System and method for controlling communication between wireless power transmitter managers

• US 9,847,679 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, Douglas, Leabman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Frtiz M
• Application Number:
  US14/272,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 320108
• 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 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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 50/40 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: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method for controlling communication between wireless power transmitter managers is disclosed. According to some aspects of this embodiment, wireless power transmission system may include one or more wireless power transmitter managers and one or more wireless power receivers for powering various customer devices. A WiFi connection may be established between wireless power transmitter managers to share information between system devices. Wireless power transmitter manager may need to fulfill two conditions to control power transfer over a customer device; customer device'"'"'s signal strength threshold has to be significantly greater than 50%, such as 55% or more of the signal strength measured by all other wireless power transmitter managers and has to remain significantly greater than 50% for a minimum amount of time.

Claims

1. A system for selecting which power transmitter should deliver wireless power to a device in a wireless power delivery network, the system comprising:

a first power transmitter communicatively coupled to at least one transmitter manager, the first power transmitter configured to detect, based on a short-range communication signal received from a user device, a first signal strength level for the user device, wherein the user device is coupled with at least one power receiver;

a second power transmitter communicatively coupled to the at least one transmitter manager, the second power transmitter configured to detect, based on a short-range communication signal received from the user device, a second signal strength level for the user device;

the at least one transmitter manager configured to;

in accordance with a determination that the first signal strength level remains above a first predetermined signal strength threshold for more than a minimum amount of time, provide the first power transmitter with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the power receiver of the user device; and

in accordance with a determination that (i) the first signal strength level drops below a second predetermined signal strength threshold and (ii) the second signal strength level remains above the predetermined signal strength threshold for more than the minimum amount of time, provide the second power transmitter with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the at least one power receiver of the user device,

wherein the transmission of one or more RF waves produces a pocket of energy in proximity to the at least one power receiver and the at least one power receiver is configured to convert the one or more RF waves into usable power for charging the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one database suitable for storing information related to the at least one user device, the information selected from the group consisting of charging history, charging schedules, charging status, device ID, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one transmitter manager is also configured to limit the acceptance of transmissions by the at least one power receiver, based at least in part on the information stored in the at least one database.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one transmitter manager is also configured to provide to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter information, retrieved from the at least one database, related to the user device.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one transmitter manager is also configured to provide to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter information, retrieved from the at least one database, related to the at least one power receiver.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the information retrieved from the database comprises a power record of the at least one power receiver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined signal strength threshold corresponds to a signal strength level that is greater than 50% of the maximum capability of the user device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second predetermined signal strength level corresponds to a value that is less than the first predetermined signal strength level.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitter manager communicates with the at least one user device via at least one communication protocol selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, WiFi, and combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitter manager further comprises an antenna manager configured to determine the location of the user device relative to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one transmitter manager is further configured to:

in accordance with a determination that the first and second signal strength levels both remain above the first predetermined signal strength threshold for more than the minimum amount of time;

use the determined location of the user device relative to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter to determine which of the first power transmitter or the second power transmitter is closest to the user device, and

provide the power transmitter that is closest to the user device with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the at least one power receiver of the user device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitter manager communicably delivers to at least one remote server information related to the performance of the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter, the performance of the at least one power receiver, or information related to the user device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first power transmitter is located in a first physical room and the second power transmitter is located in a second physical room, distinct from the first physical room, and

as the user device is moved from the first physical room and to the second physical room, the at least one transmitter manager determines that (i) the first signal strength level drops below the second predetermined signal strength threshold and (ii) the second signal strength level remains above the predetermined signal strength threshold for more than the minimum amount of time, and

in accordance with the determinations in (i) and (ii), the at least one transmitter manager provides the second power transmitter with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the at least one power receiver of the user device.

14. A method for selecting which power transmitter should deliver wireless power to a device in a wireless power delivery network, the method comprising:

detecting, by a first power transmitter and based on a short-range communication signal received from a user device, a first signal strength level for the user device, wherein the user device is coupled with at least one power receiver;

detecting, by a second power transmitter and based on a short-range communication signal received from the user device, a second signal strength level for the user device,

wherein the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter are both communicatively coupled to at least one transmitter manager;

in accordance with a determination, by the at least one transmitter manager, that the first signal strength level remains above a first predetermined signal strength threshold for more than a minimum amount of time, providing the first power transmitter with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the power receiver of the user device; and

in accordance with a determination, by the at least one transmitter manager, that (i) the first signal strength level drops below a second predetermined signal strength threshold and (ii) the second signal strength level remains above the predetermined signal strength threshold for more than the minimum amount of time, providing the second power transmitter with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the at least one power receiver of the user device,

wherein the transmission of one or more RF waves produces a pocket of energy in proximity to the at least one power receiver and the at least one power receiver is configured to convert the one or more RF waves into usable power for charging the user device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one transmitter manager is in communication with at least one database suitable for storing information related to the at least one user device, the information selected from the group consisting of charging history, charging schedules, charging status, device ID, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one transmitter manager is also configured to limit the acceptance of transmissions by the at least one power receiver, based at least in part on the information stored in the at least one database.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one transmitter manager provides to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter information, retrieved from the database, related to the at least one user device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information retrieved from the database comprises a power record of the at least one power receiver.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the first power transmitter is located in a first physical room and the second power transmitter is located in a second physical room, distinct from the first physical room, and

as the user device is moved from the first physical room and to the second physical room, the at least one transmitter manager determines that (i) the first signal strength level drops below the second predetermined signal strength threshold and (ii) the second signal strength level remains above the predetermined signal strength threshold for more than the minimum amount of time, and

in accordance with the determinations in (i) and (ii), the at least one transmitter manager provides the second power transmitter with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the at least one power receiver of the user device.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by an antenna manager of the at least one transmitter manager, the location of the user device relative to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter;

in accordance with a determination, by the at least one transmitter manager, that the first and second signal strength levels both remain above the first predetermined signal strength threshold for more than the minimum amount of time;

using the determined location of the user device relative to the first power transmitter and the second power transmitter to determine which of the first or the second power transmitters is closest to the user device, and

providing the power transmitter that is closest to the user device with control over transmission of one or more RF waves to the at least one power receiver of the user device.