>). Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may substantially simultaneously generate sub-RF waves through all of the patch antennas <NUM> to <NUM> and may perform beamforming by adjusting the phase corresponding to the above-described delay.

As set forth above, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the position of the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> and enable the sub-RF waves to constructively interfere with one another at the determined position, allowing for wireless charging at a higher transmission efficiency.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may produce an RF wave in a first beam width. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may previously determine the position of the electronic device <NUM> and may form an RF wave to be beam-formed in the position of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, the result of determination. As used herein, "wireless power transmitter <NUM> (or electronic device <NUM>) performs a particular operation" may mean, e.g., that a processor included in the wireless power transmitter <NUM> (or electronic device <NUM>) performs a particular operation or controls other hardware to perform a particular operation. As used herein, "wireless power transmitter <NUM> (or electronic device <NUM>) performs a particular operation" may mean, e.g., that a processor performs the particular operation or other hardware performs the particular operation as an instruction stored in a memory included in the wireless power transmitter <NUM> (or the electronic device <NUM>) is executed. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may produce an RF wave in a first beam width which is a predesignated beam width. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave in the first beam width based on, at least, identified information (e.g., at least one of the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>, the position of the electronic device <NUM>, or the posture of the electronic device <NUM>). Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave in a prior beam width that it used. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may vary the beam width of the RF wave by adjusting the number of patch antennas that share the degree of adjustment of at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals entered. At least one patch antenna sharing the degree of adjustment may form sub RF waves of the same phase and amplitude. For example, if the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of adjustment of at least one of phase or amplitude decreases, the beam width of RF waves formed by all of the plurality of patch antennas may reduce and, if the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of adjustment of at least one of the phase or amplitude increases, the beam width of RF waves formed by the plurality of patch antennas may increase. This is described below in greater detail. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of adjustment of at least one of phase or amplitude to a number corresponding to a first beam width. As RF waves with the first beam width are formed, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the first beam width of RF waves and process (e.g., rectify or convert) the received power to thereby charge the internal battery or use the same for operating the hardware.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may sense at least one of the position, motion, or posture of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may include various sensors capable of sensing at least one of the position, motion, or posture. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include a gyro sensor capable of sensing the rotation state of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may include a geomagnetic sensor capable of sensing its ambient geomagnetic fields. The electronic device <NUM> may determine the rotation state of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, sensing data from at least one of the gyro sensor or the geomagnetic sensor. The electronic device <NUM> may determine the posture of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, the determined rotation state. Or, the electronic device <NUM> may directly determine the rotation state of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, sensing data from at least one of the gyro sensor or the geomagnetic sensor. The posture of the electronic device <NUM> may indicate the degree of rotation of the housing of the electronic device <NUM> as compared with a designated reference posture. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may rotate around two angular axes (e.g., the θ and ϕ axes of the spherical coordinate system). Although the posture of the electronic device <NUM> may be represented with, e.g., two angular axes, it will be easily appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that representing the posture of the electronic device <NUM> is not limited by specific indexes. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include an acceleration sensor capable of sensing the <NUM>-axis movement state of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine at least one of motion information about the electronic device <NUM>, the position of the electronic device <NUM>, or the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> based on, at least, sensing data from the acceleration sensor. The electronic device <NUM> may determine the direction of motion and the degree of motion of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, sensing data from the acceleration sensor. The electronic device <NUM> may apply the direction of motion and degree of motion of the electronic device <NUM> in a pre-determined position of the electronic device <NUM>, thereby determining the position of the electronic device <NUM> after the motion of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may apply the direction of motion and degree of motion of the electronic device <NUM> to a pre-determined distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, thereby determining the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> after the motion of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include at least one of an atmospheric pressure sensor capable of sensing the air pressure, which is available for measuring the height of the electronic device <NUM> from the ground or a gravity sensor for measuring the gravitational acceleration applied to the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine information about the height of the electronic device <NUM> from the ground based on, at least, at least one of sensing data from the atmospheric pressure sensor or sensing data from the gravity sensor. Thus, the electronic device <NUM> may determine the position of the electronic device <NUM> along the z axis direction (i.e., the height direction) as well as the 2D-wise position of the electronic device <NUM>, thereby determining the position of the electronic device <NUM> in the 3D coordinate system.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit the sensing information. The sensing information may include sensing data itself (e.g., sensing data from the acceleration sensor or sensing data from the gyro sensor) which is obtained by the electronic device <NUM> via a sensor or the results of determination (e.g., at least one of the posture of the electronic device <NUM>, the position of the electronic device <NUM>, or the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM>) by the electronic device <NUM> or made using the sensing data. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may change the beam width of RF wave from the first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the received sensing information. If the received sensing information includes the sensing data itself obtained by the electronic device <NUM> via a sensor, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the posture or position of the electronic device <NUM> or the distance to the electronic device <NUM> using the sensing data. If the received sensing information includes at least one of the posture or position of the electronic device <NUM> or the distance to the electronic device <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may use the information as it is or may process the information based on at least one of the posture or position of the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the posture of the electronic device <NUM> relative to the wireless power transmitter <NUM> by correcting the posture of the electronic device <NUM> with respect to its posture. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the position of the electronic device <NUM> relative to the wireless power transmitter <NUM> by correcting the position of the electronic device <NUM> with respect to its position.

According to an embodiment, if the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> is determined to decrease based on, at least, the position, height, or motion information about the electronic device <NUM> based on at least one of the results identified or determined by the above-described process, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may increase the beam width of RF wave. For example, upon determining that the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> increases, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may reduce the beam width of the RF wave. If the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> is relatively large, and the beam width of the RF waves is big, the RF waves may not concentrate onto the patch antennas for reception but mostly scatter out. Thus, in a relatively large distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>, it may be more advantageous to form sharp RF waves towards the electronic device <NUM> by setting the RF waves to have a smaller beam width.

According to an embodiment, if the electronic device <NUM> rotates and thus the antennas primarily receiving the RF waves are changed, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may vary the beam width corresponding to the antennas for reception of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, if more receiving antennas are determined to primarily receive RF waves, i.e., if the reception area of RF waves is determined to increase, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may increase the beam width of RF waves. For example, if fewer receiving antennas are determined to primarily receive RF waves, i.e., if the reception area of RF waves is determined to decrease, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may reduce the beam width of RF waves. If the effective reception area of RF wave is relatively large, it would be more advantageous to form RF waves with a relatively large beam width and, if the effective reception area of RF wave is relatively small, forming RF waves of a relatively small beam width would be better. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust the beam width of RF wave by adjusting the number of patch antennas that share the degree of adjustment of at least one of, e.g., the phase or amplitude.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

A wireless power transmitter <NUM> may include a power source <NUM>, an antenna array <NUM> for power transmission, a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a communication circuit <NUM>, and antennas <NUM> to <NUM> for communication. An electronic device <NUM> is not limited as long as it is a device capable of wirelessly receiving power and may include an antenna <NUM> for power reception, a rectifier <NUM>, a converter <NUM>, a charger <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a communication circuit <NUM>, an antenna <NUM> for communication, and a sensor <NUM>.

