Method for energy harvesting and wireless charging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12556034-B2
Application number	US-202018036953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2020
Priority date	Nov 18, 2020
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

Embodiment herein disclose a method performed a network node for energy harvesting. The transmitter, the receiver unit operate in the network node. The receiver unit is positioned at a distance ‘d’ from the transmitter to produce a first amount of electrical energy. Further, the performance parameters are collected by a control unit from at least one wireless device to determine a preferred distance required between the receiver unit and the transmitter. Thereafter, the position of the receiver unit is adjusted by the control unit, at the preferred distance to the transmitter to harvest a second amount of electrical energy, where second amount is greater than the first amount. Further, at least one of the first amount or second amount of electrical energy harvested by the receiver unit is stored in a power distribution unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for energy harvesting in a wireless communication network, the method being performed by a network node, the method comprising:
transmitting, by a transmitter of the network node, electromagnetic waves in a first direction; positioning a receiver of the transmitter at a distance ‘d’ from the transmitter; producing a first amount of electrical energy in the receiver in response to the electromagnetic waves; collecting, by the network node, performance parameters from at least one wireless device during the production of the first amount of electrical energy; determining, by the network node, a preferred distance required between the receiver and the transmitter, responsive to the collected performance parameters, wherein the preferred distance is a distance at which a greater amount of electrical energy is produced than the first amount of electrical energy; adjusting, by the network node, a position of the receiver at the preferred distance to the transmitter to harvest a second amount of electrical energy, where second amount is greater than the first amount; storing, at the network node, at least one of the first amount or second amount of electrical energy harvested by the receiver.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the network node, a desired angle of tilt required for the transmitter in response to the performance parameters, wherein the desired angle of tilt is an angle at which comparatively higher amount of electrical energy is produced than the first amount of electrical energy; and adjusting, by the network node, an alignment of the transmitter to achieve the desired angle of tilt.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the network node, a request for wireless charging from a wireless device; and transmitting, the stored electrical energy from the network node to the wireless device in response to the request.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising providing the stored electrical energy from the network node to an electrical power grid.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the position of the receiver is performed by an actuator mechanism that is coupled thereto.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the position of the receiver comprises:
transmitting a value of the preferred distance to the actuator mechanism; and providing a linear movement using the actuator mechanism to adjust the position of the receiver to the preferred distance.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein determining the preferred distance and/or the desired angle of tilt comprises executing a machine learning process by the network node with at least one of the performance parameters and the first level of electrical energy as inputs.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the machine learning process comprises inputting the performance parameters and the first level of electrical energy to a machine learning model to train a reinforcement learning agent.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance parameters received from the wireless device comprises quality of experience parameters.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the quality of experience parameters comprises radio quality metrics, network transmission metrics, streaming quality metrics, and user activity details.

11 . A network node for providing wireless charging, the network node comprising:
a transmitter directed in a first direction and configured to transmit electromagnetic waves in the first direction; a receiver positioned at a distance ‘d’ from the transmitter and configured to produce a first amount electrical energy in response to the electromagnetic waves; processing circuitry; and memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node is configured to:
collect performance parameters from at least one wireless device;
determine a preferred distance required between the receiver and the transmitter, responsive to the collected performance parameters;
adjust a position of the receiver at the preferred distance to the transmitter to harvest a second amount of electrical energy, where second amount is greater than the first amount; and
store, at the network node, at least one of the first amount or second amount of electrical energy harvested by the receiver.

12 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising an actuator mechanism electrically coupled to the receiver and configured to adjust a position of the receiver to the distance ‘d’ or the preferred distance.

13 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said memory comprises instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node is configured to:
receive a request for wireless charging from the wireless device; and transmit the stored electrical energy to the wireless device in response to the request.

14 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said memory comprises instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node is configured to provide the stored electrical energy to an electrical power grid.

15 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said memory comprises instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node is configured to:
determine a desired angle of tilt required for the transmitter in response to the performance parameters, wherein the desired angle of tilt is an angle at which a comparatively higher amount of electrical energy may be produced than the first amount; and adjust an alignment of the transmitter to the desired angle of tilt.

16 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said memory comprises instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node is configured to execute a machine learning process with at least one of the performance parameters and the first level of electrical energy as inputs to obtain the preferred distance and the desired angle of tilt as outputs.

17 . The network node as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the machine learning process comprises inputting the performance parameters and the first level of electrical energy to a machine learning model to train a reinforcement learning agent.

18 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said memory comprises instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node is configured to provide the stored electrical energy to an electrical power grid.

19 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising a power distribution unit configured to store, in a battery or a capacitor, the at least one of the first amount or second amount of electrical energy harvested by the receiver.

20 . The network node as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the receiver is an inductor circuit with a rectifier for generation of a direct current.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Ickin Selim
• Eleftheriadis Lackis

Classifications

• H02J50/20

  using microwaves or radio frequency waves · CPC title

• H02J50/90

  involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment · CPC title

• H02J50/80

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

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J50/001 Primary

  Energy harvesting or scavenging · CPC title