PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8796886-B2
Application Number: US-201213452726-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Automatically tuning a transmitter to a resonance frequency of a receiver

Abstract:
Various embodiments of a wirelessly powered local computing environment are described. The wireless powered local computing environment includes at least a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply arranged to wirelessly provide power to any of a number of suitably configured devices. In the described embodiments, the devices arranged to receive power wirelessly from the NFMR power supply must be located in a region known as the near field that extends no further than a distance of a few times a characteristic size of the NFMR power supply transmission device. Typically, the distance can be on the order of 1 meter or so. The NFMR power supply is used to tune a transmitter in order to maintain a high Q factor.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wireless power transmission unit comprising:
 a varying frequency excitation source arranged to provide a variable circuit excitation at frequency f; and 
 a first resonator structure coupled to the varying frequency f power supply, the first resonator structure having a resonant frequency ω 1 , a first Q factor Q 1 , and a characteristic size L 1  wherein non-radiative energy transfer between the first resonator structure and at a second resonator structure positioned apart from the transmission unit, the second resonator structure having a resonant frequency ω 2 , a second Q factor Q 2 , and a characteristic size L 2  is mediated through a magnetic resonant coupling associated with evanescent tails between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure when the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure are in a tuned state when the first resonant frequency Γ 1  and the second resonant frequency ω 2  are within the narrower of first resonance width Γ 1  or second resonance width Γ 2  such that the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the resonant frequency ω 2  are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3db, wherein the first resonator structure maintains the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by varying the first resonant frequency ω 1  such that the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the resonant frequency ω 2  are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3db or are within the narrower of first resonance width Γ 1  or second resonance width Γ 2  in accordance with any changes in the second resonant frequency ω 2 . 
 
     
     
       2. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the varying frequency excitation source is a varying voltage supply arranged to provide frequency dependent voltage V f . 
     
     
       3. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the first resonator structure comprises:
 a transmitter coil coupled to the varying frequency f power supply, wherein in the tuned state, the transmitter coil wirelessly provides real power P real  at the first resonant frequency ω 1  to the second resonator structure by magnetic resonant inductive coupling, the transmitter coil having a representative transmitter coil resistance R coil . 
 
     
     
       4. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the transmitter coil further comprises:
 a variable impedance element coupled in series with the transmitter coil resistance R coil . 
 
     
     
       5. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 4 , further comprising:
 an average current (I ave ) indicator connected in series to the varying voltage supply, the transmitter coil resistance R coil  and the variable impedance element, the I ave  indicator arranged to provide an indication of an average current I ave  in real time in the wireless power transmission unit; 
 a parasitic resistance R p  connected in series with the variable impedance element and the coil resistance R coil ; and 
 a receiver load R r  corresponding to a receiver load representing a load on the wireless power transmission unit caused by the coupling of the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure. 
 
     
     
       6. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit has an effective circuit impedance Z circuit  at resonance in accordance with Z circuit =R s +R coil +R p +R r . 
     
     
       7. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a processor coupled with the varying frequency voltage supply and with the average current I ave  indicator arranged to calculate a real power (P real ) value corresponding to an amount of real power P real  wirelessly transmitted by the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure in real time in the tuned state. 
 
     
     
       8. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the processor calculates the amount of real power P real  wirelessly transmitted by the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure in accordance with P Real =(I ave ) 2 Z circuit . 
     
     
       9. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the processor automatically determines second resonant frequency ω 2  by:
 setting the frequency f of the variable voltage supply to a current frequency f current ; 
 performing a frequency sweep by incrementing the current frequency f current in a range of frequencies having a low frequency f low  and a high frequency f high ; 
 adjusting the variable impedance element to maintain the wireless power transmission unit in resonance at the current frequency f current ; 
 instructing the I ave  indicator to periodically measure the I ave  as a current I ave  at the current frequency f current ; 
 calculating a current real power P real  at the current frequency f current ; 
 comparing the current real power P real  with a previously calculated real power P real ; 
 if the current real power P real  is less than the previously calculated real power P real  by at least a pre-determined amount, then setting the frequency f of the variable voltage supply to the current frequency f current , otherwise, 
 adjusting the current frequency f current  within the range of the low frequency f low  to the high frequency f high . 
 
     
     
       10. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 9 , comprising:
 a variable capacitance element having a variable capacitance value C, the variable capacitance element coupled to the processor, wherein the processor maintains the wireless power transmission unit in resonance during the frequency sweep by adjusting the variable capacitance value C such that the overall impedance of the wireless power transmission unit is essentially zero. 
 
