Mobile hybrid transmit/receive node for near-field wireless power delivery

• US 10,587,124 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: DeVaul, Richard Wayne, Adolf, Brian John, Apte, Raj B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Dinh T
• Application Number:
  US16/148,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20190036349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/83 Electronic components structurally integrated with aircraft elements, e.g. circuit boards carrying loads
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/10 for generating power to be supplied to a remote station, e.g. UAVs with solar panels
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/35 by wireless transmission, e.g. by induction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries

Abstract

A system and method for a mobile hybrid transmitter/receiver (TX/RX) node for wireless resonant power delivery is disclosed. A hybrid TX/RX can be configured to travel to remote, wirelessly-powerable receivers and deliver power to them wirelessly. A hybrid TX/RX device can include a transmitter component (TX), a receiver (RX) component, and a power store for storing power for supply to remote receivers. The TX/RX device can be configured in an autonomous unmanned vehicle operational to travel between a fixed source transmitter devices and one or more specified locations that may be host to one or more remote receivers. In the location of the one or more remote receivers, the TX component may function to wirelessly transfer power from the power store to the one or more remote receivers. In the location of the fixed source transmitter device, RX component can be configured to receive power via wireless power transfer, and to use the received power to at least partially replenish the power store.

Claims

1. A method carried out by a mobile wireless power-delivery device (MWPD), wherein the MWPD comprises an autonomous mobile vehicle and a controller communicatively coupled to the autonomous mobile vehicle and configured to carry out operations including causing the autonomous mobile vehicle to move the MWPD to specified geographic locations, the method comprising:

(a) causing the MWPD to (i) move, by navigation of the autonomous mobile vehicle, to a first location in sufficient proximity to a remote receiver to cause the remote receiver to couple with a first oscillating field generated by a transmit-resonator of a transmitter of the MWPD resonating at a first resonant frequency, wherein the first oscillating field is at least one of an oscillating electric field or an oscillating magnetic field, and (ii) transfer power to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field, wherein the transmit-resonator is configured to couple power from a rechargeable power source of the MWPD into the first oscillating field; and

(b) causing the MWPD to (i) move, by navigation of the autonomous mobile vehicle, to a second location in sufficient proximity to a power-supply transmitter, other than the transmitter of the MWPD, to cause a receive-resonator of a receiver of the MWPD to couple with a second oscillating field generated by the power-supply transmitter, wherein the second oscillating field is at least one of an oscillating electric field or an oscillating magnetic field, and (ii) receive power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field, wherein the receive-resonator is configured to resonate at a second resonant frequency in response to coupling to the second oscillating field, and wherein the receiver is configured to, in response to the receive-resonator resonating at the second resonant frequency, transfer at least a portion of power of the second oscillating field to the rechargeable component of the power source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous mobile vehicle is one of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured for moving by flying, an unmanned terrestrial vehicle (UTV) configured for moving by traveling on solid ground, or an unmanned marine vehicle (UMV) configured for moving by traveling on or under water.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the MWPD transmitting one or more electromagnetic test signals;

the MWPD receiving a reflection of any given transmitted test signal reflected by one or more reflecting entities remote from the MWPD; and

determining one or more electromagnetic properties of a reflecting entity of the one or more reflecting entities based on at least a corresponding reflection from the reflecting entity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises determining a distance to the reflecting entity by determining a round-trip propagation delay of a transmitted test signal and a corresponding reflection from the reflecting entity,

wherein the reflecting entity is one of the remote receiver or the power-supply transmitter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein each test signal has an amplitude and phase, and the corresponding reflection has an amplitude and phase,

and wherein determining the one or more electromagnetic properties of the reflecting entities comprises comparing the amplitude and phase of at least one transmitted test signal with the amplitude and phase of the corresponding reflection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location is a first path that passes in sufficient proximity to the remote receiver to cause the remote receiver to couple with the first oscillating field,

