Apple Inc.

Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment, Incorporated

Assia Spe, LLC

Robert S Parnell

Todd K Moyer

Steven G Herbst

Jeffrey M Alves

Jim C Hwang

Eric Steven Jol

Jeffrey J Terlizzi

Keith Alan Cox

Albert John Golko

John Meron Ananny

Paul Baran

Frank Faqiu Liang

Amaury J Heresztyn

Nagarajan Kalyanasundaram

Hugo Haselhuhn

Eugene R Wilson

Christian M Sauer

Brandon R Garbus

Terry L Tikalsky

Scott D Morrison

A wireless power system has wireless power transmitting and receiving devices. The transmitting and receiving devices convey wireless power using stacked resonant structures. The stacked resonant structures are self-resonant and have a parallel-coupled inductance and capacitance. The structures include a magnetic core having a central post and stacked ceramic layers within the magnetic core and laterally surrounding the central post. The structures include interleaved first and second sets of antiparallel-oriented C-shaped conductive layers and are driven using drive traces. The drive traces are formed from one of the C-shaped conductive layers or from conductive traces on a drive printed circuit board that underlies the stacked ceramic layers. The traces include one or more loops running around the central post. Host circuitry for the structures may have a central tap terminal coupled to the traces. If desired, a shield layer may overlap the conductive layers.

Stacked resonant structures for wireless power systems

Various techniques for temperature management during inductive energy transfer are disclosed. A transmitter device and/or a receiver device can be turned off during energy transfer based on the temperature of the transmitter device and/or of the receiver device.

Temperature management in a wireless energy transfer system

A receiver device in an inductive energy transfer system can include a touch sensing device. If the input surface of the touch sensing device is touched, a transmitter device can periodically stop transferring energy to allow the touch sensing device to sense touch samples while inductive energy transfer is inactive. Additionally or alternatively, a transmitter device can produce an averaged duty cycle by transferring energy to the receiver device for one or more periods at a first duty cycle step and for one or more periods at different second first duty cycle step. Additionally or alternatively, a transmitter device can reduce a current level received by a DC-to-AC converter if the current received by the DC-to-AC converter equals or exceeds a threshold. Additionally or alternatively, a transmitter device can ping a receiver device and transfer energy only after a response signal is received from the receiver device.

Operating an inductive energy transfer system

A method of scanning a touch sensor panel while the touch sensor panel is coupled to a power adapter is disclosed. The power adapter can charge a battery of a device, but can also introduce or add noise during the process of charging the battery. To prevent adverse effects to the touch sensor panel, while the device is charging, the touch controller can time multiplex touch scan periods and inductive charging periods and can discard touch scans or touch images affected by the noise. Determining whether a touch scan is a bad touch scan can include performing a touch scan across the array of touch pixels and making a determination based on the scan profile. In some examples, the profile can be quantified using different metrics such as the shape, instantaneous slope of tail ends, a full-width half-maximum, and a monotonicity of the curve of the scan profile.

Time multiplexed touch detection and power charging

Reducing a power of a signal electromagnetically coupled from a PLC medium to a digital subscriber line (DSL) medium. The method involves transmitting a data signal over the PLC medium at a first average power level from one of a plurality of PLC transmitters coupled to the PLC medium, then measuring first noise associated with a first signal received at a DSL receiver coupled to the DSL communication medium caused at least in part by the data signal transmitted over the PLC medium at a second average power level from the one PLC transmitter, the second average power level different than the first average power level, followed by measuring second noise associated with a second signal received at the DSL receiver coupled to the DSL communication medium caused at least in part by the data signal transmission over the PLC medium at the second average power level. A transmit power spectral density (PSD) for the data signal transmitted by the one PLC transmitter over the PLC medium is then changed, based on a difference between the first noise and the second noise, such that the changed transmit PSD for the data signal transmitted by the one PLC transmitter over the PLC medium reduces the power of the signal electromagnetically coupled from the PLC medium to the DSL medium caused by the data signal transmission from the one PLC transmitter over the PLC medium.

Method and apparatus for reducing the power of a signal electromagnetically coupled from a PLC medium to a DSL medium

A network including powerline adapters ('PLAs') of the HomePlug Alliance variety or similar implementations such as the European in Opera standard provides for diagnostic capability and software enhanced powerline adapters. The diagnostic capability includes collecting network performance data and either analyzing or forwarding data for analysis. In addition, mechanical design for the PLA with an isolating filter provides for secure mounting while blocking access to a second wall outlet of a duplex unit.

Home network system augmentation with remote guidance and local set up and monitoring

This application relates to a network including powerline adapters ('PLAs') of the HomePlug Alliance variety or similar implementations such as the European in Opera standard. The technology disclosed provides diagnostic capability and software enhanced powerline adapters. The diagnostic capability includes collecting network performance data and either analyzing or forwarding data for analysis. In addition, mechanical design for the PLA with an isolating filter provides for secure mounting while blocking access to a second wall outlet of a duplex unit.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Robert S Parnell