Wireless transmission in shared wireless medium environments
Methods, apparatus and systems supporting coexistence of wireless transmission equipment in shared wireless medium environments. The techniques provided herein may be applied to various types of wireless transmission equipment. Under one example, a wireless power transmission system (WPTS) delivers power to wireless power receiver clients via transmission of wireless power signals using one or more frequencies and/or channels within shared wireless medium environments in which other wireless equipment is operating, such as access points and stations in wireless local area networks (WLANs). The WPTS is configured to co-exist with the operations of the other wireless equipment within the shared wireless medium environment by adapting its transmission operations to utilize frequencies or channels that do not interfere with other equipment and/or implementing co-channel and shared channels operations under which access to channels is implemented using standardized WLAN protocols such as PHY and MAC protocols used for 802.11 (Wi-Fi™) networks.
1. A method for delivering wireless power from a wireless power transmission system (WPTS) to one or more wireless power receiver clients in a shared wireless medium environment including one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs), comprising:
operating the WPTS to coexist with the operation of the one or more WLANs, wherein the WPTS transmits non-encoded power signals to the one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps a channel utilized by at least one of the one or more WLANs, wherein the non-encoded power signals comprise signals having a continuous wave or comprise pulsed power transmission signals.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, for each of at least one of the one or more IEEE 802.11 WLANs,
a channel being utilized by the WLAN; and
one or more IEEE 802.11 Media Access Channel (MAC) and IEEE 802.11 Physical Layer (PHY) protocols utilized by the WLAN; and
identifying a channel to be implemented as a co-channel by the WPTS and an IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and an IEEE 802.11 PHY protocol to be implemented by the WPTS.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
utilizing the co-channel and the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and the IEEE 802.11 PHY protocol to select or reserve WPTS time slots during which the WPTS is to access the shared wireless medium environment; and
transmitting wireless power signals to the one or more wireless power receiver clients during at least a portion of the WPTS time slots, wherein the wireless power signals employ at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the co-channel.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising at least one of transmitting data to the one or more wireless power receiver clients or receiving transmissions from one or more wireless power receiver clients during at least a portion of the WPTS time slots.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol supports a carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme employing a distributed coordination function, and the WPTS is configured to implement the CSMA/CA scheme to support sharing of the co-channel.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising operating the WPTS as one of an IEEE 802.11 WLAN access point or an emulated IEEE 802.11 WLAN access point under which the IEEE 802.11 MAC and the IEEE 802.11 PHY protocols are implemented for managing access to the shared wireless medium environment using the CSMA/CA scheme.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a WLAN to share channel access with, the WLAN transmitting over a channel to be shared and implementing an IEEE 802.11 Media Access Channel (MAC) protocol supporting a carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme employing a Request to Send and Clear to Send (RTS/CTS) algorithm to access the shared channel; and
utilizing the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol to reserve time slots during which the WPTS at least one of,
transmits wireless power signals using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the shared channel; and
receives transmission from at least one of the one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the shared channel.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a change in utilization of the shared wireless medium environment under which a channel that was being used by one of the one or more WLANs becomes available; and
transmitting power signals with the WPTS to the one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency within a radio band for the channel.
9. A wireless power transmission system (WPTS) comprising:
an antenna array having a plurality of adaptively-phased radio frequency (RF) antennas;
an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 radio subsystem including at least one antenna; and
control logic operatively coupled to the antenna array and the (IEEE) 802.11 radio subsystem configured to:
detect operation of one or more IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) in a shared wireless medium environment including the WPTS, each of the one or more WLANs utilizing a respective channel; and
operate the WPTS to coexist with the operation of the one or more WLANs, wherein the WPTS transmits non-encoded power signals from multiple antennas in the antenna array at a specific phase relative to each other to one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps a channel utilized by at least one of the one or more WLANs, wherein the non-encoded power signals comprise signals having a continuous wave or comprise pulsed power transmission signals.
10. The wireless power transmission system of claim 9 , wherein the control logic is further configured to:
detect, for each of at least one of the one or more IEEE 802.11 WLANs,
a channel being utilized by the WLAN;
one or more IEEE 802.11 Media Access Channel (MAC) and IEEE 802.11 Physical Layer (PHY) protocols utilized by the WLAN; and
identify a channel to be implemented as a co-channel by the WPTS and an IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and an IEEE 802.11 PHY protocol to be implemented by the WPTS.
