SYSTEM, DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING AND POWERING A BATTERYLESS DEVICE

• US 20110304219A1
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Erdmann, Bozena, Lelkens, Armand Michel Marie, Pasveer, Willem Franke, Waffenschmidt, Eberhard, Hilgers, Achim, Sreedharan Nair, Biju Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 9,774,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

System for configuring and powering a wireless batteryless device, the system comprising: a wireless batteryless device (A) comprising: a built-in harvester (12) for harvesting energy from a first energy source, for example ambient energy, means for communicating wirelessly, and an external device (B) comprising: a second power source (16), means (17) for converting energy supplied by the second power source into energy suitable for being harvested in the harvester of the batteryless device, means (18) for wirelessly supplying the batteryless device with the converted energy via the built-in harvester, and means for communicating with the batteryless device. The invention also relates to an external device therefore, and a method for configuring and powering a batteryless device.

Claims

1. System for configuring and powering a wireless batteryless device, the system comprising:

a wireless batteryless device (A) comprising;

a built-in harvester (12) for harvesting energy from a first energy source,

means for communicating wirelessly,

and an external device (B) comprising;

a second power source (16),

means (17) for converting energy supplied by the second power source into energy suitable for being harvested in the harvester of the batteryless device,

means (18) for wirelessly supplying the batteryless device with the converted energy via the built-in harvester, and

means for communicating with the batteryless device.

2. System as recited in claim 1, wherein the external device comprises means for adapting characteristics of the wirelessly supplied energy to the characteristics of the batteryless device and/or of the harvester.

3. System as recited in claim 1, wherein the external device is a handheld device.

4. System as recited in claim 1, wherein the external device is an add-on device comprising means for being temporarily fixed to and tracelessly removed from the batteryless device.

5. System as recited in claim 1, wherein the external device comprises means for reading out data (6) stored in a memory (7) of the batteryless device (3), and means for performing actions of getting configuration information for the batteryless devices using this data.

6. System as recited in claim 1, wherein the external device further comprises a user interface.

7. System as recited in claim 1, wherein the first energy source is ambient energy.

8. System as recited in claim 7, wherein

the ambient energy is generated on mechanical action of a user operating the batteryless device,

the energy harvester comprises a magnet and a coil which can moved with respect to one another, resulting in generating a voltage pulse in the harvester, and

the second power source of the external device comprises an inductive transmitter with an AC generator and a transmitter winding.

9. System as recited in claim 7, wherein

the ambient energy is an ambient light from natural and/or artificial light source,

the energy harvester comprises a solar cell, and

the second power source of the external device comprises a light source.

10. External device for being used in a system according to claim 1.

11. Method for configuring and powering a wireless batteryless device comprising a harvester for harvesting ambient energy, via an external device, comprising the following steps:

the external device generating energy via an included power source,

the external device converting the generated energy in energy suitable to be harvested in the harvester,

the external device wirelessly supplying the batteryless device with converted energy.

12. Method as recited in claim 11, comprising the step of the external device adapting the characteristics of the batteryless device.

13. Method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the following steps:

the external device supplying the batteryless device with energy necessary for sending, receiving, processing and persistently storing the relevant configuration data,

a user performing user configuration actions of the batteryless device via an interface of the batteryless device, and

the batteryless device performing the some configuration actions itself.

14. Method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the following steps:

the external device reading out data from a memory of the batteryless device,

a user performing configuration actions of the batteryless device via an interface on the external device, and

the step of supplying the batteryless device with energy necessary for receiving and persistently storing the relevant user configuration data,

the step of supplying the batteryless device with energy comprising supplying only the quantity of energy necessary for some configuration actions performed by the batteryless itself.

15. Method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the following steps:

the external device reading out the entire data from a memory of the batteryless device,

a user performing configuration actions of the batteryless device via an interface on the external power source, and

the step of supplying the batteryless device with energy comprising supplying the quantity of energy necessary for some configuration actions performed by the batteryless itself.