Transfer of power and data

• US 9,331,791 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nano-Retina Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nano-Retina Inc.
• Inventors: Liran, Tuvia, Gefen, Ra'anan, Yanovitz, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, DZUNG D
• Application Number:
  US14/160,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36046 of the eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/00 Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof H10K30/00 takes precedence; devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in, or on, a common substrate, other than combinations of radiation-sensitive components with one or more electric light sources, H01L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6164 Estimation or correction of the frequency offset between the received optical signal and the optical local oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are described, including a method for transmission of power and data during a plurality of consecutive time intervals. During a power-transmission portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, a power signal, in which no data is encoded, is transmitted. During a power-and-data-transmission portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, a power-and-data signal, in which is encoded a single bit, is transmitted. The power-and-data signal includes: (a) a high-level power-and-data signal portion, and (b) a low-level power-and-data signal portion. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of power and data during a plurality of consecutive time intervals, the method comprising:

during a power-transmission portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, transmitting a power signal in which no data is encoded;

during a power-and-data-transmission portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, transmitting a power-and-data signal in which is encoded a single bit, the power-and-data signal including;

(a) a high-level power-and-data signal portion, and (b) a low-level power-and-data signal portion, the high-level power-and-data signal portion being higher than the low-level power-and-data signal portion; and

configuring a transmission duty cycle in each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals to be n/(n+1), n being an integer greater than one.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring (i) a maximum amplitude of the power signal, and (ii) a maximum amplitude of the power-and-data signal, in each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, to be independent of the data.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the power-and-data signal includes a synchronization signal, in which is encoded a bit from a synchronization sequence of bits, during at least some of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, and

transmitting the power-and-data signal comprises transmitting the synchronization signal.

4. A method for receiving power and data during a plurality of consecutive time intervals, the method comprising:

during a power-receiving portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, receiving a power signal in which no data is encoded;

during a power-and-data-receiving portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, receiving a power-and-data signal in which is encoded a single bit, the power-and-data signal including;

(a) a high-level power-and-data signal portion, and (b) a low-level power-and-data signal portion, the high-level power-and-data signal portion being higher than the low-level power-and-data signal portion; and

wherein receiving the power-and-data signal comprises receiving the power-and-data signal by a receiver, and wherein the method further comprises synchronizing the receiver to a transmitter of the power-and-data signal by;

detecting a transition during each of the time intervals, the transition selected from the group consisting of;

(i) a transition between the high-level power-and-data signal portion and the low-level power-and-data signal portion, and (ii) a transition between the low-level power-and-data signal portion and the high-level power-and-data signal portion, and

verifying that a sequence of the transitions corresponds to a synchronization sequence.

5. Apparatus for transmission of power and data during a plurality of consecutive time intervals, the apparatus comprising a transmitter comprising:

a processing unit, configured to output a sequence of bits;

a modulating unit, configured to convert the sequence to an analog signal; and

a light source, configured to transmit a light signal in response to the analog signal, the light signal including;

during a power-transmission portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, a power signal in which no data is encoded, and

during a power-and-data-transmission portion of each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, a power-and-data signal in which is encoded a single bit, the power-and-data signal including;

(a) a high-level power-and-data signal portion, and (b) a low-level power-and-data signal portion, the high-level power-and-data signal portion being higher than the low-level power-and-data signal portion; and

wherein the modulating unit is configured to make a transmission duty cycle, in each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, have a value n/(n+1), n being an integer greater than one.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the transmitter further comprises a memory array, configured to store the sequence of bits output by the processing unit, and

the modulating unit is configured to read the sequence from the memory array and convert the sequence to the analog signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus is for use with a user interface, and wherein the processing unit is configured to output the sequence of bits in response to input from the user interface.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus is for use with a retinal prosthesis implanted in a subject, and wherein the transmitter is configured to be mounted on eyeglasses of the subject and to transmit the power signal and the power-and-data signal toward the retinal prosthesis.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light source comprises an infrared light source configured to transmit an infrared light signal, the infrared light signal including the power signal and the power-and-data signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus further comprises a sensor configured to sense a level of ambient light, and wherein the modulating unit is configured to regulate the transmission duty cycle in response to the sensed level of ambient light.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the modulating unit is configured to regulate (i) a maximum amplitude of the power signal, and (ii) a maximum amplitude of the power-and-data signal, in each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, independently of the data.

12. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the modulating unit is configured to make the transmission duty cycle, in each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, have a value between 65% and 90%.

13. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light signal includes an amplitude-modulated signal, and wherein the light source is configured to transmit the amplitude-modulated signal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the amplitude-modulated signal includes a Manchester encoded signal, and wherein the light source is configured to transmit the Manchester encoded signal.

15. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, for each of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, the modulating unit is configured to make a length of the power transmission portion be between 30% and 80% of a length of the time interval.

16. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the power-and-data signal includes a synchronization signal, in which is encoded a bit from a synchronization sequence of bits, during at least some of the plurality of consecutive time intervals, and

the light source is configured to transmit the synchronization signal.