SENDER COMMUNICATIONS FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20120299540A1
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Original Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Inventors: Perry, Meredith
• Application Number:
  US13/477,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299540A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/18 Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound G10K11/02, G10K11/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/26 Sound-focusing or directing, e.g. scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/341 Circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic waves
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 5/00 Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal H03C7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/00 Electrostatic transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/00 Transducers other than those covered by groups H04R9/00 - H04R21/00 diaphragms for transducers of the distributed-mode type H04R7/045
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A signal generator generates an electrical signal that is sent to an amplifier, which increases the power of the signal using power from a power source. The amplified signal is fed to a sender transducer to generate ultrasonic waves that can be focused and sent to a receiver. The receiver transducer converts the ultrasonic waves back into electrical energy and stores it in an energy storage device, such as a battery, or uses the electrical energy to power a device. In this way, a device can be remotely charged or powered without having to be tethered to an electrical outlet.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sender having a first value of a configuration parameter and comprising;

a signal generator;

an amplifier coupled to the signal generator, said amplifier configured to receive power from a power source and to generate an electrical transmission signal adapted to be used to generate ultrasonic waves;

a sender transducer coupled to the amplifier, the sender transducer adapted and configured to generate ultrasonic waves based on the electrical transmission signal received from the amplifier;

a sender communications device adapted to communicate with a receiver communication device, the communication including a second value of the configuration parameter selected from a group consisting of;

an amplitude, a frequency, a steering parameter, a power, a transmitter characteristic and a receiver characteristic;

a sender controller coupled to at least one of the signal generator, the amplifier and the sender transducer; and

the receiver comprising;

a receiver transducer adapted and configured to receive ultrasonic waves generated by the sender transducer and to generate a receiver electrical signal based on the received ultrasonic waves;

a receiver electrical storage device adapted and configured to store electrical energy based on the receiver electrical signal generated by the receiver transducer;

a receiver communications device adapted and configured to send input to the sender; and

a receiver controller coupled to at least one of the receiver transducer and the receiver electrical storage device.

2. A system having a first configuration parameter, comprising:

a signal generator adapted and configured to generate an electrical signal;

an amplifier adapted and configured to receive the electrical signal from the signal generator, and to receive electrical power from a power source and to generate an amplified electrical signal based upon the electrical signal received from the signal generator and power received from the power source;

a sender transducer adapted and configured to generate ultrasonic energy based on the amplified electrical signal received from the amplifier;

a sender communications device adapted to communicate with a receiver, the communication including an input based on a configuration parameter selected from a group consisting of;

an amplitude, a frequency, a steering parameter, a power, a transmitter characteristic and a receiver characteristic; and

a sender controller coupled to at least one of the signal generator, the amplifier and the sender transducer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication includes an instruction adapted to be executed by a receiver controller.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication includes a characteristic of the sender.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication includes a configuration parameter.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication includes a configuration parameter of the receiver.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the configuration parameter includes a steering parameter selected from a group consisting of:

a steering angle, a dispersion angle, a focal length, a transmitter location, a receiver location and a relative orientation.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving at an ultrasonic sender having a configuration parameter at a first value a communication from an ultrasonic receiver, the configuration parameter selected from a group consisting of;

an amplitude, a frequency, a steering parameter, a power, a transmitter characteristic and a receiver characteristic; and

obtaining a configuration parameter having a second value based on the received communication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuration parameter includes a steering parameter and further comprising changing the orientation of a sender transducer from a first position corresponding to the first value of the steering parameter to a second position corresponding to the second value of the steering parameter.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuration parameter includes a steering parameter and further comprising changing the relative orientation of a sender transducer to a receiver transducer from a first orientation corresponding to the first value of the steering parameter to a second orientation corresponding to the second value of the steering parameter.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising changing the power status of a sender transducer from a first power status to a second power status based at least partly on the communication.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the ultrasonic energy includes a beam and the configuration parameter includes a steering parameter and further comprising changing the direction of the beam from a sender transducer to a receiver transducer from a first direction corresponding to the first value of the steering parameter to a second direction corresponding to the second value of the steering parameter.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the ultrasonic energy includes a beam and the configuration parameter includes a steering parameter and further comprising changing the focal length of the beam from a sender transducer to a receiver transducer from a first focal length corresponding to the first value of the steering parameter to a second focal length corresponding to the second value of the steering parameter.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuration parameter includes a receiver characteristic, the receiver characteristic selected from the group consisting of:

location of a receiver transducer, proximity of a receiver transducer, and a receiver profile.