Locating power receivers

• Main Authors: Nugent, Jr., Thomas J, Kare, Jordin T, Erickson, Carsten Casey
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 26.11.2019
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTINGELECTRIC POWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; 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

A power beaming system includes a power beam reception unit and a power beam transmission unit. The power beam reception unit includes a power conversion array, such as a photovoltaic array, arranged to capture at least a portion of a power beam, and a power supply circuit arranged to convert flux from the captured portion of the power beam to electric power. The power beam transmission unit includes a power beam transmitter circuit to transmit a low-flux search beam during a first time window, and further arranged to transmit a high-flux power beam during a second time window. The power beam transmission unit also includes a location detection circuit arranged to identify a location of the reception unit based on the power beam transmitter circuit transmitting the low-flux search beam during the first time window.