Techniques for wireless charging negotiation

Abstract

A wireless power transfer system can include a power transmitting device for transferring wireless power to a power receiving device. During communication with the power receiving device, the power receiving device can measure a frequency of digital pings and report a selected wireless charging standard version or identification number to the power transmitting device based on a result of the measured frequency.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 444,562, filed February 16, 2024, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 605,945, filed December 4, 2023, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates in general to power systems, and more specifically to wireless power systems for charging electronic devices. Background Technology

[0003] In a wireless charging system, a wireless power transmitting device, such as a charging pad, can transmit wireless power to a wireless power receiving device, such as a battery-powered portable electronic device. The wireless power transmitting device has a coil that generates electromagnetic flux. The wireless power receiving device has a coil and a rectifier that use the electromagnetic flux generated by the transmitter to generate DC power, which can be used to power the electrical load in the battery-powered portable electronic device.

[0004] Wireless power transmission devices can send wireless power to wireless power receiving devices according to wireless charging standards. Designing a wireless power receiving device that can be charged by different wireless power transmission devices operating based on different versions and / or different wireless charging standards can be challenging. If not handled carefully, the wireless power transmission device and the wireless power receiving device may not interoperate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One aspect of this disclosure provides an electronic device comprising: a wireless power transmission coil configured to receive a digital ping from a wireless power transmission device; a rectifier coupled to the wireless power transmission coil; a measurement circuit coupled to the wireless power transmission coil and configured to measure the frequency of the digital ping; and control circuitry. The control circuitry may include one or more processors and / or transceiver circuits configured to transmit a first wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is within a frequency range, and configured to transmit a second wireless charging standard version number, different from the first wireless charging standard version number, to the wireless power transmission device in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is outside the frequency range.

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure provides a method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising: receiving a digital ping from a wireless power transmission device at a wireless power transmission coil; measuring the frequency of the digital ping; determining whether the measured frequency of the digital ping is within a frequency range; and, in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is within a frequency range, transmitting a first wireless charging protocol identifier to the wireless power transmission device. The method may further comprise: in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is not within a frequency range, transmitting a second wireless charging protocol identifier, different from the first wireless charging protocol identifier, to the wireless power transmission device. The first and second wireless charging protocol identifiers may be transmitted to the wireless power transmission device by transmitting protocol identifier packets via the wireless power transmission coil using amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation or other modulation schemes. The first and second wireless charging protocol identifiers may represent different versions of wireless charging standards (such as the Qi wireless charging protocol / standard).

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure provides a method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising: receiving a ping signal from a wireless power transmission device at a coil; measuring the frequency of the ping signal; determining whether the measured frequency of the ping signal is within a first frequency range; and determining whether the measured frequency of the ping signal is within a second frequency range. The method may further comprise: in response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the first frequency range, transmitting a first wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device; in response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the second frequency range, transmitting a second wireless charging standard version number different from the first wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device; and in response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is outside the first and second frequency ranges, transmitting a third wireless charging standard version number different from the first and second wireless charging standard version numbers to the wireless power transmission device. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is an illustration of an exemplary wireless power transmission system, including a wireless power transmission device and a wireless power receiving device, according to some implementation schemes.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating wireless power transmission and reception circuitry and associated wireless data transceiver circuitry according to some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 3 It is based on some implementation schemes for operation Figure 1 and Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the exemplary steps of a wireless power transmission system of the type shown.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating how, according to some implementation schemes, a wireless charging standard version number can be identified by determining whether the measured frequency is within a first frequency range.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating how, according to some implementation schemes, a wireless charging standard version number can be identified by determining whether the measured frequency is within a second frequency range.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating how, according to some implementation schemes, the version number of a wireless charging standard can be identified by determining whether the frequency being measured is within a first frequency range or a second frequency range. Detailed Implementation

[0014] A wireless power transmission system includes a wireless power transmission device and a wireless power receiving device. The wireless power transmission device transmits wireless power to the wireless power receiving device. The wireless power receiving device may include electronic devices such as watches, cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, earphones, battery cases for earphones and other devices, tablet computer styluses (pens) and other input-output devices, wearable devices, head-mounted devices, glasses, or other electronic equipment. The wireless power transmission device may be an electronic device such as a wireless charging pad or disk, a tablet computer, or other battery-powered electronic device with wireless power transmission circuitry, or other wireless power transmission devices. The wireless power receiving device uses the wireless power received from the wireless power transmission device to power internal components and to charge an internal battery. Because the transmitted wireless power is typically used to charge the internal battery, the wireless power transmission operation is sometimes referred to as a wireless charging operation.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless power transmission system 8, sometimes referred to as a wireless charging system, is shown. For example... Figure 1 As shown, system 8 includes wireless power transmission devices, such as wireless power transmission device 12, and wireless power receiving devices, such as wireless power receiving device 24. Wireless power transmission device 12 may include control circuitry 16, while wireless power receiving device 24 may include control circuitry 30. The control circuitry in system 8, such as control circuitry 16 and control circuitry 30, is used to control the operation of system 8. Such control circuitry may include processing circuitry associated with a microprocessor, power management unit, baseband processor, application processor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, and / or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with processing circuitry.

