WO2022060363A1

WO2022060363A1 - Wireless signals to charge batteries

Info

Publication number: WO2022060363A1
Application number: PCT/US2020/051409
Authority: WO
Inventors: Isaac Lagnado; Leo Joseph Gerten
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2020-09-18
Filing date: 2020-09-18
Publication date: 2022-03-24

Abstract

An example electronic device for charging a battery of a peripheral device is disclosed. In an example, the electronic device includes a housing including a coupling station, a first antenna, and a controller coupled to the first antenna. The controller is to: transmit a first type of wireless signals via the first antenna over a wireless network, wherein the first type of wireless signals include readable information. In addition, in response to detecting that a peripheral device is physically attached to the coupling station, the controller is to discontinue using the first antenna to transmit the first type of wireless signals; and transmit a second type of wireless signals via the first antenna to charge a battery of the peripheral device.

Description

WIRELESS SIGNALS TO CHARGE BATTERIES

BACKGROUND

[0001] Multiple electronic devices may be utilized together by a user when performing various tasks or functions. For instance, a user may utilize a peripheral device (e.g., a mouse, stylus, keyboard, etc.) with an electronic device (e.g., a laptop, tablet computer, all-in-one computer, desktop computer, etc.) so as to enhance user interaction with the electronic device. Many such peripheral devices may include an internal power source, such as a battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Various examples will be described below referring to the following figures:

[0003] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device and a peripheral device having a battery that is to be charged by the electronic device according to some examples;

[0004] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device and a peripheral device having a battery that is to be charged by the electronic device according to some examples;

[0005] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device that is to charge a battery of a peripheral device according to some examples;

[0006] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a peripheral device that is to receive a wireless signal to charge a battery according to some examples;

[0007] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device and a peripheral device having a battery that is to be charged by the electronic device according to some examples; and

[0008] FIGS. 6-8 are diagrams of machine-readable instructions for charging batteries on peripheral devices with wireless signals according to some examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] As described above, a user may utilize a battery powered peripheral device with an electronic device so as to enhance user interaction with the electronic device during operations. As with other devices that contain an internal battery, over time, the battery may be depleted so that further operations with the peripheral device may be prevented. Thus, from time to time, a user may charge the battery of the peripheral device. However, in many situations, a user may be unaware that a peripheral device has a low charge level on the battery until he or she attempts to use the peripheral device. In addition, it may be difficult to find additional wall plugs and/or power ports (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports on the electronic device) for charging the battery of the peripheral device when the need for battery charging arises.

[0010] Accordingly, this disclosure describes various examples of an electronic device that is to charge a battery of a peripheral device by selectively transmitting wireless signals via one of multiple antennas of the electronic device. In some examples, the antenna of the electronic device that is utilized to output wireless signals for purposes of charging the battery of the peripheral device may also be utilized to send and receive information over a wireless network (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN) and/or a wireless wide area network (WWAN)). As described in more detail below, the peripheral device may harvest electrical current from the captured wireless signals. The peripheral device then uses the harvested electrical current to charge a battery of the peripheral device. This type of battery charging may be referred to herein as Radio Frequency (RF) harvesting.

[0011] During RF harvesting, the wireless signals output from the electronic device for charging the peripheral device may use an unacceptable amount of bandwidth on the wireless network so that other communications over the wireless network are slowed or prevented. As a result, in some examples, the electronic device may determine the communication traffic congestion on the wireless network and then condition charging of the peripheral device via RF harvesting on the determination. In this manner, the electronic device may avoid reducing network performance for other users of the wireless network during charging operations for the peripheral device.

[0012] Referring now to FIG. 1 , an electronic device 10 that is to output a wireless signal 40 for charging a battery 36 of a peripheral device 30 according to some examples is shown. As used herein, the term “electronic device” refers to a device or assembly that includes components such as processors (e.g., to execute machine-readable instructions), power supplies, memory, etc. For example, an electronic device may include a desktop computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc. In addition, as used herein, a “peripheral device” may most generally refer to a battery powered device. In some examples, a peripheral device may comprise a device that is to be utilized to provide inputs on an electronic device, such as, for instance, a mouse, keyboard, smart pen or stylus, remote control, etc. In some instances, the electronic device that is outputting the wireless signal for battery charging may be referred to as a “host device,” so as to more clearly distinguish this device from the peripheral device that is receiving or capturing the wireless signal for purposes of battery charging as described herein.