     
     
       11. The wireless power transmission unit as recited in  claim 9 , comprising:
 a variable inductance element having a variable inductance value L, the variable inductance element coupled to the processor, wherein the processor maintains the wireless power transmission unit in resonance during the frequency sweep by adjusting the variable inductance value L such that the overall impedance of the wireless power transmission unit is essentially zero. 
 
     
     
       12. A wirelessly powered local computing environment, comprising:
 a variable frequency power supply arranged to provide power at a frequency; 
 an resonance frequency adjustable near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) wireless transmitter coupled to the power supply and arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from the power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d; and 
 a central processing unit, the central processing unit providing processing resources to the variable frequency power supply and the resonance frequency adjustable NFMR transmitter, wherein when the NFMR transmitter establishes a resonance coupling with the receiver, the central processing unit maintains at least a minimum system Q factor Q system  by adjusting only the resonance frequency of the NFMR transmitter. 
 
     
     
       13. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a power detector connected in series with the variable frequency power supply arranged to monitor a current in the NFMR wireless transmitter and provide a corresponding current value. 
 
     
     
       14. The wirelessly powered local computing environment  claim 13 , wherein during a frequency sweep operation, the central processing unit adjusts the frequency of the variable frequency power supply from a low frequency value to a high frequency value and instructs the power detector to concurrently monitor the power in the NFMR transmitter. 
     
     
       15. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising:
 an adjustable reactive element connected in series with variable frequency power supply forming an RLC equivalent circuit corresponding to the NFMR transmitter, wherein during the frequency sweep operation the central processing unit adjusts the adjustable reactive element in order to maintain the NFMR transmitter in resonance. 
 
     
     
       16. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the adjustable reactive element is an adjustable capacitor having an adjustable capacitance C or an adjustable inductor having an adjustable inductance L. 
     
     
       17. The wirelessly powered local computing environment as recited in  claim 16 , wherein when the monitored power in the NFMR transmitter at a current frequency is less than an average power value by a pre-determined amount, then the frequency of the adjustable power supply is set to the current frequency. 
     
     
       18. A method performed by a wireless power transmission unit for automatically tuning a wireless power transmission system, comprising:
 the wireless power transmission unit including at least a first resonator structure coupled to a varying frequency f voltage supply, 
 in a tuned state, establishing a magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure to a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit; 
 non-radiatively transferring useable power from the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure using the magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure, wherein in the tuned state, a first resonant frequency ω 1  of the first resonator structure and a second resonant frequency ω 2  of the second resonator structure are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3db; 
 wherein the first resonator structure maintains the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by varying a first resonant frequency ω 1  of the first resonant structure in order to maintain the separation of the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the second resonant frequency ω 2  of no more than 3db in accordance with any change in the second resonant frequency ω 2 . 
 
     
     
       19. The method as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the varying frequency excitation source is a varying voltage supply arranged to provide frequency dependent voltage V f . 
     
     
       20. The method as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the first resonator structure comprises:
 a transmitter coil coupled to the varying frequency f power supply, wherein in the tuned state, the transmitter coil wirelessly provides real power P real  at the first resonant frequency ω 1  to the second resonator structure by magnetic resonant inductive coupling, the transmitter coil having a representative transmitter coil resistance R coil . 
 
     
     
       21. The method as recited in  claim 20 , the transmitter coil further comprising:
 a variable impedance element coupled in series with the transmitter coil resistance R coil . 
 
     
     
       22. The method as recited in  claim 21 , the wireless power transmission unit further comprising:
 an average current (I ave ) indicator connected in series to the varying voltage supply, the transmitter coil resistance R coil  and the variable impedance element, the I ave  indicator arranged to provide an indication of an average current I ave  in real time in the wireless power transmission unit; 
 a parasitic resistance R p  connected in series with the variable impedance element and the coil resistance R coil ; and 
 a receiver load R r  corresponding to a receiver load representing a load on the wireless power transmission unit caused by the coupling of the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure. 
 
     
     
       23. The method as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit has an effective circuit impedance Z circuit  at resonance in accordance with Z circuit =R s +R coil +R p +R r . 
     
     
       24. The method as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit further comprises:
 a processor coupled with the varying frequency voltage supply and with the average current I ave  indicator arranged to calculate a real power (P real ) value corresponding to an amount of real power P real  wirelessly transmitted by the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure in real time in the tuned state. 
 
     
     
       25. The method as recited in  claim 24 , wherein the processor calculates the amount of real power P real  wirelessly transmitted by the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure in accordance with P Real =(I ave ) 2 Z circuit . 
     
