WO2025218902A1 - Dispositif de communication et procédé de collecte d'énergie et de transmission de signal combinées - Google Patents

Dispositif de communication et procédé de collecte d'énergie et de transmission de signal combinées

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Publication number
WO2025218902A1
WO2025218902A1 PCT/EP2024/060622 EP2024060622W WO2025218902A1 WO 2025218902 A1 WO2025218902 A1 WO 2025218902A1 EP 2024060622 W EP2024060622 W EP 2024060622W WO 2025218902 A1 WO2025218902 A1 WO 2025218902A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
signal
communication device
energy
generated
transmitter
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/EP2024/060622
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Giuseppe Moschetti
Rickard Ljung
Henrik Sjöland
Gang ZOU
Shousheng He
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Original Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB filed Critical Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority to PCT/EP2024/060622 priority Critical patent/WO2025218902A1/fr
Publication of WO2025218902A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025218902A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J50/00—Circuit arrangements or systems for wireless supply or distribution of electric power
    • H02J50/001—Energy harvesting or scavenging
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
    • G08C17/00—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
    • G08C2201/00—Transmission systems of control signals via wireless link
    • G08C2201/10—Power supply of remote control devices
    • G08C2201/11—Energy harvesting
    • G08C2201/112—Mechanical energy, e.g. vibration, piezoelectric

Definitions

  • Embodiments herein relate to a wireless communication device and method therein for energy harvesting, generating and transmitting a signal.
  • the embodiments relate to a wireless communication device and method therein for generating and transmitting the signal based on mechanical energy harvesting.
  • Wireless sensors and devices are used in several applications, including Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN), smart metering, smart manufacturing, environment monitoring, traffic control, etc.
  • WLAN Wireless Body Area Network
  • LoTs Internet of Things
  • One clear bottleneck to the large growth of loT ecosystem is related to the need of replacing batteries. Assuming a 1 trillion devices ecosystem and assuming an extremely optimistic battery life of 10 years, the number of batteries that would need to be replaced every day would amount to about 274 million. Assuming a more realistic battery life of three years, the number of batteries to be replaced every day would jump to 913 million. Clearly, this is not feasible and sustainable.
  • Energy harvesting which consists in converting energy already present in the environment to electrical energy, can overcome the issues of battery replacement and disposal, and will pave the way for a massive growth of the loTs towards the goal of a trillion devices ecosystem.
  • wireless and wearable devices with very small form factor that can monitor human body properties, e.g. smartwatches and smart rings.
  • these devices are typically powered by a rechargeable battery, which needs to be recharged prior to operating.
  • wireless devices that can harvest energy from various energy sources e.g. radio frequency (RF) radiation, thermal gradients, vibrations etc., and store the energy in a storage component such as a supercapacitor or a rechargeable battery.
  • RF radio frequency
  • the device can transmit information, e.g. sensor data, by using the stored energy.
  • these devices rely on the fact that communication can occur only after the energy storage reaches a certain level. Therefore, these devices cannot work for critical applications such as a fall detector since it is not possible to wait until the energy storage is full before sending the information.
  • Energy harvesting could be used to supply an ultra-low power wearable device which transmits a wireless signal whenever it receives energy from the harvesting unit.
  • the energy can be generated from pressure, shaking, light, etc.
  • Such devices would not need a fully charged storage device to be able to initiate communication.
  • An example of a device that sends information as soon as an action has occurred is a push button, where the pressure on the button generates energy via e.g. a piezoelectric harvester which is used to transmit a digital Identify (ID) code.
  • ID digital Identify
  • this push button is a very simple solution and can just transmit the digital ID code indicating that the button has been pressed, but no other information regarding the nature of the event, that may be needed to detect a fall or to provide control to other devices that should respond differently depending on the event nature.
  • ultra-low power wearable devices that can harvest the energy during an action, e.g. tap, shake, fall, etc. and control another wireless device with low time latency.
  • the object is achieved by a communication device configured to harvest energy for its operation.
  • the communication device comprises a mechanical energy harvester configured to generate an electrical signal by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy in response to mechanical deformation, movement or vibration of the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the generated electrical signal comprises information on characteristics of energy harvesting and thus characteristics of mechanical deformation, movement, or vibration.
  • the communication device further comprises a signal generator configured to generate a first signal based on the generated electrical signal.
  • the communication device further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit the generated first signal to one or more receiving devices upon generation of electrical energy.
