US 12,176,728 B2
Methods and systems for wireless power transfer
Svetoslav Duhovnikov, Munich (DE); Aygün Baltaci, Munich (DE); Andreas Drexler, Munich (DE); Bernd Schleicher, Ebersberg (DE); Jan Tepper, Munich (DE); and Dominic Schupke, Munich (DE)
Assigned to Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Taufkirchen (DE)
Filed by AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBH, Taufkirchen (DE)
Filed on Dec. 18, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/126,511.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 220 462.7 (DE), filed on Dec. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0194292 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. H02J 50/40 (2016.01); B64D 41/00 (2006.01); H02J 50/20 (2016.01); H02J 50/80 (2016.01); H04W 52/46 (2009.01)
CPC H02J 50/40 (2016.02) [B64D 41/00 (2013.01); H02J 50/20 (2016.02); H02J 50/80 (2016.02); H04W 52/46 (2013.01); B64D 2221/00 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for wireless power transfer (WPT), comprising: a plurality of WPT transmission devices distributed about a WPT environment, the plurality of WPT transmission devices comprising a first number of devices, each of the plurality of WPT transmission devices being configured to provide far-field omnidirectionally emitted electromagnetic radiation, the WPT transmission devices being configured to provide at least pairwise overlapping radiative power transmission coverage over the WPT environment; a plurality of WPT receiver devices comprises a second number of devices that is larger than the first number, the plurality of WPT receiver devices being configured to wirelessly receive power transmitted by the plurality of WPT transmission devices simultaneously, the plurality of WPT receiver devices being arranged in the WPT environment at fixed positions relative to each of the plurality of WPT transmission devices; a WPT transmit controller coupled to the plurality of WPT transmission devices and configured to control WPT transmission properties of each of the plurality of WPT transmission devices so that the transmit power levels from the WPT transmission devices at the fixed positions of each of the plurality of WPT receiver devices lie within a predetermined power level range; and a retransmission receiver coupled to the WPT transmit controller, the retransmission receiver being configured to receive a transmit power level indication signal from the plurality of WPT receiver devices indicating a measured or detected received power level at the fixed positions of each of the plurality of WPT receiver devices; wherein the WPT transmit controller is configured to adjust the WPT transmission properties of each of the plurality of WPT transmission devices based on the received transmit power level indication signal from the plurality of WPT receiver devices; wherein a minimum power level threshold of the predetermined power level range is determined by a minimum power level needed to provide electric power for an intended functionality of the plurality of WPT receiver devices; and wherein a maximum power level threshold of the predetermined power level range is determined by a maximum power level supported by the power supply specifications of the plurality of WPT receiver devices and
wherein the WPT transmission properties controlled by WPT transmit controller include one or more of individual phases of the radiated sinusoidal or multi-tone output signals of the WPT transmission devices, timing of the transmission during on/off time in duty-cycle operation of the WPT transmission devices, frequency spacing for spread-spectrum emission of the WPT transmission devices and variation of modulation schemes of the RF transmission of the WPT transmission devices.