Wireless Power System Enclosure

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to wireless power system housings. A wireless power system is disclosed having a wireless power transmission device such as a charging station and a wireless power receiving device such as a battery operated device. The charging station can be connected to a plug via a cable. The plug can include a protective cover and a connector. The protective cover can accommodate a printed circuit board that is positioned closer to one of the protective cover housing walls.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 108,923, filed on December 1, 2020, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 088,234, filed on October 6, 2020, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to power systems, and more particularly, to wireless power systems for charging electronic devices. Background Art

[0003] In a wireless charging system, a wireless power transmission device such as a charging pad or charging stand wirelessly transmits power to a wireless power receiving device such as a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device has a coil and a rectifier circuit. The coil of the portable electronic device receives an AC wireless power signal from the wireless power transmission device. The rectifier circuit converts the received signal into DC power. Summary of the invention

[0004] The wireless power system has a wireless power transmission device and a wireless power receiving device. The wireless power receiving device may be a wristwatch having a magnetic core having at least a first wireless power receiving coil and a second wireless power receiving coil. The wireless power transmission device may be a charging cradle connected to a plug such as a universal serial bus plug via a cable.

[0005] In some embodiments, a wireless power transmission device is provided, the wireless power transmission device comprising: a device housing; at least one wireless power transmission coil, the at least one wireless power transmission coil being located within the device housing; a cable having a first end connected to the device housing and having a second end; and

[0006] A plug is connected to the second end of the cable. The plug includes: a protective cover having a protective cover housing having an upper wall and a lower wall; a connector extending from the protective cover; and a printed circuit board disposed within the protective cover housing, wherein the printed circuit board is positioned at a first distance from the upper wall and a second distance from the lower wall that is different from the first distance. Taller passive components can be mounted on a side of the printed circuit board that has a larger available spacing from the protective cover wall. Shorter active components can be mounted on an opposite side of the printed circuit board that has a smaller spacing from the protective cover wall. An underfill material can be disposed below the active component. The passive component may not contain any underfill material.

[0007] In some embodiments, a wireless power transmission device is provided, the wireless power transmission device comprising: a device housing; at least one wireless power transmission coil, the at least one wireless power transmission coil being located within the device housing; a cable having a first end connected to the device housing and having a second end; and a plug connected to the second end of the cable. The plug comprises: a protective cover having a protective cover housing; a connector extending from the protective cover; a printed circuit board disposed within the protective cover housing; a first electronic component disposed in a first region on the printed circuit board; a second electronic component disposed in a second region on the printed circuit board; an underfill material disposed below the first electronic component in the first region; and an underfill barrier configured to block the underfill material from reaching the second electronic component in the second region. The second electronic component may be a low acoustic noise capacitor (sometimes referred to as a noise reduction capacitor) coupled to a power rail of an inverter driving the wireless power transmission coil. The underfill barrier may be a metal barrier structure.

[0008] In some embodiments, a wireless power transmission device is provided, the wireless power transmission device comprising: a device housing; at least one wireless power transmission coil, the at least one wireless power transmission coil being located within the device housing; a plug; and a cable having a first end connected to the device housing and having a second end connected to the plug. The cable comprises a differential signal path, a first single-ended signal line capacitively coupled to the differential signal path by a first amount, and a second single-ended signal line capacitively coupled to the differential signal path by a second amount equal to the first amount to reduce crosstalk between the first single-ended signal line and the second single-ended signal line. The differential signal path comprises a positive signal line coupled to the first single-ended signal line by a first amount and coupled to the second single-ended signal line by the second amount, and comprises a negative signal line coupled to the first single-ended signal line by the first amount and coupled to the second single-ended signal line by the second amount.

[0009] In some embodiments, a wireless power transmission device is provided, the wireless power transmission device comprising: a device housing, the device housing accommodating a wireless power transmission coil; a device control circuit; and a temperature sensor configured to output a temperature value; a cable having a first end connected to the housing and having a second end; and a plug connected to the second end of the cable and having a protective cover control circuit, wherein the device control circuit is configured to transmit a heartbeat signal to the protective cover control circuit via the cable, and wherein the device control circuit is configured to stop transmitting the heartbeat signal in response to detecting that the temperature value has exceeded a predetermined threshold. The protective cover control circuit can stop providing power to the wireless power transmission coil via the cable in response to detecting that the device control circuit has stopped transmitting the heartbeat signal by latching an electronic fuse within the protective cover housing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative wireless charging system including a wireless power transmitting device and a wireless power receiving device according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of a wireless power transmission and reception circuit according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 3 is a side view of an illustrative wireless power transfer device, such as a wireless charging stand, connected to a connector plug via a cable in accordance with some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4A is a cross-sectional side view of the plug showing the printed circuit board closer to the upper wall of the protective cover according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 4B is a cross-sectional side view of a plug showing a printed circuit board closer to a lower wall of a protective cover according to some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 4C is a cross-sectional side view showing how an underfill material may be disposed under thinner features within a protective cover rather than under taller features, according to some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 5A is a top (layout) plan view of a printed circuit board having an underfill barrier configured to prevent underfill material from reaching a low acoustic noise capacitor according to some embodiments.

[0017] Figure 5B is a top plan view illustrating a printed circuit board having an underfill barrier surrounding an area closer to the center of the printed circuit board according to some embodiments.

[0018] Figure 5C is a top plan view illustrating a printed circuit board having multiple underfill barriers surrounding different areas on the printed circuit board according to some embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D is a cross-sectional view of a cable in which a differential data path is interposed between two single-ended signal paths to mitigate crosstalk, according to some embodiments.