The power source <NUM> may provide power for transmission to the antenna array <NUM> for power transmission. The power source <NUM> may provide, e.g., direct current (DC) power, in which case the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may further include an inverter (not shown) that converts DC power into alternating current (AC) power and delivers the AC power to the antenna array <NUM> for power transmission. Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, the power source <NUM> may provide AC power to the antenna array <NUM> for power transmission.

The antenna array <NUM> for power transmission may include a plurality of patch antennas. For example, a plurality of patch antennas as shown in <FIG> may be included in the antenna array <NUM> for power transmission. The number or array form of the patch antennas is not limited. The antenna array <NUM> for power transmission may form an RF wave using the power received from the power source <NUM>. The antenna array <NUM> for power transmission may form an RF wave in a particular direction under the control of the processor <NUM>. Here, forming an RF wave in a particular direction may mean controlling at least one of the amplitude or phase of sub-RF waves so that the sub-RF waves constructively interfere with one another at a point in the particular direction. For example, the processor <NUM> may control an adjustment circuit (not shown) including at least one of the phase or amplitude connected to an antenna array <NUM> for power transmission, thereby controlling at least one of the amplitude or phase of sub RF waves. The adjustment circuit may include a phase shifter, an attenuator, or an amplifier. Or, the adjustment circuit may include an I/Q signal generation circuit or an I/Q signal amplifier. The detailed configuration of the adjustment circuit is described below in greater detail. The processor <NUM> may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals individually input to the plurality of patch antennas included in the power transmission antenna array <NUM> by controlling the adjustment circuit (not shown), thereby controlling at least one of the amplitude or phase of sub RF waves. Meanwhile, the antenna array <NUM> for power transmission is one for transmitting power and may be termed an antenna for power transmission.

The processor <NUM> may determine the direction in which the electronic device <NUM> is positioned and determine the direction of formation of the RF wave based on, at least, the determined direction. In other words, the processor <NUM> may control the patch antennas (or adjustment circuit (not shown)) of the antenna array <NUM> for power transmission that generates sub-RF waves so that the sub-RF waves constructively interfere with one another at one point in the determined direction. For example, the processor <NUM> may control at least one of the amplitude and phase of the sub-RF wave individually generated from the patch antennas by controlling the patch antennas or the adjustment circuit connected with the patch antennas.

The processor <NUM> may determine the direction in which the electronic device <NUM> is positioned using communication signals received from the antennas <NUM> to <NUM> for communication. In other words, the processor <NUM> may control at least one of the amplitude or phase of the sub-RF wave generated from each patch antenna using the communication signals received from the communication antennas <NUM> to <NUM>. Although three communication antennas <NUM> to <NUM> are shown, this is merely an example, and the number of communication antennas is not limited. According to an embodiment, at least three communication antennas <NUM> to <NUM> may be arranged, e.g., for the purpose of determining a three-dimensional (3D) direction, e.g., values θ and ϕ in the spherical coordinate system. Specifically, the communication circuit <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may send out the communication signal <NUM> via the communication antenna <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the communication signal <NUM> may include various pieces of sensing information obtained via the sensor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> and various pieces of information, e.g., information about the effective reception area of RF wave or information for determining the beam width, and the communication signal <NUM> may also include information required for wireless charging. Thus, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the direction of the electronic device <NUM> using the communication signal for wireless charging, without adding a separate hardware structure. The processor <NUM> may determine a relative direction of the electronic device <NUM> using a program or algorithm capable of determining a direction and stored in, e.g., the memory <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may determine a relative direction of the electronic device <NUM> using a lookup table between the direction of the electronic device and the difference in reception time per communication antenna, which is stored in, e.g., the memory <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> (or the processor <NUM>) may determine a relative direction of the electronic device <NUM> in various manners. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> (or the processor <NUM>) may determine a relative direction of the electronic device <NUM> in various ways, such as time difference of arrival (TDOA) or frequency difference of arrival (FDOA), and the program or algorithm determining the direction of received signal is not limited in type. Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may determine a relative direction of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, the phase of the received communication signal. The distances between the communication antenna <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> and the communication antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the wireless power transmitter <NUM> differ. Thus, the communication signal generated from the communication antenna <NUM> and received by each communication antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may have a different phase. The processor <NUM> may determine the direction of the electronic device <NUM> based on the differences in phase of the communication signals of the communication antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the communication signal <NUM> may include, e.g., sensing data (e.g., proximity sensor data) capable of indicating whether the electronic device <NUM> approaches the human body or information (e.g., information about the application that is running or whether Bluetooth is on) for determining whether it approaches the human body, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width of RF wave using the same.