[0016] The processing circuitry implements desired control and communication features in devices 12 and 24. For example, the processing circuitry can be used to select coils, determine power transmission levels, process sensor data and other data, process user input, handle negotiations between devices 12 and 24, transmit and receive in-band and out-of-band data, perform measurements, and otherwise control the operation of system 8. As another example, the processing circuitry may include one or more processors, such as an application processor, for running software such as internet browsing applications, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications, telephone calling applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, power management functions for controlling when one or more processors wake up, gaming applications, maps, instant messaging applications, payment applications, calendar applications, notification / reminder applications, etc.

[0017] The control circuitry in system 8 can be configured to perform operations within system 8 using hardware (e.g., dedicated hardware or circuitry), firmware, and / or software. Software code used to perform operations within system 8 is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a tangible computer-readable storage medium) in the control circuitry 8. Software code may sometimes be referred to as software, data, program instructions, commands, 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., disk drives or solid-state drives), one or more removable flash drives, or other removable media. The software stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be executed on the processing circuitry of control circuitry 16 and / or 30. The processing circuitry may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with processing circuitry, one or more microprocessors such as an application processor, a central processing unit (CPU), or other processing circuitry.

[0018] The wireless power transmission device 12 can be a standalone power adapter (e.g., a wireless charging pad or disk including power adapter circuitry), a wireless charging pad or disk coupled to a power adapter or other equipment via a cable, a battery-powered electronic device (cellular phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, removable chassis), equipment already integrated into furniture, vehicles, or other systems, or other wireless power transmission devices. The exemplary configuration of the wireless power transmission device 12 as a wireless charging disk or battery-powered electronic device is sometimes described herein as an example.

[0019] The wireless power receiving device 24 can be a portable electronic device, such as a wristwatch, cellular phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, accessories such as earphones, tablet computer input devices such as wireless tablet computer styluses, battery cases, wearable devices, headsets, glasses, or other electronic equipment. The wireless power transmitting device 12 can be coupled to a wall socket (e.g., an AC power source), may have a battery for supplying power, and / or may have another power source. Device 12 may have an AC-DC power converter, such as an AC-DC power converter 14, for converting AC power from the wall socket or other power source into DC power. In some configurations, the AC-DC power converter 14 may be housed in a separate housing (e.g., a brick power supply housing) from the housing of device 12 (e.g., a wireless charging disc housing or a battery-powered electronic device housing), and a cable may be used to couple DC power from the power converter to device 12. The DC power may be used to power control circuitry 16.

[0020] During operation, the controller in control circuitry 16 can use power transmission circuitry 52 to transmit wireless power to power receiving circuitry 54 of device 24. Power transmission circuitry 52 may have a switching circuit (e.g., an inverter circuitry 60 formed of transistors) that is switched on or off based on a control signal provided by control circuitry 16 to generate an AC current signal through one or more wireless power transmission coils 42. Coil 42 may be arranged as a planar coil array (e.g., in a configuration where device 12 is a wireless charging pad) or may be arranged to form a coil cluster (e.g., in a configuration where device 12 is a wireless charging disk). In some arrangements, device 12 (e.g., a charging pad, plate, disk, battery-powered device, etc.) may have only a single wireless power transmission coil. In other arrangements, wireless charging device 12 may have multiple coils (e.g., two or more coils, five to ten coils, at least ten coils, ten to thirty coils, fewer than thirty-five coils, fewer than twenty-five coils, or other suitable number of coils).

[0021] When an AC current passes through one or more coils 42, the coils 42 generate a corresponding electromagnetic field 44 in response to the AC current signal. This electromagnetic field (sometimes referred to as wireless power or a wireless power signal) 44 can then induce a corresponding AC current to flow in one or more nearby receiver coils, such as coil 48, within the power receiving device 24. A rectifier circuit, such as rectifier 50 (which includes rectifying components such as synchronously rectified metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors arranged in a bridging network), converts the induced AC current flowing through coil 48 into a DC voltage signal for powering one or more loads in the power receiving device 24, such as powering an application processor and charging a battery in the device 24. This principle of wireless power transfer can be referred to as the transmission and reception of wireless power or a wireless power signal.

[0022] The DC voltage generated by rectifier 50 can be used to power energy storage devices such as battery 58, and can also be used to power other components in power receiving device 24. For example, device 24 may include input-output devices 56, such as displays, touch sensors, communication circuitry, audio components, sensors, components that generate electromagnetic signals sensed by touch sensors in tablet computers or other devices having touch sensors (e.g., to provide stylus (pen) input, etc.), and other components, and these components may be powered by the DC voltage generated by rectifier 50 (and / or by the DC voltage generated by battery 58 or other energy storage devices in device 24). Wireless power transmission device 12 may also include one or more input-output devices 62 (e.g., input devices and / or output devices described in conjunction with input-output devices 56) or may omit input-output devices 62 (e.g., to reduce device complexity).