[0013] Electronic device 10 includes a housing 12, which may comprise an outermost housing of the electronic device 10. The housing 12 includes a coupling station 14 that is to engage with the peripheral device 30. In particular, the coupling station 14 may comprise a device, assembly, surface, etc. positioned on, coupled to, or integrated with the housing 12 that is to engage with the peripheral device 30. For instance, in some examples the coupling station 14 may comprise a slot or recess formed in the housing 12 that is to receive some of or the entire peripheral device 30 therein. In some examples, the coupling station 14 may comprise a loop (e.g., an elastomeric loop) that is to engage with the peripheral device and thereby hold the peripheral device against or near the housing 12 of electronic device 10. In some examples, the coupling station 14 may comprise a designated surface on the housing 12 that is to engage with the peripheral device 30. Further, in some examples, the coupling station 14 may include a magnet (e.g., electromagnet, permanent magnet, etc.) that is attract the peripheral device (or another magnet within our coupled to) to the coupling station 14 during operations. Other possible implementations of the coupling station 14 are also contemplated herein.

[0014] In addition, electronic device 10 includes a controller 16 within the housing 12 that generally comprises processor 18 and a memory 20. The processor 18 (e.g., microprocessor) executes machine-readable instructions 22 stored on memory 20 (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable medium), thereby causing the processor 18 (and, more generally, the controller 16) to perform some or all of the actions attributed herein to the processor 18 (and, more generally, to the controller 16 and the electronic device 10). The memory 20 may comprise volatile storage (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile storage (e.g., flash storage, etc.), or combinations of both volatile and non-volatile storage. Data read or written by the processor 18 when executing the machine- readable instructions 22 can also be stored on memory 20.

[0015] Electronic device 10 also includes a first antenna 24 and a second antenna 26 that are both coupled to the controller 16. While depicted schematically in FIG. 1 as being outside of the housing 12, in various examples the antennas 24, 26 may be positioned inside or outside of housing 12. In some examples (e.g., such as in the example of FIG. 1 ), the first antenna 24 is more proximate to the coupling station 14 than the second antenna 26. In addition, while depicted schematically as coupling directly to the controller 16, in some examples, the first antenna 24 and the second antenna 26 couple directly to transceiver(s) which, in turn, couple to the controller 16.

[0016] The first antenna 24 and the second antenna 26 may output a first type of wireless signals 40 (which may be more simply referred to herein as “wireless signals 40”) on a wireless network 28. The wireless network 28 may comprise a WLAN such as a Wi-Fi network. In some examples, the wireless network 28 may comprise a WWAN such as a telecommunications network (e.g., a 3G, 4G, 5G network, etc.). In some examples, the first antenna 24 and the second antenna 26 may send wireless signals utilizing other wireless communication protocols or techniques (e.g., BLUETOOTH®, infrared communications, near field communications, etc.).

[0017] The wireless signals 40 may comprise a payload that includes readable information. As used herein, “readable information” refers to information that may be interpreted by an electronic device as a readable message, information, instruction(s), etc. Thus, the wireless signals 40 may be associated with information or instructions provided by the electronic device 10 to another device over the wireless network 28. In some examples, the wireless signals 40 may be used for Internet browsing, video streaming, file sharing, or other such functions and processes utilizing the wireless network 28. In some examples, the first antenna 24 and/or the second antenna 26 may also be utilized to receive wireless signals that are transmitted over the wireless network 28 and/or other networks or devices.

[0018] Referring still to FIG. 1 , during operations, the peripheral device 30 may physically attach to (e.g., engage with) the coupling station 14. Specifically, a housing 32 of the peripheral device 30 may engage with the coupling station 14 so that the peripheral device 30 is disposed on or near the housing 12 of electronic device 10. Generally speaking, the controller 16 may detect the attachment of the peripheral device 30 to the coupling station 14, via a suitable sensor and/or mechanism as described in more detail below. In response to detecting the attachment of the peripheral device 30 to the coupling station 14, the controller 16 may then cause the first antenna 24 to cease output of the first type of wireless signals 40 and instead begin to transmit a second type of wireless signals 42 over the wireless network 28 (which may be more simply referred to herein as “wireless signals 42”). The wireless signals 42 may be received by an antenna 38 of the peripheral device 30 and utilized (e.g., via RF harvesting techniques) to charge the battery 36.