The processor <NUM> may determine the beam width of an RF wave formed from the power transmission antenna array <NUM> based on, at least, the information included in the communication signal <NUM>. The processor may determine the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of adjustment of at least one of the phase or amplitude corresponding to the determined beam width. The processor may form an RF wave with the determined beam width towards the electronic device <NUM> by controlling the power transmission antenna array <NUM> based on, at least, the determined beam width and the direction of the electronic device <NUM>. Meanwhile, the processor <NUM> may identify the electronic device <NUM> using information contained in the communication signal <NUM>. The communication signal <NUM> may include the unique identifier and unique address of the electronic device. The communication circuit <NUM> may process the communication signal <NUM> and provide information to the processor <NUM>. The communication circuit <NUM> and the communication antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be manufactured based on, at least, various communication schemes, such as wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, zig-bee, and Bluetooth low energy (BLE), which are not limited to a particular type. The communication frequencies (e.g., a frequency band including <NUM> in the case of Bluetooth) used by the communication circuits <NUM> and <NUM> may differ from the communication frequency (e.g., a frequency band including <NUM>) used by the power transmission antenna array <NUM>. Meanwhile, the communication signal <NUM> may include rated power information about the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may determine whether to charge the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, at least one of the unique identifier, unique address, and rated power information of the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or a communication processor (CP), and the processor <NUM> may be implemented as a micro-controller unit or a mini computer. Further, the communication signal <NUM> may be used in the process for the wireless power transmitter <NUM> to identify the electronic device <NUM>, the process of permitting power transmission to the electronic device <NUM>, the process of sending a request for receive power-related information to the electronic device <NUM>, and the process of receiving the receive power-related information from the electronic device <NUM>. In other words, the communication signal <NUM> may be used in a process for a subscription, command, or request between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the processor <NUM> may control the power transmission antenna array <NUM> (or an adjustment circuit connected thereto), thereby forming an RF wave <NUM> in the determined direction of the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may form an RF wave for detection and determine the distance to the electronic device <NUM> using another communication signal subsequently received as a feedback. Thus, the processor <NUM> may determine both the direction of the electronic device <NUM> and the distance to the electronic device <NUM> and may thus determine the position of the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may control the patch antennas so that the sub-RF waves generated from the patch antennas may constructively interfere with one another at the position of the electronic device <NUM>. Therefore, the RF wave <NUM> may be transferred to the antenna <NUM> for power reception at a relatively high transmission efficiency. The antenna <NUM> for power reception is not limited as long as it is an antenna capable of receiving RF waves. Further, the antenna <NUM> for power reception may be implemented in the form of an array of a plurality of patch antennas. The AC power received by the antenna <NUM> for power reception may be rectified into DC power by the rectifier <NUM>. The converter <NUM> may convert the DC power into a voltage required and provide the voltage to the charger <NUM>. The charger <NUM> may charge a battery (not shown). Although not shown, the converter <NUM> may provide the converted power to a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) (not shown), and the PMIC (not shown) may provide power to various hardware structures of the electronic device <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the processor <NUM> may monitor the voltage at the output end of the rectifier <NUM>. For example, the electronic device <NUM> may further include a voltage meter connected to the output end of the rectifier <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may receive a voltage value from the voltage meter and monitor the voltage at the output end of the rectifier <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may provide information containing the voltage value at the output end of the rectifier <NUM> to the communication circuit <NUM>. Although the charger, converter, and PMIC may be implemented in different hardware units, at least two of them may be integrated into a single hardware unit. Meanwhile, the voltage meter may be implemented in various types, such as an electrodynamic instrument voltage meter, an electrostatic voltage meter, or a digital voltage meter, without limited in type thereto. The communication circuit <NUM> may send out the communication signal including receive power-related information using the communication antenna <NUM>. The receive power-related information may be information associated with the magnitude of power received, such as, e.g., the voltage at the output end of the rectifier <NUM>, and may contain a current at the output end of the rectifier <NUM>. In this case, it will readily be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the electronic device <NUM> may further include a current meter capable of measuring current at the output end of the rectifier <NUM>. The current meter may be implemented in various types, such as a DC current meter, AC current meter, or digital current meter, without limited in type thereto. Further, the receive power-related information may be measured at any point of the electronic device <NUM>, but not only at the output or input end of the rectifier <NUM>.

Further, as set forth above, the processor <NUM> may send out a communication signal <NUM> containing identification information about the electronic device <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may store a program or algorithm capable of controlling various hardware units of the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may include the sensing data from the sensor <NUM> in the communication signal <NUM> and transmit the same to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. Or, the processor <NUM> may determine the position or posture of the electronic device <NUM> or the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> based on, at least, the sensing data from the sensor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include the result of determination in the communication signal <NUM> and transmit the communication signal <NUM> to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may adjust the beam width of the power transmission antenna array <NUM> by controlling, e.g., the adjustment circuit, based on, at least, the information included in the communication signal <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a wireless power transmitter according to various embodiments. The embodiment of <FIG> is described in greater detail with reference to <FIG> is a concept view illustrating an effective reception area according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive sensing data from the electronic device <NUM>. For example, as set forth above, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive various pieces of sensing data used for determining, e.g., the position or posture of the electronic device <NUM> or the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the RF wave effective reception area of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, the sensing data. According to an embodiment, the effective reception area may be determined corresponding to the full area of the reception antenna in which the magnitude of power (e.g., DC power) converted into from the RF wave by the power reception patch antenna exceeds a threshold. Here, the threshold may be preset or may be dynamically set based on at least one of pieces of power (e.g., the maximum power) output from the reception antenna of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, it is assumed that a power reception antenna is placed on the entire surface of the housing of the electronic device <NUM>. If the electronic device <NUM> is placed in a first posture in position A, the RF waves may be received primarily by the power reception antennas arranged on the first surface <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the magnitude of power RF-DC converted and output by the power reception antennas arranged on the first surface <NUM> may exceed the threshold. In this case, the magnitude of power RF-DC converted and output by the power reception antennas arranged on the second surface <NUM> may be not more than the threshold. This is why the angle between the propagation direction of the RF wave formed from the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the first surface <NUM> is closer to <NUM> degrees than the angle between the propagation direction of the RF wave formed from the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the second surface <NUM> is. Since the area of the first surface <NUM> is larger than the area of the second surface <NUM>, the number of power reception antennas arranged on the first surface <NUM> may be larger than the number of power reception antennas arranged on the second surface <NUM>. In other words, if the electronic device <NUM> is placed in the first posture in position A, a first effective reception area <NUM> may be determined corresponding to the number of power reception antennas arranged on the first surface <NUM>.

For example, the electronic device <NUM> may rotate (<NUM>) from position A to position C while turning into a second posture. If the electronic device <NUM> is placed in the second posture in position C, the RF waves may be received primarily by the power reception antennas arranged on the second surface <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the magnitude of power RF-DC converted and output by the power reception antennas arranged on the second surface <NUM> may exceed the threshold, and the magnitude of power RF-DC converted and output by the power reception antennas arranged on the first surface <NUM> may be not more than the threshold. Since the area of the first surface <NUM> is larger than the area of the second surface <NUM>, the number of power reception antennas arranged on the first surface <NUM> may be larger than the number of power reception antennas arranged on the second surface <NUM>. Accordingly, if the effective reception area is determined depending on the area of the second surface <NUM>, a second effective reception area <NUM> smaller than the first effective reception area <NUM> may be determined. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the posture of the electronic device <NUM> based on, at least, various pieces of information by which the posture information about the electronic device <NUM> may be determined, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine various effective reception areas <NUM> and <NUM> based on, at least, the determined posture of the electronic device <NUM>. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive information about the number of power reception antennas for which the magnitude of RF-DC converted by the electronic device <NUM> exceeds a threshold. In this case, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the effective reception areas <NUM> and <NUM> corresponding to the received number information.

