MULTIPLE FREQUENCY TRANSMITTER, RECEIVER, AND SYSTEMS THEREOF

• US 20080227478A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Powercast Corporation
• Original Assignee: Powercast Corporation
• Inventors: Greene, Charles E., Harrist, Daniel W., Martin, Donald Corey, McElhinny, Michael Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/048,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20080227478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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

Abstract

A method and a system include a converter configured to convert received radio frequency signals to a direct current (DC) signal to provide power to at least a portion of a receiver. A received radio frequency signal can be associated with a plurality of carrier frequencies within a specified frequency band and time period. The received radio signals can have a total power level above a threshold power level. In some embodiments, the total power level can be above a threshold power level and below a pre-determined power level. Multiple converters can be used. Each converter can correspond to a subset of the carrier frequencies and/or to the carrier frequencies of different specified frequency bands. A combiner can combine the DC output from the converters into a single DC signal. The receiver can communicate data via a data carrier frequency associated with the carrier frequencies used for wireless power transfer.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a converter module configured to receive at least one radio frequency signal, the converter module configured to convert the received radio frequency signal to a DC signal, the received radio frequency signal being associated with a plurality of carrier frequencies within a specified frequency band, the plurality of carrier frequencies being associated with a pre-determined time period.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the DC signal provides power to at least one of a receiver or a device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal has a total power level above a threshold power level.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal has a total time-averaged power level above a threshold power level.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal has a total instantaneous power level above a threshold power level.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the converter module is a first converter module, the apparatus further comprising a second converter module and a combiner module, the combiner module configured to combine an output from the first converter module and the second converter module into the DC signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of converter modules including the converter module, each converter module from the plurality of converter modules configured to receive at least one radio frequency signal associated with a different subset of carrier frequencies from the plurality of carrier frequencies.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data communication module configured to receive data via a radio frequency signal associated with a data carrier frequency within the specified frequency band and associated with the plurality of carrier frequencies.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the specified frequency band is a regulatorily-specified frequency band.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal has a total power level below a pre-determined power level.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal has a total power level below a pre-determined power level associated with a regulatory compliance value.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal has a total power level above a threshold power level associated with an operational power level for a data communication portion of a device being powered by the DC signal.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of converter modules, each converter module from the plurality of converter modules configured to receive at least one radio frequency signal uniquely associated with a frequency band form a plurality of frequency bands, the frequency band associated with one converter module being different from the frequency band associated with each remaining converter module, each converter module from the plurality of converter modules configured to convert the received radio frequency signals to a DC signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the DC signals from the plurality of converter modules provide power to at least one of a receiver or a device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands and associated with one converter module from the plurality of converter modules includes carrier frequencies in the range of 902 megahertz to 928 megahertz.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands and associated with one converter module from the plurality of converter modules includes carrier frequencies in the range of 902 megahertz to 928 megahertz, each carrier frequency in that frequency band being approximately 10 kilohertz apart from an adjacent carrier frequency.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands and associated with one converter module from the plurality of converter modules includes carrier frequencies in the range of 2.4 gigahertz to 2.5 gigahertz.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands and associated with one converter module from the plurality of converter modules includes carrier frequencies in the range of 3 gigahertz to 10 gigahertz.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the received at least one radio frequency signal associated with each frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands has a total time-averaged power level or a total instantaneous power level above a threshold power level.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a combiner module, the combiner module configured to combine the DC signal from each converter module from the plurality of converter modules into a single DC signal.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a generator module configured to generate at least one radio frequency signal associated with a plurality of carrier frequencies within a specified frequency band, the plurality of carrier frequencies being associated with a pre-determined time period;

a control module configured to control the generator module; and

an amplifier module configured to control a power level of each radio frequency signal for wireless power transmission.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the amplifier module is configured to control the power level of each radio frequency signal such that the radio frequency signal has a total time-averaged power level above a threshold power level.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control module is configured to send a control signal to the generator module, the control signal configured such that the generator module generates each carrier frequency associated with the radio frequency signal having a transmission order and a transmission instance.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a temperature control module configured to adjust the generator module based on a temperature reading at one or more of the generator module, the control module, or the amplifier module.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the generator module includes a voltage control oscillator.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the generator module is a first generator module, the apparatus further comprising a second generator module and a combiner module, each of the first generator module and the second generator module being configured to generate a different subset of carrier frequencies from the plurality of carrier frequencies, the combiner module being configured to combine the generated carrier frequencies from the first generator module and the second generator module to produce the at least one radio frequency signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a support configured to hold at least one of the control module, the generator module, or the amplifier module.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control module includes at least one of a waveform generator or a frequency generator.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising transmitting the at least one radio frequency signal associated with the plurality of carrier frequencies according to a pre-determined linear sequence, a predetermined non-linear sequence, a random sequence, or concurrently.

30. A method, comprising:

receiving at least one radio frequency signal associated with a plurality of carrier frequencies within a specified frequency band, the plurality of carrier frequencies associated with a pre-determined time period; and

converting the received radio frequency signals to a DC signal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the DC signal provides power to at least one of a receiver or a device.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the received at least one radio signal has a total time-averaged power level above a pre-determined power level.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the specified frequency band is a first specified frequency band and the pre-determined time period is a first pre-determined time period, the method further comprising receiving at least one radio frequency signal associated with a plurality of carrier frequencies within a second specified frequency band, the plurality of carrier frequencies associated with the second specified frequency band being associated with a second pre-determined time period.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising transmitting the at least one radio frequency signal.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising transmitting the at least one radio frequency signal associated with the plurality of carrier frequencies according to a pre-determined linear sequence, a pre-determined non-linear sequence, a random sequence, or concurrently.