METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WIRELESSLY TRANSFERRING POWER AND COMMUNICATING WITH ONE OR MORE SLAVE DEVICES

• US 20140203758A1
• Filed: 03/24/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creekview IP LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Golba LLC
• Inventors: Moshfeghi, Mehran
• Granted Patent: US 9,608,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/005 using remotely controlled antenna positioning or scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a system for charging devices. The system includes a master device and a slave device. Some embodiments provide a method for charging devices in a system that includes a slave device and a master device. The slave device includes (1) an antenna to receive a radio frequency (RF) beam and (2) a power generation module connected to the antenna that converts RF energy received by the slave antenna to power. The master device includes (1) a directional antenna to direct RF power to the antenna of the slave device and (2) a module that provides power to the directional antenna of the master device.

Claims

1. A system for charging devices, the system comprising:

a slave device comprising;

an antenna to receive a radio frequency (RF) beam; and

a power generation module connected to the antenna that converts RF energy received by the slave antenna to power; and

a master device comprising;

a directional antenna to direct said RF beam to the antenna of the slave device; and

a module that provides power to the directional antenna of the master device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional antenna of the master device generates the directional RF beam, wherein the directional RF beam is a non-modulated radio frequency signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device further comprises a plurality of electronic circuitry, wherein the power converted from the energy received by the slave device antenna is used to power up the electronic circuitry of the slave device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of slave devices comprising said slave device, each slave comprising;

an antenna to receive a radio frequency (RF) beam; and

a power generation module connected to the antenna that converts the RF energy received by the slave antenna to power;

wherein the directional antenna of the master device directs the RF beam to the antennas of the slave devices based on a set of priorities assigned to the slaves.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a first slave device with a higher priority than a second slave device receives the RF beam for a longer period of time than the second slave device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein when the master device determines that two slave devices have to receive the RF beam from the master device to convert the RF energy to power, a first slave device with a higher priority than a second slave device receives the RF beam before the second device.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the master device further (1) monitors a power status of the plurality of the slave devices, (2) determines which slave devices gets charged, and (3) determines charging priorities of the slave devices being charged.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device stores identifying information of a set of master devices that are authorized to charge the slave device, wherein the slave device allows the power generation module to convert the received RF energy from the master device to power only when an identifying information received from the master device matches the identifying information of a master device from the set of authorized master devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device further comprises a capacitor, wherein the power generation module of the slave device stores the converted power in the capacitor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device further comprises a battery, wherein the power generation module of the slave uses the converted power to charge the battery of the slave device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device further comprise:

a battery;

a capacitor;

a switch connected to the battery, the capacitor, and the power generation module; and

a control module to adjust a position of the switch to connect the power generation module to (i) the capacitor, (2) the battery, or (3) both the capacitor and the battery.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control module uses a control channel to adjust the position of the switch, wherein the control channel has a lower frequency than a channel used between the directional antenna of the master device and the antenna of the slave device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the master and slave devices communicate through a first channel to exchange information using modulated RF signals, wherein the master device uses a second channel to direct a non-modulated RF signal to transfer the RF energy to the slave device, wherein the first channel and the and second channel are a same channel.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the master device uses the same channel to send control commands to the slave device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the master and slave devices communicate through a first channel to exchange information using modulated RF signals, wherein the master device uses a second channel to direct a non-modulated RF signal to transfer the RF energy to the slave device, wherein the first and second channels are different channels using different frequencies.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the master device uses the first channel to send control commands to the slave device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional antenna of the master device comprises a plurality of sub-elements, wherein the master device further comprises a module to generate different phase and amplitude for at least two antenna sub-elements to steer an angle of an RF beam generated by the plurality of the sub-elements to a particular direction.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the master device further comprises a module to combine signals received by the plurality of the sub-elements with a corresponding phase and amplitude of each antenna sub-element to generate a single radio frequency signal.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave antenna is a directional antenna comprising a plurality of sub-elements, wherein the slave device further comprises a module to generate different phase and amplitude for at least two antenna sub-elements to steer a radio frequency beam generated by the plurality of the sub-elements.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the slave device further comprises a module to combine signals received by the plurality of the sub-elements with a corresponding phase and amplitude of each antenna sub-element to generate a single radio frequency signal.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device comprises a plurality of antennas, wherein the master device further comprises a module to generate different phase and amplitude for at least two antennas of the master device to steer a radio frequency beam generated by the plurality of the sub-elements.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device comprises a plurality of directional antennas, wherein the master device uses at least two directional antennas to direct directional RF beams to the antenna of the slave device in order to charge the slave device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device comprises a plurality of directional antennas, wherein the salve device comprises a plurality of antennas, wherein the master device uses at least two directional antennas to direct directional RF beams to two antennas of the slave device in order to charge the slave device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of slave devices, wherein the master device comprises a plurality of antennas, wherein the master device simultaneously directs directional RF beams from different directional antennas to the antennas of different slave devices in order to charge the slave devices.

26. The system of claim 25 further comprising a controller device communicatively coupled to the master device, wherein the controller device configures the master device to charge the slave devices based on a set of priorities.

27. The system of claim 25 further comprising a controller device communicatively coupled to the master device, wherein the controller device configures the master device to use different sets of antennas in the plurality of antennas to charge different slave devices.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of master devices and a controller device communicatively coupled to the plurality of master devices, wherein the controller device configures the master devices to cooperate charging the slave device.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device uses a charging channel to direct a non-modulated RF signal to transfer the RF energy to the slave device, wherein the master and slave devices each comprises a frequency hopping module to change a frequency of the charging channel after a predetermined elapsed time.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device communicatively couples to a particular network after the power generation module of the slave device converts the received radio frequency energy to power, wherein the master device communicatively couples to the particular network through the slave device.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device communicatively couples to a particular network, wherein the slave device communicatively couples to the particular network through the master device after the power generation module of the slave device converts the received radio frequency energy to power.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave device is a first slave device, wherein the system further comprises a second slave device, wherein the first slave device communicatively couples to the second slave device after the power generation module of the first slave device converts radio frequency energy to power, wherein the master device communicatively couples to the second slave device through the first slave device.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the directional antenna of the master device generates a directional RF beam, wherein the master device further comprises a non-conductive spacer material placed in front of the directional antenna of the master device, wherein the spacer material creates a separation between the master device and allows the directional RF beam to be converted by the power generation module of the slave device when the slave device comes to a vicinity of the spacer material or touches the spacer material.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the separation created by the spacer material is more than a wavelength of the directional RF beam.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device is built-in to a table or a pad to allow charging of the slave device when the slave device is placed on the table or the pad.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device further includes a credit card reader to receive credit card information.

8. (canceled)

37-46. -46. (canceled)