According to an embodiment, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the effective reception area based on, at least, the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>. For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, if the electronic device <NUM> is placed in position A, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine that the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> is a first distance. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the first effective reception area <NUM> corresponding to the first distance. Meanwhile, the electronic device <NUM> may move (<NUM>) to position B. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine that the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> is a second distance. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the second distance based on, at least, motion information received from the electronic device <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine a third effective reception area <NUM> corresponding to the second distance. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine a relatively large effective reception area as the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> is short and a relatively small effective reception area as the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> is long.

According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the effective reception area based on all of the full area of the reception antennas for which the magnitude of power (e.g., DC power) converted into from RF waves exceeds the threshold and the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may put the plurality of patch antennas in at least one group based on, at least, the identified effective reception area. The patch antennas in one group may share at least one of the degree of phase adjustment or the degree of amplitude adjustment of electrical signals received. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust at least one of the degree of phase adjustment or the degree of amplitude adjustment to differ between different groups. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust the phase of electrical signals individually input to at least one patch antenna included in a first group, by a first degree of phase adjustment, and thus, the electrical signals individually input to the at least one patch antenna included in the first group may be all phase-adjusted by the first degree of phase adjustment. Thus, the at least one patch antenna included in the first group may form sub RF waves whose phases have been adjusted by the first degree of phase adjustment. Further, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust the phase of electrical signals individually input to at least one patch antenna included in a second group, by a second degree of phase adjustment, and thus, the electrical signals individually input to the at least one patch antenna included in the second group may be all phase-adjusted by the second degree of phase adjustment. In this case, the first degree of phase adjustment and the second degree of phase adjustment may differ from each other.

In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may control at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals input to the plurality of patch antennas based on, at least, the result of grouping. As set forth above, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals applied to at least one patch antenna included in one group to have the same magnitude. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may put the plurality of patch antennas into as many groups as a first unit number so as to form a first beam width of RF waves corresponding to the first effective reception area. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may put the plurality of patch antennas into as many groups as a second unit number so as to form a second beam width of RF waves corresponding to the second effective reception area. Here, the second beam width may be smaller than the first beam width and, resultantly, the second unit number may be smaller than the first unit number. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may put the plurality of patch antennas into as many groups as a third unit number so as to form a third beam width of RF waves corresponding to the third effective reception area. Here, the third beam width may be larger than the first beam width and, resultantly, the third unit number may be larger than the first unit number.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a wireless power transmitter according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the position of the electronic device <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive a communication signal from the electronic device <NUM> and determine the direction in which the electronic device <NUM> is positioned using the received communication signal. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may include a plurality of communication antennas and may thus determine the direction in which the electronic device <NUM> is positioned based on various schemes, such as the TDOA or FDOA. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> based on the reception strength of communication signal (e.g., received signal strength indication (RSSI)). The communication signal may include the transmission strength, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> based on the transmission strength and reception strength of the communication signal. Or, the communication signal may include information about the time of transmission. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the time-of-flight (TOF) of the communication signal based on the time of transmission and time of reception of the communication signal and may determine the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM> using the TOF. According to another embodiment, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the position of the electronic device <NUM> based on vision recognition. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive information about the position of the electronic device <NUM> directly from the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine its position based on, at least, various indoor positioning schemes (e.g., an indoor positioning scheme using geomagnetic map data or an indoor positioning scheme using signals output from access points (APs)). The electronic device <NUM> may include the position information for the electronic device <NUM> in the communication signal and transmit the communication signal to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may thus determine the position of the electronic device <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive the position information about the electronic device <NUM> from another electronic device <NUM> that determines the positions of the ambient devices. It will readily be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the determination of the position of the electronic device <NUM> by the wireless power transmitter <NUM> is not limited to a particular one.

In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form RF waves with a predesignated beam width based on, at least, the position of the electronic device <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals individually input to the plurality of patch antennas of the wireless power transmitter <NUM> so that the RF waves may constructively interfere with each other in the identified position of the electronic device <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form RF waves in the designated beam width. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of adjustment of at least one of the phase or amplitude to a preset number. In other words, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set the number of patch antennas included in one group to a preset number.

In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive sensing data from the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may transmit various pieces of sensing data that may be used in determining at least one of the position of the electronic device <NUM>, the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, or the posture of the electronic device <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the RF wave effective reception area of the electronic device. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the effective reception area based on at least one of the position of the electronic device <NUM>, the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, or the posture of the electronic device <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may put the plurality of patch antennas in at least one group based on, at least, the identified effective reception area. The number of patch antennas included in one group may differ from the preset number. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may control at least one of the phase or amplitude input to the plurality of patch antennas based on, at least, the result of grouping. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set at least one of the degree of phase adjustment or degree of amplitude adjustment for the electrical signals input to the patch antennas included in one group to be the same.

<FIG> and <FIG> are views illustrating grouping of patch antennas according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may include a plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> arranged in 2D. Although <FIG> illustrates that the plurality of patch antennas are arranged in the shape of a 4x4 grid, this is merely an example, and the number and arrangement of the patch antennas are not limited thereto. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may include <NUM> patch antennas which are arrayed in a 8x8 grid, and the number of patch antennas is not limited thereto. A distribution circuit <NUM> may be connected to a plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, a distribution circuit <NUM> may be connected to a plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, a distribution circuit <NUM> may be connected to a plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and a distribution circuit <NUM> may be connected to a plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be connected to a distribution circuit <NUM>. The distribution circuit <NUM> may distribute electrical signals from a power source into the four patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The distribution circuit <NUM> may distribute the received electrical signals into four patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the distribution circuit <NUM> may distribute the received electrical signals into four patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the distribution circuit <NUM> may distribute the received electrical signals into four patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the distribution circuit <NUM> may distribute the received electrical signals into four patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. At least one circuit capable of adjusting at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals may be connected between each of the patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and each of the distribution circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine to form RF waves with the first beam width. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine that the number of patch antennas included in one group, e.g., the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of phase adjustment and the degree of amplitude adjustment is four, corresponding to the first beam width. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may bundle the plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> into a first group, the plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> into a second group, the plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> into a third group, and the plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> into a fourth group. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set the electrical signals input to the patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the first group to be identical in at least one of the phase or amplitude. For example, if the electrical signal input to the patch antenna <NUM> is adjusted to be phase-delayed by <NUM> degrees, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust the electrical signals input to the remaining patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to be <NUM> degrees phase-delayed. Further, the patch antennas included in the second group may form RF waves adjusted likewise, the patch antennas included in the third group may form RF waves adjusted likewise, and the patch antennas included in the fourth group may form RF waves adjusted likewise. As four patch antennas, i.e., 2x2 patch antennas, receive the likewise-adjusted electrical signals, a first beam width of RF waves may be formed. The first beam width may be larger than the second beam width that is formed when 1x1 patch antennas receive likewise-adjusted electrical signals. The first beam width may be smaller than the third beam width that is formed when 4x4 patch antennas receive likewise-adjusted electrical signals. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust the number of patch antennas included in the group on a four-times basis, e.g., 1x1, 2x2, or 4x4, and may accordingly adjust the beam width of RF waves.