[0019] In some examples, the wireless signals 42 may comprise so-called “dummy signals.” As used herein, a “dummy signal” comprises an RF signal that is communicated over a wireless network (e.g., a WLAN, WWAN, etc.) but includes a data payload that is devoid of readable information. As a result, a “dummy signal” may comprise a payload of nonsense or useless data that does not amount to readable information. In some examples, the wireless signals 42 may comprise data that is not directed to other devices over the wireless network 28.

[0020] However, in some examples, the wireless signals 42 may include readable information (e.g., such as is described above for the wireless signals 40). As a result, in some of these examples, the wireless signals 42 may be directed to other devices via the wireless network 28. In some examples, the wireless signals 42 may include readable information that is associated with functions or processes executed on the electronic device 10 that are unrelated to charging of the battery 36 in peripheral device 30. For instance, in some examples, the wireless signals 42 may be associated with updates (e.g., operating system updates, application updates, etc.), or any other function or process on the electronic device 10.

[0021] In some examples, the wireless signals 42 have a different RF power level than the wireless signals 40. For instance, the wireless signals 42 may have a lower RF power level than the wireless signals 40. In some implementations, the lower RF power level of the wireless signals 42 may allow for constant or nearly constant transmission of the wireless signals 42 in view of applicable regulatory standards. In some examples, the wireless signals 42 may have a higher RF power level than the wireless signals 40 so as to increase the amount of electrical power that may be delivered to the battery 36.

[0022] In addition, in some examples, the wireless signals 42 may broadcast at a different frequency (or perhaps a different frequency band) than the wireless signals 40. Without being limited to this or any other theory, different frequencies and/or frequency bands may offer a higher amount of efficiency for RF harvesting, and these frequencies and/or frequency bands may not correspond with other frequencies or frequency bands that are more efficient for data transmission.

[0023] Further, in some examples, the modulation of the wireless signals 42 may be different from the modulation of the wireless signals 40. Without being limited to this or any other theory, the modulation of a wireless signal may affect the efficiency of that wireless signal for transmitting information and/or power (e.g., via RF harvesting). As a result, a different modulation may be selected for the wireless signals 42 so as to improve power transfer via RF harvesting as described herein. In some examples, changing the modulation of the wireless signals 42 may also necessitate a similar change in the modulation of the wireless signals 40.

[0024] Referring briefly to FIG. 2, in some examples, the electronic device 10 may include first antenna 24 but may omit the second antenna 26 (see e.g., FIG. 1 ). The first antenna 24 may output the wireless signals 40 and the wireless signals 42 in substantially the same manner as described above. In some of these examples, the controller 16 may apply a sharing function to the antenna 24 so that the first antenna 24 may output both the wireless signals 42 (e.g., for RF harvesting) and the wireless signals 40 (e.g., for data transmission) during operations. In some examples, the sharing function may comprise a time allocation or sharing function whereby the first antenna 24 is directed to output the wireless signals 40 at different times than the wireless signals 42 so that both RF harvesting and data transfer over the wireless network 28 may be achieved by the electronic device 10 during a period of operation. In addition, in some examples, the electronic device 10 may include more than two antennas (e.g., first antenna 24, second antenna 26).