  • One or more properties of the transmitted first signal comprise information on the characteristics of energy harvesting.
  • the operations of the signal generator and transmitter are power supplied by the electrical energy generated by the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the properties of the transmitted first signal may be any one or more of an amplitude, a frequency, a modulation rate, a bit sequence, a modulation scheme, a coding scheme, a coding rate etc.
  • the characteristics of energy harvesting may be any one or more of the following but not limited to: a) characteristics of moving, e.g. moving direction, moving speed, moving acceleration, moving duration etc.; b) type of motion, action or event, e.g. a fall, a shaking, a knocking, a strain, a pressure, a singular event/motion/action, a repeated event/motion/action, an event/motion/action within a corresponding time, a short term movement e.g. a hand gesture, a command gesture, a long term continuous activity e.g. a cycling motion, a running motion etc.; c) characteristics of motion, action or event, e.g. a pattern of pressure, a frequency or an intensity of shaking, knocking, vibration etc.; d) identity of energy harvester. If the communication device comprises more than one energy harvester.
  • the object is achieved by a method performed in a communication device for harvesting energy, generating, and transmitting a signal.
  • the communication device generates an electrical signal by a mechanical energy harvester configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy in response to mechanical deformation movement or vibration of the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the generated electrical signal comprises information on characteristics of energy harvesting and thus characteristics of mechanical deformation, movements or vibrations.
  • the communication device generates a first signal based on the generated electrical signal by a signal generator.
  • the operation of the signal generator is power supplied by the electrical energy generated by the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the communication device transmits the generated first signal by a transmitter to one or more receiving devices upon generation of electrical energy.
  • One or more properties of the transmitted first signal comprise information on the characteristics of energy harvesting, and the operation of the transmitter is power supplied by the electrical energy generated by the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the communication device is an ultra-low power device which harvests energy from a mechanical energy harvester.
  • a mechanical energy harvester is a type of device that captures and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. These mechanical energy harvesters are designed to harness energy from various sources of mechanical deformation, motion or vibration in the environment. Different types of energy harvesting characteristics generate different types of radio frequency (RF) signals which are transmitted upon the generation of electrical energy. Therefore, the energy harvesting functionality has a dual usage i.e. both acting as a sensor to determine the type of signal to transmit, but also for providing power for the communication device.
  • the communication device can harvest energy from the movement of the energy harvester such as shaking, vibration, or the mechanical deformation of the energy harvester e.g. strain, stress, pressure etc.
  • the RF signal as such includes information on the characteristics of mechanical deformation, movements or vibrations.
  • the communication device may have multiple harvesters of different types, and the transmitted signal may be different depending on the harvester type and the characteristics of the energy harvesting, e.g. a fall, a patern of pressure or different type or intensity of shaking or knocking. For example, if the energy harvesting is performed via movement such as shaking, strain or pressure, the signal generated by the communication device may be indicative of the shaking, strain or pressure patern, or frequency or intensity.
  • the communication device has some advantages, for examples:
  • the communication device is always ready, i.e. no need to charge bateries, for critical applications such as a fall detection system. Hence, there is no need for separate energy storage.
  • the energy harvester is producing energy when triggering the signal transmission, enabling energy to be available for all signal transmissions.
  • the communication device can be used as an added layer of security for authentication of other devices if e.g. a specific action such as a gesture which is triggering the energy harvester in a specific manner is required to verify a usage.
  • the implementation of the communication device is simple.
  • the transmiter may be implemented as an oscillator-based transmiter or a backscatering transmiter.
  • the embodiments herein provide an improved method and apparatus for combined harvesting energy and signal transmiting as soon as an action has occurred.
  • the transmited signal is generated based on the type of energy harvesting and the characteristics of the energy harvesting and can be used for controlling an operation of a receiving device or indicating or detecting actions, movements or gestures.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a communication device with energy harvester according to embodiments herein;
  • Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing one example implementation of a communication device according to embodiments herein;
  • Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing another example implementation of a communication device according to embodiments herein;
  • Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing one example of an active rectifier
  • Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an energy harvester which harvests energy from different movement directions
  • Figure 6 is a simplified hand figure depicting an example of a communication device as wearable ring on one or more figures according to embodiments herein;
  • Figure 7 is a simplified hand figure depicting an example of a communication device as wearable rings on one figure according to embodiments herein;
  • Figure 8 is a flow chart showing a method performed by a communication device according to embodiments herein.
  • the communication device can harvest energy from one or more mechanical energy harvesters. Different types of harvesting characteristics are generating different types of wireless RF signals.
  • the energy harvesting functionality has a dual usage, both acting as a sensor to determine a signal to transmit, but also for generating energy to a transmitter.
  • the communication device can harvest energy from the environment and send the generated RF signal to other devices nearby.
  • the transmitted RF signal as such may comprise information depending on:
  • the characteristics of the harvesting e.g. a fall, a pattern of pressure or different type or intensity of shaking or knocking.
  • the signal generated by the device may be indicative of the shaking, strain or pressure pattern, frequency, intensity etc.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a communication device 100 with energy harvester according to embodiments herein.
  • the communication device 100 is configured to utilize one or more energy harvesting methods to harvest energy for its operation and signal transmission.
  • the communication device 100 comprises one or more mechanical energy harvester EH 111, EH112, EH113 configured to generate an electrical signal by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy in response to an action or event, e.g. mechanical deformation, movement or vibration of the mechanical energy harvester.
  • Piezoelectric Harvesters Piezoelectric materials generate electrical charges in response to mechanical stress or deformation. When subjected to mechanical vibrations or motion, these materials produce voltage that can be harvested and stored for powering electronic devices.
  • Electromagnetic energy harvesters utilize the principle of electromagnetic induction to convert mechanical motion into electrical energy. They typically consist of coils of wire that move relative to magnets or magnetic fields, inducing an electrical current in the wire.
  • Electrostatic energy harvesters exploit the attraction and repulsion forces between charged particles to convert mechanical motion into electrical energy. These devices often employ capacitive structures that change capacitance as they move, generating an electrical output.
  • Resonant mechanical energy harvesters are designed to resonate at specific frequencies corresponding to environmental vibrations. By tuning the device to resonate with the frequency of ambient vibrations, it can efficiently capture and convert mechanical energy into electrical power.
  • Triboelectric energy harvesters utilize the triboelectric effect, which generates electric charges when certain materials come into contact and then separate. When subjected to mechanical motion or vibration, these materials rub against each other, creating a potential difference that can be harvested as electricity.
  • the communication device 100 thus can harvest energy from the movement of the energy harvester such as shaking, vibration, or the mechanical deformation e.g. strain, stress, pressure etc.
  • the generated electrical signal by the mechanical energy harvester EH 111/112/113 comprises information on characteristics of energy harvesting and thus characteristics of mechanical deformation, movements or vibrations etc.
  • the generated electrical signal may be a current or voltage signal, and the current or voltage signal may have a time varying amplitude in response to the mechanical movement, vibration or deformation.
  • the characteristics of energy harvesting may be any one or more of the following but not limited to: a) characteristics of moving, e.g. moving direction, moving speed, moving acceleration, moving duration etc.; b) type of motion, action or event, e.g. a fall, a shaking, a knocking, a strain, a pressure, a singular event/motion/action, a repeated event/motion/action, an event/motion/action within a corresponding time, a short term movement e.g. a hand gesture, a command gesture, a long term continuous activity e.g. a cycling motion, a running motion etc.; c) characteristics of motion, action or event, e.g. a pattern of pressure, a frequency or an intensity of shaking, knocking, vibration etc.; d) identity of energy harvester. If the communication device comprises more than one energy harvester, e.g. EH111, EH112, EH113.
  • the communication device 100 further comprises a signal generator 120 configured to generate a first signal 121 based on the generated electrical signal.
  • the first signal may be generated as a digital sequence based on the generated electrical signal.
  • the signal generator 120 may comprise an oscillator 122 and a digital sequence or code generator 123 to generate the first signal.
  • the communication device 100 further comprises a transmitter TR 130 configured to transmit the generated first signal to one or more receiving devices, e.g. device DvB 150 upon generation of electrical energy.
  • the transmitted first signal may be used for controlling the operation of the receiving device or indicating the movement or gesture of a person using or wearing the communication device 100.
  • the first signal may be transmitted by transmitting a carrier signal modulated by the first signal.
  • the modulation rate and/or modulation amplitude may be dependent on the first signal and thus the generated electrical signal.
  • the frequency and/or amplitude of the carrier signal may be dependent on the first signal and thus the generated electrical signal.
  • the modulation scheme or modulation waveform may be dependent on the first signal and thus the generated electrical signal.
