Granted Patent B2

US 12,218,519 · App. 17/737,894 · Granted Feb 4, 2025

Inventors: Richard Muryanto (Union City, CA); Yunhong Liu (San Jose, CA); Gabriel Joseph Cohn (Mill Valley, CA)

Assignee: Energous Corporation

H02J50/23H02J50/27H04B5/79

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A charging pad configured to transmit radio-frequency (RF) wireless power waves for charging an electronic device, the charging pad comprising:

two or more RF transmitting antenna elements that are configured to be selectively activated to transmit RF wireless power waves to the electronic device for wireless charging; and

a charging surface including at least one guiding contour that aligns a position of the electronic device comprising multiple receive antenna elements on the charging surface such that at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements is within a predetermined distance from the electronic device and has a predetermined coupling efficiency; and

a transmitter controller integrated circuit (IC) configured to:

detect the position of the electronic device on the charging surface based on power received by the electronic device via at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements; and

selectively activate at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based only on a determination, after the electronic device has been placed on the charging pad and aligned at the position by the at least one guiding contour, that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element is within the predetermined distance from the electronic device and has the predetermined coupling efficiency, such that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element transmits the RF wireless power waves to the at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements of the electronic device for wireless charging, wherein an electromagnetic field produced by the RF wireless power waves is focused at a location of the at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements.

2. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 5 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 42%.

3. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 2 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 60%.

4. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 0.1 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 70%.

5. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter controller IC is configured to selectively activate another RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based on a determination that the other RF transmitting antenna element is within the predetermined distance of the electronic device and has the predetermined coupling efficiency, such that the other RF transmitting antenna element transmits the wireless power waves to the electronic device for wireless charging.

6. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter controller IC is configured to selectively deactivate the at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based on a determination that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element is not within the predetermined distance of the electronic device or does not have the predetermined coupling efficiency.

7. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the at least one guiding contour is a border that lines at least one edge of the charging surface.

8. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the at least one guiding contour is a rise centrally located on the charging surface and extending a predetermined height from the charging surface, wherein the rise with the predetermined height from the charging surface permits only a predetermined amount of rotation of the electronic device on the charging pad.

9. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the at least one guiding contour is a mount on the charging surface that is configured to receive the electronic device and position the electronic device over the center of the charging surface.

10. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the at least one guiding contour is a set of impressions configured to receive the electronic device and position the electronic device over the center of the charging surface.

11. The charging pad of claim 1 , wherein the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements are symmetrically-shaped radiators or asymmetrically-shaped radiators.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors that are coupled with a charging pad that includes two or more radio-frequency (RF) transmitting antenna elements, cause the one or more processors to:

at the charging pad including (i) a charging surface including at least one guiding contour that aligns a position of an electronic device comprising multiple receive antenna elements on the charging surface such that at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements is within a predetermined distance from the electronic device and has a predetermined coupling efficiency, and (ii) the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements, which are configured to be selectively activated to transmit wireless RF power waves to the electronic device for wireless charging:

detect the position of the electronic device on the charging surface based on power received by the electronic device via at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements; and

selectively activate at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based only on a determination, after the electronic device has been placed on the charging pad and aligned at the position by the at least one guiding contour, that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element is within the predetermined distance from the electronic device and has the predetermined coupling efficiency, such that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element transmits the RF wireless power waves to the at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements of the electronic device for wireless charging, wherein an electromagnetic field produced by the RF wireless power waves is focused at a location of the at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 5 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 42%.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 2 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 60%.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 0.1 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 70%.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to selectively activate another RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based on a determination that the other RF transmitting antenna element is within the predetermined distance of the electronic device and has the predetermined coupling efficiency, such that the other RF transmitting antenna element transmits the RF wireless power waves to the electronic device for wireless charging.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to selectively deactivate the at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based on a determination that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element is not within the predetermined distance of the electronic device or does not have the predetermined coupling efficiency.

18. A method of transmitting radio-frequency (RF) wireless power waves for charging an electronic device, the method comprising:

at a charging pad including (i) a charging surface including at least one guiding contour that aligns a position of the electronic device comprising multiple receive antenna elements on the charging surface such that at least one RF transmitting antenna element of two or more RF transmitting antenna elements is within a predetermined distance from the electronic device and has a predetermined coupling efficiency, and (ii) two or more RF transmitting antenna elements that are configured to be selectively activated to transmit RF wireless power waves to the electronic device for wireless charging:

detecting the position of the electronic device on the charging surface based on power received by the electronic device via at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements; and

selectively activating at least one RF transmitting antenna element of the two or more RF transmitting antenna elements based only on a determination, after the electronic device has been placed on the charging pad and aligned at the position by the at least one guiding contour, that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element is within the predetermined distance from the electronic device and has the predetermined coupling efficiency, such that the at least one RF transmitting antenna element transmits the RF wireless power waves to the at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements of the electronic device for wireless charging, wherein an electromagnetic field produced by the RF wireless power waves is focused at a location of the at least one of the multiple receive antenna elements.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the predetermined distance from the center of the charging surface is less than 5 mm and the predetermined coupling efficiency is at least 42%.

Continuity (3)

References Cited (400)