System and method for wireless sharing of electrical power in a wireless mesh network

• US 10,367,374 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Azbil North America Research and Development, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Azbil North America Research and Development, Inc.
• Inventors: Tole, Jeremy, Walther, Peter, Imanishi, Tasuku
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai L
• Application Number:
  US15/220,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20180034321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

Electrical power is shared wirelessly among electrical power-sharing hubs in a wireless mesh network. Each electrical power-sharing hub includes one or more transmitters and receivers for wireless communications with other hubs and wireless power transfer technology to transmit or receive electrical power with other hubs. If electrical power at a respective electrical power-sharing hub is insufficient to power an electrical load on the hub, the hub wirelessly requests that a specific amount of electrical power be transmitted to it wirelessly from one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs. At least one of the neighboring hubs may send a portion or all of the requested power. If the neighboring hubs do not have electrical power to share, a request for power is wirelessly transmitted to non-neighboring hubs, at least one of which may relay available electrical power wirelessly to the requesting hub via the wireless mesh network.

Claims

1. A method for wirelessly sharing electrical power over a wireless mesh network, the wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs, including a first electrical power-sharing hub and a first set of one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are one wireless link away from the first electrical power-sharing hub, wherein each of the electrical power-sharing hubs comprises one or more transmitters and one or more receivers to respectively transmit and receive wirelessly communications and electrical power, a hub-based power source or a connection to an external power source to power the first electrical power-sharing hub and electrical loads connectable thereto, and one or more controllers, the method comprising:

(a) determining, by the one or more controllers at the first electrical power-sharing hub, whether electrical power is to be requested by the first electrical power-sharing hub from one or more of the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs other than the first electrical power-sharing hub in the wireless mesh network;

(b) transmitting wirelessly, by the one or more transmitters at the first electrical power-sharing hub when the one or more controllers determine that electrical power is requested, a first request to the first set of one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to wirelessly obtain a first amount of electrical power from the one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set; and

(c) receiving, by the one or more receivers by wireless transmission from the one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set to the first electrical power-sharing hub in response to the first request, a second amount of electrical power when the one or more of the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs has electrical power to share with the first electrical power-sharing hub.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second amount of electrical power comprises at least the first amount of electrical power that has been requested.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second amount of electrical power comprises a portion of the first amount of electrical power that has been requested.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network further comprises a second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are more than one wireless link away from the first electrical power-sharing hub, and wherein the method further comprises:

(d) obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of electrical power that has been requested or a portion thereof from the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network, when the first amount of electrical power is not available for sharing by the first set of one or more of the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, by a relay of at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof wirelessly from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that has electrical power to share back to the first electrical power-sharing hub via one or more of the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs intermediate the non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs and the first electrical power-sharing hub.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of the first amount of electrical power that has been requested or a portion thereof from a second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network further comprises:

transmitting wirelessly, by the first electrical power-sharing hub, a second request to the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network, to request a third amount of electrical power from the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the third amount of electrical power comprises at least the first amount of electrical power that has been requested.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the third amount of electrical power comprises a portion of the first amount of electrical power that has been requested.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network further comprises a third set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting wirelessly, by the first electrical power-sharing hub, a third request for electrical power from the third set of one or more non-neighboring, electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network that have not received the second request.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from a second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network, further comprises:

triggering, as a result of the first request, a second request to be sent by the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set of neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, to request electrical power for the first electrical power-sharing hub from the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

triggering, as a result of the first request, a third request to be sent by the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to request electrical power from a third set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network that have not received the second request.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, at the first electrical power-sharing hub, at least a portion of the electrical power that is received wirelessly.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining, by the one or more controllers, whether electrical power is to be requested by the first electrical power-sharing hub comprises monitoring whether additional electrical power is required by the first electrical power-sharing hub based on a current or projected electrical load demand for the first electrical power-sharing hub.

13. A method for wirelessly sharing electrical power over a wireless mesh network, the wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs, including a first set of one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs comprising at least a first electrical power-sharing hub, a second electrical-power sharing hub not within the first set, wherein the first set of one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs are one wireless link away from the second electrical power-sharing hub, and a second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are more than one wireless link away from the second electrical power-sharing hub, wherein each of the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs comprises one or more transmitters and one or more receivers to respectively transmit and receive wirelessly communications and electrical power, a hub-based power source or a connection to an external power source to power the first electrical power-sharing hub and electrical loads connectable thereto, and one or more controllers, the method comprising:

(a) receiving wirelessly, by the one or more receivers at the first electrical power-sharing hub from the second electrical power-sharing hub, a first request for a first amount of electrical power;

(b) determining, by the one or more controllers at the first electrical power-sharing hub, whether electrical power is available at the first electrical power-sharing hub or at the one or more other neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set that are one wireless link away in the wireless mesh network from the second electrical power-sharing hub to be shared with the second electrical power-sharing hub;

(c) when the electrical power is available at the first electrical power-sharing hub or at the one or more other neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are one wireless link away in the wireless mesh network from the second electrical power-sharing hub for sharing with the second electrical power-sharing hub and when the one or more controllers at the first electrical power-sharing hub determines that the first electrical power-sharing hub is to provide the electrical power transmitting wirelessly by the one or more transmitters a second amount of electrical power from the first electrical power-sharing hub to the second electrical power-sharing hub; and

(d) when the first amount of power is not available at the first electrical power-sharing hub or at the one or more other neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs for sharing with the second electrical power-sharing hub, (i) transmitting wirelessly, by the first electrical power-sharing hub, a second request to one or more electrical power-sharing hubs in the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to determine whether the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the second set has at least the first amount of electrical power to share with the second electrical power-sharing hub;