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3, in some examples the electronic device 10 includes a first RF transceiver 17 that is coupled between the first antenna 24 and the controller 16, and a second RF transceiver 19 that is coupled between the second antenna 26 and the controller 16. The first RF transceiver 17 and the second RF transceiver 19 may receive and transmit signals to and from processor 18 as well as to and from first antenna 24 and second antenna 26, respectively.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 4, in some examples the peripheral device 30 may also comprise a RF transceiver 34 and a harvesting circuit 35 coupled between the battery 36 and the antenna 38. The RF transceiver 34 may receive and transmit signals to and from the harvesting circuit 35 and the antenna 38. During operations, when antenna 38 receives the wireless signals 42, the RF transceiver

34 outputs an alternating current (AC) signal based on the captured wireless signal 42 that is communicated to the harvesting circuit 35. The harvesting circuit

35 may receive the AC signal from the RF transceiver 34, and then may convert the received AC signal into a direct current (DC) voltage that is then utilized to charge the battery 36. In some examples, the harvesting circuit 35 may comprise a rectifying circuit that may include a plurality of electrical components, such as, for instance, diodes, capacitors, etc. arranged in a suitable manner to convert the AC signal into a DC voltage as described above. [0027] Referring now to FIG. 5, in some examples, the housing 12 of electronic device 10 may also include a second coupling station 15 for engaging with the peripheral device 30. The second coupling station 15 may be more proximate the second antenna 26 than the first antenna 24. The second coupling station 15 may include any of the example coupling stations previously described above for the coupling station 14. During operations, the controller 16 may detect that the peripheral device 30 has been physically attached to the second coupling station 15 via a suitable sensor or mechanism as described in more detail below (note: FIG. 5 shows the peripheral device spaced from the second coupling station 15, and does not specifically depict the above-noted physical engagement). In response to detecting the attachment of the peripheral device 30 to the second coupling station 15, the controller 16 may cause the second antenna 26 to cease output of the first type of wireless signals 40 and instead begin to transmit the second type of wireless signals 42 over the wireless network 28 to therefore charge the battery 36 as previously described.

[0028] In some examples, electronic device 10 may include sensors 21 , 23 that are coupled to controller 16 and that are to detect (e.g., directly or indirectly) whether the peripheral device 30 is physically attached to one of the coupling stations 14, 15. For instance, in some examples, the sensors 21 , 23 may comprise magnetic sensors (e.g., such as Hall effect sensors) that may detect a presence of a magnetic field generated by a magnet 37 (e.g., electromagnet, permanent magnet, etc.) coupled to or positioned within the housing 32 of peripheral device 30.

[0029] In some examples, the sensors 21 , 23 may comprise switches that are actuated when the peripheral device 30 is attached to the coupling station 14, 15, respectively. For instance, in some examples, the coupling station 14 and/or the second coupling station 15 may comprise a recess in the housing 12 of electronic device 10, and the sensor 21 and/or the sensor 23, respectively, may comprise a spring-loaded contact that is translated or moved against the spring bias when the peripheral device 30 is inserted within the recess. The movement of the contact may then close a circuit, trip a sensor (e.g., an optical sensor), etc., that then results in a signal communicated to the controller 16 indicating that the peripheral device 30 has been attached to the respective coupling station 14, 15. [0030] In some examples, the controller 16 may detect the attachment of the peripheral device 30 to one of the coupling stations 1 , 15 via a communication between the antenna 38 and one of the antennas 24, 26. For instance, in some examples, the antenna 38 may output a connection signal that is detected by one of the antennas 24, 26 when the peripheral device 30 is engaged with the corresponding coupling station 14, 15, respectively. The detection of the connection signal by one of the antennas 24, 26 may include determining (e.g., with the controller 16) that the received connection signal has a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that is above a threshold. Upon receipt of the connection signal from the antenna 38 at one of the antennas 24, 26, the controller 16 may then initiate a wireless connection procedure (e.g., a handshake procedure) to establish communication between the electronic device 10 and peripheral device 30. The wireless connection procedure may include determining, with the controller 16, that the peripheral device 30 is attached to a particular one of the coupling stations 14, 15. In some examples, the connection signal discussed above may be output by one or both of the antennas 24, 26 and received by the antenna 38 of peripheral device 30.

[0031] As previously noted above, any of these example techniques for detecting the engagement of the peripheral device 30 with a particular coupling station (e.g., coupling stations 14, 15) may be utilized in examples of an electronic device 10 that includes one coupling station, such as the first coupling station 14 (e.g., such as in the example shown in FIG. 1 ).