     
       26. The method as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the processor automatically determines the second resonant frequency ω 2  by:
 setting the frequency f of the variable voltage supply to a current frequency f current ; 
 performing a frequency sweep by incrementing the current frequency f current  in a range of frequencies having a low frequency f low  and a high frequency f high ; 
 adjusting the variable impedance element to maintain the wireless power transmission unit in resonance at the current frequency f current ; 
 instructing the I ave  indicator to periodically measure the I ave  as a current I ave  at the current frequency f current ; 
 calculating a current real power P real  at the current frequency f current ; 
 comparing the current real power P real  with a previously calculated real power P real ; if the current real power P real  is less than the previously calculated real power P real  by at least a pre-determined amount, then setting the frequency f of the variable voltage supply to the current frequency f current , otherwise, 
 adjusting the current frequency f current  within the range of the low frequency f low  to the high frequency f high . 
 
     
     
       27. The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit further comprises:
 a variable capacitance element having a variable capacitance value C, the variable capacitance element coupled to the processor, wherein the processor maintains the wireless power transmission unit in resonance during the frequency sweep by adjusting the variable capacitance value C such that the overall impedance of the wireless power transmission unit is essentially zero. 
 
     
     
       28. The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit further comprises:
 a variable inductance element having a variable inductance value L, the variable inductance element coupled to the processor, wherein the processor maintains the wireless power transmission unit in resonance during the frequency sweep by adjusting the variable inductance value L such that the overall impedance of the wireless power transmission unit is essentially zero.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/491,844, filed May 31, 2011, entitled MAGNETICALLY DE-COUPLED MULTIPLE RESONATING COILS IN A TIGHTLY SPACED ARRAY, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The described embodiments relate generally to utilizing a wireless power transmission in a portable computing environment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As described in Annals of Physics 323 (2008) 34-48 “Efficient Wireless non-radiative mid-range energy transfer” by Aristeidis Karalis et al., available online Apr. 27, 2007, that is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, useable power can be transferred wirelessly from a power source to a receiver located within a distance referred to as a near field. 
     Therefore, what is desired are methods, systems, and apparatus for maintaining a maximum power transfer between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless receiver in a wirelessly powered local computing environment. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention provides a system and method for utilizing wireless near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power transmission in a computing environment. In particular, techniques for maintaining a shared resonance frequency in the transmitter and receiver in a magnetic resonance power transfer system are described. 
     In one embodiment, a wireless power transmission unit is described. The wireless power transmission unit includes at least a varying frequency excitation source arranged to provide a variable circuit excitation at frequency f and a first resonator structure coupled to the varying frequency f excitation source, the first resonator structure having a resonant frequency ω 1 , a first Q factor Q 1 , and a characteristic size L 1 . Non-radiative energy transfer between the first resonator structure and a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit, the second resonator structure having a resonant frequency ω 2 , a second Q factor Q 2 , and a characteristic size L 2  is mediated through a magnetic resonant coupling associated with evanescent tails between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure when the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure are in a tuned state. The first and second resonator structures are in the tuned state when the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the second resonant frequency ω 2  are within the narrower of first resonance width Γ 1  or second resonance width Γ 2  such that the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the resonant frequency ω 2  are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3 db. The first resonator structure maintains the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by varying the first resonant frequency ω 1  in order to maintain the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the second resonant frequency ω 2  such that the first resonant frequency ω 1  and the resonant frequency ω 2  are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3 db in accordance with any changes in the second resonant frequency ω 2 . 
     In still another embodiment, a wirelessly powered local computing environment is described that includes at least a variable frequency power supply arranged to provide power at a frequency, a resonance frequency-adjustable near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) wireless transmitter coupled to the power supply and arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from the power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d, and a central processing unit, the central processing unit providing processing resources to the variable frequency power supply and the resonance frequency-adjustable NFMR transmitter. In the described embodiment, when the NFMR transmitter establishes a resonance coupling with the receiver, the central processing unit maintains the resonance frequency by adjusting the NFMR transmitter. 
     In another embodiment, a method performed by a wireless power transmission unit for automatically tuning a wireless power transmission system is described. In the described embodiment, the wireless power transmission unit includes at least a first resonator structure coupled to a varying frequency f voltage supply. The method can be performed by establishing a magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure to a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit in a tuned state, non-radiatively transferring useable power from the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure using the magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure. In the tuned state, a first resonant frequency ω 1  of the first resonator structure and the second resonant frequency ω 2  of the second resonator structure are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3 db. The first resonator structure maintains the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by varying a first resonant frequency ω 1  of the first resonant structure in order to maintain the first resonant frequency ω 1  and a second resonant frequency ω 2  are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3 db in accordance with any change in the second resonant frequency ω 2 . 
