Receiver controller for wireless power transfer

• US 9,214,151 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Original Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Inventors: Perry, Meredith
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/477,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/107, 307/104, 367/135, 367/137, 367/140
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/18 Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound G10K11/02, G10K11/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/26 Sound-focusing or directing, e.g. scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/341 Circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic waves
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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: H03C 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 5/00 Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal H03C7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/00 Electrostatic transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/00 Transducers other than those covered by groups H04R9/00 - H04R21/00 diaphragms for transducers of the distributed-mode type H04R7/045
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A signal generator generates an electrical signal that is sent to an amplifier, which increases the power of the signal using power from a power source. The amplified signal is fed to a sender transducer to generate ultrasonic waves that can be focused and sent to a receiver. The receiver transducer converts the ultrasonic waves back into electrical energy and stores it in an energy storage device, such as a battery, or uses the electrical energy to power a device. In this way, a device can be remotely charged or powered without having to be tethered to an electrical outlet.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sender comprising;

a signal generator;

an amplifier coupled to the signal generator, said amplifier configured to receive power from a power source and to generate an electrical transmission signal adapted to be used to generate ultrasonic waves;

a sender transducer coupled to the amplifier, the sender transducer adapted and configured to generate ultrasonic waves having a first phase based on the electrical transmission signal received from the amplifier, the first phase based on a first value of a configuration parameter; and

a sender controller coupled to at least one of the signal generator, the amplifier and the sender transducer and adapted to change the first phase to a second phase based on a received second value of the configuration parameter; and

a receiver comprising;

a receiver transducer adapted and configured to receive ultrasonic waves generated by the sender transducer and to generate a receiver electrical signal based on the received ultrasonic waves;

a receiver electrical storage device adapted and configured to store electrical energy based on the receiver electrical signal generated by the receiver transducer;

a receiver controller coupled to at least one of the receiver transducer and the receiver electrical storage device, the receiver controller causing the receiver to receive ultrasonic energy having the first phase based on the first value of the configuration parameter, the ultrasonic energy having the first phase being converted into electrical energy at the receiver at a first efficiency, to receive ultrasonic energy having the second phase based on the second value of the configuration parameter, the ultrasonic energy having the second phase being converted into electrical energy at a second efficiency, wherein the second efficiency is different than the first efficiency.

2. A system having a first value of a configuration parameter, comprising:

a receiver transducer adapted and configured to receive ultrasonic waves generated by the sender transducer and to generate a receiver electrical signal based on the received ultrasonic waves;

a receiver electrical storage device adapted and configured to store electrical energy based on the receiver electrical signal generated by the receiver transducer;

a receiver controller coupled to at least one of the receiver transducer and the receiver electrical storage device, the receiver controller causing the receiver to receive ultrasonic energy having a first phase based on the first value of the configuration parameter, the ultrasonic energy having the first phase being converted into electrical energy by the receiver transducer at a first efficiency, to receive ultrasonic energy in based on a second value of the configuration parameter, the ultrasonic energy having the second phase being converted into electrical energy by the receiver transducer at a second efficiency wherein the second efficiency is different than the first efficiency.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the receiver controller causes the receiver electrical storage device to store energy from the receiver transducer based on the proximity of the receiver transducer to a sender transducer.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a receiver communications device adapted and configured to receive input from a sender.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the input includes the second value of the configuration parameter and further comprising communicating the second configuration parameter to the receiver controller.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the input is communicated to the receiver controller and the second value of the configuration parameter is generated by the receiver controller based upon the input.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the receiver controller changes a steering parameter of the receiver transducer based on the input.

8. A method for controlling a transducer at a receiver having at least a first value of a configuration parameter, comprising:

causing the receiver transducer to receive ultrasonic energy having a first phase based on the first value of the configuration parameter, the ultrasonic energy having the first phase being converted to electrical energy by the receiver transducer at a first efficiency;

causing the receiver transducer to receive ultrasonic energy having a second phase based on a second value of the configuration parameter, the ultrasonic energy having the second phase being converted into electrical energy by the receiver transducer at a second efficiency, wherein the second efficiency is different than the first efficiency.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving input from a sender.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising changing a steering parameter of the receiver transducer based upon the received input.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the input includes the second value of the configuration parameter.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the second value of the configuration parameter based upon the received input.