Air-cooled wireless power transmission system

Abstract

The wireless power transmitter includes a charging coil, an electronic component housing, and a top side. The charging coil housing houses the charging coil and includes a top surface, wherein the charging coil wirelessly transmits power to a receiver placed on the top surface of the charging coil housing. The electronic component housing houses one or more electronic components and a fan. The top side is positioned adjacent to the electronic component housing, wherein the top surface of the top side faces the bottom surface of the receiver. An intake cooling path is defined by the area between the bottom surface of the receiver and the top surface of the top side, and an exhaust cooling path is located on the side of the charging coil housing opposite the intake cooling path and is defined by the area between the receiver and the top surface of the top side.

Description

[0001]

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 175,769, filed April 16, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This invention generally relates to wireless power transmission systems, and more particularly to air-cooled wireless power transmission systems for charging batteries in consumer electronic devices. Background Technology

[0004] A typical active cooling solution for automotive wireless chargers uses a radial fan mounted on the wireless charging module to force air through air ducts built into the module interface surface between the wireless power transmitter and the wireless power receiver. During charging, this airflow typically blows directly onto the receiver through holes on the interface surface to cool it, or blows beneath the interface surface to insulate the receiver from the heat generated by the transmitter.

[0005] Airflow configurations that draw air from the space beneath the charger can be affected by higher cooling air temperatures, as this space is typically located below the vehicle's console / trimmed and is not climate-controlled. Therefore, when the charger is used in high external temperature conditions, the air intake from this space may contain hotter air, reducing cooling efficiency in scenarios where cooling is most critical. Airflow configurations that draw air from the climate-controlled cockpit and direct it around the phone for exhaust beneath the module do not have this problem; however, these configurations typically result in a larger transmitter module package size, especially in the z-height / direction, to accommodate the necessary mounting hardware and ducting to maintain sufficiently low system pressures for the fan to generate adequate cooling airflow.

[0006] These issues are most likely to be understood by most competitors and customers who use active cooling in their transmitter designs. These issues can be minimized through clever design or at a higher cost, but to some extent, they are inherent to the application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, a wireless power transmitter includes a charging coil, an electronic component housing, and a top side. The charging coil housing houses the charging coil and includes a top surface, wherein the charging coil wirelessly transmits power to a receiver placed on the top surface of the charging coil housing. The electronic component housing houses one or more electronic components and a fan. The top side is positioned adjacent to the electronic component housing, wherein the top surface of the top side faces the bottom surface of the receiver. An intake cooling path is defined by the area between the bottom surface of the receiver and the top surface of the top side, and an exhaust cooling path is located on the side of the charging coil housing opposite the intake cooling path and is defined by the area between the receiver and the top surface of the top side.

[0008] According to another aspect, the wireless power transmitter includes a charging coil housing that houses the charging coil and a casing having a top side and a housing for housing electronic components and a fan. The fan operates to draw in intake cooling airflow from a first side of the charging coil housing and exhaust the cooling airflow to a second side of the charging coil housing.

[0009] According to another aspect, the wireless power transmitter includes a charging coil housing that houses a charging coil and an electronic component housing. The electronic component housing includes a top side and a casing for housing the electronic components and a fan. The fan draws in an intake cooling airflow from a first side of the charging coil housing through an intake cooling path defined between the charging coil housing and an opposing surface, and exhausts the cooling airflow to a second side of the charging coil housing through an exhaust cooling path defined between the charging coil housing and the opposing surface. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is a schematic side view of an air-cooled wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2A and Figure 2B This is a schematic side view of the housing surface associated with an air-cooled wireless power transmission system according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation Plan

[0012] The problems of poor system intake quality and excessive height (z-axis dimension according to SAE J670) commonly found in previous forced-airflow active cooling configurations in automotive wireless power transmitters can be addressed by implementing an active cooling fan in an inline fan configuration. This active cooling fan draws in conditioned cabin air at the interface surface between the transmitter and receiver around one side of the wireless power receiver (such as a cellular phone or other consumer electronic device) and exhausts air around the other side of the receiver. This improves the charging performance of the wireless power receiver by reducing or eliminating thermal shutdown in automotive wireless power transmitters (such as MagSafe® wireless power transmitters licensed by Apple, Inc., Cupertino, CA) and optimizing the package.

[0013] Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is a schematic side view of an automotive wireless power transmitter 100 according to some embodiments. The automotive wireless power transmitter 100 includes a charging coil housing 102, an electronics housing 106, a fan 108, a cooling conduit 110, a control printed circuit board (PCB) 112, integrated controller circuitry 114, and thermally conductive material 116. The charging coil housing 102 houses a charging coil (not shown) configured to provide wireless charging power to a receiver 122 placed adjacent to the charging coil housing 102. Typically, the surface area associated with the charging coil and the charging coil housing 102 housing the charging coil is smaller than the surface area of ​​the receiver 122 being charged (i.e., a smartphone or tablet), such that a large portion of the receiver 122 extends beyond the charging coil. As discussed in more detail below, in some embodiments, the bottom surface of the receiver 122 defines a portion of an intake cooling path 130 and / or an exhaust cooling path 132.