[0020] Fig. 7A is a diagram illustrating how a heartbeat signal may be transmitted between a power delivery device and a plug according to some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 7B is a flow chart of illustrative steps for sending a heartbeat signal to a power delivery device using a plug according to some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 7C is a flow chart of illustrative steps for sending a heartbeat signal to a plug using a power delivery device according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The wireless power system includes a wireless power transmission device, such as a wireless charging station. The wireless power transmission device wirelessly transmits power to a wireless power receiving device (such as a cell phone, watch, or other electronic equipment). The wireless power receiving device uses the power from the wireless power transmission device to power the device and charge an internal battery.

[0024] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless power system (wireless charging system) is shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the wireless power system 8 includes a wireless power transmission device (such as a wireless power transmission device 12), and includes a wireless power receiving device (such as a wireless power receiving device 24). The wireless power transmission device 12 includes a control circuit 16. The wireless power receiving device 24 includes a control circuit 30. The control circuits in the system 8, such as the control circuit 16 and the control circuit 30, are used to control the operation of the system 8. This control circuit may include a processing circuit associated with a microprocessor, a power management unit, a baseband processor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, and / or an application-specific integrated circuit having a processing circuit. The processing circuit implements the desired control and communication features in the devices 12 and 24. For example, the processing circuit can be used to select a coil (in an embodiment with multiple coils), determine a power transmission level, process sensor data and other data, process user input, handle negotiations between the devices 12 and 24, send and receive in-band and out-of-band data, make measurements, and otherwise control the operation of the system 8.

[0025] The control circuits in the system 8 may be configured to perform operations in the system 8 using hardware (e.g., dedicated hardware or circuits), firmware, and / or software. Software code for performing operations in the system 8 is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a tangible computer-readable storage medium) in the control circuit 8. The software code may sometimes be referred to as software, data, program instructions, instructions, or code. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include non-volatile memory such as non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), one or more hard disk drives (e.g., a disk drive or a solid-state drive), one or more removable flash drives, or other removable media, etc. The software stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be executed on the processing circuit of the control circuit 16 and / or 30. The processing circuit may include a dedicated integrated circuit having a processing circuit, one or more microprocessors, a central processing unit (CPU), or other processing circuits.

[0026] The power transmission device 12 may be a stand-alone power adapter (e.g., a wireless power transmission device including a power adapter circuit), may be a wireless charging station or other device coupled to a power adapter or other equipment via a cable, may be a portable device, may be equipment already incorporated into furniture, a vehicle, or other systems, may be a removable battery box, or may be other wireless power transfer equipment. Exemplary configurations in which the wireless power transmission device 12 is a wireless charging station with a cable having a plug adapted to mate with a device such as a power adapter or other electronic equipment having a USB connector port are sometimes described herein as examples.

[0027] The power receiving device 24 may be a portable electronic device such as a cellular phone, a wristwatch, or other electronic equipment. The power transmission device 12 may be coupled to a wall outlet (e.g., an AC power source) and may use an AC-DC converter to generate direct current (DC) power and / or may have a battery for powering. In some embodiments described herein as examples, the AC-DC converter 14 is a stand-alone power converter or incorporated into a laptop computer or other device having a connector port (e.g., a USB connector port). With this type of arrangement, the device 12 is separate from the equipment including the converter 14 and has a cable that is plugged into the connector port to receive DC power from the converter 14.

[0028] The DC power may be used to power the control circuit 16. During operation, the controller in the control circuit 16 uses the power transmission circuit 52 to transmit wireless power to the power receiving circuit 54 of the device 24. The power transmission circuit 52 may have a switching circuit (e.g., an inverter circuit 61 formed by switches such as transistors) that is turned on or off based on a control signal provided by the control circuit 16 to form an AC current signal through one or more wireless power transmission coils such as the wireless power transmission coil 36. For example, the coil 36 may be arranged in a planar coil array (e.g., in a configuration where the device 12 is a wireless charging pad) or may be arranged to form a coil cluster (e.g., in a configuration where the device 12 is a wireless charging stand). As another example, the device 12 may have only a single coil. As another example, the device 12 may have multiple coils (e.g., two or more coils, four or more coils, six or more coils, 2-6 coils, less than 10 coils, etc.).

[0029] When AC current passes through the one or more coils 36, the coils 36 generate an electromagnetic field signal 44 in response to the AC current signal. The electromagnetic field signal (sometimes referred to as a wireless power signal) 44 may then induce a corresponding AC current to flow in one or more nearby receiver coils such as coil 48 in the power receiving device 24. When the alternating electromagnetic field is received by the coil 48, a corresponding alternating current is induced in the coil 48. A rectifier circuit such as the rectifier circuit 50 (which includes a rectifying component, such as a synchronous rectifier metal oxide semiconductor transistor arranged in a bridge network) converts the AC signal received from the one or more coils 48 (the received alternating current signal associated with the electromagnetic signal 44) into a DC voltage signal for powering the device 24.

[0030] The DC voltage generated by rectifier circuit 50 (sometimes referred to as rectifier output voltage Vrect) can be used to charge a battery such as battery 58, and can be used to power other components in device 24. For example, device 24 may include input-output devices 56 such as a display, a touch sensor, communication circuits, audio components, sensors, light-emitting diode status indicators, other light-emitting and light-detecting components, and other components, and these components (which form the load of device 24) can be powered by the DC voltage generated by rectifier circuit 50 (and / or the DC voltage generated by battery 58).

[0031] Device 12 and / or device 24 may communicate wirelessly using in-band or out-of-band communication. Device 12 may, for example, have a wireless transceiver circuit 40 that uses an antenna to wirelessly transmit an out-of-band signal to device 24. Wireless transceiver circuit 40 may be used to wirelessly receive an out-of-band signal from device 24 using an antenna. Device 24 may have a wireless transceiver circuit 46 that transmits an out-of-band signal to device 12. Receiver circuitry in wireless transceiver 46 may use an antenna to receive an out-of-band signal from device 12. In-band transmissions between devices 12 and 24 may be performed using coils 36 and 48. In the case of an exemplary configuration, frequency shift keying (FSK) is used to transmit in-band data from device 12 to device 24, and amplitude shift keying (ASK) is used to transmit in-band data from device 24 to device 12. During these FSK and ASK transmissions, power may be wirelessly transmitted from device 12 to device 24.

