CN117318324A

CN117318324A - Coil package for efficient wireless charging

Info

Publication number: CN117318324A
Application number: CN202310771475.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 任赛宁; B·K·范登霍克; K·J·博克克斯
Original assignee: Apple Inc
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2022-06-29
Filing date: 2023-06-28
Publication date: 2023-12-29

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to coil packages for efficient wireless charging. The electronic device may include an at least partially non-metallic housing, an antenna for a wireless communication system, and a wireless power transfer coil. The wireless power transfer coil may include a magnetic core and a plurality of windings. The wireless power transfer coil may be disposed between the non-metallic portion of the housing and the antenna such that the magnetic core manipulates flux associated with the wireless power transfer coil and provides shielding between the wireless power transfer coil and the antenna. The plurality of windings may be formed in a single layer. The plurality of windings may be wound or formed on a printed circuit board, including a flexible printed circuit board. The plurality of windings may be disposed at least partially within a cut-out, recess, or pocket of the magnetic core. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disk or disc-shaped cross section.

Description

Coil package for efficient wireless charging

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional application 63/367,256, entitled "COIL PACKAGING FOR EFFICIENT WIRELESS CHARGING," filed on month 29 of 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to coil packages for efficient wireless charging.

Background

Wireless power transfer has become increasingly common in consumer electronics applications. Many electronic devices include provisions for wirelessly receiving power for charging a battery and other uses. Some electronic devices include other wireless/electromagnetic systems, such as radios for cellular, wiFi, bluetooth, or other communications, as well as other electronic systems. In some cases, wireless power transfer system components may impose limitations on the positioning or operation of such systems, and vice versa.

Disclosure of Invention

In at least some applications, it may be desirable to provide a wireless power transfer coil configuration that allows for high coupling and efficiency while also providing space for and minimizing interference with other systems and components within the electronic device.

The electronic device may include: a housing, at least a portion of the housing being non-metallic; at least one antenna for a wireless communication system; a wireless power transfer coil. The wireless power transfer coil may include a magnetic core and a plurality of windings. The wireless power transfer coil may be disposed between the non-metallic portion of the housing and the antenna such that the magnetic core manipulates flux associated with the wireless power transfer coil and provides shielding between the wireless power transfer coil and the antenna. The plurality of windings may be formed in a single layer. The plurality of windings may be wound. The plurality of windings may be formed on a printed circuit board, including a flexible printed circuit board. The plurality of windings may be disposed at least partially within a cut-out, recess, or pocket of the magnetic core. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disk or disc-shaped cross section that generally corresponds to the shape of the non-metallic portion of the housing. The shape of the nonmetallic portion of the housing may be convex. The convex shape of the nonmetallic portion of the housing may be a dome. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disc or disc-shaped cross-section that generally corresponds to the shape of a complementary wireless power transfer coil in another device. The core may include at least one groove, slot, or other profile that allows the winding leads to enter or exit the winding.

The wireless power transfer receiver may include: a housing, at least a portion of the housing being non-metallic, having a non-planar profile; at least one antenna for a wireless communication system, the at least one antenna disposed within the housing; and a wireless power receiving coil including a magnetic core and a plurality of windings. The wireless power transfer coil may be disposed between the non-metallic non-planar portion of the housing and the antenna such that the magnetic core manipulates flux associated with the wireless power transfer coil and provides shielding between the wireless power receiving coil and the antenna. The plurality of windings may be formed in a single layer. The plurality of windings may be wound. The plurality of windings may be formed on a printed circuit board, including a flexible printed circuit board. The plurality of windings may be disposed at least partially within a cut-out, recess, or pocket of the magnetic core. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disk or disc-shaped cross section that generally corresponds to the shape of the non-metallic portion of the housing. The shape of the nonmetallic portion of the housing may be convex. The convex shape of the nonmetallic portion of the housing may be a dome. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disk or disc-shaped cross section that generally corresponds to the shape of a complementary wireless power transfer coil in another device. The core may include at least one groove, slot, or other profile that allows the winding leads to enter or exit the winding.

