METHODOLOGY FOR MULTIPLE POCKET-FORMING

• US 20160241044A1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Leabman, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US14/622,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20160241044A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

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 sound power transmission to a portable electronic device, comprising:

sending short SW signals from a receiver through an antenna;

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

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

transmitting pockets of energy consisting of SW waves from the transmitter through the at least two SW transducers to a sensor in the receiver;

establishing channels or paths between the transmitter and the receiver for transmitting SW waves to converge in 3-D space with phase or relative amplitude adjustments to form constructive inteSWerence 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 SW waves from the multiple pockets of energy and converting the rectified SW 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 inteSWering with the SW 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 transducers and the method further including allowing the SW signals to bounce over the walk 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 SW transducers, at least one SW integrated circuit for generating SW waves, a digital signal processor and a first communication circuitry operating on short SW signals; and

said SW integrated circuit including power circuitry for generating pockets of energy to fully or partially power the portable electronic device having a receiver with a sensor and a second communication circuitry for generating short SW signals to the transmitter to determine optimum times and locations for multiple pocket-forming to converge SW waves in 3-D space on the sensor of the receiver for converting the pockets of energy into a constant DC voltage for 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 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 SW 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 transducers are made of plastic, rubber or other suitable material for transmission and reception of power or communication SW waves or SW signals, respectively, for operating in ultrasonic frequency bands of less than 60 kHz.

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

a transmitter for generating SW waves and short SW signals having at least two SW transducers to transmit the generated SW waves through the transducers in constructive inteSWerence patterns;

a first micro-controller within the transmitter for controlling constructive interference patterns of the generated SW 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 transducer 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 SW integrated chip to adjust phase and relative magnitudes of the SW 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 transducer of the transmitter to each transducer of the receiver and wherein the calculations are independent form one another because of multiple paths generated by transducer from the transmitter to each transducer 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 transducers in an array of the transmitter wherein a single frequency is transmitted by each transducer array.

14. The system for multiple pocket-forming in wireless power transmission to a portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the transducers in the array operate at less than 60 KHz while another array operates at a second frequency less than 60 KHz.

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 further 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 the transducers operate in frequency bands of less than 60 KHz.

17. The system for wireless power transmission to improve battery life in a portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the transducer is divided into several transducers 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 3-d 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 SW signals sent from each receiver to adjust gain and phase to form conjugates taking into account the built-in phase of each omni-directional transducer to focus the SW waves in two channels following the that are the most efficient paths to form pockets of energy on each receiver that avoids obstacles or living tissue through multiple pocket-forming.