System and method for inductive charging of portable devices

Abstract

A system and method for variable power transfer in an inductive charging or power system. In accordance with an embodiment the system comprises a pad or similar base unit that contains a primary, which creates an alternating magnetic field. A receiver comprises a means for receiving the energy from the alternating magnetic field from the pad and transferring it to a mobile device, battery, or other device. In accordance with various embodiments, additional features can be incorporated into the system to provide greater power transfer efficiency, and to allow the system to be easily modified for applications that have different power requirements. These include variations in the material used to manufacture the primary and / or the receiver coils; modified circuit designs to be used on the primary and / or receiver side; and additional circuits and components that perform specialized tasks, such as mobile device or battery identification, and automatic voltage or power-setting for different devices or batteries.

Description

[0001] Copyright statement [0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material protected by copyright. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office's patent literature or collection, but reserves all copyright in all other cases. [0003] priority claim [0004] This application claims priority to US Patent Application 12 / 116,876, filed May 7, 2008, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHODFOR INDUCTIVE CHARGING OF PORTABLE DEVICES," which was filed January 30, 2007 A continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application 11 / 669,113, entitled "INDUCTIVE POWER SOURCE AND CHARGING SYSTEM," which claims the U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 763,816, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 810,262, filed June 1, 2006, entitled "MOBILEDEVICE, CHARGER, AND POWER SUPPLY" , BATTERY, CHARGING SYSTMEM, AND POWER SUPPLY," U.S. Provisional Patent Appl...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, each of these approaches suffers from poor power transfer due to the fact that most of the power from the primary is not picked up in the receiver, and thus the overall power efficiency of the charger is poor

Additionally, the magnetic cores used for the primary and receiver are often bulky, adding to the overall cost and size of the system and limiting their incorporation into many devices

[0014] Another point to note is that while all of the above devices allow the user to charge the device, they also require either the charging device or the base unit to be electrically connected to a power source such as an electrical outlet or a DC power source

In many cases, such as when traveling, camping, or working in places where power is not available, the user may not have access to such power

However, to date, no device has been provided that is portable and allows for inductive charging of multiple devices with differing power requirements, and that itself can be charged intermittently or occasionally by an external power source or otherwise, or that is self-powered or include your own power supply

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