The electronic device may include: a housing, at least a portion of the housing being non-planar and non-metallic; at least one antenna for a wireless communication system, the at least one antenna disposed within the housing; and a wireless power transfer coil disposed between the non-planar, non-metallic portion of the housing and the antenna. The wireless power transfer coil may further comprise a magnetic core comprising a cutout, recess, or recess; and a plurality of windings in a single layer disposed at least partially within the cut, recess or pocket of the magnetic core. The magnetic core may direct flux associated with the wireless power transfer coil and provide shielding between the wireless power transfer coil and the antenna. The plurality of windings may be formed in a single layer. The plurality of windings may be wound. The plurality of windings may be formed on a printed circuit board, including a flexible printed circuit board. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disk or disc-shaped cross section that generally corresponds to the shape of the non-metallic portion of the housing. The shape of the nonmetallic portion of the housing may be convex. The convex shape of the nonmetallic portion of the housing may be a dome. The plurality of windings may be angled to form a disk or disc-shaped cross section that generally corresponds to the shape of a complementary wireless power transfer coil in another device. The core may include at least one groove, slot, or other profile that allows the winding leads to enter or exit the winding.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless power transfer system.

Fig. 2 shows various physical layouts of a wireless power receiver device (PRx) and a wireless power transmitter device (PTx).

Fig. 3 shows a profile diagram with complementary non-flat profiles (e.g., convex/concave dome profiles) PRx and PTx on their respective mating surfaces.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view and a partial plan view of an exemplary PRx device.

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view and a partial plan view of an alternative PRx device.

Detailed Description

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed concepts. As part of this description, some of the drawings of this disclosure represent structures and devices in block diagram form for simplicity. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this disclosure. Furthermore, the language used in the present disclosure has been selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it has not been selected to delineate or circumscribe the disclosed subject matter. Rather, the appended claims are intended for this purpose.

Various embodiments of the disclosed concepts are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Furthermore, numerous specific details are shown in order to provide a thorough understanding of the implementations described herein. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the relevant functions described. References to "an", "one", or "another" embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same or different embodiments, and this means at least one. A given figure may be used to illustrate more than one embodiment or more than one category of features of the present disclosure, and not all elements in the figure may be required for a given embodiment or category. When provided in a given figure, reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the several figures, but may not be repeated in every figure. The drawings are not to scale and the proportion of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure, unless otherwise indicated.

Fig. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of a wireless power transfer system 100. The wireless power transfer system includes a power transmitter (PTx) 110 that wirelessly transfers power to a power receiver (PRx) 120, such as via inductive coupling 130. The power transmitter 110 may receive input power converted into an AC voltage having specific voltage and frequency characteristics by the inverter 114. The inverter 114 may be controlled by a controller/communication module 116 that operates as described further below. In various embodiments, the inverter controller and the communication module may be implemented in a common system (such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, etc. based system). In other embodiments, the inverter controller may be implemented by a separate controller module and communication module with a communication device therebetween. Inverter 114 may be constructed using any suitable circuit topology (e.g., full bridge, half bridge, etc.) and may be implemented using any suitable semiconductor switching device technology (e.g., MOSFETs, IGBTs, etc. fabricated using silicon, silicon carbide, or gallium nitride devices).

The inverter 114 may deliver the generated AC voltage to the transmitter coil 112. In addition to allowing magnetic coupling to the wireless coil of the receiver, the transmitter coil block 112 shown in fig. 1 may include tuning circuitry (such as additional inductors and capacitors) that facilitates operation of the transmitter under different conditions (such as different degrees of magnetic coupling to the receiver, different operating frequencies, etc.). The wireless coil itself may be constructed in a variety of different ways. In some embodiments, the wireless coil may be formed as a wire winding around a suitable bobbin. In other embodiments, the wireless coil may be formed as a trace on a printed circuit board. Other arrangements are possible and may be used in conjunction with the various embodiments described herein. The wireless transmitter coil may also include a magnetically permeable material (e.g., ferrite) core configured to affect the flux pattern of the coil in a manner suitable for a particular application. The teachings herein may be applied in connection with any of a variety of transmitter coil arrangements suitable for a given application.