[0032] It is desirable that the power transmitting device 12 and the power receiving device 24 be able to communicate information such as received power, charge state, etc. to control the wireless power transfer. However, the above-described techniques do not need to involve the transmission of personally identifiable information to function. Out of an abundance of caution, it is noted that to the extent that any implementation of the charging technology involves the use of personally identifiable information, the implementer should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally considered to meet or exceed industry or government requirements to maintain user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to the user.

[0033] Control circuitry 16 has external object measurement circuitry 41 that can be used to detect external objects proximate to device 12 (e.g., on top of a charging pad, or if desired, to detect objects adjacent to a coupling surface of a charging base). Circuitry 41 can detect foreign objects such as coils, paper clips, and other metal objects, and can detect the presence of wireless power receiving devices 24 (e.g., circuitry 41 can detect the presence of one or more coils 48). During object detection and characterization operations, external object measurement circuitry 41 can be used to measure coils 36 to determine if any device 24 is present on device 12.

[0034] In an exemplary arrangement, the measurement circuit 41 of the control circuit 16 includes a signal generator circuit (e.g., an oscillator circuit for generating an AC detection signal at one or more detection frequencies, a pulse generator that can generate pulses so that the pulse response can be measured to collect inductance information, quality factor (Q-Factor) information, etc.) and a signal detection circuit (e.g., a filter, an analog-to-digital converter, a pulse response measurement circuit, etc.). During a measurement operation, a switching circuit in the device 12 (e.g., in a charging base of the device 12) can be adjusted by the control circuit 16 to switch each of the coils 36 into use. When each coil 36 is selectively switched into use, the control circuit 16 uses the signal generator circuit of the signal measurement circuit 41 to apply a detection signal to the coil, while using the signal detection circuit of the signal measurement circuit 41 to measure the corresponding response. The control circuit 30 and / or the measurement circuit 43 in the control circuit 16 can also be used to make current and voltage measurements (e.g., so that the information can be used by the device 24 and / or the device 12).

[0035] Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary wireless charging circuit of system 8. Figure 2 As shown, circuit 52 may include inverter circuitry such as one or more inverters 61 or other drive circuitry that generates a wireless power signal that is transmitted through an output circuit that includes one or more coils 36 and a capacitor such as capacitor 70. In some embodiments, device 12 may include multiple individually controlled inverters 61, each inverter providing a drive signal to a respective coil 36. In other embodiments, inverter 61 is shared between multiple coils 36 using switching circuitry.

[0036] During operation, a control signal for the inverter 61 is provided by the control circuit 16 at the control input 74 . Figure 2 A single inverter 61 and a single coil 36 are shown in the example of , but multiple inverters 61 and multiple coils 36 may be used if desired. In a multi-coil configuration, a switching circuit (e.g., a multiplexer circuit) may be used to couple a single inverter 61 to multiple coils 36 and / or each coil 36 may be coupled to a respective inverter 61. During wireless power transfer operation, transistors in one or more selected inverters 61 are driven by an AC control signal from the control circuit 16. The relative phase between the inverters may be dynamically adjusted (e.g., a pair of inverters 61 may produce output signals that are in phase or out of phase (e.g., 180° out of phase)).

[0037] An inverter 61 (e.g., a transistor or other switch in circuit 52) ​​is used to apply a drive signal so that the output circuit formed by the selected coil 36 and capacitor 70 generates an AC electromagnetic field (signal 44), which is received by the wireless power receiving circuit 54 using a wireless power receiving circuit formed by one or more coils 48 and one or more capacitors 72 in the device 24.

[0038] If desired, the relative phase between the driven coils 36 (e.g., the phase of one of the coils 36 that is driven relative to another adjacent coil in the coils 36 that is driven) can be adjusted by the control circuit 16 to help enhance the wireless power transfer between the device 12 and the device 24. The rectifier circuit 50 is coupled to one or more coils 48 (e.g., a pair of coils) and converts the received power from AC to DC and provides a corresponding DC output voltage Vrect at the rectifier output terminal 76 for powering the load circuit in the device 24 (e.g., for charging the battery 58, for powering the display and / or other input-output devices 56, and / or for powering other components). A single coil 48 or multiple coils 48 may be included in the device 24. In an exemplary configuration, the device 24 may be a wristwatch or other portable device having at least two coils 48. The two (or more) coils 48 may be used together when receiving wireless power. Other configurations may be used if desired.

[0039] Figure 3 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the system 8 in an exemplary configuration, wherein the wireless power transmitting device 12 is a wireless charging stand, and wherein the wireless power receiving device 24 is a wristwatch (as an example). Figure 3 As shown, the device 12 has a device housing 90 (e.g., a disc-shaped charging base housing formed of a polymer, other dielectric material, and / or other material). The device housing 90 can house a device microcontroller for communicating with a plug 94, a DC-DC power converter circuit such as a step-down voltage converter (e.g., a buck converter), a voltage regulator circuit such as a low dropout (LDO) regulator, a wireless power transmission circuit such as an inverter 61 (see Figure 2 ), coil 36 and capacitor 70, near field communication (NFC) circuitry for communicating with the power receiving device 24, over temperature protection (OTP) circuitry such as a temperature sensor, debug circuitry, filter circuitry, magnetic alignment structures such as magnets for attracting the device 12 during charging operations, and / or other power transfer device components.

