Power over wireless energy recharge (POWER)

• US 10,033,436 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thubert, Pascal, Wetterwald, Patrick, Levy-Abegnoli, Eric, Labetoulle, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatti, Hashim
• Application Number:
  US15/245,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20180063797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength

Abstract

In one embodiment, a device in a wireless network receives a request from a node in the network requesting electrical power. The device determines one or more power transmission parameters for the node. The device determines a power transmission schedule for the node. The device sends wireless network communications to the node in response to the request and based on the determined one or more power transmission parameters and transmission schedule for the node. The node converts the wireless network communications into stored electrical power.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a device in a wireless network, a request from a node in the network requesting electrical power;

determining, by the device, one or more power transmission parameters for the node;

determining, by the device, a power transmission schedule for the node; and

sending, by the device, wireless network communications to the node in response to the request and based on the determined one or more power transmission parameters and transmission schedule for the node, wherein the node converts the wireless network communications into stored electrical power;

wherein the request from the node simulates the node being at a farther distance from the device than an actual distance from the device.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining the power transmission schedule for the node comprises:

identifying, by the device, a time at which data traffic in the wireless network is reduced and during which the device should send the wireless network communications to the node.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising:

using, by the device, a machine learning-based time series to identify the time at which the data traffic in the wireless network is reduced.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the determined one or more power transmission parameters comprises at least one of:

a low-bandwidth mode at which the device is to send the communications to the node, an increased emission power at which the device is to send the communications to the node, or an increased frame size at which the device is to send the communications to the node.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the wireless network communications sent to the node are at least one of:

Wi-Fi communications, Bluetooth communications, Zigbee communications, Z-wave communications, or infrared (IR) communications.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

causing, by the device, a second device to provide power to the node, based on a determined location of the node.

7. A method comprising:

determining, by a node in a wireless network, that electrical power stored by the node has decreased below a threshold;

sending, by the node, a wireless request for power to a device in the network, in response to determining that the electrical power stored by the node has decreased below the threshold;

receiving, at the node, wireless communications from the device, in response to the request for power; and

converting, by the node, the wireless communications into stored electrical power;

wherein sending the request for power to the device comprises;

generating the request at a selected emission power level to simulate that the node is at a farther distance from the device than an actual distance from the device.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the wireless communications from the device are at least one of:

Wi-Fi communications, Bluetooth communications, Zigbee communications, Z-wave communications, or infrared (IR) communications.

9. The method as in claim 7, wherein the wireless communications from the device are received according to a transmission schedule selected by the device.

10. The method as in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving the communications on a first wireless frequency that is negotiated with a second node, wherein the second node converts wireless communications on a second wireless frequency into stored electrical power.

11. The method as in claim 7, further comprising:

determining, by the node, that the node has been placed in a charging station; and

, in response,

provisioning the node to join the wireless network.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein the node is provisioned via a quick response (QR) code.

13. The method as in claim 7, wherein the node is a battery-shaped station, the method further comprising:

powering, by the node, another apparatus using the electrical power stored by the node.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a network interface to communicate with a wireless network;

a processor coupled to the network interface and configured to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

receive a request from a node in the wireless network requesting electrical power;

determine one or more power transmission parameters for the node;

determine a power transmission schedule for the node; and

send wireless network communications to the node in response to the request and based on the determined one or more power transmission parameters and transmission schedule for the node, wherein the node converts the wireless network communications into stored electrical power;

wherein the request from the node simulates the node being at a farther distance from the device than an actual distance from the device.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the apparatus determines the power transmission schedule for the node by:

identifying a time at which data traffic in the wireless network is reduced and during which the apparatus should send the wireless network communications to the node.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

use a machine learning-based time series to identify the time at which the data traffic in the wireless network is reduced.

17. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the determined one or more power transmission parameters comprises at least one of:

a low-bandwidth mode at which the apparatus is to send the communications to the node, an increased emission power at which the apparatus is to send the communications to the node, or an increased frame size at which the apparatus is to send the communications to the node.

18. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the wireless network communications sent to the node are at least one of:

Wi-Fi communications, Bluetooth communications, Zigbee communications, Z-wave communications, or infrared (IR) communications.