According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine, e.g., that the electronic device <NUM> goes farther away or the effective reception area of the electronic device <NUM> reduces and may thus determine to reduce the beam width. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form sharper RF waves by reducing the number of patch antennas included in one group, i.e., the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of adjustment. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set the number of patch antennas included in the group to <NUM>. In this case, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set the electrical signals input individually input to the plurality of patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to differ in at least one of the phase or amplitude. As described above, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set one group in various forms, e.g., 1x1, 2x2, 4x4, or 8x8, and the beam width of RF waves may be set depending on the settings. Adjusting the beam width of RF waves may also be termed adjusting the resolution of RF waves.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a distribution and adjustment circuit according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, a distribution and adjustment circuit <NUM> may include an input path Tx in through which electrical signals may be input, and electrical signals may be input from a power source or another distribution circuit through the input path Tx in. The input electrical signals may be divided into four each of which may be input to a respective one of a first adjustment circuit Tx1, a second adjustment circuit Tx2, a third adjustment circuit Tx3, and a fourth adjustment circuit Tx4. The first adjustment circuit Tx1, the second adjustment circuit Tx2, the third adjustment circuit Tx3, and the fourth adjustment circuit Tx4 each may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of the received signal. The first adjustment circuit Tx1, the second adjustment circuit Tx2, the third adjustment circuit Tx3, and the fourth adjustment circuit Tx4 each may include at least one of a phase shifter capable of phase adjustment or an attenuator capable of amplitude adjustment. The processor may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signal input to each of the first adjustment circuit Tx1, the second adjustment circuit Tx2, the third adjustment circuit Tx3, and the fourth adjustment circuit Tx4 using signals, such as clk or SPI input. The adjusted electrical signals may be output individually through four output paths Tx out1, Tx out2, Tx out3, and Tx out4. Meanwhile, according to various embodiments, the distribution and adjustment circuit (N+M CH. PSIC, N+M channel phase shifting integrated circuit) may have N+M channels with outputs except for four outputs and may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of electrical signals individually input to the channels based on, at least, the clk and SIP input. The above-described structure enables real-time adjustment of beam width when one group includes a small number of patch antennas as well as when one group includes multiple patch antennas.

<FIG> is a circuit diagram illustrating a distribution and adjustment circuit according to various embodiments. Referring to <FIG>, an input end (Port(Z<NUM>)) may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C1, an end of an inductor <NUM> whose inductance is L, and an end of an inductor <NUM> whose inductance is L. The other terminal of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded. C1 and L may be determined depending on the frequency of the electrical signal input to the input end (Port(Z<NUM>)). The other end of the inductor <NUM> may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C2, an end of a resistor <NUM> whose resistance is 2Z<NUM>, an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C1, an end of an inductor <NUM> whose inductance is L, and an end of an inductor <NUM> whose inductance is L. The other terminal of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded. The other end of the inductor <NUM> may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C2 and an end of a resistor <NUM> whose resistance is 2Z<NUM>, and a first output end (Port2(Z<NUM>)). The other end of the inductor <NUM> may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C2 and the other end of the resistor <NUM> whose resistance is 2Z<NUM>, and a second output end (Port3(Z<NUM>)). The other end of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded, and the other end of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded. The other end of the inductor <NUM> may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C2, the other end of the resistor <NUM>, an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C1, an end of an inductor <NUM> whose inductance is L, and an end of an inductor <NUM> whose inductance is L. The other end of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded, and the other end of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded. The other end of the inductor <NUM> may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C2 and an end of a resistor <NUM> whose resistance is 2Z<NUM>, and a third output end (Port4(Z<NUM>)). The other end of the inductor <NUM> may be connected with an end of a capacitor <NUM> whose capacitance is C2 and the other end of the resistor <NUM> whose resistance is 2Z<NUM>, and a fourth output end (Port5(Z<NUM>)). The other end of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded, and the other end of the capacitor <NUM> may be grounded. Thus, electrical signals input to the input end (Port1(Z<NUM>)) may be distributed to the four output ends (Port2(Z<NUM>), Port3(Z<NUM>), Port4(Z<NUM>), and Port5(Z<NUM>)).

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a distribution circuit, an adjustment circuit, and a patch antenna according to various embodiments.

A distribution circuit <NUM> may receive electrical signals from a power source or another distribution circuit through the input path Tx in. The distribution circuit <NUM> may divide the electrical signals into four and transfer them individually to adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> via the four output paths. Each of the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of the received electrical signal. Each of the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of the received electrical signal, e.g., under the control of the processor. Each of the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include at least one of a circuit capable of adjusting the phase of electrical signal or a signal or amplification circuit capable of adjusting the amplitude of electrical signal. According to an embodiment, the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> each may include at least one of a phase shifter, an attenuator, or an amplifier. According to another embodiment, the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> each may convert the input signal into an I/Q signal, adjust the amplitude of the I/Q signal, synthesize the adjusted I/Q signal, and thereby adjust at least one of the phase or amplitude of the overall electrical signal. This described below in greater detail with reference to <FIG>. If the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of phase adjustment or degree of amplitude adjustment is set to one, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may control the degrees of adjustment of the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to differ. If the number of patch antennas sharing the degree of phase adjustment or degree of amplitude adjustment is set to four, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may control the degrees of adjustment of the adjustment circuits <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to be identical.