The PTx controller/communication module 116 may monitor the transmitter coil and use information derived therefrom to control the inverter 114 to suit a given situation. For example, the controller/communication module may be configured to cause the inverter 114 to operate at a given frequency or output voltage depending on the particular application. In some embodiments, the controller/communication module may be configured to receive information from the PRx device and control the inverter 114 accordingly. This information may be received via the power delivery coil (i.e., in-band communication) or may be received via a separate communication channel (not shown), i.e., out-of-band communication). For in-band communications, the controller/communication module 116 may detect and decode signals (such as voltage, frequency, or load changes) applied by the PRx on the magnetic link to receive information, and may instruct the inverter to modulate the delivered power by manipulating various parameters of the generated voltage (such as voltage, frequency, etc.) to send information to the PRx. In some embodiments, the controller/communication module may be configured to employ Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) communications in which the frequency of the inverter signal is modulated to transmit data to the PRx. The controller/communication module 116 may be configured to detect Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) communications or load modulation based communications from PRx. In either case, the controller/communication module 126 may be configured to vary the current drawn on the receiver side to manipulate the waveform seen on the Tx coil to deliver information from PRx to PTx. For out-of-band communications, additional modules may be provided that allow communication between PTx and PRx, such as WiFi, bluetooth, or other radio links, or any other suitable communication channel.

As described above, the controller/communication module 116 may be, for example, a single module disposed on a single integrated circuit, or may be constructed from multiple modules/devices disposed on different integrated circuits or a combination of integrated circuits and discrete circuits having analog and digital components. The teachings herein are not limited to any particular arrangement of controller/communication circuitry.

PTx device 110 may optionally include other systems and components, such as a separate communication module 118. In some embodiments, the communication module 118 may communicate with a corresponding module tag in PRx via a power transfer coil. In other embodiments, the communication module 118 may communicate with the corresponding module using a separate physical channel 138.

As mentioned above, the wireless power transfer system also includes a wireless power receiver (PRx) 120. The wireless power receiver may include a receiver coil 122 that may be magnetically coupled 130 to a transmitter coil 112. As with the transmitter coil 112 discussed above, the receiver coil block 122 shown in fig. 1 may include tuning circuitry (such as additional inductors and capacitors) that facilitates operation of the transmitter under different conditions (such as different degrees of magnetic coupling to the receiver, different operating frequencies, etc.). The wireless coil itself may be constructed in a variety of different ways. In some embodiments, the wireless coil may be formed as a wire winding around a suitable bobbin. In other embodiments, the wireless coil may be formed as a trace on a printed circuit board. Other arrangements are possible and may be used in conjunction with the various embodiments described herein. The wireless receiver coil may also include a magnetically permeable material (e.g., ferrite) core configured to affect the flux pattern of the coil in a manner suitable for a particular application. The teachings herein may be applied in connection with any of a variety of receiver coil arrangements suitable for a given application.

The receiver coil 122 outputs an AC voltage induced therein by magnetic induction via the transmitter coil 112. The output AC voltage may be provided to a rectifier 124 that provides DC output power to one or more loads associated with the PRx device. The rectifier 124 may be controlled by a controller/communication module 126 that operates as described further below. In various embodiments, the rectifier controller and the communication module may be implemented in a common system (such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, etc. based system). In other embodiments, the rectifier controller may be implemented by a separate controller module and communication module with a communication device therebetween. Rectifier 124 may be constructed using any suitable circuit topology (e.g., full bridge, half bridge, etc.) and may be implemented using any suitable semiconductor switching device technology (e.g., MOSFETs, IGBTs, etc. fabricated using silicon, silicon carbide, or gallium nitride devices).

The PRx controller/communication module 126 may monitor the receiver coil and use information derived therefrom to control the rectifier 124 to suit a given situation. For example, the controller/communication module may be configured to cause the rectifier 124 to provide a given output voltage depending on the particular application. In some embodiments, the controller/communication module may be configured to send information to the PTx device to effectively control the power delivered to the receiver. This information may be sent via the power delivery coil (i.e., in-band communication) or may be sent via a separate communication channel (not shown), i.e., out-of-band communication). For in-band communications, the controller/communication module 126 may, for example, modulate the load current or other electrical parameter of the received power to send information to the PTx. In some embodiments, the controller/communication module 126 may be configured to detect and decode signals (such as voltage, frequency, or load changes) applied by the PTx on the magnetic link to receive information from the PTx. In some embodiments, the controller/communication module 126 may be configured to receive Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) communications in which the frequency of the inverter signal has been modulated to transmit data to the PRx. The controller/communication module 126 may be configured to generate Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) communications or load modulation based communications from PRx. In either case, the controller/communication module 126 may be configured to vary the current drawn on the receiver side to manipulate the waveform seen on the Tx coil to deliver information from PRx to PTx. For out-of-band communications, additional modules may be provided that allow communication between PTx and PRx, such as WiFi, bluetooth, or other radio links, or any other suitable communication channel.