[0023] The control circuitry 16 in the power transmitting device 12 may include transceiver circuitry 40 and measurement circuitry 41. Measurement circuitry 41 may be configured to detect external objects on the charging surface of the housing of device 12 (e.g., on top of the charging pad, or, if desired, to detect objects adjacent to the coupling surface of the charging pad). Therefore, measurement circuitry 41 is sometimes referred to as an external object measurement circuit. The housing of device 12 may have polymer walls, walls of other dielectrics, metal structures, fabric, and / or other housing wall structures encapsulating the coils 42 and other circuitry of device 12. The charging surface may be a flat outer surface of the upper housing wall of device 12. Measurement circuitry 41 may detect foreign objects such as coils, paperclips, and other metallic objects, and may detect the presence of wireless power receiving device 24 (e.g., circuitry 41 may detect the presence of one or more coils 48). During object detection and characterization operations, external object measurement circuitry 41 may be used to measure coil 42 to determine the presence of any device 24 on the charging surface of device 12.

[0024] The control circuitry 30 in the power receiving device 24 may include transceiver circuitry 46 and measurement circuitry 43. Measurement circuitry 43 may include signal generator circuitry, pulse generator circuitry, signal detection circuitry, and other and / or measurement circuitry (e.g., circuitry of the type described in conjunction with circuitry 41 in control circuitry 16). Circuitry 41 and / or circuitry 43 may be used to perform current and voltage measurements, measurements of transmitted and received power for power transmission efficiency estimation, coil Q-factor measurements, coil inductance measurements, coupling coefficient measurements, and / or other measurements. Based on this or other information, control circuitry 30 may characterize the operation of devices 12 and 24. For example, measurement circuitry 41 may measure coil 42 to determine the inductance and Q-factor values ​​of coil 42, may measure the transmitted power in device 12 (e.g., by measuring the DC voltage supplying inverter 60 and the DC current of inverter 60 and / or by otherwise measuring the voltage and current in the wireless power transmission circuitry 52 of device 12), and may perform other measurements of operating parameters associated with other components in device 12. In the power receiving device 24, the measurement circuit 43 can measure the coils 48 to determine the inductance and Q-factor values ​​of those coils, measure the power received in the device 24 (e.g., by measuring the output current and output voltage Vrect of the rectifier 50 and / or by otherwise measuring the voltage and current in the wireless power receiving circuit 54 of the device 24), and perform other measurements on operating parameters associated with other components in the device 24.

[0025] During wireless power transfer operations, the wireless transceiver (TX / RX) circuit 40 may use one or more coils 42 to transmit in-band signals to the wireless transceiver circuit 46, which are received by the wireless transceiver circuit 46 using coil 48. A suitable modulation scheme may support communication between the power transmitting device 12 and the power receiving device 24. In one exemplary configuration, frequency shift keying (FSK) may be used to transfer in-band data from device 12 to device 24, and amplitude shift keying (ASK) may be used to transfer in-band data from device 24 to device 12. As another example, FSK may be used to transfer data in both directions between devices 12 and 24. As another example, ASK may be used to transfer data in both directions between devices 12 and 24. During these FSK and ASK transmissions, wireless power may be transferred from device 12 to device 24. Other types of in-band communication may be used if desired.

[0026] During wireless power transfer operation, the power transmitting circuit 52 supplies an AC drive signal to one or more coils 42 at a given power transmission frequency (sometimes referred to as the carrier frequency, power carrier frequency, or drive frequency). The power carrier frequency can be a predetermined frequency, such as approximately 125 kHz, approximately 128 kHz, approximately 200 kHz, approximately 326 kHz, approximately 360 kHz, at least 80 kHz, at least 100 kHz, less than 500 kHz, less than 300 kHz, 1.78 MHz, 13.56 MHz, or other suitable wireless power frequencies. Devices operating under the Qi wireless charging standard established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) typically operate between 110 kHz and 205 kHz, 80 kHz and 300 kHz, or 300 kHz and 400 kHz. In some configurations, the power transmission frequency can be negotiated in startup communication between devices 12 and 24. In other configurations, the power transmission frequency can be fixed.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the wireless power transmission and reception circuitry and associated wireless data transceiver circuitry in devices 12 and 24. The power transmission circuitry 52 of device 12 can use an inverter 60 or other driver to generate a wireless power signal, which is transmitted through an output circuit having one or more coils 42 and capacitors such as capacitor 70. The control signal for the inverter 60 is provided by the control circuitry 16 at the control input section 74. Figure 2 The example shows a single coil 42, but multiple coils 42 can be used if needed.

[0028] During wireless power transfer / transmission operation, the transistors in inverter 60 are driven by an AC control signal from control circuitry 16 (e.g., controller 16M provides a drive signal to inverter 60 at input 74 at a desired AC drive frequency). This causes the output circuitry formed by coil 42 and capacitor 70 to generate an alternating current (AC) electromagnetic field (signal 44), which is received by wireless power receiving circuitry 54 formed by coil 48 in device 24. Rectifier 50 can then convert the received power from AC to DC and supply a corresponding DC output voltage Vrect across rectifier output terminal 76 to power load 106 in device 24 (e.g., to charge battery 58, to power display and / or other input / output devices 56, and / or to power other circuitry in load 106).

