Abstract: A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal to the oscillator that is representative of the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the ballast circuit to seek resonance. The ballast circuit preferably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: A pill dispensing system that includes pill packages that can be used to dispense pills manually or with a dispenser system to provide enhanced functionality. The packages can be provided with information relating to the packaged pills or to the use of the packaged pills. By reading the information from the package, the dispenser system can know what is in the package, when it is to be taken and can understand and track inventory. The dispenser system provides reminders of when the pills should be taken. The dispenser system may have the ability to key a specific electronic device, such as a cell phone, to a specific user and the dispenser system may require the electronic device to be within proximity of the dispenser system before dispensing pills for that user.

Abstract: An inductive power supply that maintains resonance and adjusts duty cycle based on feedback from a secondary circuit. A controller, driver circuit and switching circuit cooperate to generate an AC signal at a selected operating frequency and duty cycle. The AC signal is applied to the tank circuit to create an inductive field for powering the secondary. The secondary communicates feedback about the received power back to the primary controller. The power transfer efficiency may be optimized by maintaining the operating frequency substantially at resonance, and the amount of power transferred may be controlled by adjusting the duty cycle.

Abstract: An inductive wireless power system using an array of coils with the ability to dynamically select which coils are energized. The coil array can determine the position of and provide power to one or more portable electronic devices positioned on the charging surface. The coils in the array may be connected with series resonant capacitors so that regardless of the number of coils selected, the resonance point is generally maintained. The coil array can provide spatial freedom, decrease power delivered to parasitic loads, and increase power transfer efficiency to the portable electronic devices.

Abstract: An inductive power supply system to identify remote devices using unique identification frequencies. The system can inductively provide power to a remote device at different frequencies, and can sense reflected impedance of the remote device. The system further includes a plurality of different remote devices, each having a unique resonance frequency. In operation, the AIPS is capable of identifying the type of remote device present in the inductive field by applying power to a remote device at a plurality of unique identification frequencies until the remote device establishes resonance in response to one of the identification frequencies. The AIPS can recognize when resonance has been established by evaluating sensor data, which is representative of the reflected impedance of the remote device. The AIPS may pull operating parameters for the remove device from memory to ensure efficient operation and to assist in recognizing fault conditions.

Abstract: A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal to the oscillator that is representative of the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the ballast circuit to seek resonance. The ballast circuit preferably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: An inductive power supply that maintains resonance and adjusts duty cycle based on feedback from a secondary circuit. A controller, driver circuit and switching circuit cooperate to generate an AC signal at a selected operating frequency and duty cycle. The AC signal is applied to the tank circuit to create an inductive field for powering the secondary. The secondary communicates feedback about the received power back to the primary controller. The power transfer efficiency may be optimized by maintaining the operating frequency substantially at resonance, and the amount of power transferred may be controlled by adjusting the duty cycle.

Abstract: An inductive wireless power system using an array of coils with the ability to dynamically select which coils are energized. The coil array can determine the position of and provide power to one or more portable electronic devices positioned on the charging surface. The coils in the array may be connected with series resonant capacitors so that regardless of the number of coils selected, the resonance point is generally maintained. The coil array can provide spatial freedom, decrease power delivered to parasitic loads, and increase power transfer efficiency to the portable electronic devices.

Abstract: A pill dispensing system that includes pill packages that can be used to dispense pills manually or with a dispenser system to provide enhanced functionality. The packages can be provided with information relating to the packaged pills or to the use of the packaged pills. By reading the information from the package, the dispenser system can know what is in the package, when it is to be taken and can understand and track inventory. The dispenser system provides reminders of when the pills should be taken. The dispenser system may have the ability to key a specific electronic device, such as a cell phone, to a specific user and the dispenser system may require the electronic device to be within proximity of the dispenser system before dispensing pills for that user.