[0014] In some embodiments, the electronic component housing 106 includes a wall for enclosing electronic components associated with the automotive wireless power transmitter 100, including a PCB 112, integrated controller circuitry 114, and a fan 108. In some embodiments, the electronic component housing 106 includes a top side or top 104 facing or relative to the bottom surface of the receiver 122. (See reference...) Figure 1BAs shown in more detail, a gap or space is provided between the bottom surface of the receiver 122 and the top surface of the top side or top 104, and this gap or space defines an intake cooling path 130 and / or an exhaust cooling path 132. In some embodiments, the top side or top 104 is separate from the electronic component housing 106. For example, the top side or top 104 may be part of a console or trim associated with a vehicle, wherein the electronic component housing 106 may be positioned adjacent to the top side or top 104. Although not shown in this view, the charging coil housing 102 is connected to... Figure 1A , 1B The charging coil housing 102 is not shown on the side of the coil, and is supported by the electronic component housing 106. In some embodiments, the charging coil housing 102 and the top side 104 are approximately equal to each other in the vertical direction (i.e., in the z-direction). In other embodiments, the charging coil housing 102 may be slightly raised relative to the top side 104. However, in both embodiments, a gap exists between the charging coil housing 102 and the top side 104 of the electronic component housing 106 to provide a path for cooling airflow, as described in more detail below.

[0015] During operation, receiver 122 (e.g., a mobile phone or other device configured to receive wireless charging power) is positioned along the top surface of charging coil housing 102. Charging power is wirelessly supplied to receiver 122 from charging coil, such as a MagSafe® wireless power transmitter. In some embodiments, additional magnets or other mechanical features may be used to ensure proper alignment of the charging coil within charging coil housing 102 with receiver 122. Electronic component housing 106 provides a enclosure for holding and protecting the electronic components associated with wireless power transmitter 100, including control PCB 112, integrated controller circuitry 114, and fan 108. Control PCB 112 and integrated controller circuitry 114 are configured to selectively supply power received from a vehicle (or other power source) to the charging coil. In some embodiments, this may include converting direct current (DC) power received from the vehicle into alternating current (AC) power supplied to the charging coil located within charging coil housing 102. In some embodiments, control PCB 112 and integrated controller circuitry 114 also provide command instructions (e.g., on / off) to fan 108.

[0016] Fan 108 is used to provide cooling airflow to remove heat associated with wireless power transmitter 100 and / or receiver 122. Intake cooling airflow is drawn in from a first side of charging coil housing 102 via intake cooling path 130, and exhaust cooling airflow is discharged from the opposite side of charging coil housing 102 via exhaust cooling path 132. This can be referred to as inline cooling because both intake and exhaust cooling airflows function to provide cooling. Fan 108 is positioned within the housing enclosure, below charging coil housing 102 in the negative z-direction. When receiver 122 is placed adjacent to charging coil housing 102, cooling is achieved via intake cooling path 130 and exhaust cooling path 132 (by...). Figure 1B Cooling is provided by an airflow (indicated by the dashed line in the diagram), generated by fan 108 in the region between top side 104 and receiver 122. In some embodiments, fan 108 is horizontally offset from charging coil housing 102 in a positive or negative x direction. For example, in some embodiments, fan 108 is offset toward one side of the charging coil housing 102 that draws in the cooling airflow. Fan 108 includes an inlet on its top surface for drawing in intake cooling airflow through a region defined by top side 104 and receiver 122 and formed between charging coil housing 102 and top side 104. Figure 1B In the illustrated embodiment, fan 108 is a centrifugal fan, wherein the intake cooling airflow is drawn into fan 108 in the vertical direction (i.e., the negative z-direction) and discharged in the horizontal direction (i.e., the negative x-direction). The exhaust cooling airflow is discharged via an exhaust cooling path 132 defined by cooling duct 110 to the side of charging coil housing 102 opposite to the intake cooling path 130, and then in the region between the top side 104 and the receiver 122. In some embodiments, the intake cooling path 130 further includes a cooling conduit for directing airflow to fan 108. Similarly, in some embodiments, the exhaust cooling path 132 does not require cooling duct 110, but instead relies on the geometry of coil housing 102 and / or other components included as part of electronic component housing 106 to direct the cooling airflow along the exhaust cooling path 132. Figure 2A and Figure 2B As described in more detail below, the top surface of the top side 104 may include a geometry that guides the intake cooling airflow and / or exhaust cooling airflow to maximize cooling. In other embodiments, the top surface of the top side 104 may be a plane, or may include other geometries selected as needed to guide the cooling airflow. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the intake cooling airflow may be drawn into the fan 108 in a horizontal direction and exhausted in a vertical direction. In yet another embodiment, an axial fan may be used, through which both intake and exhaust flow in the horizontal direction or both in the vertical direction.