  • the transmitted first signal comprises information on the characteristics of energy harvesting.
  • the property of the transmitted first signal which may be any one or more of an amplitude, a frequency, a modulation rate, a bit sequence, a modulation scheme, a coding scheme, a coding rate etc., comprises information on the characteristics of energy harvesting. This means that the characteristics of energy harvesting are directly controlling the signal generation and transmission.
  • the transmitted signal and/or physical layer properties of the transmitted signal are thus indicative of the energy harvesting characteristics, i.e. any one or more of the characteristics listed in a)-d) above.
  • the properties of the transmitted signal e.g. amplitude, frequency and modulation rate may be implemented by analog circuitry that has high sensitivity to the supply voltage.
  • the more digital properties like bit sequence, modulation scheme, and coding scheme and rate may be implemented based on comparators checking the level of the supply voltage against reference levels, and the selection of the digital properties can then be based on the comparator decisions.
  • the device DvB 150 will be able to analyze the properties of received signal and determine information about the characteristics of energy harvesting in the communication device 100, i.e. any one or more of the characteristics listed in a)-d) above.
  • the operations of the signal generator 120 and transmitter TR 130 are power supplied by the electrical energy generated by the one or more mechanical energy harvester EH 111/112/113.
  • the energy harvester EH 111/112/113 may feed a rectifier Reef 124.
  • the rectifier 124 will output a positive supply voltage to the other blocks 120, 130. If a full wave rectifier is used, a positive supply voltage is output both when the energy harvester EH 111/112/113 outputs a positive and a negative voltage. Whether a rectifier should be used or not depends on the types of the energy harvester and on the desired operation of the communication device 100. If the transmitter TR 130 should operate only when the energy harvester EH 111/112/113 outputs a positive voltage, no rectifier may be necessary, or a simpler rectifier e.g. half wave, may be used if the circuitry must be protected from negative supply voltages. Regardless of which type of rectifier is used, half wave or full wave, it is advantageous to use an active rectifier to minimize voltage drop.
  • FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic block diagram showing an example implementation of a communication device 200 according to embodiments herein.
  • the communication device 200 comprises an electromagnetic harvester 210 having a top magnet 211, a bottom magnet 212, a moving magnet 213 and a winding coil 214.
  • the moving magnet 213 moves relative to the top and bottom magnets or magnetic fields, inducing an electrical current in the winding coil 214.
  • This current is directly rectified by a rectifier 220 and a voltage Vs is generated which then charges a storage capacitor Cs and supplies a voltage dependent oscillator 230, a digital sequence or code generator 240 and an RF transmitter 250.
  • the frequency of the signal generated by the voltage dependent oscillator 230 is a function of the supply voltage, and thus also a function of the type of motion/action.
  • the rectifier 220 is a full wave passive rectifier implemented by capacitors and diodes.
  • the voltage dependent oscillator 230 is a relaxation oscillator, where the capacitor C4 at the source of M4 is charged and discharged over the oscillation cycle.
  • the charging current is provided by M3 and is designed to have a weak dependence on the supply voltage Vs.
  • the gate voltage of M3 is equal to the gate voltage of Ml plus the voltage drop of the resistor R1.
  • the level to which the capacitor C4 is charged, before being discharged, is proportional to the current from M2, which is designed to have a large dependence on the supply voltage Vs.
  • the gate voltage of M2 is equal to the gate voltage of Ml minus the voltage drop of the resistor R2. After the capacitor C4 reaches the level to which it should be charged, transistor M6 discharges it, and then charging will start again.
  • the oscillator frequency will decrease with increasing supply voltage. If the drain connections of M2 and M3 to M5 and M4 are swapped for swapping their currents, the oscillator frequency will instead increase with increasing supply voltage.
  • FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic block diagram showing an example implementation of a communication device 300 according to embodiments herein.
  • the communication device 300 comprises an electromagnetic harvester 310 having a top magnet 311, a bottom magnet 312, a moving magnet 313 and a winding coil 314.
  • the moving magnet 313 moves relative to the top and bottom magnets or magnetic fields, inducing an electrical current in the winding coil 314.
  • This current is directly rectified by a rectifier 320 and a voltage Vs is generated which then charges a storage capacitor Cs and supply a voltage dependent oscillator 330, a digital sequence or code generator 340 and an RF transmitter 350.
  • the frequency of the signal generated by the voltage dependent oscillator 330 is a function of the supply voltage Vs, and thus also a function of the type of motion/action.
  • the RF transmitter 350 is a backscattering transmitter which comprises a switching arrangement 351, an impedance matching network 352 and an antenna arrangement 353.
  • the digital sequence or code generator 340 generates a certain digital code to control the impedance 352 presented at the antenna arrangement 353 by controlling the switching arrangement 351 and enable a backscattering transmission.
  • the voltage dependent oscillator 330 is a ring oscillator comprising an odd number of inverter stages connected in a loop, forming a closed ring structure.
  • 3 inverter stages 331, 332, 333 are used.
  • the oscillation frequency will depend on the current driving capability of the inverter stages and the node capacitances that arise from the inherent capacitance of the transistors, interconnects, and parasitic capacitances present in the circuit. The larger the current driving capability and the smaller the node capacitances, the higher the oscillation frequency.
  • the driving capability is increased faster than the node capacitances, and the frequency increases. This is particularly pronounced at low supply voltages, in weak inversion, also known as sub-threshold operation, where the driving capability is very sensitive to changes in supply voltage. This is also a suitable operating range for ultra-low power. If the frequency of the ring oscillator is too high and needs to be reduced, some additional node capacitances can be introduced.
  • the rectifiers 220, 320 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are passive rectifiers implemented by capacitors and diodes which have a built-in voltage drop in addition to the on-resistance. To minimize the voltage drop, active rectifiers may be used.
  • FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram showing an example of a full wave active rectifier 400 implemented by semiconductor devices such as MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide- Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors) or IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) as switching elements. These devices are controlled by a gate or base signal to selectively conduct current in one direction during specific intervals of the input voltage waveform.
  • MOSFETs Metal-Oxide- Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors
  • IGBTs Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors
  • the voltage dependent oscillator 230/330 may be implemented as a low frequency oscillator.
  • the voltage dependent oscillator 230/330 is designed to have a highly voltage dependent frequency.
  • it can be a ring oscillator e.g. as shown in Figure 3, or a relaxation oscillator, e.g. as shown in Figure 2, which both can be designed with ultra-low power consumption.
  • the relaxation oscillator 230 the charging current and the voltage transition point can be made supply voltage dependent. Both signs of frequency dependence can then be achieved, negative by increasing the transition voltage with supply voltage, and positive by increasing the charging current with supply voltage.
  • the typical behavior is increasing frequency with supply voltage, and the frequency/power can be made low by current starving the inverters or by using long transistors in the inverters and by operating the transistors in the inverters in the sub-threshold region.
  • the low frequency oscillator 230/330 provides the clock signal to the digital sequence generator 240/340.
  • This digital sequence generator 240/340 generates a digital sequence, and can for instance be implemented by a shift register with feedback or other type of digital state machine. It may generate a sequence that comprises information on the characteristics of energy harvesting in the communication device 100/200/300 which can be used for identification by a receiver. The frequency of the sequence will depend on the harvested voltage.
  • the digital sequence is fed to the RF transmitter 250/350 to make a wireless transmission.
  • the RF transmitter 250/350 may be an oscillator-based transmitter as shown in Figure 2, where the digital sequence modulates the amplitude or frequency of the RF oscillator 251, making it an active transmitter. Some energy is tapped out of the RF oscillator 251 and fed to the antenna 253.
  • the RF transmitter 250/350 may also be a passive so called back scattering transmitter, as shown in Figure 3. In that case the digital sequence controls one or more switches 351 that connect different RF impedances 352 to the antenna 353. Alternatively, instead of switches, the digital sequence signal can control one or more varactors that have a controllable RF capacitance.
  • the varactors are then part of an RF impedance network connected to the antenna 353.
  • modulating the load impedance of the antenna 353, using switches or varactors if the antenna 353 is illuminated by another transmitter, a reflected signal is transmitted with the digital sequence modulated on top of the illumination signal.
  • the antenna impedance modulation for back-scatter transmission is dependent on the energy harvesting characteristics. By not having an RF oscillator inside the transmitter 350, extremely low power consumption can be reached.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 generates and sends a signal based on the characteristic of the energy harvesting, i.e. the characteristics of mechanical deformation, movements or vibrations sends.
  • the transmitted RF signal contains information indicating the energy harvesting characteristics to another nearby receiving device.
