Apple is researching the integration of multiple inductive charging coils into MacBooks and iPads to use as wireless chargers for other devices, according to a patent filed by Apple.
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The patent, spotted by Apple patent, is entitled “Inductive charging 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 the patents now granted around it were first filed. It is noteworthy that Apple seems to be particularly interested in this field, filing several patents on the technology, and has now applied for 40 new applications.
This patent highlights how all Apple mobile devices, including Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, could use a wireless charging ecosystem together. The images included in the patent show a significant number of different coil placements for a range of Apple portable devices to facilitate this system.
Apple presents a wide variety of possible implementations for wireless charging from device to device. For example, the cover of a MacBook could contain a series of upward-facing inductive coils, allowing devices to charge while placed on top of it. The reels could also be placed on the palm rests and trackpad of a MacBook.
Crucially, the wireless charging system is bidirectional, with devices capable of receiving and transmitting power via inductive coils, allowing users to choose which device is charged. It can also be determined automatically by device-based software that has a higher load.
The strategy proposed by Apple seems to be the incorporation of inductive charging coils carefully positioned on each Apple mobile device. For example, the patent explains how coils could be placed both along the front and behind an iPad, allowing it to be wirelessly charged from one side while transmitting the charge to another device on the iPad. the other side. Therefore, the proposed system is highly interchangeable, with a large number of possible combinations of devices and placements.
There is even a suggestion that a collection of Apple devices could be charged together from a single power source. An image shows charging the Apple Watch on an iPhone, PiPhone on iPad, iPad on a MacBook and MacBook on a power cord. The text accompanying the image indicates “only one power cord or no power cord may be required to charge one or more of a group of devices including inductive electrical coils”.
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Apple has also considered an assortment of software integrations for the device-to-device wireless charging system. When a smaller device is placed on the display of a larger device, such as an Apple Watch on the front of an iPad, the iPad display may indicate the “alignment status” and the charging percentage.
Another more inventive software integration proposes that if the screen of an iPad is obstructed by loading an iPhone on it, the user interface of the iPad can be adjusted to display only content on the unobstructed side of the screen. There are also provisions for scenarios where iPhone could be used to display content that has been obstructed on the iPad screen, such as a line of home screen applications.
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The patent also refers repeatedly to a system of magnets that could be used to align devices with each other for charging, which appears strikingly similar to Apple’s MagSafe system, which had its first premiere with the range iPhone 12.
In some embodiments, the electronic device includes an alignment magnet that is positioned next to the inductive coil. The alignment magnet can be configured to help position the external device relative to the electronic device …
The patent implies that this magnetic alignment system could be used on any of its portable devices to support a better experience when charging wirelessly and it would certainly make sense to extend MagSafe or a similar MagSafe system to more devices. to support this ecosystem of devices. -inductive charging to the device. AgMagSafe is only available on iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro currently.
If Apple integrates the proposed technology, it would create a unified wireless charging system on all Apple portable devices. The device-to-device inductive charging system seems feasible and would help Apple synthesize its otherwise fragmented range of charging methods, but it is unclear how Apple would address the inevitable thermal, penetration or efficiency issues it would cause. .
The arrival of the “MagSafe” charging on the iPhone 12 demonstrates Apple’s interest in wireless charging solutions, and the company’s in-depth research shows how well 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 the final consumer products.