Vehicles equipped with wireless chargers for mobile phones

Abstract

To provide a wireless charger for a mobile phone that is mounted on a vehicle and charges quickly without stressing a battery.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes a support 6 designed to accommodate an occupant and provided with at least one support surface 4 for placing a mobile phone, and a wireless charger 7 placed below the support surface 4 and designed to generate an electromagnetic field to charge the mobile phone placed on the support surface 4. The wireless charger 7 includes at least one coil 8 that generates an electromagnetic field, a power supply circuit 10 designed to power the coil 8, and a heat sink 12 that releases the heat generated by the coil 8 and the power supply circuit 10 to the outside. There is at least one Peltier cell 13 with a cooling wall 14 facing the support surface 4 and a hot wall 15 facing the heat sink 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This patent application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102020000018460, filed July 29, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a wireless charger for a mobile phone. [Background technology]

[0003] In modern vehicles, there is an increasing demand for wireless chargers that allow users to charge their mobile phones by simply placing the mobile phone near the wireless charger.

[0004] Mobile phones very carefully control their own internal temperature to avoid battery damage during charging (charging is a heat-generating activity, especially when performed in wireless mode). As a result, if the internal temperature of the mobile phone exceeds a warning threshold (typically around 33°C) during charging, the charging rate is slowed down (i.e., the charging power is reduced) to avoid overheating. In other words, as long as the internal temperature of the mobile phone is below the warning threshold, charging can occur at full power (and therefore full charging rate), whereas if the internal temperature of the mobile phone exceeds the warning threshold, charging must occur at reduced power (and therefore reduced charging rate). Furthermore, if the internal temperature of the mobile phone is close to the warning threshold, multiple switches between charging at full power and charging at reduced power may occur, which may even deteriorate the battery's State of Health (SoH).

[0005] To try to solve the above-mentioned problems, manufacturers have proposed cooling wireless chargers installed in vehicles, for example, by forcing air convection within or around the wireless charger. However, these solutions have proven to be only partially effective due to their insufficient effect on the heat generated by mobile phones during charging.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses a support device for a mobile phone mounted on a vehicle, which also includes a wireless charger equipped with a cooling device using a fan and / or a Peltier cell.

[0007] Patent Document 2 discloses a wireless charging system for mobile phones that is mounted on a vehicle and has a forced air cooling device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015229345 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013234656 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle equipped with a wireless charger for a mobile phone, said charger making it possible to charge the mobile phone in wireless mode quickly and without stressing the battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle equipped with a wireless charger for a mobile phone according to the appended claims.

[0011] The appended claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention and form an integral part of the description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic partial view of a vehicle according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic perspective view of the dashboard of the vehicle of FIG. 1, providing a mobile phone support surface coupled to a wireless charger; [Figure 3] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a support surface coupled to the wireless charger of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the wireless charger of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic, partially exploded, cross-sectional view of a support surface coupled to the wireless charger of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a schematic, partially exploded cross-sectional view of a modification of the wireless charger of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a schematic, partially exploded cross-sectional view of a modification of the wireless charger of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a schematic, partially exploded cross-sectional view of a modification of the wireless charger of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 9] Included is a diagram comparing charging times for a mobile phone between a wireless charger according to the present invention and a commercially available wireless charger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show some non-limiting embodiments thereof, in which: In Figure 1, the number 1 indicates as a whole a vehicle comprising a passenger compartment 2 designed to accommodate passengers and defined at the front by a dashboard 3;

[0014] According to Figure 2, the dashboard 3 has (at least) a support surface 4 for placing a mobile phone 5 (shown diagrammatically in Figures 3 and 5 to 8).

[0015] According to Fig. 3, the support surface 4 is located in a cup-shaped (tab-shaped) support 6. A wireless charger 7 is coupled to the bottom of the support 6, which is arranged below the support surface 4 and is designed to generate an electromagnetic field for charging a mobile phone 5 placed on the support surface 4.