  • the transmitted RF signal thus includes information on the characteristics of energy harvesting in the communication device 100, e.g. any one or more of the characteristics listed in a)-d) above.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may have multiple harvesters of different types, and the transmitted RF signal may be different depending on the harvester type and the characteristics of the energy harvesting, e.g. a fall, a pattern of pressure or different type or intensity of shaking or knocking. For example, if the energy harvesting is performed via movement such as shaking, strain or pressure, the signal generated by the communication device 100/200/300 may be indicative of the shaking, strain or pressure pattern, or frequency or intensity etc.
  • the physical layer properties of the transmitted signal from the communication device 100/200/300 may be defined based on the energy harvesting characteristics. This may e.g. mean that one or more of a transmitted bit sequence, radio frequency, bandwidth, modulation or coding may be different dependent on the type of energy harvesting or other characteristics of the energy harvesting.
  • the transmitted signal physical layer properties are the same for the transmissions, but the communication device 100/200/300 generates data packets where the data packet information payload is defined based on the energy harvesting characteristics.
  • the data may be generated e.g. on Internet Protocol (IP) layer and the content of the payload data within the IP packets is indicative of the energy harvesting characteristics.
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may have a digital sequence generator for each energy harvester, so that the transmitted signal can be identified by the sequence.
  • the sequence is modulating an RF oscillator frequency or amplitude for active transmission, or the antenna impedance for back-scatter transmission.
  • the digital modulator i.e. the digital sequence or code generator 240/340 is clocked by the oscillator 230/330, that has a supply voltage dependent frequency.
  • the modulation rate of the transmitted signal is then dependent on the harvested voltage, which can be detected by the receiver, that then obtains information about the harvested voltage versus time waveform during the transmission event.
  • This functionality may be used for event-triggered transmissions, e.g. limiting the transmission of a signal to occasions when the energy harvesting has certain properties that can be coupled to a specific event. For example, if energy is harvested with properties matching the event characteristics a signal will be transmitted, while if the harvesting properties are not matching the event characteristics, the communication device 100/200/300 will abstain from transmitting a signal even if enough energy would be available for a potential transmission. As an example use case one can consider certain gestures that will trigger a transmission from the communication device 100/200/300, e.g. only transmit a signal upon a fall is detected based on the energy harvesting.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may be configured to transmit one or more generated first signals to one or more receiving devices only when a criterion is fulfilled.
  • the determination on whether a criterion is fulfilled may be implemented by using comparators and counters and with a state machine to control if one or more generated first signals should be transmitted. Another option is to send a signal for every event that happened and let the receiving devices determine what event it was.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 can use information from all harvesters to determine the signal to be transmitted. That is the first signal is generated and transmitted based on the electrical signals generated by the two or more mechanical energy harvesters. This may be a useful case if the harvesters are detecting different type of activities or complementary activities, enabling the communication device 100/200/300 to transmit signals that describes more complex gestures or combinations of energy harvesting characteristics.
  • the first signal may be generated and transmitted by the communication device 100/200/300 for controlling the operation of a receiving device or indicating movement or gesture.
  • the receiving devices may also benefit from the information sent by the transmitter.
  • the first signal may comprise information on the frequency of vibration, variation of signal, signature of amplitude, frequency, direction etc. Upon getting this information the receiving devices may have the opportunity to adjust their resonating frequency for better harvesting efficiency etc.
  • two or more first signals may be generated and transmitted by the communication device 100/200/300 for controlling the operation of a receiving device or indicating movement or gesture.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may be any one or more of a sensor device, a control device for another device, a fall detection device, a computer mouse device, a wearable device, or any other moveable device.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may allow a main mobile device, e.g. the receiving device DvB 150, to be unlocked only if it is in close proximity and if a particular movement is performed.
  • a main mobile device e.g. the receiving device DvB 150
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may be used as a companion product to trigger a wake up command to a second device, e.g. a companion product to a smartphone or XR headset or XR product.
  • a companion product to a smartphone or XR headset or XR product.
  • Used as a controller for a device that doesn’t have a user interface e.g. XR glasses, e.g. as a complement or silent alternative to voice control.
  • a message e.g. morse code or other patterns.
  • the message may be received by a receiving device e.g. a smartphone which creates a message and transmits e.g. to cloud or other receiver.
  • the proposed communication device 100/200/300 implementation may be utilized in devices targeted to be deployed via ultra-low cost devices used for ubiquitous loT connectivity solutions.
