MULTI-LAYERED SAFETY SYSTEM

• Main Authors: BASHFORD, Thomas, W, KARE, Jordin T, ERICKSON, Carsten, Casey, BASHFORD, David, NUGENT, Thomas J. Jr
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 01.01.2020
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTINGELECTRIC POWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY; TESTING; TRANSMISSION

Embodiments are directed towards a safety system that can be used with a high-flux power beam, such as in wireless power transmission. The system includes a transmitter that generates and transmits a power beam and a receiver that receives the power beam. A plurality of sensors is configured to independently detect if an object is near, impeding, or about to impede (i.e., impinging) the power beam. Each of the plurality of sensors is configured to detect the object at different distances between the transmitter and the receiver. A controller triggers the transmitter to stop generating the power beam when any one or more of the plurality of sensors detects the object or a combination of the plurality of sensors detects the object. The controller triggers the transmitter to re-generate and transmit the power beam when each of the plurality of sensors fails to detect the object.