IDENTIFYING RECEIVERS IN A WIRELESS CHARGING TRANSMISSION FIELD

• US 20170077995A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: LEABMAN, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,906,275 B2
• 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: 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 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• 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

Embodiments disclosed herein may generate and transmit power waves that, as result of their physical waveform characteristics (e.g., frequency, amplitude, phase, gain, direction), 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 pockets of energy and then convert that energy into usable electric power for the electronic device associated with a receiver. The pockets 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.

Claims

1. A device-implemented method comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter, an exploratory wave to a first segment of a transmission field comprising a plurality of segments; and

determining, by the transmitter, a sub-segment of the first segment containing a receiver upon receiving a communications signal from the receiver indicating that the receiver received the exploratory wave in the sub-segment of the first segment.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, by the transmitter, a set of one or more characteristics of one or more power waves to transmit to the receiver at the first location based upon a set of parameters received in the communication signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising transmitting, by the transmitter, the one or more power waves to the receiver, whereby the one or more power waves converge constructively to form a pocket of energy at the location.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communications signal includes a power level indication associated with the exploratory wave.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the receiver determines whether the power level of the exploratory power wave exceeds a threshold amount of energy for detecting the receiver.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising, determining, by the transmitter, whether the power level of the exploratory wave exceeds a threshold amount of energy for detecting the receiver based upon the communications signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transmitter identifies the receiver in a particular segment or sub-segment upon receiving the communications signal indicating that the power level of the exploratory wave exceeds the threshold amount of energy for detecting the receiver.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transmitter transmits the one or more power waves upon determining that the power level of the exploratory wave exceeds the threshold amount of energy for detecting the receiver.

9. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter, to a plurality of segments of a transmission field sequentially, an exploratory power wave and a communications signal for each respective segment in the transmission field, wherein the communications signal transmitted to each respective segment contains data indicating the respective segment to which the exploratory power wave is transmitted;

upon receiving a response message from a receiver at a first location within a first segment of the transmission field;

transmitting, by the transmitter, sequentially to one or more sub-segments of the first segment, an exploratory power wave and a communications signal, for each respective sub-segment in the first segment, wherein the communications signal transmitted to each respective sub-segment contains data indicating the respective sub-segment to which the exploratory power wave is transmitted;

determining, by the transmitter, a set of one or more characteristics of one or more power waves to transmit to the receiver at the first location; and

generating, by the transmitter, the one or more power waves having the one or more characteristics.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising transmitting, by the transmitter, the one or more power waves having the one or more characteristics to the first location.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising storing, by the transmitter, a set of parameters corresponding to the one or more characteristics into a record of the device into a mapping memory.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the data indicating to which respective segment the exploratory power wave is transmitted comprises one or more parameters used to generate the exploratory power wave.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a parameter in the one or more parameters used to generate the exploratory power wave is selected from the group consisting of:

a distance coordinate, a height coordinate, a lateral coordinate, an azimuth, an elevation, and a power level.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising identifying, by the transmitter, a displacement of the receiver to a second location based upon data contained within an updated transmission response.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the transmitter, one or more updated characteristics of the one or more power waves based upon the displacement of the receiver; and

transmitting, by the transmitter, the one or more power waves having the updated characteristics to the second location.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising updating, by the transmitter, the record of the receiver based up on the one or more characteristics of the second location.

17. The method according to claim 9, further comprising identifying, by the transmitter, a rate of displacement of the receiver based upon a plurality of updated transmission responses indicating a plurality of new locations within the transmission field.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining, by the transmitter, a second location of the receiver based upon the rate of displacement;

determining, by the transmitter, one or more updated characteristics of the one or more power waves based upon the second location of the receiver; and

transmitting, by the transmitter, the one or more power haves having the updated characteristics to the second location.

19. The method according to claim 9, wherein, upon the transmitter receiving a second response message from a second receiver at a second location within a second segment of the transmission field:

transmitting, by the transmitter, sequentially to one or more sub-segments of the second segment, an exploratory power wave and a communications signal, for each respective sub-segment in the second segment, wherein the communications signal transmitted to each respective sub-segment contains data indicating the respective sub-segment in the second segment to which the exploratory power wave is transmitted;

determining, by the transmitter, a set of one or more characteristics of one or more power waves to transmit to the second receiver at the second location; and

transmitting, by the transmitter, to the second location in the sub-segment of the second segment, the one or more power waves having the one or more characteristics.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the transmitter comprises one or more antennas, a first subset of antennas configured to transmit one or more power waves to the first location in the transmission field, and a second subset of antennas configured to transmit the one or more power waves to the second location in the transmission field.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the transmitter further comprises a third subset of antennas configured to continuously transmit an exploratory power wave to each respective segment of the transmission field.

22. A wireless charging system comprising:

a mapping database comprising non-transitory machine-readable storage media configured to store one or more records of one or more receivers in a transmission field; and

a transmitter comprising;

an array of one or more antennas configured to transmit one or more power waves having one or more characteristics according to a transmitter processor;

a communications component configured to communicate one or more communications signals with one or more receivers according to the transmitter processor; and

the transmitter processor comprising instructions for the transmitter to;

transmit a plurality of segments of a transmission field sequentially, an exploratory power wave and a communications signal, for each respective segment in the transmission field, wherein the communications signal transmitted to each respective segment contains data indicating the respective segment to which the exploratory power wave is transmitted;

upon receiving a response message from a receiver at a first location within a first segment of the transmission field, transmit sequentially to one or more sub-segments of the first segment, an exploratory power wave and a communications signal, for each respective sub-segment in the first segment, wherein the communications signal transmitted to each respective sub-segment contains data indicating the respective sub-segment to which the exploratory power wave is transmitted;

determine a set of one or more characteristics of one or more power waves to transmit to the receiver at the first location; and

generate the one or more power waves having the one or more characteristics.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the transmitter to transmit the one or more power waves having the one or more characteristics to the first location.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the transmitter to store a set of parameters corresponding to the one or more characteristics into a record of the device into a mapping memory.

25. The system according to claim 22, wherein the data indicating to which respective segment the exploratory power wave is transmitted comprises one or more parameters used to generate the exploratory power wave, and

wherein a parameter in the one or more parameters used to generate the exploratory power wave is selected from the group consisting of:

a distance coordinate, a height coordinate, a lateral coordinate, an azimuth, an elevation, and a power level.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the transmitter processor is further configured to identify a displacement of the receiver to a second location based upon data contained within an updated transmission response receiving by the communications component of the transmitter.

27. The system according to claim 26,

wherein the transmitter processor is further configured to determine one or more updated characteristics of the one or more power waves based upon the displacement of the receiver;

and

wherein the antenna array of the transmitter is further configured to transmit the one or more power waves having the updated characteristics to the second location.

28. The system according to claim 22, wherein, upon the communications component of the transmitter receiving a second response message from a second receiver at a second location within a second segment of the transmission field, the transmitter processor is further configured to:

sequentially transmit to one or more sub-segments of the second segment, an exploratory power wave and a communications signal, for each respective sub-segment in the second segment, wherein the communications signal transmitted to each respective sub-segment contains data indicating the respective sub-segment in the second segment to which the exploratory power wave is transmitted;

determine a set of one or more characteristics of one or more power waves to transmit to the second receiver at the second location; and

transmit to the second location in the sub-segment of the second segment, the one or more power waves having the one or more characteristics.