Unit cell of a wireless power transmitter for wireless power charging

• US 10,516,289 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Leabman, Michael A., Hosseini, Alister
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Application Number:
  US16/051,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20180375368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless power transmitter for wirelessly delivering power to a receiver device, the wireless power transmitter including: a plurality of unit cells configured to radiate one or more radio frequency (RF) power transmission waves, each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells including: (i) a metal portion having an interior perimeter that surrounds an aperture defined by the metal portion; and (ii) an antenna that is aligned with the aperture in a first dimension, the antenna being configured to radiate one or more RF power transmission waves for wirelessly charging a receiver device. The one or more RF power transmission waves leak from the wireless power transmitter at least in part through the aperture when the receiver device is positioned within a threshold distance from the unit cell.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter for wirelessly delivering power to a receiver device, the wireless power transmitter comprising:

a plurality of unit cells configured to radiate one or more radio frequency (RF) power transmission waves, each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells including;

a metal portion having an open aperture defined by the metal portion; and

an antenna that is aligned with the aperture in a first dimension, the antenna being configured to radiate one or more RF power transmission waves for wirelessly charging a receiver device,

wherein;

the one or more RF power transmission waves leak from the wireless power transmitter at least in part through the aperture when the receiver device is positioned within a threshold distance from the unit cell, and

viewed in a direction perpendicular to and toward the metal portion that defines the aperture, a perimeter of the antenna is surrounded by a perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.

2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the first dimension is a vertical dimension perpendicular to the metal portion that defines the aperture; and

the antenna is separate from and positioned underneath the aperture defined by the metal portion.

3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the first dimension is a vertical dimension perpendicular to the metal portion that defines the aperture;

the antenna is also aligned with the aperture in a horizontal dimension; and

the antenna is substantially co-planar with and positioned within the aperture.

4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein:

the first dimension is a horizontal dimension parallel to the metal portion that defines the aperture; and

the antenna is substantially co-planar with and positioned within the aperture.

5. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the antenna has a separation from the perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.

6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5, wherein each of the one or more RF power transmission waves has a frequency based, at least in part, on the separation between the perimeter of the antenna and the perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.

7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 6, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells is further configured to retain the one or more RF power transmission waves when no antenna tuned to the frequency is positioned within a threshold distance from the unit cell.

8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 5, wherein:

the perimeter of the aperture has a first width and a first length;

the 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.

9. The wireless power transmitter of claim 8, wherein differences between the first and second widths and lengths correspond to the separation between the perimeter of the antenna and the perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.

10. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein each unit cell in the plurality of unit cells is further configured to leak the one or more RF power transmission waves to the receiver device when (i) an antenna of the receiver device is tuned to a center frequency, and (ii) the antenna is positioned within the threshold distance from the unit cell.

11. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, further comprising circuitry configured to generate the one or more RF power transmission waves.

12. The wireless power transmitter of claim 11, wherein:

each unit cell further comprises a respective conductive line; and

the respective conductive line included in each unit cell electrically couples the antenna of the unit cell and the circuitry.

13. The wireless power transmitter of claim 12, wherein:

the circuitry further comprises an RF port; and

the RF port is configured to provide the one or more RF power transmission waves to each of the unit cells through its respective conductive line.

14. The wireless power transmitter of claim 13, wherein:

the circuitry further comprises a ground plane; and

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

15. A unit cell of a wireless power transmitter, the unit cell comprising:

a metal portion having an open aperture defined by the metal portion; and

an antenna that is aligned with the aperture in a first dimension, the antenna being configured to radiate one or more RF power transmission waves for wirelessly charging a receiver device,

wherein;

the one or more RF power transmission waves leak from the unit cell at least in part through the aperture when the receiver device is positioned within a threshold distance from the unit cell, and

viewed in a direction perpendicular to and toward the metal portion that defines the aperture, a perimeter of the antenna is surrounded by a perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.

16. The unit cell of claim 15, wherein:

the first dimension is a vertical dimension perpendicular to the metal portion that defines the aperture; and

the antenna is separate from and positioned underneath the aperture defined by the metal portion.

17. The unit cell of claim 15, wherein:

the first dimension is a vertical dimension perpendicular to the metal portion that defines the aperture;

the antenna is also aligned with the aperture in a horizontal dimension; and

the antenna is substantially co-planar with and positioned within the aperture.

18. The unit cell of claim 15, wherein:

the first dimension is a horizontal dimension parallel to the metal portion that defines the aperture; and

the antenna is substantially co-planar with and positioned within the aperture.

19. The unit cell of claim 15, wherein the perimeter of the antenna has a separation from the perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.

20. A method of wirelessly delivering power to a receiver device, the method comprising:

providing a wireless power transmitter having at least one unit cell, the at least one unit cell comprising;

a metal portion having an open aperture defined by the metal portion; and

an antenna that is aligned with the aperture in a first dimension; and

radiating, by the antenna of the at least one unit cell, one or more RF power transmission waves for wirelessly charging a receiver device,

wherein;

the one or more RF power transmission waves leak from the at least one unit cell at least in part through the aperture when the receiver device is positioned within a threshold distance from the at least one unit cell, and

viewed in a direction perpendicular to and toward the metal portion that defines the aperture, a perimeter of the antenna is surrounded by a perimeter of the aperture defined by the metal portion.