Wireless coded communication (WCC) devices with power harvesting power sources triggered with incidental mechanical forces

• US 10,142,822 B1
• Filed: 07/23/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Albert S. Penilla, Gary M. Zalewski
• Original Assignee: Albert S. Penilla, Gary M. Zalewski
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary M., Penilla, Albert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US15/217,972
• Time in Patent Office: 857 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 11/002 Generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Devices, systems, and method are provided for wireless coded communication (WCC) devices, which are configured for wireless communication with other devices, e.g., over a network. A WCC device is a type of internet of things (JOT) device that can sense data, process data, send data, respond to data requests and exchange data with other WCC device, a network device, a user device, and/or systems over the internet. In some configurations, a WCC device may include a power source that enables usage of low power, e.g., to send data that is sensed, request data and/or communicate data wirelessly. WCC devices maybe function as standalone devices or may be integrated into other devices. In some configurations, a WCC device may include power harvesting circuitry, including power harvesting user controls. A WCC device may be pre-configured or coded to report occurrence of an event, log an event, log state, cause an action, send a message or request data from one or more end nodes. In some configurations, the devices enable communication over a wireless network, which enables access to the Internet and further enables cloud processing on data received or processing for data returned or communicated.

Claims

1. A device for communication of wireless data, comprising,

a wireless communication chip;

a memory interfaced with the wireless communication chip;

a power storage cell;

a logic chip interfaced the wireless communication chip, the memory, and the power storage cell, the memory being programmed with a predefined function that is executed by the logic chip, logic chip is configured to trigger execution of the predefined function upon detecting a threshold amount of power in the power storage cell; and

a power generating device, the power generating device configured to output power in response one or more received mechanical forces applied to the power generating device, each of the mechanical forces transferring an amount of power to the power storage cell such that when the power storage cell is detected to have the threshold amount of power the logic chip executes the predefined function;

wherein the device is configured to communicate with an end node, or an intermediary device, or a router, or a hub, or a server, or a dynamic local cloud (DLC) device, or a service, or a process running in a container, or a computing device on a network.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the power generating device includes a piezoelectric element and the mechanical forces are applied onto the piezoelectric element and the piezoelectric element responds by outputting the amount of power to the power storage cell.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device additionally harvests radio frequency signals and utilizes backscatter reflection and frequency shifting.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical forces are caused by user manipulation of a human-computer interface or caused by received vibrations of a voice or a sound in proximity to the device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device additionally harvests power from an RF source.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical forces are received as forces from movement of a hinge, or from movement of a doorknob, or from movement of a switch, or from movement of a press one or more keys on a keyboard, or from movement of pressing on a touch panel, or from movement of rotating an element, or from movement of twisting an element, or from movement of squeezing an element, or from movement of clicking on an element.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the mechanical forces are received as forces from user manipulation of a human-computer interface, or from movement of vibrations of a sound in proximity to the device, or from movement of flowing liquid, or from movement of flowing air, or from movement of movement of a hinge, or from movement of a doorknob, or from movement of a switch, or from movement of pressing of keys on a keyboard, or from movement of pressing on a touch panel, or from movement of rotating an element, or from movement of twisting an element, or from movement of squeezing an element, or from movement of clicking on an element.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the RF source encodes commands for the device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device responds to commands received by the device and where the response includes the device sending a payload to an end node.

10. The device of claim 5, wherein the device uses backscatter reflection of the RF source to transmit a payload wirelessly.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further includes a display, or a low power bi-stable display, or an e-ink display, or a display capable of sustaining its state with reduced or no power between display updates.

12. The device of claim 5, wherein the device operates over passive WiFi, or where the RF source is backscattered and frequency shifted to encode a payload that is transmitted on another frequency other than a frequency of the RF source.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is housed in an electrical box configured for use in buildings for a light switch or a power outlet, and the device communicating to an end node.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the device is configured to communicate with a hub and natural language commands are processed either by the hub or by devices that connect to the hub or by the device itself.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to receive an electromagnetic energy injection from another device associated with a user during a period of time when the user interacts with the device;

or wherein the device provides an electromagnetic energy injection to another device during a user interaction with the device.

16. A device for communication of wireless data, comprising,

a wireless communication chip;

a memory interfaced with the wireless communication chip;

a power storage cell;

a power generating device; and

a logic chip interfaced the wireless communication chip, the memory, the power storage cell, and the power generating device, the memory being programmable with a function that is executed by the logic chip, logic chip is configured to read a state associated with the device and trigger execution of the function upon receiving a threshold amount of power in the power storage cell, the function causing a payload to be transmitted to an end node, said payload based at least in part on said state of the device;

the power generating device is configured to harvest power and output power to the power storage cell, wherein at least some of the harvested power is harvested from a radio frequency transmission in the vicinity of the device;

wherein the transmitted payload by the device occurs via wireless transmission by said wireless communication chip.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein said transmitted payload is transmitted using a shifted radio frequency of said frequency transmission used in said harvesting of power and where the transmitted payload is sent over one of WiFi or Bluetooth or Zigbee or Wimax or 900 mhz or 2.4 ghz frequencies, or a frequency.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is further configured to harvest additional power from user manipulation of the device.

19. The device of claim 18,

wherein another device provides the radio frequency transmission that is harvested by the device;

or

wherein another device sends the frequency transmission captured by the device, the sent frequency transmission is modulated in frequency to encode a carrier sense detected by the device.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the radio frequency transmission that is harvested is sourced from one or more ambient radio frequencies that are present in airwaves.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the device further includes a display, or a low power bi-stable display, or an e-ink display, or a display capable of sustaining its state with little reduced or no power between display updates.