Apple Inc.

Te Connectivity Nederland Bv

Tyco Electronics Nederland Bv

Lawrence Bernardo Dela Cruz

Saining Ren

Daniel James Robertson

Peter Dirk Jaeger

Wijnand Van Gils

Ali Abdolkhani

Gied Habraken

Rex Pius Huang

Guus Mertens

Fady Mishriki

Ron Rafer Floresca

Michael Scott Eckert

John Kinnear Terry

Daniel Lorenz Huber

Selestino Langi Rodan

A powered joint having a first joint component and second joint component in which the first joint component has multiple degrees of rotational freedom with respect to the second joint component, the powered joint including one or more power transmission coils associated with the first component; a plurality of power receiving coils associated with the second component; a sensor which determines the orientation of the second component with respect to the first component; and a control circuit for selectively connecting one of the plurality of power receiving coils to a power receiving circuit based on information received from the sensor.

Powered joint with wireless transfer

A coil arrangement for an inductive power transfer system comprising a core () having a region of decreased permeability (), a coil () associated with the core, and a tuning slug () which is moveable along an axis adjacent the region of decreased permeability in order to adjust the inductance of the coil arrangement, the tuning slug () having an effective permeability which varies along said axis.

Coil arrangement

An inductive power transfer transmitter that includes an enclosure for accommodating devices to be energised. The enclosure has one or more side walls and one or more coils for generating an alternating magnetic field within the enclosure. The density of the one or more coils varies with distance from an end of the one or more sidewalls.

Transmitter for inductive power transfer system

An inductive power receiving device configured to: supply power received with a power receiving coil to a load in a first mode; determine whether a converter voltage exceeds a threshold voltage; in response to the determining the converter voltage exceeds the threshold voltage after sending a charging mode request, switch to supplying power received with the power receiving coil to the load in a second mode; and in response to determining the converter voltage coil exceeds the threshold voltage before sending the charging mode request is sent, prevent at least a portion of the power received with the power receiving coil from reaching the load. An inductive power transmitting device configured to provide an alternating current voltage to a power transmitting coil and gradually increase the voltage after receiving a charging mode request and stop gradually increasing the voltage once an inductive power receiving device changes modes.

Inductive power transfer system

An inductive power transfer receiver is provided including a receiving coil () in series with a capacitor (), a voltage multiplier () for providing a DC output, and a power control switch () controlled by a controller () for regulating the power supplied to a load. An inductive power transfer receiver is provided including a receiving coil in series with a capacitor, a charge pump for providing a DC output, and a power control switch controlled by a controller for regulating the power supplied to a load. A method of power flow control in an inductive power transfer circuit having a power control switch is also provided. The method includes detecting two operational transitions in the circuit and determining a reference timing bases on which operational transition is detected earliest within a detection window. The reference timing is used to developing a signal for controlling the power control switch.

Receiver for an inductive power transfer system and a method for controlling the receiver

The invention relates to a contactless connector (), a system including the contactless connector () and a corresponding mating connector (), and a manufacturing method for the contactless connector. In order to enable the contactless connector () to transmit/receive power to/from the corresponding mating connector (), the invention suggest providing at the contactless connector an inner ferrite element () and an inductive coupling element () arranged to at least partially surround the inner ferrite element. An outer ferrite element () of the contactless connector is arranged to at least partially surround the inductive coupling element (), wherein a front end () of the outer ferrite element () facing the mating () end of the contactless connector is recessed in an axial direction of the contactless connector with respect to a front end () of the inner ferrite element () facing the mating end. A rear end () of the outer ferrite element () is magnetically connected to a rear end () of the inner ferrite element (). An inductive coupling support element () is arranged around the inner ferrite element (). The inductive coupling element is a wire wound around the inductive coupling support element (to form a coil comprising a plurality of coil windings (). The inductive coupling support element (comprises an outwardly extending intermediate disc that divides the coil windings () into a first and a second coil winding section. The intermediate disc () has a slot () forming a coil wire passageway through which the coil wire is routed.

Contactless connector, contactless connector system, and a manufacturing method for the contactless connector

The invention relates to a contactless connector (), a system including the contactless connector () and a corresponding mating connector (), and a manufacturing method for the contactless connector. In order to enable the contactless connector to transmit/receive power to/from the corresponding mating connector, the invention suggest providing at the contactless connector an inner ferrite element () and an inductive coupling element () arranged to at least partially surround the inner ferrite element. An outer ferrite element () of the contactless connector is arranged to at least partially surround the inductive coupling element (), wherein a front end () of the outer ferrite element () facing the mating end of the contactless connector is recessed in an axial direction of the contactless connector with respect to a front end () of the inner ferrite element () facing the mating end (). A rear end () of the outer ferrite element () is magnetically connected to a rear end () of the inner ferrite element (). An inductive coupling support element () is arranged around the inner ferrite core element (). The inductive coupling element () is formed from a wire wound around the inductive coupling support element () to form a coil comprising a plurality of coil windings (). The connector further comprises an antenna element () and an antenna connection line () arranged in an opening in the inner ferrite element ().

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Auckland, New Zealand

Lawrence Bernardo Dela Cruz