Wireless energy transfer systems for networks of interlinked prescribed paths

1. A method comprising:

tracking a position of a wireless power receiver in a network of interlinked prescribed paths as the wireless power receiver traverses one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths; and

controlling wireless delivery of energy to the wireless power receiver from one or more wireless power transmitters based on the position of the wireless power receiver in the network of interlinked prescribed paths as the wireless power receiver traverses the one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network of interlinked prescribed paths are interlinked through two or more prescribed paths that are physically connected.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network of interlinked prescribed paths are interlinked through two or more prescribed paths that are physically separated by a gap.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the wireless power receiver powers itself as it passes between the two or more prescribed paths that are physically separated by the gap.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless power receiver receives the energy through one or more beams of energy broadcast by the one or more wireless power transmitters and each beam of the one or more beams has a corresponding main lobe that sweeps along the one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths and the position of the wireless power receiver in the network of interlinked prescribed paths corresponds to one or more positions of the corresponding main lobe of the one or more beams of energy in the one or more prescribed paths as the corresponding main lobe of the one or more beams of energy sweep along the one or more prescribed paths.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the wireless power receiver moves along the one or more prescribed paths by moving along with the corresponding main lobe of each beam of the one or more beams of energy as the corresponding main lobe of each beam of the one or more beams of energy sweep along the one or more prescribed paths.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless power receiver receives the energy through one or more beams of energy broadcast by the one or more wireless power transmitters and each beam of the one or more beams has a plurality of grating lobes that sweep along the one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths and the position of the wireless power receiver in the network of interlinked prescribed paths corresponds to one or more positions of the corresponding grating lobes of the one or more beams of energy that sweep along the one or more prescribed paths.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of grating lobes of a beam of the one or more beams are swept within a single prescribed path of the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of grating lobes of a beam of the one or more beams are swept across a plurality of prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless power receiver receives the energy through one or more beams of energy broadcast by the one or more wireless power transmitters and each beam of the one or more beams has a plurality of lobes that sweep along the one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths and the position of the wireless power receiver in the network of interlinked prescribed paths corresponds to one or more positions of corresponding lobes of the plurality of lobes of the one or more beams of energy that sweep along the one or more prescribed paths.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of lobes of a beam of the one or more beams include a plurality of main lobes.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of lobes of a beam of the one or more beams include one or more main lobes and one or more grating lobes.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of lobes of a beam of the one or more beams are broadcast within a single prescribed path of the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of lobes of a beam of the one or more beams are broadcast across a plurality of prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein a prescribed path of the one or more prescribed paths includes a plurality of designated lanes adjacent to each other and configured to support concurrent traverse of wireless power receivers adjacent to each other.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein each designated lane of the plurality of designated lanes has a corresponding wireless power transmitter of the one or more wireless power transmitters and the corresponding wireless power transmitter of each designated lane is configured to broadcast a beam of energy along each designated lane.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each lobe of a plurality of lobes of the one or more beams of energy corresponds to a lane of the plurality of designated lanes, and each lobe of the plurality of lobes of the one or more beams of energy is broadcast by the corresponding wireless power transmitter to be confined within each corresponding lane of the plurality of designated lanes.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the corresponding wireless power transmitter broadcasts multiple lobes of the one or more beams of energy across a single corresponding lane.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the corresponding wireless power transmitter broadcasts the multiple lobes to power multiple wireless power receivers traversing the single corresponding lane simultaneously.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless power receiver is operatively coupled to a first wireless power transmitter of the one or more wireless power transmitters through a handoff from a second wireless power transmitter.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter coordinates the handoff.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter communicates with the second wireless power transmitter as part of coordinating the handoff.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter and the second wireless power transmitter communicate with each other as part of the first wireless power transmitter coordinating the handoff.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter communicates with the wireless power receiver to coordinate the handoff.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter coordinates the handoff through one or more handshakes between the first wireless power transmitter and the second wireless power transmitter.

26. The method of claim 20 , wherein the second wireless power transmitter coordinates the handoff.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the second wireless power transmitter communicates with a first wireless power receiver as part of coordinating the handoff.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the second wireless power transmitter and the first wireless power receiver communicate with each other as part of the second wireless power transmitter coordinating the handoff.

29. The method of claim 26 , wherein the second wireless power transmitter communicates with the wireless power receiver to coordinate the handoff.

30. The method of claim 26 , wherein the second wireless power transmitter coordinates the handoff through one or more handshakes between the first wireless power transmitter and the second wireless power transmitter.

31. The method of claim 20 , wherein the wireless power receiver coordinates the handoff.

32. The method of claim 30 , wherein the wireless power receiver coordinates the handoff by communicating with either or both the first wireless power transmitter and the second wireless power transmitter.

33. The method of claim 30 , wherein the wireless power receiver coordinates the handoff through one or more handshakes between the first wireless power transmitter and the second wireless power transmitter.

34. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit energy to wireless power receivers traversing a first prescribed path of the one or more prescribed paths and the second wireless power transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit energy to wireless power receivers traversing a second prescribed path of the one or more prescribed paths and the handoff occurs in coordination with the wireless power receiver moving from the second prescribed path to the first prescribed path as the wireless power receiver traverses the one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

35. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first wireless power transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit energy to wireless power receivers traversing a first designated lane in the one or more prescribed paths and the second wireless power transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmits energy to wireless power receivers traversing a second designated lane in the one or more prescribed paths and the handoff occurs in coordination with the wireless power receiver moving from the second designated lane to the first designated lane as the wireless power receiver traverses the one or more prescribed paths in the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the first designated lane and the second designated lane are in a same prescribed path of the one or more prescribed paths.

37. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless power receiver traverses the network of interlinked prescribed paths according to a pre-determined path.

38. The method of claim 37 , wherein the pre-determined path is modified as the wireless power receiver traverses the network of interlinked prescribed paths.

39. The method of claim 37 , wherein the pre-determined path is modified based on traffic of other wireless power receivers in the network of interlinked prescribed paths.