[0029] During wireless power transmission operation, although the power transmission circuit 52 in device 12 drives the AC signal to coil 42 at the power transmission frequency to generate signal 44, the wireless transceiver circuit 40 in device 12 can use frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation to modulate the power transmission frequency driving the AC signal, and thereby modulate the frequency of signal 44. Figure 2 As shown, the FSK modulator 40T can modulate the power transmission frequency supplied to the input section 74 of the inverter 60 by the controller 16M. Operating in this manner, FSK data is transmitted from the device 12 within the band to the device 24. This data can be received in the power receiving device 24 using the FSK demodulator 46R (data receiver RX) to perform FSK demodulation.

[0030] In power receiving device 24, coil 48 is used to receive signal 44. Power receiving circuitry 54 in device 24 uses the received signal on coil 48 and rectifier 50 to generate DC power. Simultaneously, wireless transceiver circuitry 46 (e.g., FSK demodulator 46R) in device 24 uses FSK demodulation to extract the transmitted in-band data from signal 44. This method allows FSK data (e.g., FSK data packets) to be transmitted from device 12 to device 24 in-band using coils 42 and 48, while simultaneously transferring wireless power from device 12 to device 24 via coils 42 and 48. Transceiver circuitry 46 may be coupled to coil 48 (e.g., via one or more capacitors). Measurement circuitry 43 may also be coupled to coil 48 or another node in power receiving circuitry 54 for impedance measurements, impulse response measurements, or other desired measurements for external object detection.

[0031] Such in-band communication between device 24 and device 12 can also utilize ASK modulation and demodulation techniques. Wireless transceiver circuitry 46 includes an ASK modulator 46T coupled to coil 48 to modulate the impedance of power receiving circuitry 54 (e.g., to adjust the impedance at coil 48). This, in turn, modulates the amplitude of signal 44 and the amplitude of the AC signal passing through coil 42. ASK demodulator 40R monitors the amplitude of the AC signal passing through coil 42 and uses ASK demodulation to extract the transmitted in-band data from these signals transmitted by wireless transceiver circuitry 46. ASK demodulator 40R may be coupled to node 71 between coil 42 and capacitor 70, or to another node in power transmitting circuitry 52. ​​Similarly, measurement circuitry 41 may be optionally coupled to node 71 or another node in power transmitting circuitry 52 for impedance measurements, impulse response measurements, or other desired measurements for external object detection. Using ASK communication allows ASK data bits (e.g., ASK data packets) to be transmitted from within the band of device 24 to device 12 via coils 48 and 42, while simultaneously wireless power is wirelessly transferred from device 12 to device 24 via coils 42 and 48.

[0032] Power transmitting device 12 can transmit wireless power to power receiving device 24 according to one or more wireless charging (interface) standards. As an example, device 12 can transfer wireless power to device 24 according to the Qi wireless charging standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). As another example, device 12 can transfer wireless power to device 24 according to the Power Transactions Alliance (PMA) wireless charging standard. As yet another example, device 12 can transfer wireless power to device 24 according to the IEEE 802.11 wireless charging standard developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. These examples are illustrative. Other wireless charging interface standards or protocols may be used if desired. The wireless power transfer operation where device 12 transfers wireless power to device 24 based on the Qi standard is sometimes described herein as an example.

[0033] As standards are updated over time, each wireless charging standard (protocol) can have many versions or revisions. For example, Qi version 1.0 (sometimes referred to as Qi1) was released in 2010; Qi version 1.1 (sometimes referred to as Qi1.1) was released in 2012; Qi version 1.2 (sometimes referred to as Qi1.2) was released in 2015; Qi version 1.2.3 (sometimes referred to as Qi1.2.3) was released in 2017; Qi version 1.3 (sometimes referred to as Qi1.3) was released in 2021; and Qi version 2.0 (sometimes referred to as Qi2) was released in 2023. Various versions (version numbers) can exhibit different maximum power transfer capabilities, different foreign object detection capabilities, different timing specifications, different certification specifications, different alignment and installation requirements, and / or other different limitations / constraints on wireless power transfer operation.

[0034] Designing a wireless power receiver capable of operating to charge various wireless power transmitting devices based on different versions of the wireless charging standard can be challenging. Consider a scenario where the power receiver is placed on the charging surface of the power transmitting device. The power transmitting device might expect to receive a Qi protocol identifier packet reporting a specific version number during startup. However, if the power transmitting device receives a Qi protocol identifier packet reporting a version number different from the expected one, the power transmitting device can be programmed to automatically shut down without charging the power receiver.

[0035] To address this issue, the power receiving device 24 can be configured to measure the frequency during digital ping operations and report the selected wireless charging standard version number back to the power transmitting device 12 based on the measured frequency. This frequency-based version number selection and reporting solves the problem because power transmitting devices operating based on different versions of the wireless charging standard can exhibit different digital ping frequencies. Therefore, configuring and operating the power receiving device 24 in this manner may be technically advantageous and beneficial for identifying or distinguishing power transmitting devices 12 operating using different versions of the wireless charging standard (e.g., different versions of the Qi protocol) and for transmitting appropriate protocol identification packets back to the power transmitting device, thereby preventing the power transmitting device from accidentally shutting down before wireless power transmission operations.