[0040] The cable 92 is coupled to the device housing 90 and provides power to the coil 36. One end of the cable 92 can be connected to the housing 90 with a pigtail. The opposite end of the cable 92 is terminated using a plug 94. The plug 94 has a shield portion 98 sometimes referred to as the "shield" of the plug. The shield 98 (sometimes referred to as a connector shield) can be formed of polymers, metals and / or other materials, and can have an internal area configured to accommodate electronic components (e.g., integrated circuits, discrete components such as transistors, printed circuits, etc.). The shield 98 has a first end connected to the cable 92 and a second end connected to the connector portion 96 (sometimes referred to as the "connector" of the plug). The connector 96 may include 24 pins, 10 to 30 pins, 10 or more pins, 20 or more pins, 30 or more pins, 40 or more pins, 50 or more pins, or any suitable number of pins supported in the connector housing. The pins in the connector 96 are configured to mate with corresponding pins in the port 102 of the external equipment such as the device 100. Device 100 may be a stand-alone power adapter, an electronic device such as a computer, or other equipment that provides DC power to plug 94 through port 102. Port 102 may be, for example, a USB port (e.g., a USB-C port, a USB 4.0 port, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a micro USB port, etc.) or a lightning connector port. Plug 96 having a connector protruding from protective cover 98 may be referred to as a male plug. Plug 96 may be a reversible plug (i.e., a plug that can be mated with a corresponding connector port in at least two different and symmetrical orientations).

[0041] During normal operation of system 8, power receiving device 24 may be placed on the charging surface of power transmitting device 12. Device 24 and device 12 may have magnets (and / or magnetic materials, such as iron). For example, device 24 may have a magnet and device 12 may have a corresponding mating magnet. These magnets attract each other, thereby holding devices 12 and 24 together during charging.

[0042] The shroud 98 may have a shroud housing that houses various electronic components. The shroud housing may house a shroud microcontroller for communicating with a device microcontroller in the housing 90, a DC-DC power converter circuit such as a step-up voltage converter (e.g., a boost converter), a voltage regulator circuit such as a low dropout (LDO) regulator, an electronic fuse circuit such as an electrical fuse or fuses for providing overcurrent protection upon detection of a short circuit, overload, mismatched load, or other device fault events, filter circuits, and / or other shroud components. Figure 4A 94 is a cross-sectional side view of the plug. Figure 4AAs shown, the protective cover 98 may include a printed circuit board 112 on which a plurality of electronic components may be mounted. The printed circuit board 112 may be coplanar with the XY plane. Therefore, the protective cover 98 may have a thickness extending along the Z axis.

[0043] As described above, a power converter circuit may be disposed within the protective cover 98. A power converter circuit, such as a step-up voltage converter (e.g., a boost converter), may include relatively large components, such as a large power converter inductor and a large power converter capacitor. To optimize power density, the power converter inductor and capacitor may be implemented as relatively tall passive components within the protective cover 98. However, there is a limited amount of space within the protective cover 98 to accommodate the various electronic components. Therefore, it may be challenging to fit all of the necessary protective cover electronics along with the power converter circuit within the limited space within the protective cover housing.

[0044] In order to accommodate all components within the protective cover 98, the printed circuit board 112 can be offset in the Z direction so that taller electronic components can be disposed on one side of the board 112 and shorter electronic components can be disposed on the opposite side of the board 112. The plug 94 can have a center plane 110 that divides the connector 96 and the protective cover 98 into two halves. The center plane 110 is parallel to the XY plane. Figure 4A In the example of , the printed circuit board 112 is offset upward in the Z direction above the plane 110 so that the board 112 is positioned closer to the upper wall 99-1 of the protective cover housing and is therefore positioned farther away from the lower wall 99-2 of the protective cover housing. Taller components such as power converter inductors 122, power converter capacitors 124 (e.g., low noise capacitors), and other taller passive components (e.g., resistors and / or other load components) can be mounted on the lower surface 116 of the printed circuit board. The protective cover microcontroller and other relatively short semiconductor components 120 can be mounted on the top surface 114 of the printed circuit board. When arranged in this manner, the overall size of the protective cover 98 can be minimized.

[0045] The taller components (e.g., components 122 and 124) disposed on the bottom surface 116 of the printed circuit board may be at least 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%, 10% to 100%, 100% to 200%, 200% to 300%, 300% to 400%, 400% to 500%, 100% to 500%, or more than 500% taller than the shorter components (e.g., component 120) disposed on the top surface 114 of the printed circuit board. The height of the taller components may vary. The height of the shorter components may vary. Depending on the relative heights of these components, the distance between the plate 112 and the lower wall 99-2 of the protective cover can be at least 10%, 20%, 10% to 50%, 50% to 100%, 100% to 200%, 200% to 300%, 300% to 400%, 400% to 500%, 100% to 500%, or more than 500% greater than the distance between the plate 112 and the upper wall 99-1 of the protective cover. Any number of taller components can be mounted on the side of the plate 112 with more available Z height. Any number of shorter components can be mounted on the side of the plate 112 with more restricted Z height.

[0046] The printed circuit board 112 is positioned closer to the upper wall of the protective cover housing. Figure 4A The examples are merely illustrative. Figure 4B Another suitable embodiment is shown in which the printed circuit board 112 is positioned closer to the lower wall of the protective cover housing. Figure 4B As shown, the printed circuit board 112 is offset downwardly in the Z direction below the plane 110, so that the board 112 is closer to the lower wall 99-2 of the protective cover housing, and therefore farther away from the upper wall 99-1 of the protective cover housing. Configured in this manner, taller components such as power converter inductors 122, power converter capacitors 124, and other taller passive components (e.g., resistors and / or other load components) can be mounted on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 112. The protective cover microcontroller and other relatively short semiconductor components 120 can be mounted on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 112.