<FIG> illustrates an adjustment circuit according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments, an adjustment circuit <NUM> may include a balun <NUM>, an I/Q generation circuit <NUM>, an I/Q amplification circuit <NUM>, a combiner <NUM>, and a balun <NUM>. The balun <NUM> may generate differential signals V+ and V- using an RF input signal (i.e., an electrical signal). The differential signals V+ and V- may be represented as a first vector <NUM> and a second vector <NUM> in the I/Q domain <NUM>. The differential signals V+ and V- may be input to the I/Q generation circuit <NUM>. The I/Q generation circuit <NUM> may generate a positive I signal (in-phase signal) I+ and a positive Q signal (quadrature-phase signal) Q+ using the input positive differential signal V+ and a negative I signal I- and a negative Q signal Q- using the negative differential signal V-. The I/Q signals I+, I-, Q+, and Q- may be represented as a third vector <NUM>, a fourth vector <NUM>, a fifth vector <NUM>, and a sixth vector <NUM> in the I/Q domain <NUM>. The I/Q amplification circuit <NUM> may receive the I/Q signals I+, I-, Q+, and Q- and adjust each of the I/Q signals I+, I-, Q+, and Q-. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> (e.g., a processor) may determine the degree of adjustment of at least one of the phase or amplitude of RF input signal (electrical signal) based on, at least, beamforming information (e.g., position information about the electronic device <NUM>). The wireless power transmitter <NUM> (e.g., a processor) may adjust the amplitude of at least one of the I/Q signals I+, I-, Q+, and Q- corresponding to the determine degree of adjustment. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may reduce (<NUM>) the amplitude of the third vector <NUM> among the third vector <NUM>, the fourth vector <NUM>, the fifth vector <NUM>, and the sixth vector <NUM> and reduce (<NUM>) the amplitude of the fourth vector <NUM> in the I/Q domain <NUM>. Thus, if the four amplitude-adjusted signals are synthesized, the synthesized signals may be adjusted in at least one of the phase or amplitude as intended. Meanwhile, although <FIG> illustrates that the amplitudes of the third vector <NUM> and the fourth vector <NUM> reduce (<NUM> and <NUM>), this is merely an example, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may increase the amplitude of at least one of the I/Q signals I+, I-, Q+, and Q-. The combiner <NUM> (e.g., a differential combiner) may synthesize the amplitude-adjusted I/Q signals into the differential signals V+ and V-. The balun <NUM> may synthesize the differential signals V+ and V- into single-ended signals, so that an RF output signal may be output. As described above, the RF output signal may be a signal which has been adjusted in at least one of the phase or amplitude. As at least one of the phase or amplitude is adjusted via the structure of <FIG>, the adjustment circuit may not include a phase shifter or attenuator. Thus, the adjustment circuit may be manufactured in a relatively small size, and more accurate beam width control may be rendered possible.

Referring to <FIG>, an I+ signal <NUM> and an I- signal <NUM> may be represented. The amplitude of the I+ signal <NUM> and the I- signal <NUM> may be obtained by Equation <NUM>.

α may be a real number not less than <NUM> and not more than <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust α. The amplitude of the summated signal on the real axis may be <MAT>. Further, the amplitude of the Q+ signal <NUM> and the Q- signal <NUM> may be obtained by Equation <NUM>.

β may be a real number not less than <NUM> and not more than <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust β. The amplitude of the summated signal on the imaginary axis may be <MAT>. Thus, the final summated signal <NUM> may have an amplitude of R and a phase of θ and may be represented as shown in Equations <NUM> and <NUM>. In Equation <NUM>, k may be a constant. <MAT> <MAT>.

As set forth above, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may adjust the amplitude R and the phase θ of the summated signal <NUM> by adjusting the amplitude of at least one of the I/Q signals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

<FIG> is a circuit diagram illustrating a circuit for synthesis according to various embodiments.

The circuit of synthesis of <FIG> may include, e.g., the combiner <NUM> and the balun <NUM> of <FIG>. A mixer <NUM> may receive a positive I signal I+ and a negative I signal I-whose amplitude has been adjusted by the I/Q amplification circuit <NUM>. A mixer <NUM> may receive a positive Q signal Q+ and a negative Q signal Q- whose amplitude has been adjusted by the I/Q amplification circuit <NUM>. A local oscillator (LO) may output a clock with a designated frequency and the clock may be amplified by the amplifier <NUM>. A delay circuit <NUM> may receive the amplified clock, <NUM>-degree delay the received clock, and provide the delayed signal to the mixer <NUM> through a first path, and the delay circuit <NUM> may provide, without delay, it to the mixer <NUM> via a second path. The mixer <NUM> may mix the positive I signal I+ and the negative I signal I- with the <NUM> degree-delayed clock and provide the result to the amplifier <NUM>. The mixer <NUM> may mix the positive Q signal Q+ and the negative Q signal Q- with the delay-free clock and provide the result to the amplifier <NUM>. The synthesis circuit <NUM> may synthesize the signal from the amplifier <NUM> and the signal from the amplifier <NUM> and output an output RF signal.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments. The embodiment shown in <FIG> is described in greater detail with reference to <FIG> illustrates an electronic device and a wireless power transmitter according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may produce an RF wave in a first beam width. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the first beam width of RF waves.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may obtain at least one piece of information associated with approach between the electronic device and the human body. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may obtain information about an application that is running. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may refrain from running a phone application at a first time t1 and may run the phone application at a second time t2. The electronic device <NUM> may run the phone application by the user's selection or may run the phone application based on an incoming signal from an external base station. Upon running the phone application, the user is highly likely to hold the electronic device <NUM> near his or her ear. In this case, if the beam width of RF waves formed by the wireless power transmitter <NUM> is relatively large, the RF waves may be directed to the user's head. Thus the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave <NUM> with a first beam width at a first time and then form an RF wave <NUM> with a second beam width at a second time. Specifically, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit obtained information to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may change the beam width of RF wave from the first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the received information. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the second beam width of RF waves. The electronic device <NUM> may determine various pieces of information, e.g., whether the electronic device <NUM> and the user's body approach, the distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the user's body, or information about the user's body portion the electronic device <NUM> has approached, based on, at least, various pieces of information, such as whether Bluetooth communication is used, sensing data obtained from the proximity sensor, sensing data obtained from the ultrasonic sensor, and sensing data received through the touchscreen. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive various pieces of information from the electronic device <NUM> and determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the information.

According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may set a different beam width per body portion the electronic device <NUM> has approached. For example, there may be various protocols associated with the specific absorption rate (SAR), the electro-magnetic interference (EMI), electro-magnetic susceptibility (EMS), electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC), or maximum permissible exposure (MPE), and a beam width meeting the protocol may be experimentally pre-identified. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may previously store information about the beam width per body portion approached, and may determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the information received from the electronic device <NUM>. Table <NUM> shows an example relationship between the beam width and the body portion approached by the electronic device <NUM> as previously stored.