[0016] According to FIG. 4 , the wireless charger 7 comprises a number of coils 8 supported by a housing element 9 and configured to generate an electromagnetic field for charging (in wireless mode) a mobile phone 5 placed on the support surface 4. According to different embodiments not shown here, instead of a number of coils 8, a single coil 8 is present. Furthermore, the wireless charger 7 comprises a power supply circuit 10 designed to supply power to the coils 8 so that the coils 8 can generate an electromagnetic field. The wireless charger 7 comprises a box-shaped housing 11, obtained by joining two shells, and housing the housing element 9 with the coils 8 and the power supply circuit 10 inside. The wireless charger 7 comprises a heat sink 12 arranged at the bottom of the housing 11 (on the opposite side to the support surface 4) and configured to dissipate heat generated by the coils 8 and the power supply circuit 10 to the outside. In particular, the lower shell of the housing 11 has a central through-opening for directly exposing the heat sink 12 to the outside of the housing 11. In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the heat sink 12 consists of a thermally conductive plate (typically made of a metal material) having a free side (an outwardly open surface) facing the outside of the wireless charger 7 (i.e., facing the outside of the housing 11 of the wireless charger 7).

[0017] The wireless charger 7 comprises a Peltier cell 13 having (at least) a cold wall 14 facing the support surface 4 and a hot wall 15 facing the heat sink 12. The Peltier cell 13 is a solid-state heat pump that, when powered, absorbs heat through its cold wall 14 and releases heat through its hot wall 15, i.e., transfers heat from the cold wall 14 (which cools) to the hot wall 15 (which heats).

[0018] According to one embodiment, in addition to supplying the coil 8, the power supply circuit 10 also supplies power to the Peltier cell 13.

[0019] 5, the wireless charger 7 comprises (at least) a transfer element 16, which is a heat conductor element (usually made of a metallic material) facing at one end the hot wall 15 of the Peltier cell 13 and in direct contact at the opposite end with the heat sink 12. The function of the transfer element 16 is to conduct (transfer) the heat coming from the hot wall 15 of the Peltier cell 13 to the heat sink 12.

[0020] 5, the transfer element 16 is "U" shaped, having a central wall 17 facing the hot wall 15 of the Peltier cell 13, and two side walls 18 oriented perpendicular to the central wall 17 and terminating in direct contact with the heat sink 12. Preferably, the power supply circuit 10 is disposed between the two side walls 18 of the transfer element 16, and thus in the space defined between the transfer element 16 and the heat sink 12.

[0021] In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 5, the transfer element 16 (in particular the central wall 17 of the transfer element 16) is in direct contact with the coil 8 (i.e. with the accommodation element 9 in which the coil 8 is arranged), and the Peltier cell 13 is arranged between the support surface 4 and the coil 8 so that the cooling wall 14 of the Peltier cell 13 is as close as possible to the support surface 4.

[0022] In the variant shown in Figure 6, the transmission element 16 has an appendage 19 that protrudes from the side wall 18 and touches (i.e. comes into direct contact with) the Peltier cell 13. Naturally, the extension of the appendage 19 must be limited in order not to shield the electromagnetic field generated by the coil 8, and it is necessary to reach the support surface 4 in order to charge the mobile phone 5 in wireless mode.

[0023] In the variant shown in FIG. 7, the transfer element 16 (in particular the central wall 17 of the transfer element 16) is in direct contact with the hot wall 15 of the Peltier cell 13, and the Peltier cell 13 is positioned between the coil 8 and the transfer element 16 so that the coil 8 is as close as possible to the support surface 4.

