US 12,266,946 B2
Antenna device, power supplying device, and power supplying method
Masaaki Fujii, Nagano (JP)
Assigned to MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc., Nagano (JP)
Appl. No. 18/044,124
Filed by MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc., Nagano (JP)
PCT Filed Aug. 25, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/031251
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 30, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/054586, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 17, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-151849 (JP), filed on Sep. 10, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0072577 A1, Feb. 29, 2024
Int. Cl. H02J 50/23 (2016.01); H01Q 3/36 (2006.01); H02J 50/40 (2016.01); H02J 50/90 (2016.01)
CPC H02J 50/23 (2016.02) [H02J 50/402 (2020.01); H02J 50/90 (2016.02)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An antenna device comprising:
an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in two dimensions along a first axis and a second axis;
a plurality of phase shifters configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to each of the plurality of antenna elements in a first axis direction;
a camera configured to obtain an image through a fisheye lens;
a memory; and
a processor configured to execute
converting a first position of a marker relative to the camera included in the image obtained by the camera, into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis;
obtaining, based on the second position, an elevation angle of a projection position obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis in the second plane;
storing in the memory, a plurality of sets of phase data corresponding to a plurality of elevation angles, the phase data representing a plurality of phases when power is transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device positioned at a position of the marker, the plurality of phases received by the power receiving device from the plurality of antenna elements being adjusted to be aligned; and
reading the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle obtained by the obtaining from the memory, and controlling the phase shifters based on the read phase data so as to make a direction of a beam radiated by the array antenna become the elevation angle in the second plane.
 
7. A power supplying device comprising:
an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in two dimensions along a first axis and a second axis;
a radio wave generation source;
a plurality of phase shifters provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source, and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to each of the plurality of antenna elements in a first axis direction;
a camera configured to obtain an image through a fisheye lens;
a memory; and
a processor configured to execute
converting a first position of a marker relative to the camera included in the image obtained by the camera, into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis;
obtaining, based on the second position, an elevation angle of a projection position obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis in the second plane;
storing in the memory, a plurality of sets of phase data corresponding to a plurality of elevation angles, the phase data representing a plurality of phases when power is transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device positioned at a position of the marker, the plurality of phases received by the power receiving device from the plurality of antenna elements being adjusted to be aligned; and
reading the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle obtained by the obtaining from the memory, and controlling the phase shifters based on the read phase data so as to make a direction of a beam radiated by the array antenna become the elevation angle in the second plane.
 
8. A power supplying method executed by a power supplying device including:
an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements arranged in two dimensions along a first axis and a second axis;
a radio wave generation source;
a plurality of phase shifters provided between the array antenna and the radio wave generation source, and configured to adjust a phase of a power transmission signal supplied to each of the plurality of antenna elements in a first axis direction;
a camera configured to obtain an image through a fisheye lens;
a memory; and
a processor,
the power supplying method comprising:
converting a first position of a marker relative to the camera included in the image obtained by the camera, into a second position in polar coordinates on a first plane including the first axis and the second axis;
obtaining, based on the second position, an elevation angle of a projection position obtained by projecting the first position onto a second plane including the first axis and a third axis, with respect to the third axis in the second plane;
storing in the memory, a plurality of sets of phase data corresponding to a plurality of elevation angles, the phase data representing a plurality of phases when power is transmitted from the plurality of antenna elements to a power receiving device positioned at a position of the marker, the plurality of phases received by the power receiving device from the plurality of antenna elements being adjusted to be aligned; and
reading the phase data corresponding to the elevation angle obtained by the obtaining from the memory, and controlling the phase shifters based on the read phase data so as to make a direction of a beam radiated by the array antenna become the elevation angle in the second plane.