Table <NUM> may be previously determined by the protocol associated with the above-described various factors and may be stored in the wireless power transmitter <NUM> or the electronic device <NUM>. If the electronic device <NUM> stores the association information as shown in Table <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may compare sensing data and the association information of Table <NUM> to thereby determine the beam width and may transmit information about the determined beam width to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the received beam width information. Or, the electronic device <NUM> may store correlation information as set forth in Table <NUM>.

Table <NUM> may also be previously determined by the protocol associated with the above-described various factors and may be stored in the wireless power transmitter <NUM> or the electronic device <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may compare the sensing data received from the electronic device <NUM> and the association information of Table <NUM> and determine the beam width of an RF wave based on, at least, the result of comparison. Or, the electronic device <NUM> may compare the sensing data and the association information of Table <NUM> and determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the result of comparison. The electronic device <NUM> may transmit information about the determined beam width to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may store the correlation between the beam width and the information (e.g., phone application execution information) received from the electronic device <NUM>, rather than the correlation between the beam width and the distance or approached body portion. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may store the correlation between the number of patch antennas included in one group and the approached body portion. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may store the correlation between the number of patch antennas included in one group and information (e.g., phone application execution information) received from the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may obtain various pieces of information for determining approach to the body as well as the information associated with the execution of the application. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the body contacts the electronic device <NUM> using a proximity sensor. The electronic device <NUM> may transmit information about whether the body contacts to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the received information as to whether the body contacts the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may determine information about the distance between the body and the electronic device <NUM> using a gesture sensor. The electronic device <NUM> may transmit the determined information about the distance between the body and the electronic device <NUM> to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the received distance between the electronic device <NUM> and the body.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments. The embodiment shown in <FIG> is described in greater detail with reference to <FIG> illustrates a patch antenna for power reception in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may produce an RF wave in a first beam width. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the first beam width of RF waves. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may identify the effective reception area of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may include patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> for power reception which are arranged on the front surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The power reception patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be arranged on a first substrate <NUM>, and the power reception patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be arranged on a second substrate <NUM>. Although not shown, the same number of power reception patch antennas may be arranged on the back surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may include power reception patch antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> arranged on the side surface. The electronic device <NUM> may include power reception patch antennas <NUM> and <NUM> arranged on the top surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may include power reception patch antennas <NUM> and <NUM> arranged on the bottom surface of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine the effective reception area based on, at least, the number of antennas outputting a magnitude of power exceeding a threshold among the power reception patch antennas. The threshold may be a preset value or the threshold may be set based on, at least, the maximum magnitude of power output from the antennas. This is described below in greater detail with reference to <FIG>. For example, if the bottom surface of the electronic device <NUM> is substantially perpendicular to the RF wave, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the magnitude of power output from the power reception patch antennas <NUM> and <NUM> exceeds the threshold and, thus, determine the effective reception area corresponding to the number of patch antennas, i.e., two. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit information about the effective reception area. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may change the beam width of RF wave from the first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the received information. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width based on, at least, the effective reception area corresponding to the two as received. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width further using at least one of the body approach information about the electronic device <NUM> or the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the second beam width of RF waves. Upon determining that the effective reception area is a predesignated value or less, the electronic device <NUM> may display a graphic object to lead the electronic device <NUM> to change its posture so as to expand the effective reception area.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of a first beam width of RF waves through at least some of a plurality of power reception patch antennas. For example, at least some of the plurality of power reception patch antennas as shown in <FIG> may convert at least some of the RF waves into DC power and output the DC power. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may calculate the effective reception area based on, at least, the strength of electrical signal output from each of the plurality of power reception patch antennas. The electronic device <NUM> may identify the maximum magnitude of the power output from the plurality of reception antennas. The electronic device <NUM> may identify that the maximum magnitude of power (e.g., a) is output from the antenna <NUM> in <FIG>. The electronic device <NUM> may set, e.g., <NUM>/<NUM> of the maximum power output from the power reception patch antenna to the threshold. The electronic device <NUM> may determine the effective reception area based on the area (or number) of antennas which exceeds the threshold of a/<NUM>. Thus, the electronic device <NUM> may dynamically vary the threshold, without setting a fixed threshold, and the electronic device <NUM> may thus determine a meaningful effective reception area even in the environment where a relatively small magnitude of power is received. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit information about the effective reception area to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>, and the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may vary the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the received effective reception area information. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the RF waves whose beam width has been varied based on the transmitted information, via at least some of the plurality of power reception patch antennas. As described above, the electronic device <NUM> may set the threshold for determining the effective reception area based on, at least, the output strength from at least one among the power reception patch antennas.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic device connected to a case including a flip cover according to various embodiments. The embodiment related to <FIG> is described in greater detail with reference to <FIG> illustrates an electronic device connected to a case including a flip cover according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of a first beam width of RF waves through at least part of a first antenna included in the electronic device and a second antenna included in the case. Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may be seated in a case <NUM> including a flip cover. The flip cover may be open or closed. If the flip cover closes, it may hide the front surface of the electronic device <NUM> and, if the flip cover opens, the front surface of the electronic device <NUM> may be exposed. The flip cover may include at least one power reception patch antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The at least one power reception patch antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be electrically connected to the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the at least one power reception patch antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the case <NUM> may include a rectification circuit and a converter in which case the at least one power reception patch antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be connected to a charger or PMIC of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the at least one power reception patch antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the case <NUM> may include only a radiator outputting AC power using RF waves in which case the at least one power reception patch antenna <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be connected to a rectification circuit of the electronic device <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may calculate the effective reception area based on, at least, the strength of electrical signal output from each of the plurality of power reception patch antennas. As set forth above, the electronic device <NUM> may calculate the effective reception area based on, at least, the area (or number) of power reception antennas outputting the power which exceeds a threshold preset or dynamically set. The electronic device <NUM> may calculate the effective reception area based on, at least, whether the flip cover opens or closes. As shown in <FIG>, if the flip cover opens, the effective reception area may be relatively large. The electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the flip cover opens or closes using sensing data from a hall sensor and determine the effective reception area based on, at least, whether the flip cover opens or closes. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may transmit information about the effective reception area to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of RF waves whose beam width has been changed based on the transmitted information through at least part of a first antenna included in the electronic device and a second antenna included in the case.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments. An embodiment is described in detail with reference to <FIG> along with <FIG> illustrates a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may produce an RF wave in a first beam width. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the first beam width of RF waves. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the distance between the wireless power transmitter <NUM> and the electronic device <NUM>. As described above, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the distance using a communication signal from the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the distance using, e.g., a time stamp for the time of transmission included in the communication signal or the strength of transmission included in the communication signal. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the distance based on vision recognition. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive information about the position measured by the electronic device <NUM> and identify the distance using the measured position information. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the distance using information received from an electronic device <NUM> other than the electronic device <NUM>. Or, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive information about the reception magnitude of RF wave from the electronic device <NUM> and compare the transmission magnitude of RF wave and the received reception magnitude of RF wave, thereby identifying the distance. In this case, the electronic device <NUM> may identify the distance based on, at least, the reception magnitude of RF wave and transmit the identified distance to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may change the beam width of RF wave from a first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the identified distance. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if the identified distance belongs to a first range, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave <NUM> with a first beam width <NUM>. If the identified distance belongs to a second range, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave <NUM> with a second beam width <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may receive at least some of the second beam width of RF waves.