[0032] In addition, in some examples, housing 12 of electronic device 10 may be devoid of any coupling stations 14, 15 and controller 16 may determine that the peripheral device 30 is sufficiently close to the first antenna 24 and/or the second antenna 26 for purposes of RF harvesting via a communication between the first antenna 24 and/or second antenna 26 and the antenna 38, an output from a suitable sensor, and/or some other detection mechanism or method (e.g., based on a RSSI of a connection signal output by the antenna 38 and/or one or both of the antennas 24, 26 as described above). In some examples, the peripheral device 30 may be sufficiently close when it is engaged with the housing 12 (e.g., positioned on or along a surface of the housing 12), proximate the first antenna 24 and/or second antenna 26, or is within a specific distance of the first antenna 24 and/or second antenna 26.

[0033] FIGS. 6-8 show example machine-readable instructions 100, 200, 300 that may be performed by controller 16 to charge the battery 36 of peripheral device 30 via the wireless signals 42 as generally described above. In some examples, the machine-readable instructions 100, 200, 300 may be stored on memory 20 as an example of machine-readable instructions 22 that may be executed by processor 18 (see e.g., FIG. 1 ). In describing the features of machine-readable instructions 100, 200, 300, continuing reference will be made to the schematic depictions of electronic device 10 and peripheral device 30 in FIGS. 1-5, so as to provide clarity.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 6, machine-readable instructions 100 include transmitting a first type of wireless signals via a first antenna of an electronic device over a wireless network at block 102. In some examples, the first antenna in block 102 may comprise the first antenna 24, the first type of wireless signals in block 102 may comprise the wireless signals 40, and the wireless network may comprise the wireless network 28. Thus, the first type of wireless signals at block 102 may comprise a payload of readable information as previously described above.

[0035] In addition, at block 104, the machine-readable instructions 100 include, in response to detecting that a peripheral device is physically attached to a coupling station on the electronic device, discontinuing using the first antenna to transmit the first type of wireless signals, and transmitting a second type of wireless signals via the first antenna to charge a battery of the peripheral device. Specifically, in some examples, the second type of wireless signals in block 104 may comprise the wireless signals 42. Thus, in some examples, the second type of wireless signals in block 104 may comprise dummy signals. Alternatively, in some examples, the second type of wireless signals at block 104 may comprise payloads including readable instructions as described above. The second type of wireless signals (e.g., wireless signals 42), when received by the peripheral device (e.g., via antenna 38), may be converted into a suitable electrical current for charging the battery of the electronic device (e.g., via the RF transceiver 34 and harvesting circuit 35 as previously described above and shown in FIG. 4).

[0036] Referring now to FIG. 7, machine readable instructions 200 include receiving a network congestion parameter of a wireless network at block 202. In some examples, the wireless network at block 202 may comprise the wireless network 28 previously described above and shown in FIGS. 1 , 2, and 5. The network congestion parameter may comprise a measured, calculated, estimated variable indicative of the amount of communication traffic flowing over the wireless network. For instance, in some examples, the network congestion parameter may comprise a fraction or percentage of the network bandwidth that is being used for wireless communication at a given point in time. In some examples, the network congestion parameter may comprise a number or volume of informational packets that are being sent over the network at a given time or over a period of time. In still other examples, the network congestion parameter may comprise a combination or relationship between any of these example variables or other suitable variables or parameters that provide an indication of the amount of communication traffic being sent over a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 28).

[0037] The network congestion parameter may be obtained in a number of different ways in various examples. For instance, in some examples, the controller 16 may obtain the network congestion parameter (or a variable or variables of the network congestion parameter) from an access point (e.g., modem, router, server, electronic device, mobile hotspot device, etc.) of the wireless network 28. The access point may provide a direct indication or variable of the current network traffic or congestion which may be utilized by the controller 16 as the network congestion parameter or a component thereof (e.g., such as in the case where the network congestion parameter comprises a combination or relationship of variables). In some examples, the controller 16 may sample traffic over the wireless network 28 for a period of time by monitoring the communication traffic with the antennas 24, 26. Then, based on the sampled traffic, the controller 16 may determine the network congestion parameter. For instance, in some examples, the controller 16 may determine how many data packets are captured via antennas 24, 26 over a period of time, and then determine a network congestion parameter based on the number of captured data packets.