[0024] In the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, the Peltier cell 13 is positioned as close as possible to the support surface 4, thus allowing for maximum cooling of the support surface 4 (and therefore limiting as much as possible the heating of the mobile phone 5 during wireless charging). However, in these embodiments, the Peltier cell 13 is positioned between the support surface 4 and the coil 8, and therefore may partially shield (or in some way interfere with) the electromagnetic field generated by the coil 8, and thus partially reduce the effectiveness of wireless charging of the mobile phone 5 placed on the support surface 4. To prevent the Peltier cell 13 from shielding or interfering with the electromagnetic field generated by the coil 8, the Peltier cell 13 can be designed (as shown schematically in Figures 5 and 6) to be as transparent as possible to the electromagnetic field generated by the coil 8.

[0025] In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the coil 8 is positioned as close as possible to the support surface 4, so that the electromagnetic field generated by the coil 8 can reach the support surface 4 without shielding or interference. However, the coil 8 is interposed between the Peltier cell 13 and the support surface 4, so that the cooling effect exerted by the Peltier cell 13 on the support surface 4 is reduced (but always present and effective) compared to the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6.

[0026] The embodiment shown in Figure 8 is a compromise between the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6 and the embodiment shown in Figure 7. The Peltier cell 13 is flush with the coil 8 (i.e. with the receiving element 9 that supports the coil 8), so that at one end the cold wall 14 of the Peltier cell 13 and the coil 8 are as close as possible to the support surface 4, and at the opposite end the hot wall 15 of the Peltier cell 13 and the coil 8 are in direct contact with the transfer element 16 (in particular with the central wall 17 of the transfer element 16).

[0027] According to a possible embodiment, the wireless charger 7 comprises a temperature sensor 20 designed to measure the temperature and arranged between the support surface 4 of the Peltier cell 13 and the cooling wall 14 (preferably, but not necessarily, the temperature sensor 20 is arranged in contact with the cooling wall 14 of the Peltier cell 13). The power supply circuit 10 supplying the Peltier cell 13 requires a control unit arranged to control the power supply of the Peltier cell 13 based on the temperature read by the temperature sensor 20. Thanks to the presence of the temperature sensor 20, the Peltier cell 13 can be controlled in a very precise manner using a feedback control logic, thus always adjusting the action of the Peltier cell 13 to the actual cooling needs of the mobile phone 5 placed on the support surface 4 and being charged wirelessly.

[0028] The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another and for this reason can be done without going beyond the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] A vehicle 1 equipped with the wireless charger 7 described above has many advantages.

[0030] Firstly, a vehicle 1 equipped with the wireless charger 7 described above allows the mobile phone 5 to be charged at all times with the maximum possible power (and therefore in the shortest possible time) without significantly heating the mobile phone 5 (i.e. without risking raising the internal temperature of the mobile phone 5 beyond a warning threshold, a value which, if exceeded, forces the mobile phone 5 to be charged at a lower power).

[0031] This result is achieved thanks to the action of the Peltier cell 13, which transfers heat from the support surface 4 (on which the mobile phone 5 is placed) towards the heat sink 12. In other words, the Peltier cell 13 heats all the rest of the wireless charger 7 (particularly the power circuit 10 of the wireless charger 7) and allows the support surface 4 to cool. However, since the alarm threshold of the mobile phone 5 is low (typically around 33°C), the heat transfer from the support surface 4 to the rest of the wireless charger 7 does not cause any problems, while the wireless charger 7 can operate at much higher temperatures (typically up to 75°C-85°C) without any issues. In other words, without the action of the Peltier cell 13, the support surface 4 could reach a maximum of 40°C-45°C (too high to charge the mobile phone 5 at full power), while the wireless charger 7 could reach a maximum of 55°C-60°C internally. On the other hand, in the presence of the action of the Peltier cell 13, the support surface 4 may remain at 25-30°C (a value that allows charging the mobile phone 5 at maximum power), while the wireless charger 7 may reach 70-75°C internally (a temperature that is perfectly compatible with the normal operation of the wireless charger 7).

[0032] In summary, the purpose of the Peltier cell 13 is not to internally cool the wireless charger 7 (which does not need to be cooled and can easily operate at higher temperatures), but to cool the support surface 4 in contact with the mobile phone 5 at the expense of increased internal heating of the wireless charger 7.