[0036] Figure 3 It is used for operation combination Figure 1 and Figure 2The illustration shows exemplary steps of system 8 of the described type. During operation of block 110, the power transmitting device 12 can operate in foreign object detection (FOD) mode and can detect the presence of the power receiving device 24 on its charging surface. As an example, the power transmitting device 12 can use low-power external object detection or simulated ping to detect the presence of a foreign object. As another example, the power transmitting device 12 can perform impedance measurement, impulse response measurement, or other suitable foreign object detection scheme to detect when the device 24 has been placed on the charging surface of the device 12.

[0037] After power transmitting device 12 detects a potential power receiving device 24 on its charging surface, device 12 may output a digital ping during operation of block 112 to communicate with device 24. A digital ping is a ping signal. "Digital ping" can refer to and is defined herein as a signal having a pulse longer than an analog ping for external object detection and having sufficient energy to activate or wake up power receiving device 24 (e.g., a digital ping has sufficient bandwidth to support in-band communication between devices 12 and 24). For example, during digital ping operation, FSK and / or ASK data packets may be transmitted between devices 12 and 24. These communications may be modulated at a carrier frequency, such as the operating frequency used to provide wireless power during active wireless power transmission mode. Devices operating under the Qi wireless charging standard established by the Wireless Power Consortium typically operate between 110 kHz and 205 kHz or between 80 kHz and 300 kHz. Frequency of approximately 125 kHz, approximately 128 kHz, approximately 200 kHz, approximately 326 kHz, approximately 360 kHz, at least 80 kHz, at least 100 kHz, less than 500 kHz, less than 300 kHz, 1.78 MHz, 13.56 MHz, or other suitable wireless power frequencies are also possible. The frequency used to modulate digital ping may be referred to and defined herein as the "digital ping frequency".

[0038] Different specific implementations of Qi may specify the use of different digital ping frequencies. During operation of block 114, the power receiving device 24 can measure the digital ping frequency. The power receiving device 24 can use measurement circuit 43 (e.g., by monitoring the signal waveform at coil 48) to measure the digital ping frequency.

[0039] During operation of block 116, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency obtained from block 114 is within a given (or predetermined) frequency range. A “frequency range” may refer to and is defined herein as a single frequency value, two or more discrete frequency values, or a set of frequency values ​​defined by a lower frequency limit and a higher frequency limit. Generally, one or more processors within the control circuitry 30 of device 24 may compare the measured digital ping frequency to one or more frequency ranges.

[0040] During operation of block 118, device 24 may report a first wireless charging standard version number to power transmitting device 12 in response to determining that the measured digital ping frequency is within a given frequency range. In an example where the frequency range represents a single frequency value, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is equal to or matches a single frequency value. In an example where the frequency range represents two or more discrete (different) frequency values, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is equal to or matches one of a plurality of discrete frequency values. The frequency range may include one or more discrete frequency values ​​selected from 128 kHz, 326 kHz, 360 kHz, 1.78 MHz, and 13.56 MHz. In an example where the frequency range represents a set of frequency values ​​defined by a lower frequency limit and a higher frequency limit, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is within that set of frequency values ​​(e.g., by determining that the measured frequency is greater than or equal to the lower frequency limit and less than or equal to the upper frequency limit). The wireless charging standard version number is sometimes also referred to as the wireless charging protocol identifier. The wireless charging standard version number may be included as part of a protocol identifier (ID) packet sent from device 24 to device 12 via in-band communication (e.g., device 24 may send an ASK data packet including a first wireless charging protocol identifier number to device 12).

[0041] During operation of block 120, device 24 may report a second Wireless Charging Standard Version Number (WCPSN), different from the first WCPSN, to power transmitting device 12 in response to determining that the measured digital ping frequency is outside a given frequency range. In an example where the frequency range represents a single frequency value, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is not equal to or does not match a single frequency value. In an example where the frequency range represents two or more discrete frequency values, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is not equal to any of the discrete frequency values. In an example where the frequency range represents a set of frequency values ​​defined by a lower frequency limit and a higher frequency limit, device 24 may determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is outside that set of frequency values ​​(e.g., by determining that the measured frequency is less than the lower frequency limit or greater than the upper frequency limit). The WCPSN is sometimes also referred to as the Wireless Charging Protocol Identifier. The WCPSN may be included as part of a Protocol Identifier (ID) packet transmitted from device 24 to device 12 via in-band communication (e.g., device 24 may send an ASK data packet including the second WCPSN to device 12).

[0042] exist Figure 3 Although the operation of box 120 is shown to occur after the operation of box 118, the operation of box 118 or box 120 is performed based on the comparison result from box 116. In other words, if the measured digital ping frequency is within the given frequency range, the operation of box 118 is performed, and the operation of box 120 is not performed (e.g., box 120 is skipped). Otherwise (if the measured digital ping frequency is outside the given frequency range), the operation of box 120 is performed, and the operation of box 118 is not performed (e.g., box 118 is skipped).

[0043] During operation of block 122, power transmitting device 12 may begin transmitting wireless power to power receiving device 24. In other words, power transmitting device 12 may operate in an active wireless power transmission mode. Power transmitting device 12 may begin transmitting wireless power based on a reported version number in a protocol identification packet received from device 24 during operation of block 118 or block 120. Newer version numbers typically support higher wireless power transmission capabilities (e.g., higher power transmission rates). During active wireless power transmission mode, device 12 may concurrently perform in-band communication with device 24 (e.g., while wireless power is being transmitted from device 12 to device 24, device 12 may use data transmitter 40T to transmit FSK packets to data receiver 46R, while device 24 may use data transmitter 46T to transmit ASK packets to data receiver 40R).

