WIRELESS AUTONOMOUS DEVICE SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A method of powering a wireless autonomous device, comprising:
- providing said wireless autonomous device, said wireless autonomous device having energy harvesting circuitry, on-board electronic circuitry, and RF transmitter circuitry;
generating an RF transmitting profile, said RF transmitting profile including a plurality of pulses each having RF energy of a first RF frequency range, wherein each of said pulses is provided during a respective on period of said RF transmitting profile and wherein each adjacent pair of said pulses is separated by a respective off period of said RF transmitting profile, each said off period not including any RF energy;
transmitting said RF transmitting profile to said wireless autonomous device;
receiving said RF transmitting profile in said energy harvesting circuitry, said energy harvesting circuitry generating DC energy from the pulses included in said RF transmitting profile; and
using said DC energy to power said on-board electronic circuitry and said RF transmitter circuitry to enable said RF transmitter circuitry to transmit an RF information signal to a receiver device, said RF information signal having a second RF frequency range different than said first RF frequency range.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of powering a wireless autonomous device having energy harvesting circuitry, on-board electronic circuitry, and RF transmitter circuitry using an RF transmitting profile that includes a plurality of RF pulses. That same profile may also be used to simultaneously communicate information to the wireless autonomous device in a number of ways, including different encoding schemes. A system including a plurality of wireless autonomous devices that employs the methods is also provided. Further, a method of designing a wireless autonomous device system and/or a wireless autonomous device to be used therein is provided that employs an equivalent circuit for the wireless autonomous device that is in the form of a lumped parameter RLC circuit with an energy source.
282 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of powering a wireless autonomous device, comprising:
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providing said wireless autonomous device, said wireless autonomous device having energy harvesting circuitry, on-board electronic circuitry, and RF transmitter circuitry;
generating an RF transmitting profile, said RF transmitting profile including a plurality of pulses each having RF energy of a first RF frequency range, wherein each of said pulses is provided during a respective on period of said RF transmitting profile and wherein each adjacent pair of said pulses is separated by a respective off period of said RF transmitting profile, each said off period not including any RF energy;
transmitting said RF transmitting profile to said wireless autonomous device;
receiving said RF transmitting profile in said energy harvesting circuitry, said energy harvesting circuitry generating DC energy from the pulses included in said RF transmitting profile; and
using said DC energy to power said on-board electronic circuitry and said RF transmitter circuitry to enable said RF transmitter circuitry to transmit an RF information signal to a receiver device, said RF information signal having a second RF frequency range different than said first RF frequency range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A wireless autonomous device system, comprising:
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an RF transmitter device, said RF transmitter device being structured to;
(i) generate an RF transmitting profile, said RF transmitting profile including a plurality of pulses each having RF energy of a first RF frequency range, wherein each of said pulses is provided during a respective on period of said RF transmitting profile and wherein each adjacent pair of said pulses is separated by a respective off period of said RF transmitting profile, each said off period not including any RF energy, and (ii) transmit said RF transmitting profile;
a receiver device; and
a plurality of wireless autonomous devices, each of said wireless autonomous devices having respective energy harvesting circuitry, on-board electronic circuitry, and RF transmitter circuitry, wherein the respective energy harvesting circuitry is structured to receive said RF transmitting profile and generate respective DC energy from the pulses included in said RF transmitting profile, and wherein each of said wireless autonomous devices is structured to using the respective DC energy generated by its energy harvesting circuitry to power its on-board electronic circuitry and its RF transmitter circuitry to enable its RF transmitter circuitry to transmit a respective RF information signal to a receiver device, each said respective RF information signal having a second RF frequency range different than said first RF frequency range. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of designing a wireless autonomous device system having an RF transmitter device and a receiver device, comprising:
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creating an equivalent circuit for a wireless autonomous device to be used in said wireless autonomous device system, said wireless autonomous device including energy harvesting circuitry, on-board electronic circuitry, and RF transmitter circuitry, said energy harvesting circuitry generating DC energy from RF energy received from said RF transmitter device, said DC energy being used to power said on-board electronic circuitry and said RF transmitter circuitry to enable said RF transmitter circuitry to transmit an RF information signal to said receiver device, said equivalent circuit being in the form of a lumped parameter RLC circuit with an energy source;
using the equivalent circuit to do one or both of;
(i) design one or more selected parameters of the wireless autonomous device system, and (ii) design one or more selected portions of said wireless autonomous device to be used in said wireless autonomous device system. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification