Systems and methods for identifying sensitive objects in a wireless charging transmission field

• US 9,948,135 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Leabman, Michael A., Mellberg, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/861,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/00 Circuit arrangements or systems for wireless supply or distribution of electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein may generate and transmit power waves that, as result of their physical waveform characteristics (e.g., frequency, amplitude, phase, gain, direction), converge at a predetermined location in a transmission field to generate a pocket of energy. Receivers associated with an electronic device being powered by the wireless charging system, may extract energy from these pockets of energy and then convert that energy into usable electric power for the electronic device associated with a receiver. The pockets of energy may manifest as a three-dimensional field (e.g., transmission field) where energy may be harvested by a receiver positioned within or nearby the pocket of energy.

Claims

1. A method for wireless power transmission comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter, power waves that converge in a three dimensional space to form one or more first pockets of energy at a predetermined location for receiving by an antenna element of a receiver, wherein the receiver is configured to harvest power from the one or more first pockets of energy at the predetermined location;

acquiring, by at least one sensor in communication with the transmitter, data indicating presence of a living being or a sensitive object, wherein the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates a distance of the living being or the sensitive object from the at least one sensor;

obtaining, by the transmitter, information relating to a location of the living being or the sensitive object based upon the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object; and

determining, by the transmitter, whether to adjust a power level of the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more first pockets of energy at the predetermined location in response to the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing, by the transmitter, the power level of the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more first pockets of energy at the predetermined location when the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating, by the transmitter, the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more first pockets of energy at the predetermined location when the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating, by the transmitter, an alarm element when the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor located at a first position on the transmitter, and a second sensor located at a second position on the transmitter separated from the first position, and

wherein the information relating to a location of the living being or the sensitive object comprises stereoscopic location information based upon the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object, and the data includes respective data acquired by the first sensor and respective data acquired by the second sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object includes information indicating a motion of the living being or the sensitive object, and the motion is based upon the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object at different times.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

reducing, by the transmitter, the power level of the power waves when the information indicating the motion of the living being or the sensitive object indicates motion of the living being or the sensitive object toward the predetermined location; and

terminating, by the transmitter, the power waves when the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object indicates arrival of the living being or the sensitive object at the predetermined location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object further comprises:

acquiring, by at least one sensor in communication with the transmitter, human recognition data, the human recognition data comprising one or more of types of data selected from the group consisting of;

body temperature data, infrared range-finder data, motion data, activity recognition data, silhouette data, gesture data, heart rate data, portable devices data, and wearable devices data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises:

transmitting, by the transmitter, the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more first pockets of energy at the predetermined location, and additional power waves that converge to form one or more second pockets of energy at a second location separated from the predetermined location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitter reduces the power level of the power waves when the data relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object indicates the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitter reduces a power level of the electromagnetic energy waves when the data relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object indicates the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the second location separate from the predetermined location.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor providing a first type of data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object, and a second sensor providing a second type of data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object, and

wherein at least one of the first type of data and the second type of data indicates an absolute location in three dimensional space of the living being or the sensitive object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, by one or more of the at least one sensor and the transmitter, filtering the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object to eliminate false indications of the presence of the living being or the sensitive object in the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating, by the transmitter, a predetermined transmission path of the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more first pockets of energy at the predetermined location;

comparing, by the transmitter, the predetermined transmission path of the power waves with the information relating to the location of the living being or the sensitive object; and

redirecting, by the transmitter, the power waves when the comparing indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is located in proximity to the predetermined transmission path of the power waves.

15. A transmitter for wireless power transmission comprising:

at least two antennas;

a controller that controls power waves broadcast by the transmitter through the at least two antennas that converge in a three dimensional space to form one or more pockets of energy at a predetermined location for receiving by an antenna element of a receiver;

a transmitter housing containing the at least two antennas; and

at least one sensor located on the transmitter housing to sense presence of a living being or a sensitive object, and to communicate to the controller data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object, wherein the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates a distance of the living being or the sensitive object from the at least one sensor, and wherein the controller determines whether to adjust a power level of the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more pockets of energy at the predetermined location in response to the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object.

16. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein the controller reduces the power level of the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more pockets of energy at the predetermined location, when the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

17. The transmitter of claim 16, wherein the controller terminates the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more pockets of energy at the predetermined location, when the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

18. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor located at a first position on the transmitter housing, and a second sensor located at a second position on the transmitter housing separated from the first position, and wherein the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object comprises stereoscopic information concerning the living being or the sensitive object acquired by the first sensor and by the second sensor.

19. The transmitter of claim 15, further comprising an additional sensor located remote from the transmitter housing, that is in wireless or wired communication with the controller,

wherein the additional sensor provides additional information relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object, and

wherein the controller at least reduces the power level of the one or more pockets of energy when the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object and the additional information relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.

20. The transmitter of claim 19, wherein the transmitter is located at least 2 meters from the receiver, and wherein the additional sensor is a proximity sensor located less than 0.5 meters from the receiver.

21. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor includes one or more of a passive sensor, an active sensor, a smart sensor, an infrared sensor, a pyro-electric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, an optical sensor, a Doppler sensor, an accelerometer, a microwave sensor, a millimeter sensor, a resonant LC sensor, and an RF standing wave sensor.

22. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object comprises human recognition data, and

wherein the human recognition data includes one or more of body temperature data, infrared range-finder data, motion data, activity recognition data, silhouette data, gesture data, heart rate data, portable devices data, and wearable devices data.

23. The transmitter of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor includes a primary data processing function that communicates to the controller the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object.

24. A method for wireless power transmission, comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter, power waves that converge in a three dimensional space to form a one or more pockets of energy at a predetermined location for receiving by antenna elements of a receiver, wherein the receiver harvests power from the one or more pockets of energy at the predetermined location;

acquiring, by a plurality of sensors in communication with the transmitter, data indicating presence of a living being or a sensitive object, wherein the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates a distance of the living being or the sensitive object from the at least one sensor;

obtaining, by the transmitter, information relating to a location of the living being or the sensitive object based upon the data indicating the presence of the living being or the sensitive object; and

at least reducing, by the transmitter, a power level of the power waves that converge in the three dimensional space to form the one or more pockets of energy at the predetermined location, when the data relating to the presence of the living being or the sensitive object indicates that the living being or the sensitive object is proximate to the predetermined location.