Concurrent wireless power transfer and data communication

• US 9,602,955 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2015
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Cronie, Harm, Ma, Xudong
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US14/717,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20160345121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2636 with FFT or DFT modulators, e.g. standard single-carrier frequency-division multiple access [SC-FDMA] transmitter or DFT spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing [DFT-SOFDM]
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for concurrent wireless power transfer and data transmission are provided. A constraint encoder receives data bits for communication to a mobile device and encodes the data bits onto a transmit signal. The constraint encoder specifies signal constraints that cause the transmit signal to have a peak-to-power-average ratio (PAPR) during a given time interval sufficient to provide wireless power transfer to the mobile device. The system also includes a signal generator coupled to the constraint encoder. The signal generator generates the transmit signal according to the signal constraints. The system further includes a transmitter coil that is coupled to the signal generator. The transmitter coil is configured to transmit the transmit signal that has been encoded with the data bits to receiver coils of the mobile device. The encoded transmit signal is able to provide wireless power transfer and the encoded data bits to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A system to enable both wireless power transfer and data communication by use of a same transmit signal to one or more mobile devices, the system comprising:

a constraint encoder that is configured to receive data bits for communication to the one or more mobile devices and to encode the data bits onto a transmit signal;

the constraint encoder further configured to specify, based on the received data bits, one or more signal constraints that change frequency, phase, or amplitude components of the transmit signal to cause the transmit signal to have at least a specified peak-to-power-average ratio (PAPR) during a given time interval sufficient to provide the wireless power transfer to the one or more mobile devices, wherein the specified one or more signal constraints are selected to maintain the specified PAPR during the given time interval;

a signal generator coupled to the constraint encoder and configured to generate the transmit signal according to the one or more signal constraints; and

a transmitter coil that is coupled to the signal generator and is configured to transmit the transmit signal that has been encoded with the data bits to one or more receiver coils of the one or more mobile devices, the encoded transmit signal able to provide the wireless power transfer and the encoded data bits to the one or more mobile devices.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a driver coupled between the signal generator and the transmitter coil and configured to drive the transmitter coil.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter coil includes a matching network configured to match the transmitter coil to the signal generator.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmit signal generated by the signal generator comprises a superposition of n sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein to encode the received data bits, the constraint encoder is configured to encode the received data bits onto a subset m of the n sinusoidal signals, which have linearly spaced frequencies and zero initial phase difference.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transmit signal has the specified PAPR sufficient to provide the wireless power transfer at a beginning of the given time interval.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein to encode the received data bits, the constraint encoder is configured to encode the received data bits onto a subset m of the n sinusoidal signals, which have an initial phase chosen in relation to a frequency from a discrete set.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmit signal generated by the signal generator comprises consecutive blocks of signals.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the consecutive blocks of signals comprise a superposition of n sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a duration of each block of signal is the given time interval.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the given time interval is 1 microsecond.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the given time interval is 1 microsecond.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more signal constraints include one or more of frequency, phase, and amplitude.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the constraint encoder is configured to map the received data bits to a balanced vector that specifies an amplitude and frequency for n sinusoidal signals, and wherein the signal generator is configured to generate the transmit signal as a superposition of at least some of the n sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer, based on the amplitude specified in the balanced vector.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the signal generator is configured to generate the transmit signal as a subset m of the n sinusoidal signals, wherein the subset m includes those sinusoidal signals with an amplitude of 1.

16. A method to enable both wireless power transfer and data communication using a same transmit signal to one or more mobile devices so that the one or more mobile devices can be charged and receive the data communication concurrently, the method comprising:

receiving data bits for communication to the one or more mobile devices;

specifying, based on the received data bits, one or more signal constraints that change frequency, phase, or amplitude components of the transmit signal, resulting in the transmit signal having at least a specified peak-to-power-average ratio (PAPR) during a given time interval sufficient to provide the wireless power transfer to the one or more mobile devices, wherein the specified one or more signal constraints are selected to maintain the specified PAPR during the given time interval;

generating the transmit signal according to the one or more signal constraints;