[0044] Power transmitting device 12 can operate in active wireless power transmission mode to charge battery 58 of device 24 until the state of charge (SOC) of battery 58 is considered full. Power transmission operation can be stopped when the SOC of battery 58 exceeds a target charging threshold, when the temperature of battery 58 exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold, or when device 12 otherwise determines that power transmission should cease. The target charging threshold may be, for example, equal to 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%, or other suitable target thresholds used to indicate that battery 58 is nearing the end of charging or is fully charged. Pausing or stopping power transmission operation when battery 58 is fully charged can help reduce power consumption at device 12 while preventing unnecessary charging at device 24 (e.g., always fully charging battery 58 to 100% may be redundant, especially when device 24 is idle).

[0045] Figure 3 The operation is illustrative. Operating system 8 in this manner may be technically advantageous and beneficial for distinguishing power transmitting devices 12 operating using different versions of wireless charging standards (e.g., different versions of Qi), and for transmitting appropriate protocol identification packets back to the power transmitting device, thereby preventing the power transmitting device 12 from shutting down before wireless power transmission operations. In some embodiments, one or more of the described operations may be modified, replaced, or omitted. In some embodiments, one or more of the described operations may be performed in parallel. In some embodiments, additional processes may be added or inserted between the described operations. If necessary, the order of certain operations may be reversed or changed, and / or the timing of the described operations may be adjusted so that they occur at slightly different times. In some embodiments, the described operations may be distributed across a larger system.

[0046] Figure 4 This is an illustration of how the wireless charging standard version number can be identified by determining whether the measured digital ping frequency is within the first frequency range. Figure 4 In the example, a first type of power transmitting device (e.g., a power transmitting device operating according to a first wireless charging standard version number Va) can operate at a first frequency. f1 Outputs a digital ping, while a second type of power transmitting device (e.g., a power transmitting device operating according to the second wireless charging standard version number Vb) can operate at a second frequency. f2 Output digital ping. In this example, if the measured digital ping frequency is within... fw to fx Within the first frequency range of 130, the frequency f1 exist fw and fxIf the measured digital ping frequency is outside the frequency range of 130, the power receiving device 24 may report the version number Va back to the power transmitting device in response. Otherwise (if the measured digital ping frequency is outside the frequency range of 130), the power receiving device 24 may report the version number Vb to the power transmitting device.

[0047] As an example, frequency f1 It can be equal to 128kHz, while frequency f2 It can be equal to 145kHz. In this example, it includes a frequency of 128kHz. f1 The first frequency range 130 can be in the range of 122kHz to 134kHz, 123kHz to 133kHz, 124kHz to 132kHz, 118kHz to 138kHz, or in... f1 Other suitable frequency ranges in the vicinity. When the measured digital ping frequency is within the first frequency range, the wireless charging standard version number Va reported by device 24 can be Qi protocol version 2.0 or 2.x (as an example), where version 2.x represents a newer version of Qi (collectively referred to as Qi version 2). When the measured digital ping frequency is outside the first frequency range 130, the wireless charging standard version number Vb reported by device 24 can be Qi protocol version 1.x, where version 1.x can represent Qi protocol version 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, or other older versions (collectively referred to as Qi version 1). The digit preceding the first (leftmost) decimal indicates the major version number, while the digits following the first decimal indicate the minor version number. This is exemplary. Qi protocol version 1.x can also cover all edited versions 1.xy under Qi version 1.x. Similarly, Qi protocol version 2.x can also cover all edited versions 2.xy under Qi version 2.x. Generally speaking, frequency f1 and f2 It can be in the kHz or MHz range, and the version numbers Va and Vb can represent different version numbers or identifiers associated with any wireless charging standard / protocol.

[0048] Figure 4 Among them, the measured digital ping frequency and the frequency included f1 The example of using a range comparison to determine the wireless charging standard version number is illustrative. Figure 5 This example illustrates how to determine whether the measured digital ping frequency is within the included frequency range. f2 The second frequency range is used to identify the wireless charging standard version number. In this example, if the measured digital ping frequency is within... fy to fz Within the second frequency range of 132, where the frequency f2 exist fy and fzIf the measured digital ping frequency is outside the frequency range 132, the power receiving device 24 may report version number Vb back to the power transmitting device in response. Otherwise (if the measured digital ping frequency is outside the frequency range 132), the power receiving device 24 may report version number Va to the power transmitting device.

[0049] As an example, frequency f1 It can be equal to 128kHz, while frequency f2 It can be equal to 145kHz. In this example, a frequency of 145kHz is included. f2 The second frequency range 132 can be in the range of 139kHz to 151kHz, 140kHz to 150Hz, 141kHz to 149Hz, 135kHz to 155kHz, or in... f2 Other suitable frequency ranges in the vicinity. When the measured digital ping frequency is within the second frequency range, the wireless charging standard version number Vb reported by device 24 can be Qi protocol version 1.x (as an example), where version 1.x can represent Qi protocol version 1.2, 1.3, or other older versions. When the measured digital ping frequency is outside the second frequency range 132, the wireless charging standard version number Va reported by device 24 can be Qi protocol version 2.0 or 2.x, where version 2.x can represent Qi protocol version 2.0 or a newer version. This is exemplary. Generally speaking, frequency... f1 and f2 It can be in the kHz or MHz range, and the version numbers Va and Vb can represent different version numbers or identifiers associated with any wireless charging standard / protocol.