     Other apparatuses, methods, features and advantages of the described embodiments will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is target that all such additional apparatuses, methods, features and advantages be included within this description be within the scope of and protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only to provide examples of possible structures and arrangements for the disclosed embodiments. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the described embodiments by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  shows an exemplary system diagram of an auto-tuning wireless power transfer system in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIGS. 2A-2B  shows embodiments of an RLC equivalent circuit of a transmitter having adjustable capacitive and inductive elements, respectively. 
         FIG. 3  shows representative P real  family of curves for a transmitter in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  represents an RLC equivalent circuit of a transmitter with parasitic resistance in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of RLC equivalent circuit that models a receiver in proximity to a transmitter in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  shows P real  curve representing presence or resonating receiver based upon RLC equivalent circuit of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  shows a flow chart detailing a process for automatically tuning a transmitter in a wireless circuit. 
         FIG. 8  shows representative virtual charging area in accordance with the described embodiments. 
         FIG. 9  shows a computing system in accordance with the described embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various embodiments of a wirelessly powered local computing environment are described. The wireless powered local computing environment includes at least a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply arranged to wirelessly provide power to any of a number of suitably configured devices. In the described embodiments, the devices arranged to receive power wirelessly from the NFMR power supply can be located in a region known as the near field that extends about a distance D that can be a few times a characteristic size of the NFMR power supply transmission device. Typically, the distance D can be on the order of 1 meter or so. The local wireless environment can be affected by many things such as the relative positions of the NFMR power transmitter and receivers, obstacles that can affect the distribution of magnetic energy in the NFMR field that can adversely affect the resonance frequency of the system as a whole and those of the NFMR power transmitter and receiver specifically. This effective de-tuning of resonance frequency can effectively reduce the overall efficiency of the system (i.e., the Q system  factor) which can result in a concomitant reduction in the amount of useable power that can ultimately be transferred. 
     In the context of this discussion, it is well known that useable power can be wirelessly transmitted by way of a wireless transmitter and receiver transiently coupled by way of a magnetic field. More specifically, a system in accordance with the described embodiments can include a wireless power receiver incorporated within or electrically coupled to a peripheral device that can wirelessly receive useful amounts of power from an external power supply. In the described system, the wireless power receiver can include a first resonator structure having a first resonant frequency ω 1 , a first Q factor Q 1  (a measure of power transfer efficiency), and a first characteristic size L 1 . For example, in the context of a computing system where the peripheral device takes the form of a computer mouse or other input device, the characteristic size L 1  can be on the order of a few inches or centimeters. The system can also include a power supply coupled to at least a second resonator structure positioned a variable distance d from the first resonator structure having a second resonant frequency ω 2  and a second Q factor Q 2  and second characteristic size L 2 . For example, the second resonator structure can be incorporated within a computer such as a desktop or laptop computer. In this way, a charging region can be formed around the computer in which the peripheral device (or any other appropriately configured device) can wirelessly receive useful amounts of power from the power supply via the second resonator structure. 
     When first and second resonant frequencies ω 1  and ω 2  are close together, a coupling region between the first and second resonator structures can be formed. Within this coupling region, useful power can be transferred by way of a non-radiative energy transfer mechanism that utilizes resonant-field evanescent tails of the magnetic field provided by the second resonator structure. For example, when the first resonator structure is incorporated into a peripheral device such as a computer mouse, the computer mouse can be at least partially supplied with power from the second resonator structure coupled to the power supply mediated by the magnetic field. In this way, the peripheral device can operate in a wireless mode without the need for a power supply other than that provided in the computing device. The amount and duration of power that can be delivered to the peripheral device can be dependent on a number of factors. For example, the coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure can be highly dependent upon maintaining a tuned state between the first and second resonant structures. 
     In a magnetic resonance power transfer system, at least a transmitter and a receiver are resonantly coupled in such a way that useable power can be transferred from a power supply by way of the transmitter to at least one receiver. In order to transfer useable power, both the transmitter and receiver are tuned to a resonance frequency characteristic of the magnetic resonance power transfer system. A quality factor or Q factor is a dimensionless parameter that can be used as a measure of the ability of the resonant system to transfer energy from the transmitter to the receiver. More specifically, the Q factor is the ratio of power stored to power dissipated in reactance and resistance elements in the circuit according to Eq. (1): 
                     Pstored   Pdissipated     =         I   2     ⁢   X         I   2     ⁢   R               Eq   .           ⁢     (   1   )                 
where X is the capacitive/inductive reactance, and
     R is series resistance.
 
The Q factor can also be used to characterize a resonator&#39;s bandwidth (BW) relative to its center frequency in accordance with Eq. (2):
 
BW=Δω=ω h −ω 1 =ω c   /Q   Eq. (2)
 
where ω h =high band edge, ω 1 =low band edge, and ω c =center frequency (resonant frequency)
 
ω 1 =ω c −Δω/2
 
ω h =ω c +Δω/2.
   