[0047] The taller components (e.g., components 122 and 124) disposed on the top surface of the printed circuit board 112 may be at least 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%, 10% to 100%, 100% to 200%, 200% to 300%, 300% to 400%, 400% to 500%, 100% to 500%, or more than 500% taller than the shorter components (e.g., component 120) disposed on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 112. The height of the taller components may vary. The height of the shorter components may vary. Depending on the relative heights of these components, the distance between the plate 112 and the upper wall 99-1 of the protective cover can be at least 10%, 20%, 10% to 50%, 50% to 100%, 100% to 200%, 200% to 300%, 300% to 400%, 400% to 500%, 100% to 500%, or more than 500% greater than the distance between the plate 112 and the lower wall 99-2 of the protective cover. Any number of taller components can be mounted on the side of the plate 112 with more available Z height. Any number of shorter components can be mounted on the side of the plate 112 with more restricted Z height.

[0048] Figure 4C is a cross-sectional side view showing how the underfill material may be disposed under shorter components within the protective cover rather than under taller components. Figure 4C As shown, the protective cover microcontroller 120 is coupled to the upper surface of the printed circuit board 112 via a first set of solder bumps 130, and the inductor 122 is coupled to the lower surface of the printed circuit board 112 via a second set of solder bumps 132. An underfill material 134 may be disposed below the protective cover microcontroller 120 and below other short semiconductor components mounted on the top surface of the board 112. Shorter semiconductor components are sometimes considered to be "active" electronic components, which generally dissipate more heat than passive components. The underfill material 134 may help provide better heat dissipation for the active components within the protective cover. In contrast, passive components such as the inductor 122 and the low-noise capacitor 124 disposed on the opposite side of the printed circuit board 112 do not need to be underfilled. Underfilling the low-noise capacitors 124 may also reduce the low-noise capabilities of these capacitors. Therefore, not underfilling the taller passive components may help save processing steps while maximizing the performance of the low-noise capacitors 124.

[0049] Figure 5A Another suitable embodiment is shown in which some components mounted on the surface of the printed circuit board 113 are underfilled, while other components on the surface of the board 113 are not underfilled (i.e., do not contain or have any underfill material). The printed circuit board 113 may represent a printed circuit board disposed within the device housing 90 or a printed circuit board 112 disposed within the protective cover housing. Figure 5AAs shown in the top (layout) plan view of , a plurality of components such as components 144 and 150 may be mounted on a given surface of board 113, viewing the XY plane in the Z direction.

[0050] It may be desirable to bottom fill component 154 (as shown in the shaded area) while leaving component 144 free of any bottom fill material. Component 114 may be a low-noise capacitor coupled to the power rail of inverter 61. To achieve optimal low-noise performance, such low-noise capacitors should generally not be bottom filled. To prevent the bottom fill material from reaching component 144 during manufacturing, printed circuit board 113 may be provided with a bottom fill barrier structure, such as bottom fill barrier 142. Bottom fill barrier 142 may be formed of a metal (e.g., copper, aluminum, tungsten, silver, etc.), a dielectric, or other suitable semiconductor material that may be configured to block the bottom fill material from entering region 140 where component 144 is disposed. Bottom fill barrier 142 should be provided prior to depositing the bottom fill material. Therefore, region 140 may sometimes be referred to as a non-bottom fill area or a non-bottom fill trench area.

[0051] The non-bottom-filled groove area 140 is located at the corner of the printed circuit board 113. Figure 5A The examples are merely illustrative. Figure 5B Another suitable embodiment is shown in which the non-underfilled trench area 140 is away from the edge of the printed circuit board 113. Figure 5B As shown, the underfill barrier 142 may completely surround the region 140 so as to form a moat-like structure around the region 140. Any number of features 144 may be arranged within the region 140. Although the shape of the region 140 is shown as a rectangle, the shape of the region 140 may be any suitable shape (e.g., a square shape, a triangular shape, a shape having one or more curved edges, a shape having curved edges and straight edges, a circular shape, an oval shape, an irregular shape, etc.).

[0052] There is an area 140 on the surface of the printed circuit board 113. Figure 5A and Figure 5B In general, one or more regions 140 may be located on the top surface and / or the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 113 . Figure 5C Another suitable embodiment is shown in which at least two non-underfilled trench regions are formed on the printed circuit board 113. Figure 5CAs shown, the first region 140-1 may be located at a corner of the board 113, while the second region 140-2 may be located closer to the center of the board 113. The region 140-1 may have a first bottom fill barrier 142 located only on two sides of the region 140-1. The region 140-2 may have a second bottom fill barrier 142 (e.g., a copper ring) located on all four sides of the region 140-2. Any number of components 144 may be arranged in the regions 140-1 and 140-2. The regions 140-1 and 140-2 may have any shape. As another example, the printed circuit board 113 may have regions 140 located at two or more corners or three or more corners of the board 113. As another example, the printed circuit board 113 may have two or more discrete regions 140-2 of the same or different sizes located away from the edge of the board 113.

[0053] Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C The implementation scheme can be Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 4C 4 and 5 are not mutually exclusive. For example, one or more regions 140 may be located on one side of the printed circuit board 112 on which shorter underfill components are mounted. If desired, at least some of the taller non-underfill components disposed on the opposite surface of the board 112 may be surrounded by underfill barrier structures 142.