[0050] Figure 4 One of them is based on and f1 An example of determining the wireless charging standard version number by comparing the surrounding first frequency range of 130 and... Figure 5 One of them is based on and f2 The example of determining the wireless charging standard version number by comparing a second frequency range 132 in the surrounding area is illustrative. Generally, the power receiving device 24 can be configured to identify the wireless charging standard version number by comparing the measured digital ping frequency with one or more frequency ranges. Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating how, according to some embodiments, a wireless charging standard version number can be identified by determining whether the measured frequency is within a first frequency range 130 and / or whether the measured frequency is within a second frequency range 132.

[0051] like Figure 6As shown, if the measured digital ping frequency is within frequency range 130, device 24 may report version number Va back to the power transmitting device during the startup operation prior to the active wireless power transmission mode. Otherwise, if the measured digital ping frequency is within frequency range 132, device 24 may report version number Vb back to the power transmitting device during the startup operation prior to the active wireless power transmission mode. Otherwise, if the measured digital ping frequency is outside both frequency ranges 130 and 132 (e.g., if the measured frequency is neither within range 130 nor within range 132), device 24 may report a third version number Vc back to the power transmitting device during the startup operation prior to the active wireless power transmission mode. The third version number Vc may be related to the frequency... f3 The power of the output digital ping is associated with the transmitting device. Generally speaking, frequency... f1 , f2 and f3 These can be in the kHz or MHz range, and version numbers Va, Vb, and Vc can represent different version numbers or identifiers associated with any wireless charging standard / protocol. Although Figure 6 It shows f1 < f2 < f3 But frequency f1 It can be optionally greater than f2 and / or f3 and frequency f3 It can be optionally smaller than f2 and / or f1 If needed, this method can be extended to any number of digital ping frequencies and wireless charging standard versions.

[0052] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a wireless power transmission coil configured to receive a digital ping from a wireless power transmission device; a rectifier coupled to the wireless power transmission coil; a measurement circuit coupled to the wireless power transmission coil and configured to measure the frequency of the digital ping; and a control circuit configured to: transmit a first wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping matches a frequency value or is within a frequency range; and transmit a second wireless charging standard version number, different from the first wireless charging standard version number, to the wireless power transmission device in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping does not match a frequency value or is outside a frequency range.

[0053] According to another embodiment, the control circuit is optionally further configured to transmit the first wireless charging standard version number or the second wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device by sending a protocol identifier packet including the first wireless charging standard version number or the second wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device via the wireless power transmission coil.

[0054] According to another embodiment, the wireless power transmission coil is optionally configured to begin receiving wireless power from the wireless power transmission device based on the transmitted wireless charging standard version number after the protocol identifier packet is sent to the wireless power transmission device.

[0055] According to another embodiment, the frequency value and frequency range optionally include 128kHz, wherein the first wireless charging standard version number optionally includes Qi version 2.x, and the second wireless charging standard version number optionally includes Qi version 1.x.

[0056] According to another embodiment, the control circuit is optionally further configured to negotiate another wireless charging frequency with the power transmitter device after operating at a frequency value or frequency range for a period of time, wherein the other wireless charging frequency may optionally be mismatched with the frequency value or outside the frequency range.

[0057] According to another embodiment, the frequency range is optionally between 118 kHz and 138 kHz.

[0058] According to another embodiment, the frequency value and frequency range optionally include 145kHz, wherein the first wireless charging standard version number optionally includes Qi version 1.x, and the second wireless charging standard version number optionally includes Qi version 2.x.

[0059] According to another implementation, the frequency range is optionally between 135 kHz and 155 kHz.

[0060] According to one embodiment, a method for operating an electronic device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a digital ping from a wireless power transmission device using a wireless power transmission coil; measuring the frequency of the digital ping; determining whether the measured frequency of the digital ping is within a frequency range; and, in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is within a frequency range, transmitting a first wireless charging protocol identifier to the wireless power transmission device.

[0061] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: in response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is not in the frequency range, transmitting a second wireless charging protocol identifier, different from the first wireless charging protocol identifier, to the wireless power transmission device.

[0062] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: transmitting a first wireless charging protocol identifier or a second wireless charging protocol identifier to a wireless power transmission device by transmitting a protocol identifier packet via a wireless power transmission coil.

[0063] According to another implementation, transmitting the protocol identifier packet may optionally include transmitting the protocol identifier packet using amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation.

[0064] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: after sending a protocol identification packet, starting to receive wireless power from a wireless power transmission device for charging a battery in an electronic device.

[0065] According to another implementation, the first wireless charging protocol identifier and the second wireless charging protocol identifier may optionally include different versions of the wireless charging standard.

[0066] According to another embodiment, the frequency range is optionally between 118kHz and 138kHz, and the first wireless charging protocol identifier optionally includes Qi version 2.x.