[0038] Machine-readable instructions 200 next include comparing the network congestion parameter to a threshold at block 204. For instance, the threshold may be a limit for the network congestion parameter for determining whether or not to charge the battery 36 of the peripheral device 30 as previously described. Specifically, as previously described above, charging of the battery 36 via the wireless signals 42 involves placing additional traffic on the wireless network 28. If the wireless network 28 is being used by a large number of electronic devices to transfer information, the additional wireless signals 42 may cause the network traffic to reach a maximum capacity and therefore cause a network to significantly slow down for some devices. To avoid an unnecessary drain on network resources, the controller 16 may compare the network congestion parameter to the threshold to determine whether performing the charging of battery 36 via wireless signals 42 may result in network performance degradation for other electronic devices. In some examples, comparing the network congestion parameter to the threshold at block 204 may comprise determining whether the network congestion parameter is greater than the threshold. In some examples, the comparing at block 204 may comprise determining whether the network congestion parameter is below the threshold. Still other comparisons may be made at block 204 between the network congestion parameter and the threshold that are ultimately dictated by the form derivation of the network parameter and the threshold.

[0039] Further, the machine-readable instructions 200 also include, at block 206, charging a battery on a peripheral device by outputting a wireless signal onto the wireless network based on the comparison. For instance, based on the comparison between the network congestion parameter and the threshold at block 204, the controller 16 may determine that it either is or is not an appropriate or acceptable time to produce additional communication traffic on the wireless network 28 for purposes of charging the battery 36 of peripheral device 30. The charging at block 206 may be carried out in the manner described above for charging battery 36 of peripheral device 30 via wireless signals 42.

[0040] In some examples, charging the battery based on the comparison in block 206 may comprise selecting a channel on the wireless network 28 that includes a relatively low amount of communication traffic. For instance, in some examples, wireless network 28 may comprise multiple channels (e.g., with different frequency bands) for communication. Some of these channels may include relatively high levels of communication traffic, while other channels may be less utilized. Thus, in some examples, blocks 204 and 206 of machine- readable instructions 200 may include comparing network congestion parameters of each available channel of a wireless network to a threshold, selecting a channel of the wireless network that has a sufficiently low (or the lowest) communication traffic as indicated by the comparison of the network congestion parameter(s) and the threshold, and then outputting the wireless signal on the selected channel to charge the battery on the peripheral device.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 8, machine-readable instructions 300 include receiving a charge level of a battery of a peripheral device that is engaged with the electronic device at block 302. In some examples, the controller 16 may receive a charge level of the battery 36 within the peripheral device 30 via a wireless communication between the first antenna 24 or the second antenna 26 and the antenna 38. For instance, wireless communication may be established between the electronic device 10 and the peripheral device 30 (e.g., between the first antenna 24 and/or second antenna 26 and the antenna 38) over the wireless network 28 or another wireless communication channel or network (e.g., BLUETOOTH®, infrared communication, nearfield communication, etc.).

[0042] In addition, the machine-readable instructions 300 include receiving a network congestion parameter for the wireless network at block 304. In some examples, receiving the network congestion parameter at block 304 may be carried out in the manner described above for block 202 of machine-readable instructions 200 in FIG. 7.

[0043] Further, machine-readable instructions 300 include charging the battery with a wireless signal via the antenna based on the charge level and the network congestion parameter. For instance, in some examples, the controller 16 may condition outputting the wireless signal 42 to charge the battery 36 based on whether the charge level of the battery 36 is below a threshold (e.g., 50%, 25%, 10%, etc.), and also on whether the network congestion parameter is above, below, equal to, etc. a threshold. Thus, in some examples, the charging of the battery at block 306 may occur when both: (1 ) the charge level of the battery is below a first threshold, and (2) the network congestion (as indicated by the network congestion parameter) is below a second threshold. In some examples, the threshold that is compared to the network congestion parameter (e.g., for determining whether charging of the battery at block 306 may take place) may range depending on the charge level of the battery 36. For instance, in some examples, if the battery 36 of the peripheral device 30 is particularly low, then controller 16 may impose a less strict threshold for the network congestion parameter (i.e., charging of the battery 36 may be allowed for relatively higher amounts of communication traffic on the wireless network 28 when the battery charge level is low). Accordingly, in some examples, the threshold for the network congestion parameter may be determined based on the charge level of the battery 36 at block 306.

