SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF OBJECT DETECTION IN WIRELESS POWER CHARGING SYSTEMS

• US 20170077764A1
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: BELL, Douglas, LEABMAN, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,291,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein discloses a wireless charging system configured to generate and transmit power waves that, due to physical waveform characteristics converge at a predetermined location in a transmission field to generate a pocket of energy. Receivers associated with an electronic device being powered by the wireless charging system, may extract energy from these pocket of energy and then convert that energy into usable electric power for the electronic device associated with a receiver. The pocket of energy may manifest as a three-dimensional field (e.g., transmission field) where energy may be harvested by a receiver positioned within or nearby the pocket of energy. Video sensors capture actual video images of fields of view within the transmission field, and a processor identifies selected objects, selected events, and/or selected locations within the captured video images.

Claims

1. A system for wireless power transmission comprising:

a video camera for capturing image data of at least a portion of a transmission field of the transmitter, wherein the image data comprises a visual pattern; and

a processor of the transmitter configured to;

identify an object when the visual pattern matches a pre-stored visual pattern representing the object; and

control transmission of one or more power transmission waves based on a location of the identified object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the video camera is selected from a group consisting of infrared cameras, thermal cameras, and visible light cameras.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the video camera is an integral component of the transmitter.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein pre-stored visual patterns are selected from a group consisting of points, lines, colors, shape, and letters.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more video cameras, and wherein a trigger unit for triggering the capture of the image data by the one or more video cameras, and wherein the one or more video cameras are triggered in a sequence by a central clock signal generated by the trigger unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the one or more video cameras have their own synchronized clocks.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive two-dimensional coordinates of the identified object from the video camera.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to create a third dimension coordinate for the identified object based on the two-dimensional coordinates and using the transmitter as a frame of reference for the identified object to generate three-dimensional coordinates of the identified object.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified object corresponds to a receiver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified object corresponds to a living being.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the processor, two-dimensional coordinates of the identified object from the video camera.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising creating, by the processor, a third dimension coordinate for the identified object based on the two-dimensional coordinates and using the transmitter as a frame of reference for the identified object to generate three-dimensional coordinates of the identified object.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identified object corresponds to a receiver.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identified object corresponds to a living being.

11. A computer-implemented method for wireless power transmission comprising:

generating, by a video camera of a transmitter, image data of at least a portion of a transmission field, wherein the image data comprises a visual pattern;

identifying, by a processor of the transmitter, an object when the visual pattern matches a pre-stored visual pattern representing the object; and

controlling, by the processor, transmission of one or more power transmission waves based on a location of the identified object.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the video camera is selected from a group consisting of infrared cameras, thermal cameras, and visible light cameras.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the video camera is an integral component of the transmitter.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein pre-stored visual patterns are selected from a group consisting of points, lines, colors, shape, and letters.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising triggering, by a trigger unit of the transmitter, the capture of the image data by one or more video cameras, wherein the one or more video cameras are triggered in a sequence by a central clock signal generated by the trigger unit.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein each of the one or more video cameras have their own synchronized clocks.