encoding the data bits onto the transmit signal; and

transmitting the transmit signal that has been encoded with the data bits to the one or more mobile devices to provide the wireless power transfer and the encoded data bits to the one or more mobile devices.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

amplifying the transmit signal prior to transmitting the signal to the one or more mobile devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the transmit signal comprises generating the transmit signal to include a superposition of n sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein encoding the data bits onto the transmit signal comprises encoding the received data bits onto a subset m of the n sinusoidal signals, which have linearly spaced frequencies and zero initial phase difference.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating the transmit signal includes generating the transmit signal to have the specified PAPR sufficient to provide the wireless power transfer at a beginning of the given time interval.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein encoding the data bits onto the transmit signal comprises encoding the received data bits onto a subset m of the n sinusoidal signals having an initial phase chosen in relation to a frequency from a discrete set.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the transmit signal comprises generating the transmit signal to include consecutive blocks of signals.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the transmit signal to include consecutive blocks of signals includes generating the transmit signal to have consecutive blocks of signals that comprise a superposition of n sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a length of each block of signal is the given time interval.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the given time interval is 1 microsecond.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the given time interval is 1 microsecond.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more signal constraints include one or more of frequency, phase, and amplitude.

28. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

mapping the received data bits to a balanced vector that specifies an amplitude and frequency for n sinusoidal signals,

wherein generating the transmit signal includes generating the transmit signal as a superposition of at least some of the n sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer, based on the amplitudes specified in the balanced vector.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

generating the transmit signal includes generating the transmit signal as subset m of the n sinusoidal signals, wherein the subset m includes those sinusoidal signals with an amplitude of 1.

30. A system to enable a mobile device to receive both wireless power transfer and data communication from a same received transmit signal, the system comprising:

a receiver coil, implemented in the mobile device, that is configured to communicatively couple with a transmitter coil and to receive a transmit signal generated by the transmitter coil;

a converter coupled to the receiver coil and configured to extract power from the transmit signal received by the receiver coil; and

a constraint decoder coupled to the receiver coil and configured to decode one or more data bits encoded in the transmit signal received by the receiver coil based on one or more signal constraints that change frequency, phase, or amplitude components of the transmit signal, so as to enable the transmit signal received by the receiver coil to transmit the one or more data bits and to have at least a specified peak-to-power-average ratio (PAPR) during a given time interval sufficient to provide the wireless power transfer to the mobile device, wherein the one or more signal constraints are selected to maintain the specified PAPR during the given time interval.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the converter comprises a rectifier that is configured to deliver direct current to a rechargeable battery of the mobile device.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the receiver coil includes a matching network configured to match the receiver coil to the converter and constraint decoder.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the constraint decoder is configured to map the received data bits to a balanced vector that specifies an amplitude and frequency for n superimposed sinusoidal signals, and wherein the constraint decoder is configured to decode the data bits from the n superimposed sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer, based on the amplitudes specified in the balanced vector.

34. A method to enable a mobile device to receive both wireless power transfer and data communication from a same received transmit signal so that the mobile device can be charged and receive the data communication concurrently, the method comprising:

receiving, at a receiver coil from a transmitter coil, a transmit signal;

extracting power from the received transmit signal; and

decoding one or more data bits encoded in the received transmit signal based on one or more signal constraints that change frequency, phase, or amplitude components of the transmit signal, enabling the received transmit signal to transmit the one or more data bits and to have at least a specified peak-to-power-average ratio (PAPR) during a given time interval sufficient to provide the wireless power transfer to the mobile device, wherein the one or more signal constraints are selected to maintain the specified PAPR during the given time interval.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein extracting power from the received transmit signal comprises providing the power to charge a battery of the mobile device.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein decoding one or more data bits comprises:

mapping the received one or more data bits to a balanced vector that specifies an amplitude and frequency for n superimposed sinusoidal signals; and

decoding the one or more data bits from the n superimposed sinusoidal signals, wherein n is an integer, based on the amplitudes specified in the balanced vector.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein decoding the one or more data bits further comprises:

decoding a subset m of the n sinusoidal signals, where the subset m includes those sinusoidal signals with an amplitude of 1.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the mobile device is electrically coupled with the transmitter coil.