     Therefore, systems having high Q factors have necessarily narrow bandwidths (i.e., Δω/2 decreases as Q increases). For example, a wireless power transfer system with a system quality factor Q system  of 100 or more can be achieved by properly tuning the transmitter and receiver. However, the higher the Q factor, the narrower the associated frequency range. For example, a wireless power transfer system can only maintain system quality factor Q system  of at least 100 by tuning the resonant frequencies of the transmitter and receiver to within an extremely tight (such as 3 dB) bandwidth of each other. In other words, the transmitter and receiver must be very closely tuned to the same frequency for significant power transfer to occur. If the transmitter and receiver become de-tuned beyond the 3 dB bandwidth, the ability of the wireless power transfer system to magnetically transfer power exponentially decays. The detuning of the system can occur if either a) the transmitter or receiver detunes (i.e not resonating) or b) the resonance frequency of the transmitter and receiver do not align resulting from interference created by extraneous objects (typically ferro-magnetic) that capacitively couple with either or both the transmitter or receiver. 
     For example, if either the transmitter and/or receiver are placed in an environment in which the transmitter and/or receiver are in proximity to metallic or ferromagnetic objects, the resonance frequency of either can deviate significantly from design due to magnetic or capacitive coupling to the objects in the environment. Therefore, without any modifications, the transmitter and receiver can de-tune to such a degree that the system Q factor drops precipitously resulting in a substantial, if not complete, loss in power transfer between the transmitter and receiver. 
     Accordingly, the following discussion describes techniques for automatically maintaining a NFMR power transfer system in a tuned state thereby maintaining a high system Q factor. In one embodiment, the system can be maintained in a tuned state by automatically tuning a transmitter to match the resonant frequency of an associated receiver. The high system Q factor, in turn, facilitates an efficient transfer of power from the transmitter to the receiver having the effect of providing useful amounts of power wirelessly to a device coupled to the receiver. In one embodiment, the transmitter is actively tuned in order to maintain resonance coupling between the transmitter and receiver. Tuning the transmitter is an advantageous technique since the transmitter is typically tethered to a power source that can be frequency adjusted. 
     In one embodiment, the transmitter can be coupled to an oscillator circuit that can generate a frequency used to excite the transmitter. The oscillator circuit can take the form of a variable oscillator circuit that can be adjusted via a variable clock circuit or a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator). Moreover, a capacitance or inductance of the resonant system can be modified in such a way that the resonance frequency of the transmitter is within an acceptable range of the resonance frequency of the system. In this way, maximum power can be transferred from the power supply via the transmitter to the receiver that can be used to provide power to a device. In one embodiment, a variable capacitance circuit can be used to change the system capacitance, leaving the system inductance unchanged. Other techniques can be used in other embodiments. 
     In yet another embodiment, non-transitory computer readable medium for storing a computer program executable by a processor in a wireless power transmission unit for automatically tuning a wireless power transmission system is described. In the described embodiment, the wireless power transmission unit includes at least a first resonator structure coupled to a varying frequency f voltage supply. The computer readable medium includes at least computer code for establishing a magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure to a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit in a tuned state, computer code for non-radiatively transferring useable power from the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure using the magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure, wherein in the tuned state, a first resonant frequency ω 1  of the first resonator structure and the second resonant frequency ω 2  of the second resonator structure are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3 db; and computer code for maintaining the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by first resonator structure by varying a first resonant frequency ω 1  of the first resonant structure in order to maintain the first resonant frequency ω 1  and a second resonant frequency ω 2  are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3 db in accordance with any change in the second resonant frequency  0 ) 2 . 
     In another embodiment, a method performed by a processor for auto-tuning the resonance frequency of a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) transmitter to its receiver is described. In the described embodiment, the NFMR transmitter is arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from a variable frequency power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d of the transmitter, the variable frequency power supply is arranged to provide the power to the NFMR transmitter at a frequency. The method is carried out by performing at least the following operations: providing power to the NFMR transmitter at a frequency by the variable frequency power supply, adjusting the NFMR transmitter to resonate at the power supply frequency, monitoring peak real power supplied to the resonating NFMR transmitter by the power supply, and setting the frequency of the variable frequency power supply to the current frequency when the monitored peak real power supplied is less than peak real power supplied at other frequency when the NFMR is also resonating by at least a pre-determined amount. 