[0017] One advantage of this design is that both the intake and exhaust cooling airflows provide cooling for the wireless power transmitter 100 (including the charging coil housing 102) and the receiver 122. This contrasts with typical designs, where only the airflow drawn into the fan is used to cool the components. A drawback of this type of prior art design is that it requires a separate duct / exhaust port, which does not contribute to cooling the charging components but is necessary to maintain the desired airflow rate. Furthermore, a separate duct / exhaust port requires additional space within the control panel. Depending on the location of the wireless charger, this can be difficult to implement. Instead, Figure 1A and Figure 1B The illustrated embodiment utilizes both intake and exhaust cooling airflows to cool the wireless charger without requiring any separate exhaust or ventilation. Furthermore, the intake cooling airflow is drawn in from the top side of the automotive wireless power transmitter 100, meaning the cooling airflow is drawn in from inside the cabin rather than from below the console. Typically, cabin air is ambient-conditioned and therefore cooler than unconditioned air drawn in from below the console. Additionally, compared to embodiments where the fan and control PCB are stacked vertically relative to each other, the vertical height of the wireless power transmitter 100 is reduced by positioning the fan 108 adjacent to the control PCB 112 within the electronics housing 106. Furthermore, horizontally positioning the fan 108 adjacent to the control PCB 112 allows the cooling airflow (either intake or exhaust cooling airflow) to remove heat from the control PCB 112 and integrated controller circuitry 114. In some embodiments, thermally conductive material 116 is placed at the contact points between the cooling duct 110 and the control PCB 112 and / or integrated controller circuitry 114 to act as a heat sink for these components. The thermally conductive material 116 allows the heat generated by the control PCB 112 and / or integrated controller circuitry 114 to be transferred more effectively to the cooling conduit 110 and removed by the exhaust cooling airflow.

[0018] In some embodiments, the top side 104 of the electronic component housing 106 and / or the charging coil housing 102 include one or more features to prevent liquids or other contaminants from entering the internal structure of the electronic component housing 106. For example, as Figure 1A As shown, the top side 104 of the electronic component housing 106 includes a flange or lip 120 extending perpendicularly (in the positive z-direction) from the top side 104 to prevent liquid overflowing onto the top side 104 from flowing into the cooling duct 110 and / or the intake fan 108. Similarly, in some embodiments, the charging coil housing 102 includes a hanging portion 118 extending from the portion of the coil housing 102 that houses the charging coil. In some embodiments, the hanging portion 118 surrounds the entire circumference of the coil housing 102 (i.e., in...). Figure 1A and Figure 1BThe visible x-direction and Figure 1A or Figure 1B Extending in the invisible y-direction. The overhang portion 118 prevents objects from falling into the gap between the charging coil housing 102 and the electronic component housing 106. When viewed from above, one or more overhang portions 118 shield components (such as the fan 108) located within the electronic component housing 106. Furthermore, the geometry of the overhang portion 118 can be used to guide intake cooling airflow and / or exhaust cooling airflow. In some embodiments, the bottom surface of the overhang portion 118 may be planar. In other embodiments, the bottom surface of the overhang portion 118 may include geometric features for guiding intake cooling airflow and / or exhaust cooling airflow along a specific path.

[0019] Figure 2A and Figure 2B This shows the top side 10 of the electronic component housing 106. and 10 A side view of an associated exemplary geometry used to guide intake and / or exhaust cooling airflow along their respective surfaces. Figure 2A and Figure 2B The side view shown is from Figure 1A and Figure 1B The view shown is rotated 90° along the vertical axis so that cooling airflow is directed into or out of the page. For example, in Figure 2A In the embodiment shown, the top side 10 The top surface includes a plurality of protrusions 200 spaced apart by gaps or channels 202. In some embodiments, the plurality of protrusions 200 may be allowed to contact the bottom surface of the receiver 122, wherein intake / exhaust cooling airflow is provided within the gaps 202 between the protrusions 200. Similarly, Figure 2B The top side 10 shown The top surface includes a surface with a wavy top surface, which includes peaks 204 spaced apart by slots or channels 206. Intake / exhaust cooling airflow is provided within the slots 206 between the peaks 204. In other embodiments, other geometries may be used to further control the path of the cooling airflow into or out of the housing. For example, as described above, in some embodiments, the top surface is simply a plane. In other embodiments, other geometries are used to guide the cooling airflow as needed.

[0020] Compared to previous wireless power transmitter designs, this wireless power transmitter offers the advantages of improved cooling efficiency and optimized package space.

