In today's world of portable devices, such as laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and other devices of the like, a limiting factor for this technology is the requirements for powering the technology. Throw away batteries are replaced in many of today's electronics with rechargeable batteries and to simplify the recharging process, oftentimes the rechargeable batteries may be recharged while still in the portable device.
Typically, the portable device is fitted with a particular connector, oftentimes proprietary in design, and a corresponding charging device is fitted with a mating connector, such as an interlocking connector, so that the charging device may be utilized for recharging the rechargeable batteries. The charging device contains a transformer that transforms a supply current, typically an alternating current (AC) source (e.g., 120 AC volts, 220 AC volts, etc.), into a source current that is suitable for the portable device, typically as direct current (DC) or pseudo-direct current such as provided by a half-wave rectifying circuit.
In one embodiment for providing a suitable charging power source for a portable device, a charging device may contain a transformer typically made up of two windings or coils, a primary winding/coil and a secondary winding/coil. The primary winding is connected to the supply current which creates a magnetic field around the primary winding. In operation, the magnetic field around the primary winding induces a current in the secondary winding. By adjusting a ratio of the windings between the primary and secondary coils, a desired change in voltage may be accomplished, which together with further conditioning, may produce the voltage required for the rechargeable batteries.
The connector on the portable device may in some cases also be utilized for data transfer between the portable device and another device, such as a computer system. In many cases, a particular individual may have upward of five or more of these charging systems for operation of the individual's portable devices. Due to the proprietary nature of the connectors and differences in charging requirements (voltage, power, etc.), oftentimes none of the charging systems are interchangeable. Some prior systems are outfitted with interchangeable connectors for the purposes of providing a charging system that is suitable for more than one device.
In some cases, typically wherein having an open connector may provide a source of environmental contaminants, a sealed charging device may be provided utilizing an inductive charging system. The inductive charging system does not require electrical contact between the charging device and the portable device in that the transformer is split between the charging device and the portable device with the primary winding residing in the charging device and the secondary winding residing in the portable device. In this way, even without direct electrical contact, the rechargeable batteries of the portable device may be recharged. As an additional benefit, since no electrical contact is required, the portable device may be sealed against environmental contaminants.
However, the inductive charging systems in use follow a system of mechanically ensuring proper alignment between the first and second windings to help promote efficiency of the charging between the two. Typically, the charging device has unique mechanical features, such as protrusions, recesses, etc. and the portable device has complementary mechanical features. In this way, the charging device and portable device mate together, similar as the mating pairs of previous electrical connectors. Due to the unique mechanical features of the present inductive charging systems, a user is still faced with a dilemma of having a unique charging system for each portable device, even if each portable device utilizes an inductive charging system.
It is an object of the present system to overcome disadvantages and/or make improvements in the prior art.