(ii) receiving wirelessly, by the one or more receivers at the first electrical-power sharing hub from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in response to the second request, a third amount of electrical power, when electrical power is available for sharing at the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, and transmitting wirelessly at least the third amount electrical power that was received to the second electrical power-sharing hub.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of (iii) triggering a third request to be sent to the second set of non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, to request the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from a third set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are not neighbors of the second electrical power-sharing hub when the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof is not available from the first set or second set of electrical power-sharing hubs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third amount of electrical power comprises at least the first amount of electrical power that has been requested.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the third amount of electrical power comprises a portion of the first amount of electrical power that has been requested.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

(e) obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of electrical power that has been requested by the first electrical power-sharing hub from a second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network by a relay of at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof wirelessly from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs with the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof back to the first electrical power-sharing hub via one or more of the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs intermediate the non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs and the first electrical power-sharing hub; and

(f) transmitting wirelessly the received electrical power by the first electrical power-sharing hub to the second electrical power-sharing hub.

18. A system for wirelessly sharing electrical power among one or more electrical power-sharing hubs in a wireless mesh network, the system comprising:

a first electrical power-sharing hub comprising;

one or more transmitters for transmitting communications and electrical power wirelessly to other electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network;

one or more receivers for receiving communications and electrical power wirelessly from other electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network;

a hub-based power source or a connector to an external power source to power the first electrical power-sharing hub and one or more electrical loads connectable to the first electrical power-sharing hub; and

one or more controllers that are configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the following steps;

(a) determining whether electrical power is to be requested by the first electrical power-sharing hub from one or more of the plurality of other electrical power-sharing hubs other than the first electrical power-sharing hub in the wireless mesh network;

(b) transmitting wirelessly, by the one or more transmitters, a first request to a first set of one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, which are one wireless link away in the wireless mesh network from the first electrical power-sharing hub, to wirelessly obtain a first amount of electrical power from the one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set; and

(c) receiving, by the one or more receivers by wireless transmission from the one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set to the first electrical power-sharing hub in response to the first request, a second amount of electrical power when the one or more of the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs has electrical power to share with the first electrical power-sharing hub.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs further comprises a second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are more than one wireless link away from the first electrical power-sharing hub, wherein the one or more controllers of the first electrical power-sharing hub is further configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the following step:

(d) obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof that has been requested from one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network, when the first amount of electrical power is not available for sharing by the first set of one or more of the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, by a relay of the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof wirelessly from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs with at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof back to the first electrical power-sharing hub via one or more of the plurality of electrical power-sharing hubs intermediate the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs and the first electrical power-sharing hub.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the step of obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network by causing the wireless transmission, by the first electrical power-sharing hub, of a second request to the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network, to request at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the step of obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing, hubs in the wireless mesh network by causing the wireless transmission, by the first electrical power-sharing hub, of a third request to be sent by the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to request electrical power from a third set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network that have not received the second request.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers is configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the step of obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of at least the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network by

triggering, as a result of the first request, a second request to be sent by the neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the first set of neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs, to request electrical power from one or more electrical power-sharing hubs in the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the step of obtaining by the first electrical power-sharing hub of the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network by

triggering, as a result of the first request, a third request to be sent by the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the second set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs to request electrical power from a third set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network that have not received the second request.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the first electrical power-sharing hub further comprises energy storage for storing the electrical power that is received wirelessly.

25. A system for wirelessly sharing electrical power among one or more electrical power-sharing hubs in a wireless mesh network, the system comprising:

a first electrical power-sharing hub comprising;

one or more transmitters for transmitting communications and electrical power wirelessly to other electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network;

one or more receivers for receiving communications and electrical power wirelessly from other electrical power-sharing hubs in the wireless mesh network;

a hub-based power source or a connector to an external power source to power the first electrical power-sharing hub and one or more electrical loads connectable to the first electrical power-sharing hub; and

one or more controllers that is configured to control the operation of the first electrical power-sharing hub to perform the following steps;

(a) receiving wirelessly, by the one or more receivers at the first electrical power-sharing hub from the second electrical power-sharing hub, a first request for a first amount of electrical power;

(b) determining, by the one or more controllers, whether electrical power is available at the first electrical power-sharing hub or at one or more other neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are one wireless link away in the wireless mesh network from the second electrical power-sharing hub to be shared with the second electrical power-sharing hub;

(c) when electrical power is available at the first electrical power-sharing hub or at the one or more other neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are one wireless link away in the wireless mesh network from the second electrical power-sharing hub for sharing with the second electrical power-sharing hub, and, when the one or more controllers determine that the first electrical power-sharing hub is to provide the electrical power, transmitting wirelessly, by the one or more transmitters, a second amount of electrical power requested to the second electrical power-sharing hub;

(d) when the first amount of electrical power is not available at the first electrical power-sharing hub or at the one or more other neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs for sharing with the second electrical power-sharing hub, (i) transmitting wirelessly, by the one or more transmitters at the first electrical power-sharing hub, a second request to a first set of one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are two wireless links away in the wireless mesh network from the second electrical power-sharing hub, to determine whether the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs has the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof to share with the first electrical power-sharing hub; and

(ii) receiving, by the one or more receivers, a third amount of electrical power when available wirelessly from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs and transmitting wirelessly the received electrical power to the second electrical power-sharing hub.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to perform the step of (iii) requesting the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are at least three wireless links away from the second electrical power-sharing hub when the first amount of electrical power or a portion thereof is not available from the one or more neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs or from the one or more non-neighboring electrical power-sharing hubs that are two wireless links away from the second electrical power-sharing hub.