Back in November we reported on Samsung's patent application relating to 3D Orientation-Free Wireless Power Transfer. Then in March of this year we covered yet another Samsung wireless charging system that provided us with a twist. Samsung's invention was about wireless charging methods which allowed for wirelessly charging a user device battery using another mobile device. Today we present you with yet another twist to Samsung's ambitions. This time around Samsung has filed for a patent that will be for wirelessly charging devices beyond mobile phones and tablets. This time around, Samsung is thinking of wirelessly charging systems for vehicles and more importantly, health devices such as a pacemaker. The latter one could be a little controversial, for some – and we'll explain why further below.
So why is wireless charging a pacemaker a little controversial? Well, if you're a fan of Showtime's hit series Homeland, you'll remember an episode where terrorists were able to get the serial number of the Vice President's pacemaker and wirelessly manipulate it to kill him. Doesn't that sound a little farfetched in the real world? Actually, it's a reality.
The Washington Post reported in October 2013 about the interview with VP Cheney on 60 Minutes. They stated that on "60 Minutes" this Sunday, former Vice President Dick Cheney revealed that his doctor ordered the wireless functionality of his heart implant disabled due to fears it might be hacked in an assassination attempt. And despite literally being a scenario from Homeland, that's a pretty valid fear.
"It seemed to me to be a bad idea for the vice president to have a device that maybe somebody on a rope line or in the next hotel room or downstairs might be able to get into-- hack into," explained Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Cheney concurred, saying he found the threat "credible."
Samsung Invents Wireless Charging System that covers Charging a Pacemaker
In Samsung's patent figure 12A noted below we're able to see an example of a new wireless power charging system between a pacemaker #1210 that is inserted into a human body and a smartphone #1220. According to Samsung, "a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver are mounted in the smartphone (the mobile terminal) and a wireless power receiver is mounted in the pacemaker. The pacemaker can be charged by receiving power from the smartphone.
What's not covered in Samsung's patent application is any mention of a form of security and/or advanced authorization process or feature to safeguard against hackers. This is going to be a must if the public is going to trust such a system in the future.
Other Notable Applications for Samsung's Wireless Charger
Other notable applications for this charger include Samsung's patent FIG. 10A. It's an example of wireless power charging between a pad and a mobile terminal. A wireless power transmitter is mounted in the pad and a wireless power receiver is mounted in the mobile terminal. The pad may be used to charge a single mobile terminal, namely the mobile terminal/smartphone.
Samsung's wireless power transmitter will work with a smartphone (or other smart device) charging hearing aids as noted in patent FIG. 10B. The system will allow smartphones and tablets to share power with one another as noted in FIG. 11A above.
The system will also be able to scale to charging vehicles in the future as noted below in Samsung's patent figure 16.
Samsung's patent application was published by the US Patent Office last week and originally filed for in the US in Q3 2013 under application number 14/025516.
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The First Four Patent Claims of Samsung's Patent Application:
1. A wireless power transmission apparatus comprising: a measurer configured to measure a value of a current flowing in a source resonator; a communication unit configured to receive a value of a charging current of a battery from a wireless power reception apparatus; and a power controller configured to control an amount of power to be transmitted by the source resonator based on either one or both of the value of the current measured by the measurer and the value of the charging current received by the communication unit; wherein the value of the charging current of the battery varies as the battery is charged.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power controller comprises: a charging mode determiner configured to determine a charging mode of the battery based on a change in the value of the charging current received by the communication unit; and a pulse signal generator configured to generate a pulse signal having a pulse width adjusted based on the determined charging mode of the battery.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the charging mode determiner is further configured to determine whether the charging mode of the battery is a constant current (CC) mode in which the value of the charging current of the battery is constant, or a constant voltage (CV) mode in which the value of the charging current of the battery is variable and a value of a charging voltage of the battery is constant.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: an alternating current-to-direct current (AC/DC) converter configured to convert an AC power supplied from a power supply to a DC power based on the pulse width of the pulse signal; and a DC-to-AC (DC/AC) converter configured to convert the DC power to an AC power based on a resonant frequency of the source resonator.
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