A new Apple Patent filing reveals the use of a new Bimodal Reverse Recharging System on a Future iPhone to recharge accessories+ - Patently Apple

1 year ago 45

It's been rumored disconnected and connected again that Apple volition someday supply reverse charging for an iPhone that could recharge accessories. An October 2020 (repeated again successful 2021) MacRumors report pointed an FCC filing supporting specified a feature. Then successful February 2021, Mark Gurman claimed that wirelessly recharging accessories was improbable successful the adjacent future.

Last Thursday, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent exertion from Apple that relates to a caller wireless charging strategy utilizing bimodal magnetic alignment components for alignment of devices. In the future, the backmost of a aboriginal iPhone could see this caller wireless recharging strategy and alteration wirelessly recharge accessories specified arsenic AirPods and case, Apple Watch and more. Apple's existent wireless recharging connected the backmost of an iPhone is constricted to a ample sized coil that can't enactment charging smaller devices similar an Apple Watch.

In Apple's patent inheritance they enactment that wireless charging technologies person been developed that exploit electromagnetic induction to complaint portable physics devices without the request for a charging cord. For example, immoderate portable physics devices tin beryllium recharged by simply resting the instrumentality connected a charging aboveground of a wireless charger device. A transmitter coil disposed beneath the charging aboveground is driven with an alternating existent that produces a time-varying magnetic flux that induces a existent successful a corresponding receiver coil successful the portable physics device.

The induced existent tin beryllium utilized by the portable physics instrumentality to complaint its interior battery. Some portable physics devices person been designed to not lone person powerfulness wirelessly but besides to transmit powerfulness wirelessly to different portable physics devices, specified arsenic accessory devices.

However, sometimes the alignment of the magnets tin beryllium intolerable to acceptable correctly. In a video from iDeviceHelp, we spot however Apple's wireless recharging works with a instrumentality similar Apple's MagSafe artillery pack. However, erstwhile writer tried to really recharge AirPods successful their case, it failed, adjacent though the recharging airy temporarily lit up. The writer of the video surmised that it was apt lone a bundle fix. Yet 1 of Apple's latest patent applications published past Thursday makes it wide that it's not arsenic elemental arsenic a "software fix" but alternatively having to present a caller benignant of wireless recharging artillery plan utilizing bimodal magnetic alignment components.

Bimodal Magnetic Alignment Components for Alignment of Devices

Apple further notes successful their summary, that among different factors, the ratio of wireless powerfulness transportation depends connected the alignment betwixt the transmitter and receiver coils. For instance, a transmitter coil and receiver coil whitethorn execute champion erstwhile they are aligned coaxially. Where a portable physics instrumentality has a level aboveground with nary guiding features, uncovering the due alignment tin beryllium difficult.

Often, alignment is achieved by proceedings and error, with the idiosyncratic shifting the comparative positions of the instrumentality and charger and observing the effect connected charging performance.

Establishing optimal alignment successful this mode tin beryllium time-consuming. Further, the lack of aboveground features tin marque it hard to support optimal alignment. For example, if the portable physics instrumentality and/or charger are jostled during charging, they whitethorn beryllium shifted retired of alignment. For these and different reasons, immoderate physics devices see annular magnetic alignment components (e.g., surrounding the inductive coils) that tin pull and clasp a brace of devices successful a desired alignment. Such magnetic alignment systems tin see 2 types of alignment components, referred to herein arsenic “primary” and “secondary.” Each alignment constituent tin see an annular (or ring-shaped) statement of magnets having a fixed statement of magnetic polarities specified that alignment components of the 2 types pull each other.

For instance, a superior alignment constituent tin person a quad-pole magnetic configuration successful which the interior and outer annular regions person magnetic polarity oriented successful opposing axial directions, portion a secondary alignment constituent tin person a dipole magnetic configuration with a radial magnetic orientation. When brought into proximity with each other, the superior and secondary alignment components tin make a mutually charismatic magnetic unit that tin gully the alignment components (and the devices successful which the alignment components are installed) into the desired alignment and/or defy dislodgement from the desired alignment.

In magnetic alignment systems of this kind, alignment components of similar benignant (two superior alignment components oregon 2 secondary alignment components) magnetically repel each other. This tin marque it hard to supply a “bimodal” instrumentality that tin interchangeably connect to devices having either benignant of magnetic alignment component.

One enactment is to omit a magnetic alignment constituent from the bimodal device; however, a instrumentality without a magnetic alignment constituent cannot bask the advantages of magnetic alignment and attachment.

Another enactment is to supply 2 abstracted magnetic alignment components (one superior and 1 secondary), but this whitethorn besides entail providing further inductive coils and/or different physics components, each of which tin adhd to the size, weight, and manufacturing costs of the device.

Certain embodiments of the contiguous invention subordinate to bimodal alignment components that tin beryllium included successful a bimodal device. In a bimodal alignment component, the alignment magnets tin beryllium reoriented oregon shifted betwixt a archetypal attachment presumption successful which magnetic predisposition of the alignment magnets is complementary to a superior annular alignment constituent and a 2nd attachment presumption successful which magnetic predisposition of the alignment magnets is complementary to a secondary annular alignment component. In this way, a instrumentality incorporating a bimodal alignment constituent tin beryllium interchangeably attached to different devices via either a superior annular alignment constituent oregon a secondary annular alignment component.

Apple's patent FIG. 4 beneath shows a simplified exploded presumption of a bimodal device; FIG. 7 shows a partial position presumption of a bimodal alignment component.

Apple's patent FIGS. 22A and 22B supra amusement simplified cross-section views of a bimodal alignment constituent successful 2 antithetic attachment positions.

This is simply a highly method patent. For engineers and ace geeks wanting to dive into the finer details, reappraisal Apple's patent exertion fig US 20220416590 A1.

Apple Inventors