Near field transmitters for wireless power charging of an electronic device by leaking RF energy through an aperture

• US 10,027,158 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Hosseini, Alister, Leabman, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TAT, BINH C
• Application Number:
  US15/046,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20170187227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 320106-115
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Disclosed is a system including RF circuitry configured to generate an RF signal; a plurality of unit cells configured to receive the RF signal and to cause an RF energy signal having a center frequency to be present within the unit cells; and receiver circuitry configured to charge an electronic device in response to an antenna of the electronic device receiving the RF energy signal when the antenna is tuned to the center frequency and positioned in a near-field distance from one or more of the unit cells.

Claims

1. A near-field transmitter comprising:

a plurality of unit cells configured to receive one or more radio frequency (RF) signals, each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells including;

a metal layer having an interior perimeter that surrounds an aperture defined by the metal layer; and

a patch antenna positioned within the aperture, wherein a perimeter of the patch antenna has a separation from the interior perimeter of the metal layer, the patch antenna being configured to;

(i) receive one of the one or more RF signals, the received RF signal having a frequency based on the separation between the perimeter of the patch antenna and the interior perimeter of the metal layer, and

(ii) radiate the received RF signal as an RF energy signal for charging an electronic device,

wherein the RF energy signal is leaked at least in part through the separation between the perimeter of the patch antenna and the interior perimeter of the metal layer only when an antenna of the electronic device is positioned in a near-field distance from the unit cell.

2. The near-field transmitter of claim 1, wherein each unit cell is configured to retain the received RF energy signal when no antenna tuned to the frequency is positioned within the near-field distance from the unit cell.

3. The near-field transmitter of claim 1, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells is configured to leak the RF energy signal to the antenna of the electronic device when (i) the antenna is tuned to the frequency and (ii) the antenna is positioned in the near-field distance from the unit cell.

4. The near-field transmitter of claim 1, further comprising circuitry configured to generate the one or more RF signals having the frequency.

5. The near-field transmitter of claim 4, wherein:

each unit cell further comprises a conductive line; and

the conductive line in each unit cell electrically couples the patch antenna and the circuitry.

6. The near-field transmitter of claim 5, wherein:

the circuitry further includes an RF port; and

the RF port provides the one or more RF signals to each of the unit cells through the conductive line.

7. The near-field transmitter of claim 6, wherein:

the circuitry further includes a ground plane; and

the ground plane is connected to a ground portion of the RF port.

8. The near-field transmitter of claim 1, wherein each of the unit cells includes a metamaterial.

9. The near-field transmitter of claim 1, wherein the near-field distance is less than about 4 mm.

10. The near-field transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the interior perimeter has a first width and a first length;

the patch antenna has a second width and a second length; and

the second width and the second length are shorter than the first width and the first length, respectively.

11. The near-field transmitter of claim 10, wherein differences between the first and second widths and lengths correspond to the separation between the perimeter of the patch antenna and the interior perimeter of the metal layer.

12. A method of wirelessly delivering power to an electronic device, the method comprising:

providing a near-field transmitter having at least one unit cell, the at least one unit cell including (i) a metal layer having an interior perimeter that surrounds an aperture defined by the metal layer, and (ii) a patch antenna positioned within the aperture, wherein a perimeter of the patch antenna has a separation from the interior perimeter of the metal layer;

receiving, by the patch antenna, an RF signal that has a frequency based on the separation between the perimeter of the patch antenna and the interior perimeter of the metal layer; and

radiating, by the patch antenna, the received RF signal as an RF energy signal for charging the electronic device,

wherein the RF energy signal is leaked at least in part through the separation between the perimeter of the patch antenna and the interior perimeter of the metal layer only when an antenna of the electronic device is positioned in a near-field distance from the unit cell.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one unit cell is configured to retain the RF energy signal when no antenna tuned to the frequency is positioned within the near-field distance from the unit cell.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one unit cell is configured to leak the RF energy signal to the antenna of the electronic device when (i) the antenna is tuned to the frequency and (ii) positioned in the near-field distance from the unit cell.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the near-field transmitter further comprises circuitry configured to generate the RF signal received by the patch antenna.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the at least one unit cell further comprises a conductive line; and

the conductive line electrically couples the patch antenna and the circuitry.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the circuitry further includes an RF port; and

the RF port provides the one or more RF signals to the at least one unit cell through the conductive line.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the circuitry further includes a ground plane; and

the ground plane is connected to a ground portion of the RF port.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the interior perimeter has a first width and a first length;

the patch antenna has a second width and a second length; and

the second width and the second length are shorter than the first width and the first length, respectively.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein differences between the first and second widths and lengths correspond to the separation between the perimeter of the patch antenna and the interior perimeter of the metal layer.