Method and apparatus for charging a battery in a mobile device through a near field communication (nfc) antenna
AssigneeMarvell World Trade Ltd.
InventorsPatrick Clement, Antoine Moret
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A near field communication (NFC) antenna in a mobile device is used to wirelessly charge a battery in the mobile device by placing the mobile device on, or in very close proximity to, a charging station that emits an electromagnetic field. An induced current from the NFC antenna is detected that is above a predetermined threshold for longer than a predetermined duration. The induced current is used to charge the battery in the mobile device.
Claims20
A method of wirelessly charging a battery in a mobile device, the mobile device including a near field communication (NFC) antenna, the method comprising:
- detecting a current induced in the mobile device from the NFC antenna;
- determining whether the current induced in the mobile device is above a predetermined threshold for longer than a predetermined duration;
- and
- in response to the current induced in the mobile current being determined to be above the predetermined threshold for longer than the predetermined duration, using the current induced in the mobile device that is above the predetermined threshold to charge the battery in the mobile device.
A mobile device comprising:
- a rechargeable battery;
- a near field communication (NFC) antenna;
- a NFC module coupled to the NFC antenna, the NFC module configured to
- detect a level of a current induced in the NFC antenna;
- determine whether the current induced in the NFC antenna is above a first predetermined threshold level for longer than a predetermined time duration;
- and
- in response to the current induced in the NFC antenna being determined to be above the first predetermined threshold level for longer than the predetermined time duration, charge the rechargeable battery in the mobile device using the current induced in the NFC antenna that is above the first predetermined threshold level.
A method of wirelessly charging a battery in a mobile device, the method comprising:
- monitoring a level of a current induced in a near field communication (NFC) antenna coupled to a NFC module embedded in the mobile device;
- determining whether the level of the current induced in the NFC antenna is above a specified threshold level and persists for longer than a specified time duration;
- in response to the current induced in the NFC antenna being determined to be above the specified threshold for longer than the specified time duration, directing the current induced in the NFC antenna above the specified threshold to a power management module;
- and
- conditioning, by the power management module, the current induced in the NFC antenna above the specified threshold to charge the battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.