As described above, the controller/communication module 126 may be, for example, a single module disposed on a single integrated circuit, or may be constructed from multiple modules/devices disposed on different integrated circuits or a combination of integrated circuits and discrete circuits having analog and digital components. The teachings herein are not limited to any particular arrangement of controller/communication circuitry. PRx device 120 may optionally include other systems and components, such as a communication ("communication") module 128. In some implementations, the communication module 128 may communicate with a corresponding module in the PTx via a power transfer coil. In other embodiments, the communication module 128 may communicate with a corresponding module or tag using a separate physical channel 138.

Many variations and enhancements of the wireless power transfer system 100 described above are possible, and the following teachings apply to any of such variations and enhancements.

Fig. 2 shows various physical layouts of a wireless power receiver device (PRx) 120 and a wireless power transmitter device (PTx) 110.PRx 120 may be an electronic device such as a smart phone, smart watch, or other electronic device. PTx110 may be a wireless charger such as a wireless charging pad, puck, or cradle. View 200a shows a plan view of PRx120 and PTx110 side by side, and view 200b shows a corresponding profile view. PRx120 may include a wireless power transfer coil 122 and PTx110 may include a wireless power transfer coil 112, as described above. The respective coil is illustrated as being substantially circular, disposed substantially in the center of the respective device, and having a circumference corresponding to a substantial portion of the width of the device. However, this is only one possible configuration. These coils may have any suitable size, shape, and location within their respective devices that allow the requisite degree of coupling between the coils to facilitate a sufficient degree of wireless power transfer. View 200c illustrates a plan view of PRx120 and PTx110 positioned above each other for wireless power transfer, and view 200d illustrates a corresponding profile view. In the example shown, PTx110 is located atop PRx 120; however, this is only one possible configuration. Depending on the particular size, shape, layout, and coil positioning within the respective devices, the PTx device may be positioned above, below, beside, or in any other location that allows the requisite degree of coupling between coils to facilitate a sufficient degree of wireless power transfer. In operation, current through the PTx coil 112 will induce a magnetic field into and out of the plane of the page, which in turn will induce a corresponding current in the PRx coil.

Fig. 3 shows profile diagrams 300a and 300b having complementary non-planar profiles (e.g., convex/concave dome profiles) PRx120 and PTx110 on their respective mating surfaces. View 300a illustrates PRx120 and PTx110 separated from each other. PRx120 includes a convex dome surface 221 on its underside. To facilitate wireless power transfer, the convex dome 221 may be made of a non-conductive material (such as glass or plastic), while other portions of the housing of the PRx120 may be made of metal or other materials. This configuration may be used, for example, in the case of a smart watch, where the back crystal of the watch may facilitate wireless charging when not being worn by the user and health measurements using various optical and/or electronic health sensors when being worn by the user. This is just one example, and the teachings herein may be applied to devices other than smartwatches, as appropriate in particular applications.