11. The wireless power transmission system of claim 10 , wherein the control logic is further configured to:
utilize the co-channel and the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and the IEEE 802.11 PHY protocol to select or reserve WPTS time slots during which the WPTS is to access the shared wireless medium environment; and
transmit wireless power signals to the one or more wireless power receiver clients during at least a portion of the WPTS time slots, wherein the wireless power signals employ at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the co-channel.
12. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11 , wherein the control logic is further configured to at least one of transmit data to the one or more wireless power receiver clients or receive transmissions from one or more wireless power receiver clients during at least a portion of the WPTS time slots.
13. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11 , wherein the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol supports a carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme employing a distributed coordination function (DCF), and wherein the control logic is further configured to implement the CSMA/CA scheme to support sharing of the co-channel.
14. The wireless power transmission system of claim 13 , wherein the control logic is further configured to operate the WPTS as one of an IEEE 802.11 WLAN access point or an emulated IEEE 802.11 WLAN access point under which the IEEE 802.11 MAC and the IEEE 802.11 PHY protocols are implemented for managing access to the shared wireless medium environment using the CSMA/CA scheme.
15. The wireless power transmission system of claim 9 , wherein the control logic is further configured to:
identify a WLAN among the one or more WLANs to share channel access with, the WLAN that is identified transmitting over a channel to be shared and implementing an IEEE 802.11 Media Access Channel (MAC) protocol supporting a carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme employing a Request to Send and Clear to Send (RTS/CTS) algorithm to access the shared channel; and
utilize the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol to reserve time slots during which the WPTS at least one of,
transmits wireless power signals using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the shared channel; and
receives transmissions from at least one of the one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the shared channel.
16. The wireless power transmission system of claim 9 , wherein the control logic is further configured to:
detect a change in utilization of the shared wireless medium environment under which a channel that was being used by one of the one or more WLANs becomes available; and
transmit power signals with the WPTS to the one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency within a radio band for the channel.
17. A wireless power transmission system (WPTS) comprising:
an antenna array having a plurality of adaptively-phased radio frequency (RF) antennas;
means for detecting operation of one or more wireless local area networks (WLANs) in a shared wireless medium environment including the WPTS, each of the one or more WLANs utilizing a respective channel; and
control logic operatively coupled to the antenna array and configured to operate the WPTS to coexist with the operation of the one or more WLANs, wherein the WPTS transmits non-encoded power signals from multiple antennas in the antenna array at a specific phase relative to each other to one or more wireless power receiver clients using at least one frequency or channel that overlaps a channel utilized by at least one of the one or more WLANs, wherein the non-encoded power signals comprise signals having a continuous wave or comprise pulsed power transmission signals.
18. The wireless power transmission system of claim 17 , further comprising:
means for detecting, for each of at least one of the one or more WLANs,
a channel being utilized by the WLAN; and
one or more Media Access Channel (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) protocols utilized by the WLAN,
and wherein the control logic is further configured to identify a channel to be implemented as a co-channel by the WPTS and a MAC protocol and a PHY protocol to be implemented by the WPTS.
19. The wireless power transmission system of claim 18 , wherein the control logic is further configured to:
utilize the co-channel and the MAC protocol and the PHY protocol to select or reserve WPTS time slots during which the WPTS is to access the shared wireless medium environment; and
transmit wireless power signals to the one or more wireless power receiver clients during at least a portion of the WPTS time slots, wherein the wireless power signals employ at least one frequency or channel that overlaps the co-channel.
20. The wireless power transmission system of claim 19 , wherein the MAC protocol supports a carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme employing a distributed coordination function (DCF), and wherein the control logic is further configured to implement the CSMA/CA scheme to support sharing of the co-channel.
21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying WPTS time slots during which the WPTS is to access the shared wireless medium environment; and
transmitting wireless power signals to the one or more wireless power receiver clients during at least a portion of the WPTS time slots,
wherein the wireless power signals employ at least one frequency or channel that overlaps a channel utilized by at least one of the one or more WLANs, and wherein WPTS time slots are identified without use of any outbound communication from the WPTS to any wireless device in the shared wireless medium environment.
22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shared wireless medium environment includes a plurality of IEEE 802.11 WLANs and the WPTS transmits power signals to a plurality of wireless power receiver clients.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the WPTS is located outside the coverage area of one of the plurality of WLANs, further comprising:
employing a wireless power receiver client operating within the coverage area of the one WLAN to discover WLAN topology information for the one WLAN and provide the WLAN topology information to the WPTS; and
operating the WPTS such that power signals transmitted to the wireless receiver client do not interfere with communication within the coverage area of the one WLAN.