[0067] According to another implementation, the second wireless charging protocol identifier may optionally include Qi version 1.x.

[0068] According to another embodiment, the frequency range may optionally include a single frequency value selected from 128 kHz, 326 kHz, 360 kHz, 1.78 MHz and 13.56 MHz.

[0069] According to another embodiment, the frequency range may optionally include a plurality of discrete frequency values ​​selected from 128 kHz, 326 kHz, 360 kHz, 1.78 MHz and 13.56 MHz.

[0070] According to one embodiment, a method for operating an electronic device is provided, the method comprising: receiving a ping signal from a wireless power transmission device using a wireless power transmission coil; measuring the frequency of the ping signal; determining whether the measured frequency of the ping signal is within a first frequency range; determining whether the measured frequency of the ping signal is within a second frequency range; and, in response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the first frequency range, transmitting a first wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device.

[0071] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: in response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is in a second frequency range, transmitting a second wireless charging standard version number, different from the first wireless charging standard version number, to the wireless power transmission device.

[0072] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include: in response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is outside a first frequency range and a second frequency range, transmitting a third wireless charging standard version number, which is different from the first wireless charging standard version number and the second wireless charging standard version number, to the wireless power transmission device.

[0073] According to another embodiment, the method may optionally include transmitting a first wireless charging standard version number, a second wireless charging standard version number, or a third wireless charging standard version number to a wireless power transmission device by transmitting a protocol identifier packet via a coil.

[0074] The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described implementation scheme. The foregoing implementation scheme can be implemented individually or in any combination.

Claims

1. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: A wireless power transmission coil, configured to receive digital pings from a wireless power transmission device; A rectifier coupled to the wireless power transmission coil; A measurement circuit coupled to the wireless power transmission coil and configured to measure the frequency of the digital ping; and Control circuit, the control circuit being configured to: In response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping matches the frequency value or is within the frequency range, a first wireless charging standard version number is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device. as well as In response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping does not match the frequency value or is outside the frequency range, a second wireless charging standard version number, different from the first wireless charging standard version number, is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to transmit the first wireless charging standard version number or the second wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device by sending a protocol identifier packet including the first wireless charging standard version number or the second wireless charging standard version number to the wireless power transmission device via the wireless power transmission coil.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the wireless power transmission coil is configured to, after sending the protocol identifier packet to the wireless power transmission device, begin receiving wireless power from the wireless power transmission device according to the sent wireless charging standard version number.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the frequency value and the frequency range include 128 kHz, wherein the first wireless charging standard version number includes Qi version 2.x, and wherein the second wireless charging standard version number includes Qi version 1.x.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the control circuit is further configured to negotiate another wireless charging frequency with the power transmitter device after operating at the frequency value or the frequency range for a certain period of time, wherein the other wireless charging frequency does not match the frequency value or is outside the frequency range.

6. The electronic device according to any one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the frequency range is between 118 kHz and 138 kHz.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the frequency value and the frequency range include 145 kHz, wherein the first wireless charging standard version number includes Qi version 1.x, and wherein the second wireless charging standard version number includes Qi version 2.x.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the frequency range is between 135 kHz and 155 kHz.

9. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising: Receive digital pings from a wireless power transmission device using a wireless power transmission coil; Measure the frequency of the digital ping; Determine whether the frequency measured by the digital ping is within the frequency range; as well as In response to determining that the measured frequency of the digital ping is within the frequency range, a first wireless charging protocol identifier is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: In response to determining that the frequency measured by the digital ping is not within the frequency range, a second wireless charging protocol identifier, different from the first wireless charging protocol identifier, is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The first wireless charging protocol identifier or the second wireless charging protocol identifier is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device by transmitting a protocol identifier packet via the wireless power transmission coil.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the protocol identifier packet comprises: The protocol identifier packets are transmitted using amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: After transmitting the protocol identifier packet, wireless power is received from the wireless power transmission device to charge the battery in the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first wireless charging protocol identifier and the second wireless charging protocol identifier include different versions of the wireless charging standard.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the frequency range is between 118 kHz and 138 kHz, and wherein the first wireless charging protocol identifier includes Qi version 2.x.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second wireless charging protocol identifier includes Qi version 1.x.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the frequency range comprises a single frequency value selected from 128 kHz, 326 kHz, 360 kHz, 1.78 MHz, and 13.56 MHz.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the frequency range includes a plurality of discrete frequency values ​​selected from 128 kHz, 326 kHz, 360 kHz, 1.78 MHz and 13.56 MHz.

19. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising: Receive ping signals from a wireless power transmission device using a wireless power transmission coil; Measure the frequency of the ping signal; Determine whether the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the first frequency range; Determine whether the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the second frequency range; as well as In response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the first frequency range, a first wireless charging standard version number is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: In response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is within the second frequency range, a second wireless charging standard version number, different from the first wireless charging standard version number, is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: In response to determining that the measured frequency of the ping signal is outside the first frequency range and the second frequency range, a third wireless charging standard version number, different from the first wireless charging standard version number and the second wireless charging standard version number, is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: The first wireless charging standard version number, the second wireless charging standard version number, or the third wireless charging standard version number is transmitted to the wireless power transmission device via a protocol identifier packet transmitted through the coil.

Images