MODULAR ANTENNAS IN WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS

• US 20170187248A1
• Filed: 03/03/2016
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: LEABMAN, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,164,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves

Abstract

A wireless power transmission system includes a transmitter configured to transmit power waves including printed circuit boards where a printed circuit board and antenna boards, where each antenna board comprises one or more antenna elements, at least one antenna board resides on a printed circuit board, and the at least one antenna board is connected with a power feeding line. The transmitter further includes a heat sink attached to the at least one printed circuit board, wherein placement of the heat sink with respect to the at least one antenna board comprising the one or more antenna elements and shape of the heat sink is configured such that the heat sink operates as a reflector to direct wireless power waves transmitted from the at least one antenna board in a pre-determined direction.

Claims

1. An antenna board comprising:

one or more antenna elements configured to transmit one or more power waves, wherein the antenna board is configured to detachably connect to a transmitter board, and wherein the transmitter board comprises a port configured to receive the antenna board.

2. The antenna board according to claim 1, comprising a complimentary port configured to connect with the port of the transmitter board.

3. The antenna board according to claim 2, wherein the transmitter board comprises a processor configured to activate the port when the antenna board is connected to the port.

4. The antenna board according to claim 3, wherein the processor controls the transmission of the one or more power waves from the antenna board to form a pocket of energy in a transmission field of a transmitter.

5. The antenna board according to claim 1, wherein the one or more antenna elements are made of ceramic, and wherein the ceramic is alumina.

6. The antenna board according to claim 1, wherein an antenna element of the one or more antenna elements o is a resonator element configured to radiate a wireless signal, and a substrate is embedding the resonator element.

7. The antenna board according to claim 6, wherein the resonator element is cylindrical, and wherein the substrate is cylindrical.

8. The antenna board according to claim 1, wherein a casting of a dielectric is embedding the one or more antenna elements, and wherein the casting is silicon.

9. The antenna board according to claim 1, wherein each antenna element of the one or more antenna elements comprises an antenna mount defining an opening configured to operate as a resonator for transferring an RF signal.

11. The antenna board according to claim 1, wherein the antenna board is frictionally engaged to the port.

10. The antenna board according to claim 10, wherein the resonator is configured as a Yagi antenna.

12. A transmitter in a wireless power transmission system comprising:

an antenna board comprising one or more antenna elements configured to transmit one or more power waves; and

a processor configured to detachably connect the antenna board to a transmitter board, and wherein the transmitter board comprises a port configured to receive the antenna board.

13. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein the processor controls the transmission of the one or more power waves from the antenna board connected to the transmitted board to form a pocket of energy in a transmission field of the transmitter.

14. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to selectively activate antenna elements from the one or more antenna elements based on power required to charge electronic devices in a transmission field of the transmitter.

15. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein an antenna element of the one or more antenna elements is a patch antenna configured to irradiate wireless signals.

16. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein an antenna element of the one or more antenna elements comprises a plurality of horizontal resonator elements, wherein each horizontal resonator element is being planar, vertically aligned, and substantially parallel with at least one other horizontal resonator element.

17. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein a heat sink is attached to the transmitter board.

18. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein antenna switches are connected to each antenna element of the one or more antenna elements, and wherein one or more filters are connected to the antenna switches.

19. The transmitter according to claim 12, further comprises a locking mechanism to hold the antenna board in the port.

20. The transmitter according to claim 12, wherein the one or more power waves are radio frequency waves.