Sub-apertures for wireless power transfer

• US 9,537,359 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• 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:
  US14/680,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20150213792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• 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 sender comprising;

a first signal generator;

a first amplifier coupled to the first signal generator, said first amplifier configured to receive power from a power source and to generate an electrical transmission signal adapted to be used to generate ultrasonic waves;

a sender transducer coupled to the first amplifier, the sender transducer adapted and configured to generate ultrasonic waves based on the electrical transmission signal received from the amplifier, the sender transducer comprising transmit elements adapted and configured to generate the ultrasonic waves and divided among two or more sub-apertures;

a sender controller coupled to at least one of the first signal generator, the first amplifier and the sender transducer, the sender controller adapted and configured steer the ultrasonic waves generated by the transmit elements of each of the two or more sub-apertures independently for each sub-aperture; and

a sender communications device adapted to communicate with a receiver communications device; and

the receiver comprising;

a receiver transducer adapted and configured to receive ultrasonic waves generated by the sender transducer, to generate a receiver electrical signal based on the received ultrasonic waves, and to connect to 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 communications device; 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 receiver further comprises:

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

3. A system, comprising:

a signal generator;

an amplifier coupled to the signal generator, said amplifier configured to receive power from a power source and to generate an electrical transmission signal adapted to be used to generate ultrasonic waves;

a sender transducer coupled to the amplifier, the sender transducer adapted and configured to generate ultrasonic waves based on the electrical transmission signal received from the amplifier, the sender transducer comprising transmit elements adapted and configured to generate the ultrasonic waves and divided among two or more sub-apertures;

a sender controller coupled to at least one of the signal generator, the amplifier and the sender transducer, the sender controller adapted and configured steer the ultrasonic waves generated by the transmit elements of each of the two or more sub-apertures independently for each sub-aperture; and

a sender communications device adapted to communicate with a receiver.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sender controller is further adapted and configured to target the ultrasonic waves from a first of the two or more sub-apertures at the receiver and the ultrasonic waves from a second of the two or more sub-apertures at a second receiver.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the sender controller is further adapted and configured to change the phase of the ultrasonic waves from a first of the two or more sub-apertures and change the phase of the ultrasonic waves from a second of the one or more-sub-apertures independently.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the sender controller is further adapted and configured to target the ultrasonic waves from a first of the two or more sub-apertures and the ultrasonic waves from a second of the two or more sub-apertures so that the foci of the ultrasonic waves from the first of the two or more sub-apertures overlaps with the foci of the ultrasonic waves from the second of the two or more sub-apertures.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the two or more sub-apertures are arranged horizontally on the sender transducer.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the two or more sub-apertures is curved.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the two or more sub-apertures is flat.

10. A method comprising:

emitting ultrasonic energy from transmit elements of a first sub-aperture of a sender transducer;

emitting ultrasonic energy from transmit elements of a second sub-aperture of the sender transducer;

steering the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the first sub-aperture to a first receiver; and

steering the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the second sub-aperture to a second receiver independently of the steering of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the first sub-aperture.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

changing the phase of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the first sub-aperture; and

changing the phase of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the second sub-aperture independently of changing the phase of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the first sub-aperture.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

steering the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of one or both of the first sub-aperture or the second sub-aperture such that the foci of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of first sub-aperture overlaps the foci of the ultrasonic energy emitted from the transmit elements of the second sub-aperture.