     In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing computer code executed by a processor for auto-tuning a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) transmitter is described. In the described embodiment, the NFMR transmitter is arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from a variable frequency power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d of the transmitter, the variable frequency power supply is arranged to provide the power to the NFMR transmitter at a frequency. The computer readable medium includes at least computer code for providing power to the NFMR transmitter at the frequency by the variable frequency power supply, computer code for maintaining the NFMR transmitter in resonance mode, computer code for changing the frequency of the variable frequency power supply to a current frequency, computer code for monitoring a current generated in response to the provided power at the current frequency, and computer code for setting the frequency of the variable frequency power supply to the current frequency when the monitored current is less than an average current by at least a pre-determined amount. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-9 . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary system diagram of an auto-tuning wireless power transfer system in accordance with the described embodiments. Magnetic resonance power transfer system  10  can include transmitter  100  configured to supply power wirelessly to receiver  200  by way of magnetic field B NFMR . Transmitter  100  can include at least transmitter resonator or resonator configured as coil  102  (Tx Coil). Similarly, receiver  200  can be configured as having a receiver resonator or resonator as coil  202  (Rx Coil). In some aspects, transmitter coil  102  (Tx Coil) and/or the receiver coil  202  (Rx Coil) can be presumed to be essentially a two-dimensional structure. In the described embodiment, Tx coil  102  can be coupled to transmitter impedance-matching circuit  104  that can be used to match the impedances between Tx coil  102  and Rx coil  202 . In the described embodiment, Rx coil  202  can be coupled to receiver load device  204  that receives useful amounts of power from power supply  106  connected to transmitter  100 . Transmitter  100  can wirelessly transfer power received from power supply  106  using Tx Coil  102  resonantly coupled with Rx Coil  202 . Power received at Rx Coil  202  can be passed to load device  204 . In the described embodiment, tuning circuit  108  can be used to automatically adjust characteristics of transmitter  100  in order that a system quality factor remains greater than a pre-determined threshold value. In one embodiment, tuning circuit  108  can detect the presence of a resonating receiver unit and adjust the resonance frequency of transmitter  100  accordingly. 
       FIGS. 2A-2B  shows embodiments of an RLC equivalent circuit of a transmitter having adjustable capacitive and inductive elements, respectively. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B , RLC circuit  300  can include various reactive elements such as capacitors and inductors. RLC circuit  300  can also include various resistive elements representing various aspects of transmitter  100 . For example, various parasitic power losses inherent in transmitter  100  can be characterized as a series resistor. It should be further noted that the overall impedance Z of RLC circuit  300  can be a combination of resistance values of the various resistive elements as well as reactive values of constituent inductors and capacitors. It should be noted, however, that the electrical characteristics of inductors and capacitors and therefore their respective reactance values are frequency dependent. At a resonance frequency, the inductance and capacitance reactive values are equal in magnitude but 180° out of phase having the effect that the reactive values of the inductors and capacitors cancel each other out resulting a sharp drop in overall circuit impedance Z. This sharp drop in overall circuit impedance Z can be used to automatically and periodically detect a resonant frequency of RLC circuit  300  in a manner described below in more detail. 
     More particularly, as shown in  FIG. 2A , RLC circuit  300  can include voltage source (V s )  302  in the form of a variable excitation source along the lines of an AC power supply arranged to provide variable voltage V AC . It should be noted that in terms of this discussion, alternating voltage V AC  need not be sinusoidal in nature in which case alternating voltage V AC  can have fundamental frequency f Hz represented as ω=2πf. In the described embodiment, V s    302  can be connected in series with power detector  304 . Power detector  304  can be used to detect current I rms  as well as real power developed in circuit  300  in response to the application of alternating voltage V AC  and calculate the real power supplied by the power source  302 . Those skilled in the art will realize that  302  can also be also an alternating current source instead of alternating voltage source with similar end goal of supply power to circuit  300  with variable frequency. 
     RLC circuit  300  can also include coil resistor R coil    306  that can represent the resistance or power loss inherent in Tx Coil  102 . Series resistor R s    308  can represent the resistance or power loss in the remainder of circuit  300  associated with, for example, PCB traces, internal resistance of V s    302  and so on. Coil inductance can be represented as coil inductor  310 , or more simply L coil    310  having reactance X L (=ωL coil ) and variable capacitor (or capacitor bank) C  312  having reactance X C (=1/ωC coil ) that can be varied, or tuned, such that circuit  300  resonates at which point X L =X C  resulting in a sharp drop in circuit impedance Z as shown by Eq. (3a) and Eq. (3b) and Eq. (3c):
 
