Techniques for imaging wireless power delivery environments and tracking objects therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10649063-B2
Application number	US-201815977704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2018
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

Techniques are described herein for imaging static or semi-static objects in a wireless power delivery environment and tracking non-static objects contained therein. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques for determining the relative locations and movement of non-static objects in a wireless power delivery environment. Additionally, the techniques describe methods and system for generation of motion-based maps such as heat (or dwell maps) and flow maps.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating an image of a wireless power delivery environment, the method comprising:
receiving, by multiple adaptively-phased radio frequency (RF) antennas of a wireless power delivery system, beacon signals initiated by power receiver clients in the wireless power delivery environment;
determining a phase at which each of the beacon signals is received at the multiple adaptively-phased RF antennas to identify a phase pattern for each beacon signal;
comparing the phase patterns to prior phase patterns to identify differences; and
processing the phase differences over a period of time to generate an image or map of the wireless power delivery environment.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting directed wireless power to the power receiver clients.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein transmitting the directed wireless power to the power receiver clients comprises:
for each power receiver client,
generating an inverse phase pattern based on the received beacon signal;
configuring the adaptively-phased RF antennas using the inverse phase pattern; and
transmitting directed wireless power to the power receiver client via the adaptively-phased RF antennas as configured using the inverse phase pattern.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the phase differences over the period of time to generate the image or map of the wireless power delivery environment further comprises:
identifying static or semi-static objects and other obstructions within the wireless power delivery environment;
identifying non-static objects within the wireless power delivery environment; and
generating the image or map of the wireless power delivery environment,
wherein the image or map includes the static or semi-static objects and the other obstructions within the wireless power delivery environment while removing the non-static objects.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the image or map comprises a three-dimensional (3D) representation of the wireless power delivery environment, wherein the three-dimensional representation identifies shapes and relative locations of static objects within the wireless power delivery environment.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein shapes and relative locations of the static and non-static objects in the wireless power delivery environment can be determined with wavelength level accuracy.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
tracking relative movement data of the non-static objects within the wireless power delivery environment;
aggregating the relative movement data over a specified time interval; and
superimposing the aggregated relative movement data onto the image or map.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
processing the aggregated relative movement data to identify one or more dwell points within the wireless power delivery environment,
wherein a dwell point indicates temporary stagnation in particular area of the wireless power delivery environment.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein colors or shading are used to indicate the corresponding dwell time on the motion-based map.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
processing the aggregated relative movement data to identify one or more motion vectors within the wireless power delivery environment,
wherein the motion vectors indicate an aggregated direction of motion of the one or more non-static objects.

11. A system for generating an image of a wireless power delivery environment, the system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors of a wireless power delivery system, cause the wireless power delivery system to:
process beacon signals initiated by power receiver clients in the wireless power delivery environment;
determine a phase at which each of the beacon signal is received at each of multiple adaptively-phased radio frequency (RF) antennas to identify a phase pattern for each beacon signal;
compare the phase patterns to prior phase patterns to identify differences; and
process the phase differences over a period of time to generate an image or map of the wireless power delivery environment.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein to process the phase differences over the period of time to generate the image or map of the wireless power delivery environment, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the wireless power delivery system to:
identify static or semi-static objects and other obstructions within the wireless power delivery environment;
identify non-static objects within the wireless power delivery environment; and
generate the image or map of the wireless power delivery environment,
wherein the image or map includes the static or semi-static objects and the other obstructions within the wireless power delivery environment while removing the non-static objects.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the image or map comprises a three-dimensional (3D) representation of the wireless power delivery environment, wherein the three-dimensional representation identifies shapes and relative locations of static objects within the wireless power delivery environment.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the shapes and relative locations of the static and non-static objects in the wireless power delivery environment can be determined with wavelength level accuracy.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the wireless power delivery system to:
track relative movement data of the non-static objects within the wireless power delivery environment;
aggregate the relative movement data over a specified time interval; and
superimpose the aggregated realtive movement data onto the image or map.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the wireless power delivery system to:
process the aggregated relative movement data to identify one or more dwell points within the wireless power delivery environment,
wherein a dwell point indicates temporary stagnation in particular area of the wireless power delivery environment.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein colors or shading are used to indicate the corresponding dwell time on the motion-based map.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the wireless power delivery system to:
process the aggregated relative movement data to identify one or more motion vectors within the wireless power delivery environment,
wherein the motion vectors indicate an aggregated direction of motion of the one or more non-static objects.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors of a wireless power delivery system, cause the wireless power delivery system to:
process beacon signals initiated by power receiver clients in the wireless power delivery environment;
determine a phase at which each of the beacon signal is received at multiple adaptively-phased radio frequency (RF) antennas to identify a phase pattern for each beacon signal;
compare the phase patterns to prior phase patterns to identify differences; and
process the phase differences over a period of time to generate an image or map of the wireless power delivery environment.

Assignees

• Ossia Inc

Inventors

• Zeine Hatem Ibrahim

Classifications

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H02J50/80

  involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices · CPC title

• H02J50/20

  using microwaves or radio frequency waves · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• G06Q30/0631

  Recommending goods or services · CPC title