WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A switched-beam wireless power transmission system, comprising:
- at least one electromagnetic radiation source;
a plurality of wireless power receivers each collocated with a beacon that radiates a pilot signal when the beacon is in an active state; and
an array of transmitting antennas that receives the pilot signal from the active beacon and radiates the electromagnetic radiation from the at least one electromagnetic radiation source in the direction of the wireless power receiver collocated with the beacon in the active state,wherein the direction of the radiated electromagnetic radiation is switched among the wireless power receivers based upon which beacon is in an active state.
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Abstract
A wireless power transmission system including at least one source of electromagnetic radiation, a plurality of wireless power receivers that receive radiated electromagnetic energy, a beacon collocated with each wireless power receiver, wherein the beacon generates and radiates a pilot signal when the beacon is in an active state, and an array of transmitting antennas connected to the source of electromagnetic radiation that radiates the electromagnetic radiation in the direction of the beacon in the active state. The electromagnetic radiation can be electronically steered from one wireless power receiver to another by activating and deactivating the beacons collocated with each wireless power receiver.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A switched-beam wireless power transmission system, comprising:
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at least one electromagnetic radiation source; a plurality of wireless power receivers each collocated with a beacon that radiates a pilot signal when the beacon is in an active state; and an array of transmitting antennas that receives the pilot signal from the active beacon and radiates the electromagnetic radiation from the at least one electromagnetic radiation source in the direction of the wireless power receiver collocated with the beacon in the active state, wherein the direction of the radiated electromagnetic radiation is switched among the wireless power receivers based upon which beacon is in an active state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of wirelessly transmitting power from a retrodirective array to an array of wireless power receivers, the method comprising:
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(i) activating a beacon on a wireless power receiver by radiating a pilot signal with the beacon; (ii) receiving the pilot signal, extracting the phase from the pilot signal, and forming a conjugated signal with a receiving unit on each element in the retrodirective array; (iii) amplifying each conjugated signal with an amplifier; (iv) radiating each amplified signal in the direction of the activated beacon with a transmitting antenna on each element in the retrodirective array; (v) receiving the amplified signal with the wireless power receiver that is collocated with the activated beacon; and (vi) deactivating the activated beacon by extinguishing the pilot signal and repeating steps (i)-(v) for a beacon on a different wireless power receiver. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A switched-beam wireless power transmission system, comprising:
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one or more amplifying sources of electromagnetic radiation; an array of transmitting antennas corresponding to each amplifying source; a transmission line that transports the electromagnetic radiation from each source to each corresponding transmitting antenna; a plurality of wireless power receivers that receive the electromagnetic energy radiated by the transmitting antennas and convert the electromagnetic energy to DC power; a control system that controls the transmitting antennas to direct electromagnetic radiation at different wireless power receivers for varying lengths of time according to a schedule.
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26. A wireless power transmission system comprising:
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at least one electromagnetic radiation source; at least one wireless power receiver collocated with a beacon that radiates a high-frequency carrier signal, wherein a pilot signal is carried on the high-frequency carrier signal; and at least one transmitting antenna that includes a receiving unit that receives the high frequency carrier signal and includes circuitry to extract the pilot signal from the carrier signal, wherein the at least one transmitting antenna radiates electromagnetic radiation from the at least one electromagnetic source in the direction of the pilot signal to transmit power to the wireless power receiver.
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Specification