[0054] According to another embodiment, the cable 92 may be, for example, a 7-wire cable. The length of the cable 92 may be equal to 1 meter, less than 1 meter, greater than 1 meter, 50 cm to 100 cm, 10 cm to 50 cm, 100 cm to 150 cm, 150 cm to 200 cm, or other suitable lengths. Fig. 6A A cross-sectional view of a cable 92 having seven wires is shown, including two power (PWR) wires (e.g., wires configured to transmit power signals such as a positive power supply voltage and a ground power supply voltage), an interrupt (INT) signal line (e.g., a line for transmitting an interrupt signal, a status signal, or other control signal), a differential signal path (e.g., a differential signal path having a positive signal line D+ and an associated negative signal line D-), and at least two single-ended communication lines SDA and SCL. The differential lines D+ and D- can be used together as a high-speed data path to transmit information during a firmware update (as an example). The lines SDA and SCL can be used for I 2 C-bus interface's serial data line and serial clock line. If you are not careful, there may be signal crosstalk between the lines SDA and SCL.

[0055] To mitigate signal crosstalk between lines SDA and SCL, a differential signal path can be inserted between lines SDA and SCL so that the amount of capacitive coupling from line SDA to the differential path is equal to the amount of capacitive coupling from line SCL to the differential path. Fig. 6A In the example of , line SCL can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp1, and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn1. Similarly, line SDA can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp2, and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn2.

[0056] These lines should be arranged so that Cp1 equals Cp2 and so that Cn1 equals Cn2. To achieve this, the distance between SCL and D+ should be equal to the distance between SDA and D+ (e.g., so that Cp1=Cp2). Similarly, the distance between SCL and D- should be equal to the distance between SDA and D- (e.g., so that Cn1=Cn2). Arranged in this way, the differential signal lines D+ and D- can cancel or minimize any signal crosstalk between the serial communication lines SCL and SDA.

[0057] The distance between SCL and D+ is equal to the distance between SCL and D- Fig. 6A The examples are merely illustrative. Figure 6B Another suitable embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 , in which the distance between SCL and D+ is not equal to the distance between SCL and D-. Figure 6B As shown, the positions of lines INT and D- are relative to Fig. 6A The wiring arrangement is exchanged. Figure 6B In the example of , line SCL can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp1 and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn1'. Similarly, line SDA can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp2 and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn2'.

[0058] These lines should be arranged so that Cp1 equals Cp2 and so that Cn1' equals Cn2'. To achieve this, the distance between SCL and D+ should be equal to the distance between SDA and D+ (e.g., so that Cp1=Cp2). Similarly, the distance between SCL and D- should be equal to the distance between SDA and D- (e.g., so that Cn1'=Cn2'). Arranged in this way, the differential signal lines D+ and D- can cancel or minimize any signal crosstalk between the serial communication lines SCL and SDA.

[0059] The lines SCL and SDA are arranged closer to the line D+ than to the line D- Figure 6B The examples are merely illustrative. Figure 6CAnother suitable embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 , in which the lines SCL and SDA are arranged closer to the line D- than to the line D+. Figure 6C As shown, the positions of the SCL and SDA lines relative to Fig. 6A The wiring arrangement is swapped with the PWR line. Figure 6C In the example of , line SCL can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp1' and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn1. Similarly, line SDA can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp2' and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn2.

[0060] These lines should be arranged so that Cp1' is equal to Cp2' and so that Cn1 is equal to Cn2. To achieve this, the distance between lines SCL and D+ should be equal to the distance between SDA and D+ (e.g., so that Cp1'=Cp2'). Similarly, the distance between SCL and D- should be equal to the distance between SDA and D- (e.g., so that Cn1=Cn2). Arranged in this manner, the differential signal lines D+ and D- can cancel or minimize any signal crosstalk between the serial communication lines SCL and SDA.

[0061] The cable 92 includes only seven wires. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C The examples are for illustrative purposes only. Fig.6D Another suitable embodiment is shown in which the cable 92 includes five wires. Fig.6D As shown, the cable 92 may include a differential signal path having lines D+ and D-, a power line PWR, and serial signal lines SCL and SDA. Fig.6D In the example of , line SCL can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp1, and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn1. Similarly, line SDA can be capacitively coupled to the positive differential line D+ by a parasitic amount Cp2, and can be capacitively coupled to the negative differential line D- by a parasitic amount Cn2.

[0062] These lines should be arranged so that Cp1 equals Cp2 and so that Cn1 equals Cn2. To achieve this, the distance between lines SCL and D+ should be equal to the distance between SDA and D+ (e.g., so that Cp1=Cp2). Similarly, the distance between SCL and D- should be equal to the distance between SDA and D- (e.g., so that Cn1=Cn2). Arranged in this way, the differential signal lines D+ and D- can cancel or minimize any signal crosstalk between the serial communication lines SCL and SDA.

[0063] In general, the cable 92 may include any suitable number of wires (e.g., four or more wires, five or more wires, six or more wires, seven or more wires, eight or more wires, 5 to 10 wires, 10 or more wires, etc.). 2 C serial bus lines SCL and SDA FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D The examples are merely illustrative. Generally speaking, the cable 92 may include two or more single-ended wires that transmit information using any suitable serial communication standard / protocol. These single-ended wires may be separated by one or more differential signal paths to reduce crosstalk. The crosstalk level may be minimized by ensuring that each single-ended wire is capacitively coupled to the differential path in equal amounts.

[0064] According to another embodiment, a heartbeat signal may be transmitted between the protective cover 98 and the power delivery device 12 so that the protective cover 98 may know that the device 12 is still connected or operating normally and / or vice versa. Fig. 7A It is shown how the protective cover 98 has a protective cover microcontroller 200 (sometimes referred to as part of the protective cover control circuit) that is configured to send and / or receive heartbeat signals to and / or from the power delivery device 12. The protective cover 98 may also include an electronic fuse (electrical fuse or fuse circuit) 204 that is configured to provide overcurrent protection in response to detecting when the device 12 is overheated, when the device 12 is disconnected from the protective cover 98, when a short circuit occurs in the protective cover 98 and / or the device 12, when there is an overload or mismatched load, and / or other device fault events. When such a fault event occurs, the electrical fuse 204 can be latched to prevent the protective cover 98 from further providing power to the device 12.

