METHODOLOGY FOR MULTIPLE POCKET-FORMING

• US 20140375253A1
• Filed: 06/24/2013
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: DvineWave, Inc.
• Inventors: Leabman, Michael A., Brewer, Gregory Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/925,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20140375253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a methodology for wireless power transmission based on multiple pocket-forming. This methodology may include one transmitter and two or more receivers, being the transmitter the source of energy and the receivers the devices that are desired to charge or power. Both devices, the transmitter and receiver, may communicate to each other via a wireless protocol. By communicating to each other, the transmitter may identify and locate the devices to which the receivers are connected. and thereafter aim pockets of energy to each device in order to power them.

Claims

1. A method for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device, comprising:

sending short RF signals from a receiver through an antenna;

intercepting the short RF signals by an antenna in a transmitter having at least two antennas with a micro-controller for processing the RF signals;

decoding the RF signals to identify the gain and phase to determine the direction of the receiver;

transmitting pockets of energy consisting of RF waves from the transmitter through the at least two RE antennas to the receiver;

establishing channels or paths between the transmitter and the receiver for transmitting RF waves to converge in 3-D space with phase or relative amplitude adjustments to form constructive interference patterns for multiple pocket-forming to power the portable electronic device.

2. The method for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 1, further including rectifying the RF waves from the multiple pockets of energy and converting the rectified RF waves into a constant DC voltage for charging or powering the portable electronic device.

3. The method for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 1, further including implementing an adaptive power focusing to avoid obstacles interfering with the RF signals between the receiver and the transmitter for regulating two or more receivers providing charging or powering of the portable electronic device.

4. The method for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the receiver and transmitter include omni-directional antennas and the method further including allowing the RF signals to bounce over the walls or ceiling inside a room until a path or channel is established between the transmitter and receiver.

5. A system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device, comprising:

a transmitter having at least two RF antennas, at least one RE integrated circuit for generating RE waves, a digital signal processor and a first communication circuitry operating on short RF signals;

a receiver with an RF antenna including power circuitry for generating pockets of energy and a second communication circuitry for generating short RE signals to the transmitter to determine optimum times and locations for multiple pocket-forming to converge RE waves in 3-D space for receiving the pockets of energy and for converting the pockets of energy into a constant DC voltage to fully or partially power the portable electronic device.

6. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the first and second communication circuitry is based on standard wireless communication protocols including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or ZigBee transmitted between the RE antennas of the transmitter and receiver.

7. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the first and second communication circuitry include radar, infrared cameras or sound devices for sonic triangulation for determining the position of the portable electronic device for multiple pocket-forming to converge the RE waves in 3-d space for pockets of energy for charging or powering the electronic device.

8. The system for wireless power transmission to improve battery life in a portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device is a wristwatch, a headset or other portable electronic device running on small or coin size batteries for a main power supply.

9. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the antennas are made of plastic, rubber or other suitable material for transmission and reception of power or communication RE waves or RE signals, respectively, for operating in frequency bands of 900 MHz, 2.5GHz or 5.8 GHz and wherein the antennas include vertical or horizontal polarization, right hand or left hand polarization, elliptical polarization or other suitable polarizations or any combination thereof.

10. A system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device, comprising:

a transmitter for generating RF waves and short RF signals having at least two RF antennas to transmit the generated RF waves through the antennas in constructive interference patterns;

a first micro-controller within the transmitter for controlling constructive interference patterns of the generated RF waves to form pockets of energy in predetermined areas or regions in 3-D space and for controlling first communication circuitry;

a receiver embedded within the portable electronic device with at least one antenna to receive the pockets of energy in the predetermined regions in 3-D space;

a second micro-controller within the receiver for communicating the power requirements of the portable electronic device to the micro-controller in the transmitter; and

an external power source with a local oscillator connected to the first micro-controller for controlling a RF integrated chip to adjust phase and relative magnitudes of the RF waves to form constructive interference patterns or multiple pocket-forming to converge pockets of energy in 3-d space to charge or power at least one portable electronic device.

11. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the multiple pocket-forming computes the phase and gain from each antenna of the transmitter to each antenna of the receiver and wherein the calculations are independent form one another because of multiple paths generated by antenna from the transmitter to each antenna of the receiver.

12. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the two or more receivers operate at different frequencies to avoid power losses during wireless power transmission.

13. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 10, further including multiple embedded antennas in an array of the transmitter wherein a single frequency is transmitted by each antenna array.

14. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the antennas in the array operate at 2.4 GHz while another array operates at 5.8 GHz.

15. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first and second micro-controllers communicate on standard wireless communication protocols of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Zigbee.

16. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein of claim 10, wherein the antennas operate in frequency bands of 900 MHz, 2.5 GHz or 5.8 GHz bands.

17. The system for wireless power transmission to improve battery life in a portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the antenna is divided into several antennas during wireless power transmission to match the frequency required by each receiver while avoiding wireless power transmission power losses in the transmission of the multiple pocket-forming to converge pockets of energy corresponding to the needs of each receiver connected to different portable electronic devices.

18. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein further including multiple adaptive pocket-forming inside a room to multiple portable electronic devices including a tablet, a smartphone and a notebook computer each having the receiver embedded therein or the receiver as a separate adapter connected thereto to charge or power multiple portable electronic devices with pockets of energy having different frequencies according to the electronic device being charged or powered.

19. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the transmitter is hanged on a wall of a room for transmitting the multiple pocket-forming to converge pockets of energy in and space to each portable electronic device within the room to avoid obstacles.

20. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the micro-controller within the transmitter recalibrates the RF signals sent from each receiver to adjust gain and phase to form conjugates taking into account the built-in phase of each omni-directional antenna to focus the RF waves in two channels following the paths that are the most efficient paths to form pockets of energy on each receiver that avoids obstacles or living tissue through multiple pocket-forming.