Apple's Latest Inductive Charging System could Power an Apple Pencil right through to a Kitchen Appliance
Apple's engineering teams have been researching and developing various inductive charging systems for some time now. Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published yet another one of Apple's inductive charging and because of that we've now opened a new 'Inductive, Wireless Charging' archive to better keep track of Apple's work going forward. The archive covers multiple styled charging pads, coils, docks and beyond. The most important work on a wireless charging system dates back to 2012 when Apple introduced us to a Near Field Magnetic Resonance Power system. In contrast Apple's weirdest inductive charging invention involved a strange and hideous looking charging tower. Today's invention covers an inductive charging dock that could be used for an Apple Pencil as well as other future devices including a kitchen appliance.
Apple's patent FIG. 1 noted above is an isometric view illustrating an example system #100 for inductive power transmission. The system may include a first electronic device #101 and a second electronic device #102. As shown, the first electronic device may be a stylus and the second electronic device may be a charging dock for the stylus.
However, although the first electronic device is shown as a stylus and the second electronic device is shown as a stylus charging dock, it is understood that this is an example. In various implementations the first and/or second electronic device may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mobile computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a cellular telephone, a digital media player, a wearable device, an accessory, a headset, a dock, a case, an electronic kitchen appliance, an external battery pack, an electronic personal hygiene device, and/or any other electronic device without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In Apple's patent FIG. 2 noted above we're able to see a cross sectional view of the example system 100 of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the geometry of example inductive power transmission components 201-203. As illustrated, the first electronic device 101 may include an inner inductive coil 201 positioned around a shield core 202 and the second electronic device 102 may include an outer inductive coil 203 positioned around the aperture 103. As also illustrated, when the portion 104 of the first electronic device is inserted into the aperture, the inner inductive coil may be positioned within the aperture and within the outer inductive coil.
In the shown configuration, a time varying current may be provided to the outer inductive coil 203 to create a varying magnetic flux. This magnetic flux may induce a voltage in the inner inductive coil 201 by inductive coupling, wirelessly transmitting power from the second electronic device to the first electronic device by induction.
Apple's patent FIG. 3 noted below is a block diagram illustrating possible relationships of example components of the example system of FIG. 1.
Patent Credits
Apple patent application 20160006288 titled "Inductive Power Transmission Geometry" was originally filed in Q3 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
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