PTx110, which may be a charging puck, may include a convex dome surface 111 that may correspond to the shape of convex surface 221 (in other words, complementary to convex dome surface 221 of PRx 120). As illustrated in view 300b, this may provide a complementary mating interface when PRx120 and PTx110 are brought together for wireless power transfer. These complementary mating interfaces may help to properly position PRx and PTx to achieve proper alignment between wireless power transmit coil 112 and wireless power receive coil 122. In some cases, additional mechanisms may also be used to aid in such positioning and alignment, including securing PRx120 and PTx110 in their respective positions. Such mechanisms may include magnets, additional complementary mechanical features (such as detents, tabs, or slots), or other suitable alignment and fastening mechanisms. In addition, while the illustrated configuration includes curved, domed, convex on PRx120 and complementary curved, concave domed surfaces on PTx110, other configurations may be used, such as more angular than curved cross-sections, with concave and convex shapes, respectively, being exchanged between PRx and PTx, etc.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view 400a and a partial plan view 400b of an exemplary PRx device 120. For example, PRx120 may be a smart watch as described above. In the illustrated example, PRx device 120 can include an antenna 429. The antenna 429 may be used for communication between the PRx device and other devices, including cellular communication, wiFi communication, bluetooth communication, etc. The particular frequency and power level of interest may dictate details of the size, shape, etc. of the antenna 429. In some embodiments, the antenna 429 may be a substantially planar structure formed of metal or metal deposited on a non-metallic structure. By substantially planar, it is meant that the horizontal extent of the antenna 429 may be much larger than the size of any vertical feature, but the antenna 429 need not be strictly planar and lacks any significant vertical feature. For example, as can be seen in cross-sectional view 400a, antenna 429 may have a significant vertical feature while still having a slightly greater horizontal extent, as best shown in plan view 400b. In addition, the antenna 429 may have cutouts 429b that allow other components internal to the PRx120 to pass through the antenna 429 as well as provide the antenna itself with desired electromagnetic characteristics.

Also shown in fig. 4 is a wireless power receiving coil, which includes two main components: coil winding 422 and magnetic core 423. The windings 422 may be implemented in a variety of ways. In some cases, the magnetic wire or litz wire may be formed as a plurality of turns of the coil 422. The illustrated winding 422 is multi-turn wide and multi-turn high. The specific number of turns and layers may vary with the requirements of the application. The magnetic core 423 may be used to direct or manipulate magnetic flux associated with current in the coil winding 422. Magnetic core 423 may also be used to shield other electronic components within PRx120 from this flux, and also shield windings 422 from electromagnetic fields associated with other electronic components of the PRx device. These other electronic components may be contained within the space corresponding to block 440 and may include various electronics needed for PRx120 to perform its desired functions. Core 423 may be made of any suitable ferromagnetic material such as ferrite. A variety of ferrite materials are commercially available and may be selected for a given application based on their magnetic and other physical properties. The ferrite core may also have various shapes suitable for applications, given its multiple roles of flux manipulation and shielding, and the space requirements for other electronic components within PRx 120.

As can be seen with reference to views 400a and 400b, the wireless power receiving coil 122, which is comprised of windings 422 and core 423, may be disposed within the circumference of an internal cutout in the antenna 429. However, the internal cutout need not be circular, but may be any suitable opening shape. Similarly, as mentioned above, the wireless power receiving coil 122 may have any suitable shape for a given application and need not be strictly circular in cross-section as illustrated.

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view 500a and a partial plan view 500b of an alternative PRx device 120. The cross-sectional view 500a also illustrates a partial view of the PTx device 110. As mentioned above, PRx120 may be, for example, a smart watch as described above. In the example shown, PRx device 120 may include an antenna 529. The antenna 529 can be used for communication between the PRx device and other devices, including cellular communication, wiFi communication, bluetooth communication, and the like. The particular frequency and power level of interest may dictate details of the size, shape, etc. of the antenna 529. In some embodiments, antenna 529 may be a substantially planar structure formed of metal or metal deposited on a non-metallic structure. By substantially planar, it is meant that the horizontal extent of antenna 529 can be much larger than the dimensions of any vertical feature, but antenna 529 need not be strictly planar and lacks any significant vertical feature. For example, as can be seen in cross-sectional view 500a, antenna 529 may have significant vertical features such as ridges 529c, while still having a slightly greater horizontal extent, as best shown in plan view 500b. In addition, antenna 529 may have a cutout 529b that allows other components inside PRx120 to pass through antenna 529 and provide the antenna itself with desired electromagnetic characteristics.

