US 12,218,519 B2
Charging pad with guiding contours to align an electronic device on the charging pad
Richard Muryanto, Union City, CA (US); Yunhong Liu, San Jose, CA (US); and Gabriel Joseph Cohn, Mill Valley, CA (US)
Assigned to Energous Corporation, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Energous Corporation, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on May 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/737,894.
Application 17/737,894 is a continuation of application No. 17/120,003, filed on Dec. 11, 2020, granted, now 11,355,966.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/947,947, filed on Dec. 13, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0344976 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. H02J 50/23 (2016.01); H02J 50/27 (2016.01); H04B 5/79 (2024.01)
CPC H02J 50/23 (2016.02) [H02J 50/27 (2016.02); H04B 5/79 (2024.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
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.