[0065] In one example, shield microcontroller 200 may transmit a heartbeat signal to device 12 via cable 92 to let device 12 know that the shield is still functioning properly. Device 12 may include device microcontroller 202 (sometimes referred to as Figure 1 In another example, only the device 12 may send a heartbeat signal to the protective cover 98 (i.e., the protective cover 98 may not send any heartbeat signal to the device 12). In yet another example, only the protective cover 98 may send a heartbeat signal to the device 12 (i.e., the device 12 may not send any heartbeat signal to the protective cover 98).

[0066] The power delivery device 12 may be provided with thermal protection hardware including a temperature sensor 206 coupled to the device microcontroller 202. The temperature sensor 206 may measure the temperature of components housed within the device housing 90 (see Figure 3 ), and the temperature sensor value may be output. When the temperature sensor value exceeds a predetermined threshold, the device microcontroller 202 may stop sending the heartbeat signal back to the protective cover microcontroller 200. Therefore, the protective cover 98 may latch the fuse circuit 204 and may stop providing power to the device 12.

[0067] Figure 7B 2 is a flow chart of illustrative steps for communicating with a power delivery device 12 using a protective cover 98. At step 210, the protective cover 98 may optionally transmit a heartbeat signal to the power delivery device 12 (e.g., a wireless charging station). At step 212, the protective cover 98 may detect the heartbeat signal transmitted from the power delivery device 12. If the protective cover 98 detects such a heartbeat signal from the device 12, the protective cover 98 continues to operate with the power delivery device 12 (step 214).

[0068] However, if the protective cover 98 does not detect a heartbeat signal from the power delivery device 12, the protective cover 98 may wait T seconds (see step 216) before resuming to optionally send another heartbeat signal to the device 12. The value T may be 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 1 second to 5 seconds, 1 second to 10 seconds, greater than 1 second, less than 1 second, or other suitable waiting time that may be optionally programmed by the protective cover microcontroller 200.

[0069] At step 218 , if the protective shield 98 again does not detect a heartbeat signal from the power delivery device 12 , the protective shield 98 will now assume that the device 12 is disconnected or otherwise disabled and will continue to cut power, such as by latching the fuse circuit 204 .

[0070] Figure 7C2 is a flow chart of illustrative steps for communicating with protective cover 98 using power transmission device 12. At step 230, power transmission device 12 (e.g., wireless charging station) may transmit a heartbeat signal to protective cover 98. Power transmission device 12 may periodically send the heartbeat signal to protective cover 98. For example, power transmission device 12 may be configured to send the heartbeat signal to protective cover 98 at least once per second (1 Hz or more), at least twice per second (2 Hz or more), at least three times per second (3 Hz or more), at least four times per second (4 Hz or more), at least five times per second (5 Hz or more), 2 to 10 times per second, more than 10 times per second, at least once every two seconds, at least once every three seconds, at least once every four seconds, at least once every five seconds, at least once every 1 to 5 seconds, at least once every 5 to 10 seconds, or at other suitable periods to protective cover 98 during operation.

[0071] At step 232, the temperature sensor 206 (see Fig. 7A ) may detect an output of sensor 206 exceeding a predetermined threshold. In response thereto, power delivery device 12 may prevent device microcontroller 202 from outputting a heartbeat signal to shield 98 to simulate a line disconnection (at step 234). As a result, shield microcontroller 200 will no longer detect any heartbeat from device 12, which results in power cutoff, such as in conjunction with Figure 7B When the temperature value from sensor 206 falls below another threshold, power may be restored later, at which time device microcontroller 202 resumes sending heartbeats to protective cover 98 .

[0072] According to an embodiment, a wireless power transmission device is provided, which includes: a device housing; at least one wireless power transmission coil, which is located in the device housing; a cable, the cable having a first end connected to the device housing and having a second end; and a plug, the plug connected to the second end of the cable, the plug including: a protective cover, the protective cover having a protective cover shell, the protective cover shell having an upper wall and a lower wall; a connector, the connector extending from the protective cover; and a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board is arranged in the protective cover shell, the printed circuit board is positioned to be a first distance away from the upper wall and a second distance away from the lower wall that is different from the first distance.

[0073] According to another embodiment, the second distance is greater than the first distance, and the plug includes: an active electronic component mounted on an upper surface of the printed circuit board facing the upper wall and having a first height; and a passive electronic component mounted on a lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall and having a second height greater than the first height.

[0074] According to another embodiment, the wireless power transmission device includes an underfill material disposed below the active electronic component, and the passive electronic component is free of underfill material.

[0075] According to another embodiment, the device housing houses an inverter configured to drive at least one wireless power transfer coil and houses a device microcontroller; and the boot housing houses a converter and a boot microcontroller in communication with the device microcontroller.

[0076] According to another embodiment, the second distance is greater than the first distance; and the converter includes an inductor mounted on a lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall.

[0077] According to another embodiment, the plug includes: a plurality of active electronic components mounted on an upper surface of the printed circuit board facing the upper wall; and a plurality of passive electronic components mounted on a lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall.

[0078] According to another embodiment, the plurality of active electronic components have a first height and the plurality of passive electronic components have a second height greater than the first height.

[0079] According to another embodiment, the second distance is greater than the first distance.

[0080] According to another embodiment, the area between the plurality of passive electronic components and the lower surface of the printed circuit board is free of underfill material.

[0081] According to another embodiment, an underfill material is disposed between the plurality of active electronic components and the upper surface of the printed circuit board.

[0082] According to another embodiment, the plug comprises: only active electronic components, which are arranged on the upper surface of the printed circuit board facing the upper wall; and only passive electronic components, which are arranged on the lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall.