Also shown in fig. 5 is a wireless power receiving coil, which includes two main components: coil winding 522 and magnetic core 523. The windings 522 may be implemented in a variety of ways. In some cases, the magnetic wire or litz wire may be formed as a plurality of turns of the coil 522. The illustrated winding 522 is multiple turns wide but only a single turn high. Thus, in addition to wound windings, windings 522 may also be formed on a printed circuit board or flexible printed circuit board if desired in a given application. The particular number of turns may vary with the requirements of the application. In addition, the planes of the winding turns 522 may be slanted or angled to provide a disk or disc-shaped cross section. The disk or disc-shaped cross-section may generally correspond to the shape of the male housing portion 521. Generally "corresponding" means that there may be a wide alignment between these elements, but they do not have to be exactly parallel. Additionally or alternatively, the disk-shaped or disk-shaped cross-section may correspond to an orientation of a wireless power transmit coil 512, which may be positioned in PTx110 as shown. Having the plane or angle of the wireless power receiving winding 522 correspond to the plane or angle of the corresponding wireless power transmitting winding 512 may improve coupling between the PTx110 and PRx 120. Such a configuration may also reduce proximity effects and thus reduce the effective ac resistance of the coil. These improvements may increase the amount of power that may be transmitted and/or the efficiency with which power may be transmitted. The illustrated configuration is only one example, and as described above, the respective concave and convex features may be exchanged between PTx110 and PRx120, and need not be smoothly curved, but may be more angular as appropriate for a particular application.

As in the embodiment of fig. 4, as discussed above, the magnetic core 523 may be used to direct or manipulate magnetic flux associated with current in the coil windings 522. The magnetic core 523 may also serve to shield other electronic components within the PRx120 from this flux, and also shield the windings 522 from electromagnetic fields associated with other electronic components of the PRx device. These other electronic components may be contained within the space corresponding to block 540 and may include various electronics needed for PRx120 to perform its desired functions. The magnetic core 523 may be made of any suitable ferromagnetic material, such as ferrite. A variety of ferrite materials are commercially available and may be selected for a given application based on their magnetic and other physical properties. The ferrite core may also have various shapes suitable for applications, given its multiple roles of flux manipulation and shielding, and the space requirements for other electronic components within PRx 120.

In some applications or embodiments, it may be desirable for the core 523 to have a shape that includes a cutout, notch, or recess, allowing the windings 522 to be disposed entirely or partially within the cutout of the core 523. Additionally, the shape or profile of the cutouts may be slanted or curved to accommodate the disk-shaped or disc-shaped profile of the windings 522 discussed above. Thus, the core 523 may have an angled surface corresponding to the angle of the windings 522. The core 523 may also include one or more additional grooves, slots, or other contours, such as grooves 551 that allow the winding leads 552 to enter and exit, as illustrated in view 500 c. In some cases, a single layer coil may be wound, with one lead entering the coil from the outer circumference and one lead exiting the coil from the inner circumference (or vice versa). In such cases, a single groove, slot, or other profile may be provided. Additionally, as can be seen with reference to views 500a and 500b, the wireless power receiving coil 122, which is comprised of windings 522 and core 523, may be disposed within an underlying antenna 529. Thus, the wireless power receiving coil 122 is effectively sandwiched between the antenna 529 and the male housing portion 521. In some applications, the illustrated configuration may allow more interior space 540 to accommodate additional components. Additionally, it may allow the core 523 to shield the antenna 529 from the wireless power transfer system, and vice versa.

Various features and embodiments are described above with respect to a coil construction arrangement for wireless power transfer in an electronic device. Such an arrangement may be used in a variety of applications, but may be particularly advantageous when used in conjunction with a portable electronic device employing wireless charging and a corresponding wireless charging device. In addition, while a number of particular features and various embodiments have been described, it should be understood that the various features and embodiments can be combined into various arrangements in a particular embodiment unless otherwise indicated as mutually exclusive. Accordingly, the various embodiments described above are provided by way of example only and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Various modifications and changes may be made to the principles and embodiments herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure and the scope of the claims.

Exemplary embodiments of wireless power transfer systems capable of conveying certain information between PTx and PRx in the system are described above. The present disclosure contemplates this information transfer improving device providing wireless power signals to each other in an efficient manner to facilitate the ability of the battery to charge, such as by sharing the power handling capabilities of the devices with each other. To the extent that any sensitive information is used in a particular implementation, the entity implementing the present technology should be careful to ensure compliance with established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, it would be desirable for such entity implementations and consistent applications to generally be recognized as meeting or exceeding privacy practices required by industries or governments maintaining user privacy. The enforcer should inform the user where to expect the personally identifiable information to be transmitted in the wireless power transfer system and allow the user to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of participation. For example, if the power transmitter is configured to poll for sensitive information from the power receiver, such information may be presented to the user when the user places the device on the power transmitter.

