Proximity Transmitters For Wireless Power Charging Systems

• US 20160183056A1
• Filed: 12/24/2015
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: LEABMAN, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,021,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods addressing the shortcomings in the art, and may also provide additional or alternative advantages as well. The embodiments described herein provide a wireless charging proximity transmitter configured to intelligently generate waveforms of various types, such as radio-frequency waves and ultrasound waves, among others. The wireless charging transmitter may be used for providing energy to a receiver that is proximately located to the transmitter. The receiver may be coupled to, or may be a component of, an electrical device that is intended to receive the power from the wave-based energy produced by the wireless proximity transmitter.

Claims

1. A transmitter device for wireless power charging, the transmitter comprising:

an interface of a type of connection configured to couple to a computing device at a corresponding interface of the type of connection of the computing device, and to receive electrical current from the computing device via the corresponding interface of the computing device; and

a first set of one or more antennas configured to transmit one or more power waves to the receiver when the device associated with the receiver is within a proximity threshold to the transmitter.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first set of one or more antennas consists of one antenna configured to transmit one power wave to the receiver.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter device further includes a communications component configured to receive one or more communications signals from a device associated with the receiver, and wherein the one or more power waves are independent from the one or more communications signals.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the communications signals are selected from the group consisting of:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®

, ZigBee, RFID, and NFC.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the proximity threshold is a distance from the transmitter, and is selected from a range of about 1/16 inch to about twelve inches.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first set of one or more antennas is situated at a portion of the transmitter facing a first vector, and configured to transmit the one or more power waves at the first vector.

7. The device according to claim 6, further comprising a second set of one or more antennas situated at a second portion of the transmitter facing a second vector and configured to transmit one or more power waves at the second vector.

8. The device according to claim 7, further comprising a controller configured to activate the first set of one or more antennas or the second set of one or more antennas based upon the location of the device associated with the receiver with respect to the transmitter.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to activate the first set of one or more antennas upon determining that the location of the device associated with the receiver is within the first vector, and activate the second set of one or more antennas upon determining that the location of the device associated with the receivers is within the second vector.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the type of connection among the interface and the corresponding interface of the computing device is selected from the group consisting of:

universal service bus (USB), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), Firewire, Thunderbolt, and Ethernet.

11. A method of wireless charging, the method comprising:

receiving, by a proximity transmitter comprising an interface configured to couple the proximity transmitter at a corresponding interface of a computing device, electric current from a computing device via a corresponding interface between the computing device and the interface transmitter device; and

transmitting, by a first set of one or more antennas of the proximity transmitter, one or more power waves at a direction of a device associated with a receiver when the device associated with the receiver is a distance from the proximity transmitter satisfying a proximity threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first set of one or more antennas of the proximity transmitter consists of one antenna, and the one antenna transmits one power wave.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the type of connection of among the proximity transmitter and the corresponding interface of the computing device is a type of connection selected from the group consisting of:

universal service bus (USB), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), Firewire, Thunderbolt, and Ethernet.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising uploading, by the proximity transmitter, to the computing device via the interface one or more software modules configuring the computing device to generate the operational data or instructions associated with the proximity transmitter.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting the one or more power waves to the receiver further comprises:

receiving, by the proximity transmitter, from the computing device operational instructions instructing the proximity transmitter to transmit the one or more power waves to the receiver.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting the one or more power waves further comprises:

receiving, by the proximity transmitter, from the computing device operational data indicating the direction of the device associated with the receiver.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting the one or more power waves further comprises:

determining, by the proximity transmitter, the distance of the receiver based upon a signal strength of one or more communications signals received from the device associated with the receiver.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting the one or more power waves further comprises:

identifying, by the proximity transmitter, from one or more sets of antennas of the proximity transmitter, the set of one or more antennas configured to transmit one or more power waves in the direction of the receiver, based upon a location of the device associated with the receiver.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein each respective set of antennas of the proximity transmitter is configured to transmit one or more power waves through a respectively corresponding external surface of the proximity transmitter.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting the one or more power waves further comprises:

receiving, by a communications component of the proximity transmitter, from the device associated with the receiver one or more communications signals containing operational data indicating a location of the device associated with the receiver with respect to the proximity transmitter,

wherein the location indicates at least one of the direction of the device associated with the receiver with respect to the proximity transmitter and the distance of the device associated with the receiver from the proximity transmitter.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the communications signals are selected from the group consisting of:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®

, ZigBee, RFID, and NFC.

22. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

halting, by the proximity transmitter, the one or more power waves upon determining that device associated with the receiver fails to satisfy the proximity threshold.