Abstract: A method of controlling an inductive charging system on those occasions in which the combined power requests of a plurality of secondary devices exceed the power capacity of the power supply. The method includes at least one of (a) powering each device at a level below its requested level, (b) powering each device sequentially, and/or (c) powering each device in a repetitive pattern (e.g. time multiplexing). Also disclosed is a method of controlling an inductive charging system at least partially as a function of information received from the power management unit (PMU) of each secondary device.

Abstract: A wireless power supply system that detects communications in the input power to the switching circuit. In this aspect of the invention, the wireless power supply includes a detector for generating a signal indicative of the current in the input to the switching circuitry, a band-pass filter for filtering the detected signal, an amplifier for amplifying the filtered signal, a filter for filtering the amplified signal and a comparator for converting the final signal into a stream of high and low signals that can be passed to a controller for processing as binary data stream.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the identification, powering and control of products and product packaging. The systems can include a point of sale display having a contactless power supply. The contactless power supply can provide a source of wireless power for products and product packaging. The products and product packaging can include light emitting diodes, e-ink displays and printed speaker circuits that activate as the operating frequency of the contactless power supply varies. Other embodiments include product level sensors, inductive reader networks, printed temperature sensors, product alignment systems, passive identification circuits and methods for controlling operation of the same.

Abstract: A remote device in accordance with the present invention includes an adaptive power receiver that receives wireless power from the wireless power supply by induction. The adaptive power receiver may be switched among two or more modes of operation, including, for example, a high-Q mode and a low-Q mode. By controlling the switching between modes, the amount of energy received by the adaptive receiver may be controlled. This control is a form of adaptive resonance control or Q control.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the identification, powering and control of products and product packaging. The systems can include a point of sale display having a contactless power supply. The contactless power supply can provide a source of wireless power for products and product packaging. The products and product packaging can include light emitting diodes, e-ink displays and printed speaker circuits that activate as the operating frequency of the contactless power supply varies. Other embodiments include product level sensors, inductive reader networks, printed temperature sensors, product alignment systems, passive identification circuits and methods for controlling operation of the same.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the identification, powering and control of products and product packaging. The systems can include a point of sale display having a contactless power supply. The contactless power supply can provide a source of wireless power for products and product packaging. The products and product packaging can include light emitting diodes, e-ink displays and printed speaker circuits that activate as the operating frequency of the contactless power supply varies. Other embodiments include product level sensors, inductive reader networks, printed temperature sensors, product alignment systems, passive identification circuits and methods for controlling operation of the same.

Abstract: An inductive power supply including multiple tank circuits and a controller for selecting at least one of the tank circuits in order to wirelessly transfer power based on received power demand information. In addition, a magnet may be used to align multiple remote devices with the inductive power supply. In one embodiment, different communication systems are employed depending on which coil is being used to transfer wireless power.

Abstract: A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal to the oscillator that is representative of the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the ballast circuit to seek resonance. The ballast circuit preferably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: An inductive power supply including multiple tank circuits and a controller for selecting at least one of the tank circuits in order to wirelessly transfer power based on received power demand information. In addition, a magnet may be used to align multiple remote devices with the inductive power supply. In one embodiment, different communication systems are employed depending on which coil is being used to transfer wireless power.

Abstract: A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal to the oscillator that is representative of the current in the resonant tank circuit. The current feedback signal drives the frequency of the ballast circuit causing the ballast circuit to seek resonance. The ballast circuit preferably includes a current limit circuit that is inductively coupled to the resonant tank circuit. The current limit circuit disables the ballast circuit when the current in the ballast circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold or falls outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: The present invention provides a load used for communication in a remote device having a dynamic communication load configuration. In one embodiment, the dynamic communication load configuration vanes as a function of a characteristic of power in the remote device. The remote device toggles between load configurations to communicate with the inductive power supply. A sensor in the remote device detects a characteristic of power in the remote device and configures the communication load based on the sensor output. In another embodiment, the remote device adjusts the dynamic communication load configuration in the remote device in response to a failure to receive a response from the inductive power supply.