 I   rms   =V   rms   /Z   Eq. (3a)
 
where
 
 Z =√( R   ↑ 2)+( X   ↓   L−X   C ) 2   Eq. (3b)
 
 Z=R   circuit   =R   S   +R   coil   Eq. (3c)
 
     Therefore at resonance (i.e., X L =X c ), circuit impedance Z simply reduces to Z=R circuit . In this way by incrementing frequency f of Vs  302  and tuning capacitor C  312  to maintain RLC circuit  300  in resonance, power detector  304  will measure real power as approximately a straight line vs resonance frequency of circuit  300  as illustrated in  FIG. 3  as line  402  (presuming little or no frequency dependence of the resistive elements) and according to Eq. (4) showing the relationship between P Real , I RMS  and V RMS  that can be used to characterize transmitter  100  in resonance:
 
 P   Real =( I   rms ) 2   R   circuit =( V   rms ) 2   /R   circuit .  Eq. (4).
 
In place of or in addition to variable capacitor C  312 , RLC circuit  300  can include variable inductor L  312  as shown in  FIG. 2B .
 
     It should be noted that parasitic lossy elements along the lines of metallic or magnetic objects in the vicinity of Tx Coil  102  can be represented as an additional resistive element along the lines of R p    314  shown in  FIG. 4  as circuit  400 . The addition of parasitic resistance R p  increases circuit resistance R circuit  resulting in a reduction in P Real  as shown in  FIG. 3  as curve  404 . In this way, transmitter  100  can be characterized by a family of P Real  curves. In some cases, the P Real  curves can be frequency independent such as shown in  FIG. 3  as curve  402 ,  404  or frequency dependent shown in  FIG. 3  as curve  406 . In the frequency dependent scenario, some of the resistive elements can be sensitive to frequency f in that their respective resistive values can change as frequency f changes as a result of, for example, changing frequency f during a frequency sweep operation. For example, in the scenario represented by  FIG. 3  with regards to curve  406 , at least some of the resistive elements can be exhibit higher resistance values when frequency f is high as opposed to low resulting in curve  406  having a non-zero slope (in the example, shown the linearity of curve  406  is maintained by presuming that all resistive elements are equally sensitive to frequency, which may not be true in all cases). 
       FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of circuit  300  that models a receiver in proximity to transmitter  100  as circuit  500 . The receiver load can be modeled as receiver resistance R r    316  such that at resonance the circuit impedance Z circuit  satisfies Eq. (6):
 
 Z   circuit   =R   s   +R   coil   +R   p   +R   r  Eq. (6).
 
