System and method for self-system analysis for detecting a fault in a wireless power transmission Network

• US 9,954,374 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, Douglas, Leabman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US14/585,291
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 307100-109
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• 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 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• 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

The embodiments described herein include a transmitter that transmits a power transmission signal (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signal waves) to create a three-dimensional pocket of energy. At least one receiver can be connected to or integrated into electronic devices and receive power from the pocket of energy. A wireless power network may include a plurality of wireless power transmitters each with an embedded wireless power transmitter manager, including a wireless power manager application. The wireless power network may include a plurality of client devices with wireless power receivers. Wireless power receivers may include a power receiver application configured to communicate with the wireless power manager application. The wireless power manager application may include a device database where information about the wireless power network may be stored.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wirelessly providing power, comprising:

a far-field wireless power transmitter comprising;

a power transmitter manager, operatively coupled to the far-field wireless power transmitter, wherein the power transmitter manager is configured to;

control power transmission signals to form constructive interference patterns as three-dimensional pockets of energy for providing power from the far-field wireless power transmitter to a receiver assigned to the power transmitter manager according to the receiver'"'"'s location and movement, and

detect a fault in at least one of (i) the far-field wireless power transmitter and (ii) the receiver that is assigned to the power transmitter manager;

a communication apparatus configured for communicating the detected fault to a server that is remote from the far-field wireless power transmitter and the power transmitter manager; and

a storage device operatively coupled to the power transmitter manager, the storage device being configured to;

store information that includes the detected fault, and

communicate the information, via a cloud-based service, to the server and other power transmitter managers, and each of the other power transmitter managers is operatively coupled with one of a plurality of other far-field wireless power transmitters,

wherein the power transmitter manager analyzes the detected fault to determine a recommendation for resolving the detected fault.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power transmission signals comprise radio frequency (RF) waves.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power transmission manager is configured to process the information that includes the detected fault to determine at least one of quality control information, status of a device associated with the receiver, far-field wireless power transmitter configuration, control, statistics and problem reports.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the assignment of the receiver to the power transmitter manager further includes that the power transmitter manager has exclusive control and authority to change the receiver'"'"'s record in the storage device until the receiver moves to a new location closer to another wireless power transmitter manager.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power transmitter manager is configured to update the stored information in response to the detected fault.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stored information for a device associated with the receiver comprises at least one of (1) a power schedule for the device, (2) location of the device, (3) movement of the device, (4) configuration of the device, (5) amount of power used by the device, (6) amount of power transmitted to the device from the wireless power transmitter, (7) pairing of the device with the apparatus, and (8) other wireless power devices registered with the device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the other power transmitter managers, the other far-field wireless power transmitters, the power transmitter manager, and the far-field wireless power transmitter are each registered with a single wireless power transmission network.

8. A method for wirelessly providing power in an apparatus, comprising:

controlling, by a power transmitter manager of a far-field wireless power transmitter, to form constructive interference patterns as three-dimensional pockets of energy for providing power from the far-field wireless power transmitter to a receiver assigned to the power transmitter manager according to the receiver'"'"'s location and movement;

detecting, by the far-field wireless power transmitter, a fault in at least one of (i) the far-field wireless power transmitter and (ii) the receiver that is assigned to the power transmitter manager;

transmitting, by a communication apparatus of the far-field wireless power transmitter, the detected fault to a server that is remote from the far-field wireless power transmitter and the power transmitter manager;

storing information that includes the detected fault, by a storage device of the far-field wireless power transmitter, the storage device is operatively coupled to the power transmitter manager; and

communicating the information, by the far-field wireless power transmitter, via a cloud-based service, to the server and other power transmitter managers, and each of the other power transmitter managers is operatively coupled with one of a plurality of other far-field wireless power transmitters,

wherein the power transmitter manager analyzes the detected fault to determine a recommendation for resolving the detected fault.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the assignment of the receiver to the power transmitter manager further includes that the power transmitter manager has exclusive control and authority to change the receiver'"'"'s record in the storage device until the receiver moves to a new location closer to another wireless power transmitter manager.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting step transmits the recommendation together with the detected fault.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving a second recommendation from the cloud-based service in response to the transmitting of the detected fault.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the information for a device associated with the receiver comprises:

at least one of (1) a power schedule for the device, (2) location of the device, (3) movement of the device, (4) configuration of the device, (5) amount of power used by the device, (6) amount of power transmitted to the device from the wireless power transmitter, (7) pairing of the device with The method, and (8) other wireless power devices registered with the device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising updating the information by the wireless power transmitter manager in response to the detected fault.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a far-field wireless power transmitter, cause the far-field wireless power transmitter to perform operations comprising:

controlling, by a power transmitter manager of the far-field wireless power transmitter, to form constructive interference patterns as three-dimensional pockets of energy for providing power from the far-field wireless power transmitter to a receiver assigned to the power transmitter manager according to the receiver'"'"'s location and movement;

detecting, a fault in at least one of (i) the far-field wireless power transmitter and (ii) the receiver that is assigned to the power transmitter manager;

transmitting, by a communication apparatus of the far-field wireless power transmitter, the detected fault to a server that is remote from the far-field wireless power transmitter and the power transmitter manager,

storing information that includes the detected fault, by a storage device of the far-field wireless power transmitter, the storage device is operatively coupled to the power transmitter manager; and

communicating the information, via a cloud-based service, to the server and other power transmitter managers, and each of the other power transmitter managers is operatively coupled with one of a plurality of other far-field wireless power transmitters,

wherein the power transmitter manager analyzes the detected fault to determine a recommendation for resolving the detected fault.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the communication apparatus is configured to receive a second recommendation from the server in response to the transmission of the detected fault.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the stored information for a device associated with the receiver comprises at least one of (1) a power schedule for the device, (2) location of the device, (3) movement of the device, (4) configuration of the device, (5) amount of power used by the device, (6) amount of power transmitted to the device from the wireless power transmitter, (7) pairing of the device with the apparatus, and (8) other wireless power devices registered with the device, wherein the device is registered with the far-field wireless power transmitter.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the server is configured to receive the stored information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the server is further configured to receive information regarding the receiver'"'"'s location relative to the far-field wireless power transmitter and relative to the other far-field wireless power transmitters.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the assignment of the receiver to the power transmitter manager further includes that the power transmitter manager has exclusive control and authority to change the receiver'"'"'s record in the storage device until the receiver moves to a new location closer to another wireless power transmitter manager.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein each of the other power transmitter managers, the other far-field wireless power transmitters, the power transmitter manager, and the far-field wireless power transmitter are each registered with a single wireless power transmission network.