Apple is researching the integration of several inductive charging coils in MacBooks and iPads to use them as wireless chargers for other devices, according to a patent filed by Apple.
/article-new/2021/01/device-inductive-charging-patent-macbook.jpg?resize=560%2C349&ssl=1)
The patent, stained by Patently Apple, is entitled “Inductive charge between electronic devices” and was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Apple has been researching device-to-device inductive charging technology since March 2016, when patents now granted around it were first registered. It is notable that Apple appears to be particularly interested in this area, filing multiple technology-related patents, and now it has already filed 40 new claims.
This patent highlights how all Apple mobile devices, including Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, can use a wireless charging ecosystem together. The images included in the patent show a significant number of different coil settings for a variety of Apple portable devices to facilitate this system.
Apple presents a wide variety of possible implementations for wireless charging between devices. For example, the cover of a MacBook can contain a series of inductive coils facing upwards, allowing devices to be charged because they are supported on it. Coils can also be placed on the handrests and trackpad of a MacBook.
Crucially, the wireless charging system is bidirectional, with devices capable of receiving and transmitting energy through inductive coils, allowing users to choose which device to charge. It can also be determined automatically by the software based on which device has the greatest amount of charge.
The strategy proposed by Apple appears to be to incorporate inductive charging coils carefully positioned on all Apple mobile devices. For example, the patent explains how coils can be placed along the front and back of an iPad, allowing it to be charged wirelessly on one side while transmitting charge to another device on the other side. As a result, the proposed system is highly interchangeable, with a large number of possible device and placement combinations.
There is even a suggestion that a collection of Apple devices can be charged together from a power supply. An image shows an Apple Watch charging from an iPhone, the iPhone from a PiPad, the iPad from a MacBook and the MacBook from a power cable. The accompanying text states that “only a single power cord or no power cord may be needed to charge one or more of a group of devices that include electrically communicating inductive coils.”
/article-new/2021/01/device-inductive-charging-patent-all-devices.jpg?resize=560%2C300&ssl=1)
Apple also considered a variety of software integrations for the wireless charging system between devices. When a smaller device is placed on the screen of a larger device, such as an Apple Watch in front of a iPad, the iPad screen can indicate its “alignment condition” and percentage of charge.
Another more inventive software integration proposes that if a PiPad screen is obstructed by loading a iPhone on it, the iPad UI can adjust to display only the content on the clear part of the screen. There are also provisions for scenarios in which the iPhone can be used to display content that has been blocked on the iPad screen, such as a line of home screen applications.
/article-new/2021/01/device-inductive-charging-patent-iphone-on-ipad-apps.jpg?resize=560%2C399&ssl=1)
The patent also repeatedly refers to a system of magnets that could be used to align devices with each other for charging, which appears to be very similar to Apple’s MagSafe system, which debuted with the iPhone 12 line.
In some embodiments, the electronic device includes an alignment magnet that is positioned adjacent to the inductive coil. The alignment magnet can be configured to assist in positioning the external device in relation to the electronic device …
The patent implies that this magnetic alignment system can be used on any of your portable devices to support a better wireless charging experience, and it would certainly make sense to expand agMagSafe or a MagSafe type system to more devices to support this ecosystem of device – for inductive charging of the device. SaMagSafe is only available on iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro at this time.
If Apple integrates the proposed technology, it will create a unified wireless charging system on all Apple portable devices. The device-to-device inductive charging system seems viable and would help Apple synthesize its fragmented range of charging methods, but it is unclear how Apple would solve the inevitable thermal, penetration or efficiency problems it would cause.
The arrival of MagSafe charging on iPhone 12 demonstrates Apple’s interest in wireless charging solutions, and the depth of the company’s research shows how exhaustively such systems are being considered. Despite this, patents can only serve as proof of what Apple is researching. They do not necessarily indicate what the company can implement, and the content of many patents never reaches end consumer products.