IMPLEMENTING WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER WITH 60 GHZ MMWAVE COMMUNICATION

• US 20140292090A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cordeiro, Carlos, Li, Guoqing, Sadri, Ali S., Sadeghi, Bahareh
• Application Number:
  US13/993,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20140292090A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• 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 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/02 Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas RAKE receivers H04B1/7115

Abstract

A system and method are provided to form multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links between a 60 GHz mmWave transmitter and a cooperating 60 GHz mmWave receiver, to transfer not only wireless data communication between the cooperating devices, but also to transmit usable wireless power between the cooperating devices. These systems and methods employ a technology for establishing multiple beamformed wireless communication links between cooperating 60 GHz mmWave communication devices to transfer wireless data communication between the cooperating devices, and separately to transmit usable wireless power between the cooperating devices over separate wireless directional beamformed links between the devices providing efficient and effective wireless power transmission between the devices based on the directionality of the beamformed links. Because 60 GHz mmWave transmissions are highly directional, with beamwidths on the order of 10-20 degrees, power loss based on wasted energy when compared to existing omnidirectional wireless power transmission systems is significantly reduced.

Claims

1. A method for executing wireless power transmission, comprising:

establishing, by a processor, multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links between cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices;

generating a power signal by a power source in one of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices; and

transmitting the generated power signal to a power sink in communication with the other of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices across one or more of the multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links between the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one of wireless data communications other than the generated power signal and control signals for the power signal generating across a separate one or more of the multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links between the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices.

3. The method of claim 2, the processor determining at least one of which of the multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links is used to transmit the generated power signal between the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices and which of the multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links is used to transmit the at least one of the wireless data communications other than the generated power signal and the control signals for the power signal generating between the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing an antenna element allocation scheme that assigns a number of antenna arrays or antenna elements available in at least one of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices to each of the multiple separate beamformed links between the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices to transmit the generated power signal.

5. The method of claim 4, the antenna element allocation scheme dynamically modifying the number of antenna arrays or antenna elements assigned to transmitting the generated power signal based on at least one received control signal.

6. The method of claim 5, the at least one received control signal indicating that no further wireless power should be transmitted to the power sink.

7. The method of claim 6, the at least one received control signal causing the power source to cease generating the power signal.

8. The method of claim 5, the at least one received control signal indicating that one of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices is transmitting data communications to the other of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices.

9. The method of claim 5, the antenna allocation scheme assigning all of the antenna elements to transmitting the generated power signal.

10. The method of claim 5, the antenna allocation scheme assigning all of the antenna arrays or antenna elements to transmitting wireless data communications other than the generated power signal and the control signals for the power signal generating.

11. A system for executing wireless power transmission, comprising:

a first wireless communicating device, comprising;

a power generating device for generating a power signal;

a first control device that controls the power generating device and wireless communications transmitted from and received by the first wireless communicating device; and

a first 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receiver in communication with the first control device, and including an antenna array with multiple antenna elements;

a second wireless communicating device, comprising;

a power receiving device for wirelessly receiving the power signal generated by the power generating device and generating power based on the received power signal;

a second control device that controls the power receiving device and wireless communications transmitted from and received by the second wireless communicating device; and

a second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receiver in communication with the second control device, in wireless communication with the first 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receiver and including an antenna array with multiple antenna elements; and

a power sink for receiving the generated power from the power receiving device,

at least one of the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers establishing multiple beamformed wireless communication links with the other of the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers for transmitting separate signals between the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers.

12. The system of claim 11, the separate signals including at least one the power signal, data communications other than the power signal and control signals for controlling the power signal.

13. The system of claim 11, at least one of the first and second wireless communication devices being configured to execute an antenna allocation scheme for assigning a number of respective antenna arrays or antenna elements in each of the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers to each of the established multiple beamformed wireless communication links for transmitting the power signal.

14. The system of claim 13, the at least one of the first and second wireless communication devices executing the antenna allocation scheme to assign all of the respective antenna arrays or antenna elements in each of the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers to the established beamformed wireless communication links for transmitting the power signal.

15. The system of claim 13, the at least one of the first and second wireless communication devices executing the antenna allocation scheme to assign a first number of the respective antenna arrays or antenna elements in each of the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers to a first group of the established beamformed wireless communication links for transmitting the power signal and to assign a second number of the respective antenna arrays or antenna elements in each of the first and second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers to a second group of the established beamformed wireless communication links for transmitting data communications other than the power signal and control signals for controlling the power signal.

16. The system of claim 11, the power sink comprising at least one of a load that is powered by the generated power from the power receiving device and a power storage device that is recharged by the generated power from the power receiving device.

17. The system of claim 16, the power sink communicating to the second control device that power is required by the power sink, the second control device generating a control signal to the first control device to generate the power signal.

18. The system of claim 16, the power sink communicating to the second control device that no power is required by the power sink, the second control device generating a control signal to the first control device to stop generating the power signal.

19. The system of claim 11, the first wireless communicating device including only a single first 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receiver, and the second wireless communicating device including only a single second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receiver in wireless communication with the single first 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receiver, and

the establishing multiple beamformed wireless communication links separately carry all of the separate signals including the power signal, data communications other than the power signal and control signals for controlling the power signal between the single first and the single second 60 GHz mmWave transmitter/receivers.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a wireless power transmission, comprising:

establishing multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links between cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices;

generating a power signal by a power source in one of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices; and

transmitting the generated power signal to a power sink in communication with the other of the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices across one or more of the multiple separate beamformed wireless communication links between the cooperating 60 GHz mmWave wireless communicating devices.