SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REAL TIME OR NEAR REAL TIME WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20170110889A1
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• 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 10,186,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and devices using an improved wireless communications component that allows for real time or near-real time data sampling reporting between devices using modified wireless communications protocols (e.g., Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi), and real time or near-real time behavior adjustments by a first device based on the data samples received from a second device. Embodiments disclosed herein comprise devices, such as receivers and transmitters, having communications components that may communicate data samples, such as power values, in real time or near-real time, thereby allowing a first device (e.g., transmitter) to adjust in real time or near-real time operational behavior of the first device'"'"'s hardware or software (e.g., adjust power waves) based upon the data samples (e.g., power values) received from a second device (e.g., receiver).

Claims

1. A method for wireless power transmission comprising:

continuously and consecutively receiving, by a communications component of a transmitter, one or more power messages from a receiver, each respective power message containing at least one power value associated with one or more power waves generated by the transmitter;

upon receiving each consecutive power message, determining, by a processor of the transmitter, whether to adjust a characteristic of the one or more power waves based upon the at least one power value of the power message; and

upon receiving at least one power message comprising a flag bit, transmitting, by the communications component of the transmitter, to the receiver a second request requesting the one or more power values.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the transmitter, the one or more power waves to a location associated with the receiver.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising transmitting, by the communications component of the transmitter, to the receiver a first request requesting one or more power values associated with the one or more power waves transmitted by the transmitter.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein determining whether to adjust the characteristic of the one or more power waves further comprises:

determining, by the processor of the transmitter, an effectiveness of the one or more power waves based on an amount of power of the one or more power waves and an amount of power indicated by the least one power value in the one or more power messages.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein determining whether to adjust the characteristic of the one or more power waves further comprises:

adjusting, by the transmitter, the one or more power waves to converge at a refined location associated with the receiver based upon the effectiveness of the one or more power waves.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the transmitter adjusts the one or more power waves upon determining that the effectiveness of the one or more power waves does not satisfy a threshold level.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to adjust the one or more power waves in near-real time, in response to receiving each consecutive power message.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second request is configured to reset one or more buffer memories of a communications component of the receiver.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the one or more power waves is selected from the group consisting of:

a frequency, an amplitude, a power level, a phase, and a polarization.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication component of the transmitter comprises one or more chips configured to communicate via a Bluetooth®

wireless protocol.

11. A transmitter device comprising:

a communications component configured to continuously and consecutively receive one or more power messages from a receiver, each respective power message containing at least one power value associated with one or more power waves generated by the transmitter device, and the one or more power messages received via a communications signal independent of the one or more power waves; and

a processor configured to;

determine whether to adjust a characteristic of the one or more power waves based upon the at least one power value of each consecutive power message; and

instruct the communications component to transmit to the receiver a request requesting the one or more power values associated with the one or more power waves, upon receiving at least one power message comprising a flag bit.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising an array of one or more antennas configured to transmit the one or more power waves to a location associated with the receiver.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the communications component of the transmitter device is further configured to transmit to the receiver an initial request requesting the one or more power values associated with the one or more power waves.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the processor of the transmitter is further configured to determine an effectiveness of the one or more power waves based on an amount of power of the one or more power waves transmitted to the location associated with the receiver and the at least one power value received in each power message.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the processor of the transmitter is further configured to adjust the at least one characteristic of the one or more power waves to converge at a refined location associated with the receiver based upon the effective of the one or more power waves.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the processor of the transmitter is further configured to adjust the one or more power waves upon determining that the effectiveness of the one or more power waves do not satisfy an effectiveness threshold.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein the one or more antennas are further configured to transmit the one or more power waves to converge at the refined location according to the at least one characteristic adjusted by the processor of the transmitter.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein the transmitter is configured to adjust the one or more power waves in near-real time, in response to receiving each consecutive power message.

19. The device according to claim 11 wherein the characteristic of the one or more power waves is selected from the group consisting of:

a frequency, an amplitude, a power level, a phase, and a polarization.

20. The device according to claim 11, wherein the communication component of the transmitter comprises one or more chips configured to communicate via a Bluetooth®

wireless protocol.