and wherein transferring power from the power source to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field while the MWPD is at the first location comprises transferring power from the power source to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field while the MWPD is in motion on the first path.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second location is a second path that passes in sufficient proximity to the power-supply transmitter to cause the receive-resonator of the receiver of the MWPD to resonate at the second resonant frequency,

and wherein receiving power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field while the MWPD is at the second location comprises receiving power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field while the MWPD is in motion on the second path.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the remote receiver via a communication interface of the MWPD prior to transferring more than an initial amount of power to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating with the power-supply transmitter via a communication interface of the MWPD prior to receiving more than an initial amount of power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a mobile wireless power-delivery device (MWPD) comprising an autonomous mobile vehicle configured to move to specified geographic locations, cause the one or more processors to carry out operations including:

(a) causing the MWPD to (i) move, by navigation of the autonomous mobile vehicle, to a first location in sufficient proximity to a remote receiver to cause the remote receiver to couple with a first oscillating field generated by a transmit-resonator of a transmitter of the MWPD resonating at a first resonant frequency, wherein the first oscillating field is at least one of an oscillating electric field or an oscillating magnetic field, and (ii) transfer power to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field, wherein the transmit-resonator is configured to couple power from a rechargeable power source of the MWPD into the first oscillating field; and

(b) causing the MWPD to (i) move, by navigation of the autonomous mobile vehicle, to a second location in sufficient proximity to a power-supply transmitter, other than the transmitter of the MWPD, to cause a receive-resonator of a receiver of the MWPD to couple with a second oscillating field generated by the power-supply transmitter, wherein the second oscillating field is at least one of an oscillating electric field or an oscillating magnetic field, and (ii) receive power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field, wherein the receive-resonator is configured to resonate at a second resonant frequency in response to coupling to the second oscillating field, and wherein the receiver is configured to, in response to the receive-resonator resonating at the second resonant frequency, transfer at least a portion of power of the second oscillating field to the rechargeable component of the power source.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the autonomous mobile vehicle is one of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured for moving by flying, an unmanned terrestrial vehicle (UTV) configured for moving by traveling on solid ground, or an unmanned marine vehicle (UMV) configured for moving by traveling on or under water.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further include:

causing a signal generator of the MWPD to transmit one or more electromagnetic test signals;

causing a test-signal receiver of the MWPD to receive a reflection of any given transmitted test signals reflected by one or more reflecting entities remote from the MWPD; and

determining one or more electromagnetic properties of a reflecting entity of the one or more reflecting entities based on at least a corresponding reflection from the reflecting entity.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further include determining an electrical distance to the reflecting entity by determining a round-trip propagation delay of a transmitted test signal and a corresponding reflection from the reflecting entity,

wherein the reflecting entity is one of the remote receiver or the power-supply transmitter.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein each test signal has an amplitude and phase, and the corresponding reflection has an amplitude and phase,

and wherein determining the one or more electromagnetic properties of the reflecting entities comprises comparing the amplitude and phase of at least one transmitted test signal with the amplitude and phase of the corresponding reflection.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first location is a first path that passes in sufficient proximity to the remote receiver to cause the remote receiver to couple with the first oscillating field,

and wherein transferring power from the power source to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field while the MWPD is at the first location comprises transferring power from the power source to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field while the MWPD is in motion on the first path.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the second location is a second path that passes in sufficient proximity to the power-supply transmitter to cause the receive-resonator of the receiver of the MWPD to resonate at the second resonant frequency,

and wherein causing the receive-resonator to receive power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field while the MWPD is at the second location comprises causing the receive-resonator to receive power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field while the MWPD is in motion on the second path.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further include:

authenticating the remote receiver via a communication interface of the MWPD prior to transferring more than an initial amount of power to the remote receiver via the first oscillating field.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further include:

authenticating with the power-supply transmitter via a communication interface of the MWPD prior to receiving more than an initial amount of power from the power-supply transmitter via the second oscillating field.