[0083] According to an embodiment, a wireless power transmission device is provided, which includes: a device housing; at least one wireless power transmission coil, which is located in the device housing; a cable, which has a first end connected to the device housing and has a second end; and a plug, which is connected to the second end of the cable, and the plug includes: a protective cover, which has a protective cover housing; a connector, which extends from the protective cover; a printed circuit board, which is disposed in the protective cover housing; a component disposed on a first surface of the printed circuit board and having a first height; and a component disposed on a second surface of the printed circuit board opposite to the first surface and having a second height greater than the first height.

[0084] According to another embodiment, the component having the first height comprises an active electronic component; and the component having the second height comprises a passive electronic component.

[0085] According to another embodiment, the second height is at least 50% greater than the first height.

[0086] According to another embodiment, the active electronic components include a protective cover microcontroller; and the passive electronic components include an inductor and a capacitor.

[0087] According to another embodiment, the boot housing has an upper wall and a lower wall; and the printed circuit board is positioned a first distance from the upper wall and a second distance from the lower wall that is different than the first distance.

[0088] According to another embodiment, the second distance is greater than the first distance.

[0089] According to another embodiment, the second distance is at least 20% greater than the first distance.

[0090] According to one embodiment, a device is provided, comprising: a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first wall, and a second wall opposite the first wall; a connector extending from the first end of the housing; a cable extending from the second end of the housing; and a circuit board disposed within the housing and positioned a first distance from the first wall and a second distance from the lower wall greater than the first distance.

[0091] According to another embodiment, the device includes: an active component, which is arranged on a first surface of the circuit board facing the first wall and has a first height; a passive component, which is arranged on a second surface of the circuit board facing the second wall and has a second height greater than the first height; and a bottom filling material, which is arranged between the active component and the first surface of the circuit board, and the passive component is not bottom filled.

[0092] The foregoing is merely exemplary and various modifications may be made to the embodiments described. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or in any combination.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission device, comprising: Equipment housing; at least one wireless power transfer coil, the at least one wireless power transfer coil being located within the device housing; a cable having a first end connected to the device housing and having a second end; and a plug connected to the second end of the cable, wherein the plug comprises: A protective cover, the protective cover having a protective cover shell, the protective cover shell having an upper wall and a lower wall; a connector extending from the protective cover; a printed circuit board disposed within the protective cover housing, wherein the printed circuit board is positioned a first distance from the upper wall and a second distance from the lower wall that is different from the first distance, an active electronic component disposed on an upper surface of the printed circuit board facing the upper wall; Passive electronic components disposed on an upper surface of the printed circuit board facing the upper wall; and An underfill barrier is disposed on the upper surface between the active electronic component and the passive electronic component, wherein an underfill material is disposed below the active electronic component, and wherein the passive electronic component is free of underfill material.

2. The wireless power transmission device of claim 1, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance, wherein the active electronic component has a first height, and wherein the plug comprises: An additional passive electronic component is mounted on a lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall and has a second height greater than the first height.

3. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein: The device housing houses an inverter configured to drive the at least one wireless power transfer coil and houses a device microcontroller; and The boot housing houses a converter and a boot microcontroller that communicates with the device microcontroller.

4. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 3, wherein: The second distance is greater than the first distance; and The converter includes an inductor mounted on a lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall.

5. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the plug comprises: A plurality of passive electronic components are mounted on a lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall. 6 . The wireless power transmission device of claim 5 , wherein the active electronic component has a first height, and wherein the plurality of passive electronic components have a second height greater than the first height. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 6 , wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. 8 . The wireless power transmission device of claim 5 , wherein an area between the plurality of passive electronic components and the lower surface of the printed circuit board is free of underfill material.

9. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the plug comprises: Only passive electronic components are arranged on the lower surface of the printed circuit board facing the lower wall.

10. A wireless power transmission device, comprising: Equipment housing; at least one wireless power transfer coil, the at least one wireless power transfer coil being located within the device housing; a cable having a first end connected to the device housing and having a second end; and a plug connected to the second end of the cable, wherein the plug comprises: A protective cover, the protective cover having a protective cover shell; a connector extending from the protective cover; A printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is arranged in the protective cover shell; Active-only components disposed on a first outer surface of the printed circuit board and having a first height; and A passive component disposed on a second outer surface of the printed circuit board opposite to the first outer surface and having a second height greater than the first height; and An underfill barrier separates the second outer surface of the printed circuit board into a first area and a second area, wherein the passive component is disposed in the first area, wherein the first area is free of underfill material, and wherein the second area includes underfill material.

11. The wireless power transmission device of claim 10, wherein the second height is at least 50% greater than the first height.

12. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 10, wherein: The active components include a protective cover microcontroller; and The passive components include inductors and capacitors.

13. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 10, wherein: The protective cover shell has an upper wall and a lower wall; and The printed circuit board is positioned a first distance from the upper wall and a second distance from the lower wall that is different than the first distance. The wireless power transmission device of claim 13 , wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

15. The wireless power transmission device of claim 14, wherein the second distance is at least 20% greater than the first distance.

16. A wireless power transmission device, comprising: a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first wall, and a second wall opposite the first wall; a connector extending from the first end of the housing; a cable extending from the second end of the housing; a circuit board disposed within the housing and positioned a first distance from the first wall and a second distance from the second wall that is greater than the first distance; a first electronic component disposed on a first surface of the circuit board facing the first wall; as well as an underfill material disposed below the first electronic component; a second electronic component, the second electronic component being disposed on a second surface of the circuit board facing the second wall, the second electronic component not containing an underfill material; and An underfill barrier at least partially surrounds the second electronic component on the second surface of the circuit board.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first electronic component comprises an active component having a first height, and wherein the second electronic component comprises a passive component having a second height greater than the first height.

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