[0021] Although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to be limited thereto, but rather to be limited only by the scope set forth in the appended claims. For example, the above embodiments (and / or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to configure particular situations or materials in accordance with the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. The dimensions, material types, orientations, and quantities and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments and are by no means limiting, but merely prototypical embodiments.

[0022] After reading the above description, many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the full scope of the appended claims and equivalent examples of such claims. As used herein, “one or more” includes functions performed by a single element, functions performed by more than one element, for example, in a distributed manner, several functions performed by a single element, several functions performed by several elements, or any combination of the foregoing.

[0023] It will be understood that while the terms first, second, etc., are used in some instances to describe various elements herein, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact may be referred to as a second contact, and similarly, a second contact may be referred to as a first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. Both the first contact and the second contact are contacts, but they are not the same contact.

[0024] The terminology used in the description of the various embodiments described herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context otherwise clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and / or “comprising” as used in this specification indicate the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0025] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "if" may optionally be interpreted as "when," "after," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase "if determined" or "if [the stated condition or event] is detected" may optionally be interpreted as "after determining," "in response to determination," "after [the stated condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection."

[0026] Additionally, although the terms of law or orientation may be used herein, these elements should not be limited by such terms. Unless otherwise stated, all terms of law or orientation are for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another and, unless otherwise stated, do not indicate any particular order, sequence of operations, direction, or orientation.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter for charging a receiver, comprising: A charging coil housing that houses a charging coil and includes a top surface, the charging coil housing having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side, and wherein the charging coil wirelessly transmits power to a receiver placed on the top surface of the charging coil housing; An electronic component housing for housing electronic components and a fan; Top side, the top side being positioned adjacent to the electronic component housing, wherein the top surface of the top side faces the bottom surface of the receiver; An air intake cooling path is located on the first side of the charging coil housing and is defined by the area between the bottom surface of the receiver and the top surface of the top side; as well as An exhaust cooling path is located on the second side of the charging coil housing opposite the intake cooling path and is defined by the area between the receiver and the top surface of the top side.

2. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fan is horizontally offset from the charging coil housing.

3. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The fan is offset from the charging coil housing on the side adjacent to the air intake cooling path.

4. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The intake cooling airflow is drawn into the fan in the vertical direction.

5. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The exhaust cooling airflow is discharged from the fan in a horizontal direction.

6. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fan is positioned horizontally adjacent to the electronic component.

7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 6, further comprising: A cooling duct that directs exhaust cooling airflow from the fan to the second side of the charging coil housing opposite the intake cooling path.

8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 7, further comprising: A thermally conductive material, wherein the thermally conductive material is in contact with at least one of the electronic component and the cooling conduit.

9. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The charging coil housing includes a hanging portion extending on the top side.

10. The wireless power transmitter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The top side includes a flange that extends vertically from the top side.

11. The wireless power transmitter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The top surface of the top side includes one or more channels for guiding intake cooling airflow and / or exhaust cooling airflow.

12. A wireless power transmitter, comprising: A charging coil housing that accommodates a charging coil and includes a top surface, the charging coil housing having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side; An electronic component housing having a top side and a casing for accommodating electronic components and a fan; An air intake cooling path is located on the first side of the charging coil housing; as well as An exhaust cooling path is located on the second side of the charging coil housing opposite to the intake cooling path. The fan draws in intake cooling airflow from the first side of the charging coil housing and exhausts exhaust cooling airflow to the second side of the charging coil housing.

13. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The fan is offset perpendicularly from the charging coil housing.

14. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The fan is positioned horizontally adjacent to the electronic component.

15. The wireless power transmitter as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The fan draws in cooling airflow in the vertical direction and discharges cooling airflow in the horizontal direction.

16. The wireless power transmitter of claim 12, further comprising: A cooling duct is connected to one side of the fan to direct exhaust cooling airflow to the second side of the charging coil housing.

17. The wireless power transmitter of claim 16, further comprising: A thermally conductive material, wherein the thermally conductive material is in contact with at least one of the cooling conduit and the electronic component.

18. The wireless power transmitter as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The top surface of the top side includes one or more channels for guiding intake cooling airflow and / or exhaust cooling airflow.

19. The wireless power transmitter as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The fan is horizontally offset from the charging coil housing.

20. A wireless power transmitter, comprising: A charging coil housing that accommodates a charging coil and includes a top surface, the charging coil housing having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side; as well as An electronic component housing having a top side and a casing for accommodating electronic components and a fan, wherein the fan draws in an intake cooling airflow from a first side of the charging coil housing through an intake cooling path defined between the charging coil housing and the top side of the electronic component housing, and discharges the cooling airflow to a second side of the charging coil housing through an exhaust cooling path defined between the charging coil housing and the top side of the electronic component housing.

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