Once the data is no longer needed, risk can be minimized by limiting the data collection and deleting the data. Furthermore, and where applicable, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of the user. For example, the device identifier may be partially masked to convey the power characteristics of the device without uniquely identifying the device. De-identification may be facilitated by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at a city level instead of at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data among users), and/or other methods such as differentiated privacy, as appropriate. Robust encryption may also be utilized to reduce the likelihood of communication between inductively coupled devices being spoofed.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing, at least a portion of the housing being non-metallic;

at least one antenna for a wireless communication system; and

a wireless power transfer coil including a magnetic core and a plurality of windings, the wireless power transfer coil disposed between the non-metallic portion of the housing and the antenna such that the magnetic core manipulates flux associated with the wireless power transfer coil and provides shielding between the wireless power transfer coil and the antenna.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of windings are formed in a single layer.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of windings are wound.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of windings are formed on a printed circuit board.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of windings are formed on a flexible printed circuit board.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of windings are disposed at least partially within a cutout, recess, or recess of the magnetic core.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the plurality of windings are angled to form a disk-shaped or disk-shaped cross-section that generally corresponds to the shape of the non-metallic portion of the housing.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the shape of the non-metallic portion of the housing is convex.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the convex shape of the non-metallic portion of the housing is a dome.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of windings are angled to form a disk-shaped or disk-shaped cross-section that generally corresponds to a shape of a complementary wireless power transfer coil in another device.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the magnetic core comprises at least one groove, slot, or other profile that allows winding leads to enter or exit the winding.

12. A wireless power transfer receiver, comprising:

a housing, at least a portion of the housing being non-metallic, having a non-planar profile;

at least one antenna for a wireless communication system, the at least one antenna disposed within the housing; and

a wireless power receiving coil comprising a magnetic core and a plurality of windings, the wireless power receiving coil disposed between the non-metallic, non-planar portion of the housing and the antenna such that the magnetic core manipulates flux associated with the wireless power receiving coil and provides shielding between the wireless power receiving coil and the antenna.

13. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 12, wherein the plurality of windings are formed in a single layer.

14. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 13, wherein the plurality of windings are disposed at least partially within a cutout, recess, or recess of the magnetic core.

15. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 14, wherein the plurality of windings are angled to form a dish-shaped or disk-shaped cross-section that generally corresponds to a shape of the non-flat, non-metallic portion of the housing, and at least one face of the cutout, the recess, or the recess is angled to substantially align with the plurality of windings.

16. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 15, wherein the non-planar, non-metallic portion of the housing is convex.

17. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 16, wherein the convex shape of the non-planar, non-metallic portion of the housing is a dome.

18. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 13, wherein the plurality of windings are angled to form a disk-shaped or disk-shaped cross section that substantially corresponds to a shape of a complementary wireless power transmitting coil in another device.

19. The wireless power transfer receiver of claim 12, wherein the magnetic core comprises at least one groove, slot, or other profile that allows winding leads to enter or exit the winding.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing, at least a portion of the housing being non-planar and non-metallic;

a wireless power transfer coil disposed between the non-planar, non-metallic portion of the housing and the antenna, the wireless power transfer coil further comprising:

a magnetic core including a cutout, a recess, or a recess; and

a plurality of windings in a single layer, the plurality of windings disposed at least partially within the cutout, the recess, or the recess of the magnetic core;

wherein the magnetic core directs flux associated with the wireless power transfer coil and provides shielding between the wireless power transfer coil and the antenna.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of windings are wound.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the plurality of windings are formed on a printed circuit board.

23. The electronic device defined in claim 22 wherein the plurality of windings are formed on a flexible printed circuit board.

24. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of windings are disposed entirely within the cutout, the recess, or the recess of the magnetic core.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the plurality of windings are angled to form a disk-shaped or disk-shaped cross-section that generally corresponds to the shape of the non-planar, non-metallic portion of the housing.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the disk-shaped or disk-shaped cross-section further generally corresponds to a shape of a complementary wireless power transfer coil in another device.