[0033] FIG. 9 shows a comparison of charging times of a mobile phone 5 with the above-described wireless charger 7 (shown by the dotted line) and a similar commercially available wireless charger (shown by the solid line). The above-described wireless charger 7 (shown by the dotted line) allows for much faster charging than a similar commercially available wireless charger, both when the mobile phone 5 is deactivated (top diagram) and when the mobile phone 5 is in intensive use due to continuous operation of audio streaming and navigation functions (bottom diagram). In particular, in the diagram shown in FIG. 9, the warning threshold of the mobile phone 5 (above which the mobile phone 5 cannot be charged at its maximum speed, known as "fast charging") is equal to 33°C. In other words, it should be noted that the above-described wireless charger 7 ensures that the mobile phone 5 always remains below the warning threshold, thus allowing for continued use of full-power charging ("fast charging"), while the commercially available wireless charger operates to a large extent at reduced-power charging ("normal charging").

[0034] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 equipped with the above-described wireless charger 7 is simple and economical to manufacture compared to similar wireless chargers 7, since the manufacturer only needs to add Peltier cells 13 which are relatively inexpensive and easily found on the market. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 vehicle 2. Crew compartment 3. Dashboard 4 Support surface 5. Mobile Phones 6 Support 7 wireless charger 8 coils 9. Housing Elements 10 Power circuit 11. Housing 12 Heat sink 13 Peltier cell 14 Cooling wall 15 Hot Wall 16 Transmission Elements 17 Central wall 18 Side wall 19 Accessories 20 Temperature Sensor

Claims

1. a passenger compartment (2) designed to accommodate a passenger and provided with at least one support surface (4) for placing a mobile phone (5); a wireless charger (7) arranged below the support surface (4) and designed to generate an electromagnetic field for charging the mobile phone (5) arranged on the support surface (4), the wireless charger (7) comprising at least one coil (8) for generating the electromagnetic field, a power supply circuit (10) designed to supply power to the coil (8), and a heat sink (12) for dissipating heat generated by the coil (8) and the power supply circuit (10) to the outside; at least one Peltier cell (13) having a cold wall (14) facing said support surface (4) and a hot wall (15) facing said heat sink (12); at least one transfer element (16), which is a heat conductor element facing the hot wall (15) of the Peltier cell (13) at one end and in direct contact with the heat sink (12) at the opposite end; The transfer element (16) is U-shaped and has a central wall (17) facing the hot wall (15) of the Peltier cell (13) and two side walls (18) oriented perpendicular to the central wall (17) and terminating in direct contact with the heat sink (12).

2. 2. The vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the transfer element (16) is in direct contact with the hot wall (15) of the Peltier cell (13).

3. 3. A vehicle (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the power supply circuit (10) is arranged in a space defined between the two side walls (18) of the transfer element (16), and therefore between the transfer element (16) and the heat sink (12).

4. 4. The vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat sink (12) consists of a thermally conductive plate having a free side facing the outside of the wireless charger (7).

5. 4. The vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the Peltier cell (13) is arranged between the coil (8) and the power supply circuit (10) so that the cooling wall (14) of the Peltier cell (13) is in direct contact with the coil (8).

6. 4. The vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the Peltier cell (13) is arranged between the support surface (4) and the coil (8).

7. 7. The vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the power supply circuit (10) also supplies power to the Peltier cell (13).

8. A temperature sensor (20) designed to measure temperature and arranged between the support surface (4) and the cooling wall (14) or the Peltier cell (13); a control unit configured to control a power supply of the Peltier cell (13) based on the temperature read by the temperature sensor (20); A vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

9. 9. The vehicle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the temperature sensor (20) is arranged in direct contact with the cooling wall (14) of the Peltier cell (13).

10. 10. The vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the Peltier cell (13) is a solid-state heat pump that, when supplied with power, absorbs heat through its cold wall (14) and releases heat through its hot wall (15).

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