     In this way, the value of Z circuit  will increase due to the presence of the resonant receiver causing P Real  to drop around where the resonance frequency of transmitter  100  lines up with the resonance frequency of receiver  200  as shown in  FIG. 6  indicating the presence of a resonating receiver. 
     Accordingly, by using both frequency sweeping and maintaining the transmitter equivalent circuit in resonance, a receiver resonance frequency can be automatically determined and the transmitter tuned in accordance with the following procedure. Firstly, transmitter  100  can be configured to include a variable reactance element such as a variable capacitor along the lines of capacitor C  312 . Transmitter  100  can be provided power by a variable power supply that can supply a variable frequency voltage V(f) that can be incremented from a low frequency value f LOW  to a high frequency value f HIGH  during a frequency sweep operation. A power detector coupled in series with the variable frequency voltage supply can be used to detect the circuit real power P Real . 
     During the frequency sweep operation, the power detector provides a periodic value of P Real  which is measured against a previous value of P Real  in order to determine a value of frequency f corresponding to a pre-determined drop in value of P Real  with respect to a previous value of P Real . In the described embodiment, the frequency or range of frequencies corresponding to the detected pre-determined drop  408  in value of P Real  can be associated with a resonant frequency ω R  of receiver  200  as that can be used to tune transmitter resonant frequency ω T . In one embodiment, transmitter resonant frequency ω T  can be determined using an iterative process in which a range of frequencies corresponding to drop  408  can be used to determine a center frequency corresponding to a desired transmitter resonant frequency ω T . 
       FIG. 7  shows a flow chart detailing a process  700  for automatically tuning a transmitter in a wireless circuit. Process  700  can be carried out by applying a varying voltage (or current) source to a transmitter at  702 . At  704 , a reactive element coupled to the transmitter is used to adjust the transmitter in resonance in accordance with the applied voltage. At  706 , a first transmitter real power is measured at a first frequency. At  708 , the frequency is incremented and at  710  a second transmitter real power is measured at the incremented frequency. At  712 , the second transmitter real power at the incremented frequency is compared to the first transmitter real power at the first frequency. If at  714  the comparison indicates that the second real power is less than the first real power by an amount greater than a pre-determined amount, then the frequency of the voltage source is set to the incremented frequency at  716 , otherwise control is passed back to  708 . It should be noted that I rms  and V rms  can also be used to analogize the change in real power as a function of transmitter frequency in accordance with Eq. (4). 
       FIG. 8  shows representative virtual charging area  800  in accordance with the described embodiments. Virtual charging area  800  provides region R of charging for suitably configured devices placed within the region R. NFMR power supply can be placed in central unit such as desktop computer. In this way, the desktop computer can provide the NFMR power supply with computing resources. It should be noted that the near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply can include high Q circuit that relies upon near field magnetic coupling by way of a resonance channel formed between resonances of the power source and sink to transfer power. The NFMR power supply can be a standalone unit such as, for example, included in a desk top computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, and so on. In other embodiments, the NFMR power supply can take the form of a portable type unit such as a dongle that can be connected to a legacy device such as a desktop computer thereby providing the ability to retrofit devices. In still other embodiments, housing or a portion of a housing used to enclose the NFMR power source can act to extend a useful range of the NFMR power supply. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  virtual charging area  800  includes central unit  802  (desktop computer) that can include the NFMR power supply, keyboard  804 , mouse  806 , and portable media player  808 . In one embodiment, keyboard  804  can be configured to receive power directly from the NFMR power supply included in desktop computer  802  as can mouse  806  and portable media player  808  (when located within range R). 
     In some cases, the ability of desktop computer  802  to provide power directly to mouse  806 , for example, can be reduced due to any number of factors. Such factors can include, for example, the addition of other devices into region R that require power from the NFMR power supply, obstacles interfering with the direct power channel formed between the NFMR and mouse  806 , and so on. In this case, keyboard  804  can act as a re-resonator such that a portion of the power delivered to keyboard  804  from the NFMR power supply can be passed on by way of a re-resonator transmission unit (not shown) in keyboard  804 . In this way, any power loss experienced by mouse  806  can be ameliorated by the power received from keyboard  804 . This arrangement can be transitory or can last for as long as mouse  806  is not able to receive adequate power directly from the NFMR power supply. In other cases, the locating of portable media player  808  within region R can reduce the amount of power available to keyboard  804  and mouse  806 . In this case, if a battery in keyboard  806  is fully charged (or additional charge is not necessary) then keyboard  806  can decouple a charging circuit while still maintaining a re-resonator circuit providing power to mouse  806 . 
     In some embodiments, dongle  810  can be connected to desktop computer  802  (by way of a USB port or cable, for example). So connected, dongle  810  can, in turn, act as a range extender for the NFMR power supply. In this way, dongle  810  can extend a range that power can be provided by the NFMR power supply included in desktop computer  802 . In some cases, dongle  810  can re-resonate power already received from the NFMR power supply while in other cases, dongle  810  can include its own NFMR power supply. By having its own NFMR power supply, dongle  810  can provide additional power wirelessly to those devices within virtual charging region  800  separate from the power provided by the NFMR power supply included in desktop  802 . It should be noted that in some embodiments, the housing  812  of desktop computer  802  (or a portion thereof) can be used as a resonator as part of the NFMR power supply. 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram of computing system  900  in accordance with the described embodiments. Computing system  900  includes processor  902  that pertains to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of computing system  900 . Computing system  900  stores data pertaining to media items, for example, in a file system  904  and a cache  906 . The file system  904  is, typically, a storage disk or a plurality of disks. The file system typically provides high capacity storage capability for computing system  900 . However, since the access time to the file system  904  is relatively slow, computing system  900  also includes a cache  906 . The cache  906  is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to the cache  906  is substantially shorter than for the file system  904 . However, the cache  906  does not have the large storage capacity of the file system  904 . 
     Further, the file system  904 , when active, consumes more power than does the cache  906 . The power consumption is particularly important when the computing system  900  is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown). 
     Computing system  900  also includes a user input device  908  that allows a user of computing system  900  to interact with computing system  900 . For example, the user input device  908  can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc. Still further, the computing system  900  includes data bus  911  can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system  904 , the cache  906 , the processor  902 , and the CODEC  912 . 
     In one embodiment, computing system  900  serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in the file system  904 . When a user desires to have the media player play a particular media item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display  911 . Then, using the user input device  908 , a user can select one of the available media items. The processor  502 , upon receiving a selection of a particular media item, supplies the media data (e.g., audio file) for the particular media item to a coder/decoder (CODEC)  912 . 
     The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The described embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations or as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling a manufacturing line. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20120420
Publication Date: 20140805
Grant Date: 20140805
Priority Date: 20110531
Inventors: TAN LI-QUAN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H02J7/0042", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F38/14", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F38/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/40", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J7/0042", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01F38/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/005", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/40", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/79", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/79", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/263", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/79", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/263", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/263", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/40", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/263", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/79", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J7/0042", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 47259666