Receiver transducer for wireless power transfer

• US 9,094,111 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Original Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Inventors: Perry, Meredith
• Primary Examiner(s): PIHULIC, DANIEL T
• Application Number:
  US13/477,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20120300593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 367/180, 367/138, 367/137, 367/140, 367/135, 320/107, 320/104, 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/18 Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound G10K11/02, G10K11/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/26 Sound-focusing or directing, e.g. scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/341 Circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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: H03C 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 5/00 Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal H03C7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/00 Electrostatic transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/00 Transducers other than those covered by groups H04R9/00 - H04R21/00 diaphragms for transducers of the distributed-mode type H04R7/045
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

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 receiver transducer adapted and configured to receive ultrasonic waves generated by a sender transducer of a sender and to generate a receiver electrical signal based on the received ultrasonic waves;

a receiver electrical storage device adapted and configured to store electrical energy based on the receiver electrical signal generated by the receiver transducer;

a receiver communications device adapted and configured to send input to the sender, the input comprising a power requirement that causes the sender to change a dwell time of the sender on the receiver; and

a receiver controller coupled to at least one of the receiver transducer and the receiver electrical storage device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of transducers arranged in an array.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver transducer further comprises a electrostatic ultrasound transducer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver transducer comprises a piezoelectric transducer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver transducer comprises a flextensional transducer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver transducer comprises a flexural mode piezoelectric transducer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver transducer provides electrical energy to a processor.

8. A method for receiving at a receiver ultrasonic energy from a sender, comprising:

receiving ultrasonic energy at the receiver for a first dwell time; and

sending a power requirement to the sender causing the sender to adjust the first dwell time of the sender on the receiver to a second dwell time; and

receiving ultrasonic energy at the receiver for a second dwell time.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising changing the steering of the receiver transducer.