<FIG> illustrate a wireless power transmitter to charge a plurality of electronic devices according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form a first beam width of RF waves <NUM> and <NUM> towards electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> that are relatively far away. Referring to <FIG>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form a second beam width of RF waves <NUM> and <NUM> towards electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> that are relatively close. The first beam width may be relatively smaller than the second beam width. Thus, the number of patch antennas included in one group may be smaller in the case of <FIG> than in the case of <FIG>. The circle mark in the wireless power transmitter <NUM> of <FIG> may indicate the size of group. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may sequentially form RF waves towards the plurality of electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> according to time division. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave towards the electronic device <NUM> during a first period and an RF wave towards the electronic device <NUM> during a second period. Although not shown, the effective reception area of the electronic device <NUM> may differ from the effective reception area of the electronic device <NUM>. In this case, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form a first beam width of RF wave towards the electronic device <NUM> during the first period and a second beam width of RF wave towards the electronic device <NUM> during the second period. According to another embodiment, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form RF waves towards the electronic device <NUM> using some first patch antennas among the plurality of patch antennas and RF waves towards the electronic device <NUM> using some second patch antennas among the plurality of patch antennas. In this case, the beam width of RF waves formed from the first patch antennas and the beam width of RF waves formed from the second patch antennas may be identical to or different from each other. Referring to <FIG>, the posture of the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> may be varied, so that the effective reception area of the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> may be changed. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive a communication signal including information about the change in posture or effective reception area from the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM>. The wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form RF waves <NUM> and <NUM> with a beam width adjusted based on, at least, the received information.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments. The embodiment shown in <FIG> is described in greater detail with reference to <FIG> illustrates a wireless power transmitter and an electronic device according to various embodiments.

In operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may identify the position of the electronic device <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form a plurality of RF waves with a plurality of different beam widths based on, at least, the identified position of the electronic device. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form an RF wave <NUM> of a first beam width d1 during a first period, an RF wave <NUM> of a second beam width d2 during a second period, an RF wave <NUM> of a third beam width d3 during a third period, and an RF wave <NUM> of a fourth beam width d4 during a fourth period. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive the plurality of RF waves while identifying the magnitude of received power. In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may transmit a plurality of pieces of power magnitude information to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may include the received power magnitude in a communication signal <NUM> and transmit the communication signal <NUM> to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include pieces of information about the received strengths of the plurality of RF waves <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in one communication signal and transmit the communication signal to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. According to another embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include the pieces of information about the received strengths of the plurality of RF waves <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> individually in different communication signals and transmit the communication signals to the wireless power transmitter <NUM>. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width of RF wave based on, at least, the plurality of pieces of power magnitude information received. For example, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine that the beam width corresponding to the maximum reception strength is the beam width of RF wave. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may form RF waves with the determined beam width. In operation <NUM>, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may receive at least some of the RF waves. According to various embodiments, the wireless power transmitter <NUM> may determine the beam width of RF waves based on the above-described scheme and may dynamically vary the beam width based on, at least, sensing data received from the electronic device <NUM> thereafter.

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software containing commands that are stored in a machine (e.g., computer)-readable storage medium (e.g., an internal memory or an external memory). The machine may be a device that may invoke a command stored in the storage medium and may be operated as per the invoked command. The machine may include an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) according to embodiments disclosed herein. When the command is executed by a processor, the processor may perform a function corresponding to the command on its own or using other components under the control of the processor. The command may contain a code that is generated or executed by a compiler or an interpreter. Here, the term "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium does not include a signal and is tangible, but this term does not differentiate between where data is semipermanently stored in the storage medium and where data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to various embodiments, there is provided a storage medium storing instructions configured to, when executed by at least one processor, enable the at least one processor to perform at least one operation including controlling to form a first beam width of RF wave via a plurality of patch antennas, receiving sensing data about at least one of the motion of the electronic device or the posture of the electronic device, and adjusting the beam width of the RF wave formed by the plurality of patch antennas from the first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the received sensing data.

Or, the at least one operation may include controlling to receive at least part of the first beam width of RF wave formed from the wireless power transmitter via the plurality of patch antennas, obtaining sensing data about at least one of the motion of the electronic device or the posture of the electronic device, transmitting the sensing data to the wireless power transmitter, and controlling to receive at least part of the RF wave whose beam width has been adjusted from the first beam width to the second beam width via the plurality of patch antennas.

Or, the at least one operation may include receiving an input RF signal, generating a differential signal corresponding to the input RF signal, generating a positive I signal, a negative I signal, a positive Q signal, and a negative Q signal corresponding to the differential signal, adjusting the amplitude of at least one of the positive I signal, the negative I signal, the positive Q signal, or the negative Q signal based on, at least, the position of an electronic device to receive power, generating synthesized differential signals by synthesizing the positive I signal, the negative I signal, the positive Q signal, and the negative Q signal the amplitude of at least one of which has been adjusted, and controlling to output an output RF signal by synthesizing the synthesized differential signals.

The above-described commands may be stored in an external server and may be downloaded and installed on an electronic device, such as a wireless power transmitter. In other words, according to various embodiments, the external server may store commands that are downloadable by the wireless power transmitter.

Claim 1:
A wireless power transmitter (<NUM>), comprising:
a plurality of patch antennas;
a communication circuit; and
a processor configured to:
control the wireless power transmitter to form an RF wave of a first beam width via the plurality of patch antennas, and
characterized in that
the processor is configured to:
receive sensing data about a posture of an electronic device (<NUM>) associated with rotation of the electronic device via the communication circuit from the electronic device (<NUM>), and
adjust a beam width of the RF wave formed by the plurality of patch antennas from the first beam width to a second beam width based on, at least, the received sensing data.