[0044] In addition, in some examples, the charging of the battery in block 306 may be conditioned on the charge level of the battery without consideration to the network congestion parameter. Thus, block 306 may comprise considering whether the charge level of the battery is below a threshold, and then outputting the wireless signal to charge the battery if the charge level is below the threshold. This situation may arise when a user is performing the wireless charging on a home network (e.g., such as a home Wi-Fi network) and there is little to no concern for the possible network performance degradation for other devices.

[0045] The examples disclosed herein include electronic devices that are to charge a battery of a peripheral device (e.g., peripheral device 30) with wireless signals output from a suitable antenna (or antennas) (e.g., antennas 24, 26). In addition, in some examples disclosed herein, the outputting of the wireless signal for charging the battery on the device may be conditioned on the network congestion so as to avoid reducing network performance for other users of the wireless network during charging operations for the peripheral device.

[0046] In the figures, certain features and components disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form, and some details of certain elements may be omitted in the interest of clarity and conciseness. In some of the figures, in order to improve clarity and conciseness, a component or an aspect of a component may be omitted.

[0047] In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to... ." Also, the term "couple" or "couples" is intended to be broad enough to encompass both indirect and direct connections. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections.

[0048] As used herein, including in the claims, the word “or” is used in an inclusive manner. For example, “A or B” means any of the following: “A” alone, “B” alone, or both “A” and “B.”

[0049] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various examples of the present disclosure. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device, comprising: a housing including a coupling station; a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the first antenna is more proximate the coupling station than the second antenna; and a controller coupled to the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the controller is to: transmit a first type of wireless signals via the first antenna over a wireless network, wherein the first type of wireless signals include readable information; and in response to detecting that a peripheral device is physically attached to the coupling station: discontinue using the first antenna to transmit the first type of wireless signals; and transmit a second type of wireless signals via the first antenna to charge a battery of the peripheral device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to detect that the peripheral device is physically attached to the coupling station with a magnetic sensor.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to detect that the peripheral device is physically attached to the coupling station based on a communication between the first antenna and an antenna of the peripheral device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a second coupling station, wherein the second antenna is more proximate the second coupling station than the first antenna, wherein the controller is to: transmit the first type of wireless signals via the second antenna over the wireless network, and in response to detecting that the peripheral device is physically attached to the second coupling station: discontinue using the second antenna to transmit the first type of wireless signals; and transmit the second type of wireless signals via the second antenna to charge the battery of the peripheral device.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the second type of wireless signals comprises a dummy signal.

6. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, storing instructions, which, when executed by a controller of an electronic device, cause the controller to: receive a network congestion parameter of a wireless network; compare the network congestion parameter to a threshold; and charge a battery on a peripheral device by outputting a wireless signal onto the wireless network based on the comparison.

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7. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to: receive a charge level of the battery; compare the charge level to a second threshold; and charge the battery on the peripheral device with the wireless signal based on the comparison of the network congestion parameter to the threshold and the comparison of the charge level to the second threshold.

8. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to receive the network congestion parameter from an access point of the wireless network.

9. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the controller is to output the wireless signal to update an application on the electronic device.

10. An electronic device, comprising: an antenna to communicate over a wireless network; and a controller coupled to the antenna, wherein the controller is to: receive a charge level of a battery of a peripheral device that is engaged with the electronic device; receive a network congestion parameter for the wireless network; and charge the battery with a wireless signal via the antenna based on the charge level and the network congestion parameter.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the controller is to: charge the battery with the wireless signal based on a comparison between the network congestion parameter and a threshold; and determine the threshold based on the charge level of the battery. 19

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the controller is to receive the network congestion parameter from an access point of the wireless network.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the controller is to receive the network congestion parameter by sampling traffic on the wireless network.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the wireless signal from the antenna is associated with a process executed on the electronic device that is unrelated to charging the battery.

15. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the wireless signal from the antenna comprises a dummy signal on the wireless network.