Beam interaction control for wireless power transfer

• US 10,742,267 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2017
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Original Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Inventors: Perry, Meredith, Reynolds, Paul, Taffler, Sean, Joyce, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/811,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20180069602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/51 Electrostatic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/348 using amplitude variation
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

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 wireless power transfer device adapted and configured to transmit wireless power; and

a sender controller coupled to the sender wireless power transfer device and adapted to control interaction between a beam of the wireless power transfer device and one or more other beams by adjusting at least one property of the beam of the wireless power transfer device to mitigate undesirable interference.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender controller is further adapted and configured to one or more of adjust one or more of the amplitude, frequency, and the phase of the beam from the sender wireless power transfer device, adjust which elements of the sender wireless power transfer device are active, and change one or more of the size and shape of one or more sub-apertures of the wireless power transfer device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender controller is further adapted to adjust the at least one property of the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device to prevent or stop constructive interference between the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device and one or more other beams.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the prevented or stopped constructive interference would have occurred or did occur at a location where less wireless power is to be directed.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the sender controller is further adapted to adjust the at least one property of the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device to prevent or stop destructive interference between the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device and one or more other beams.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the prevented or stopped destructive interference would have occurred or did occur at a location where more wireless power is to be directed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender controller is further adapted to maintain one or more of a constant amplitude and a constant phase of the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device at a receiver wireless power transfer device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the beam is formed from ultrasonic waves or from radio frequency (RF) radiation waves.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device and at least one of the one or more other beams are generated by separate sub-apertures of the sender wireless power transfer device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender controller is further adapted to predict or monitor at least one of constructive interference and destructive interference between the beam of the sender wireless power transfer device and the one or more other beams.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the sender controller is further adapted to use a pre-calculated look-up table to predict or monitor the at least one of constructive interference and destructive interference.

12. A method comprising:

controlling a sender wireless power transfer device to emit energy in a beam;

detecting constructive interference or destructive interference caused by the interaction of the beam and or more other beams; and

controlling the sender wireless power transfer device to adjust at least one property of the beam to stop the detected constructive or destructive interference.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein it is determined that destructive interference is occurring or will occur at a location where more energy is to be directed.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein it is determined that constructive interference is occurring or will occur at a location where less energy is to be directed.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusted at least one property of the beam is amplitude, frequency, phase, which elements of the sender wireless power transfer device are used to generate the beam, or size and shape of one or more sub-apertures of the sender wireless power transfer device that are used to generate the beam.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the beam is formed from one of ultrasonic waves and RF radiation waves.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the sender wireless power transfer device to adjust the at least one property of the beam from the sender wireless power transfer device to maintain one or more of constant amplitude and constant pressure at the receiver.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the beam from the sender wireless power transfer device and at least one of the one or more other beams are beams of separate sub-apertures of the sender wireless power transfer device.

19. A method comprising:

controlling a sender wireless power transfer device to emit energy in a beam;

predicting constructive interference or destructive interference will be caused by the interaction of the beam and or more other beams before the occurrence of the constructive interference or destructive interference; and

controlling the sender wireless power transfer device to adjust at least one property of the beam to prevent the predicted constructive or destructive interference.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein predicting constructive interference or destructive interference will be caused by the interaction of the beam and or more other beams before the occurrence of the constructive interference or destructive interference is based on a pre-calculated look-up table.