  • the sensors may be applied to objects in very large volumes, e.g. within an industry or similar where the energy harvesting can be used as signal transmission trigger.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may comprise three electromagnetic harvesters oriented along X, Y and Z directions, which can harvest energy from different movement directions, i.e. 3 directions sensing (X,Y,Z), as shown in Figure 5.
  • the communication devices 100/200/300 can generate and send a signal with detailed information regarding the type of movement or gesture, e.g. moving direction, which gesture etc.
  • multiple of the communication devices 100/200/300 can be used to control a second device.
  • the multiple of communication devices 100/200/300 may be two or more rings 610, 620 with electromagnetic harvester wearable on fingers such as one on left hand and one on right hand, and can be used to detect hand gestures and transmit signals immediately upon energy creation, indicative of the gestures, as shown in Figure 6.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may comprise two or more rings connected with a piezoelectric strip wearable on one or more fingers to detect finger flexion gesture and convert it to control signals. Flexion of the finger will cause the piezoelectric strip to generate a voltage, with amplitude proportional to the finger movement, which in turn will power the transmitter and send information.
  • Figure 7 shows a communication device 700 according to this example, where a piezoelectric harvester 710 is connected to two rings 711, 712, and one of the rings e.g. 711 comprises the transmitter.
  • the communication device 700 may be placed in one or more fingers to convert finger actions to one or more signals for indicating more complicated gestures.
  • the communication device 100/200/300 may comprise one or more rings with electromagnetic harvester and/or one or more of any other types of energy harvester or measuring unit, e.g. accelerometer or motion generator, light sensor, solar panel etc., wearable on one or more fingers or arms, legs to convert finger or body actions to one or more control signals for controlling an operation of a receiving device or indicting movement or gesture.
  • any other types of energy harvester or measuring unit e.g. accelerometer or motion generator, light sensor, solar panel etc.
  • the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 with ultra-low cost may be useful.
  • Such other examples may be within manufacturing industry, goods logistics industry or similar where a massive amount of sensors are deployed e.g. on individual objects and a cloud server is in the end receiving information and collecting big amount of data from the multiple device s/objects.
  • a movement or similar which generates energy can directly cause a transmission where the signal is indicative of the movement.
  • the server function can be used to estimate the amount of activity for the set of objects.
  • a clothing store where each garment has one or more sensors attached or embedded. For each hour/day/week movement data can be collected and stored about how much each garment have been touched, been tried on etc.
  • a method performed in the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 for harvesting energy for its operation and transmitting a signal will now be described with reference to Figure 8.
  • the method comprises the following actions, which actions may be performed in any suitable order.
  • the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 generates an electrical signal by a mechanical energy harvester configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy in response to mechanical deformation movement or vibration of the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the generated electrical signal comprises information on characteristics of energy harvesting and thus characteristics of mechanical deformation, movements or vibrations.
  • the generated electrical signal is a current or voltage signal, and the current or voltage signal has a time varying amplitude in response to the mechanical movements
  • the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 generates a first signal based on the generated electrical signal by a signal generator.
  • the operation of the signal generator is power supplied by the electrical energy generated by the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the first signal may be generated by generating a digital sequence based on the generated electrical signal.
  • the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 transmits the generated first signal by a transmitter to one or more receiving devices upon generation of electrical energy.
  • At least one property of the transmitted first signal comprises information on the characteristics of energy harvesting, and the operation of the transmitter is power supplied by the electrical energy generated by the mechanical energy harvester.
  • the first signal may be transmitted by transmitting a carrier signal modulated by the first signal.
  • embodiments herein provide a communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 and method that utilizes one or more types of energy harvesting mechanisms to generate the required energy for a signal generation and transmission.
  • the characteristics of the energy harvesting are indicated by the transmitted signal and a receiver of the transmitted signal is able to analyze the received signal properties and determine information about the characteristics of the energy harvesting.
  • the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700 can be used for controlling the operation of a receiving device or indicating movement or gesture of a user using the communication device 100/200/300/610/620/700.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un dispositif de communication (100) configuré pour collecter de l'énergie pour son fonctionnement. Le dispositif de communication (100) comprend un ou plusieurs collecteurs d'énergie mécanique (EH111, EH112, EH113) configurés pour générer un signal électrique par conversion d'énergie mécanique en énergie électrique en réponse à un mouvement de déformation mécanique ou à une vibration du collecteur d'énergie mécanique. Le signal électrique généré comprend des informations sur des caractéristiques de collecte d'énergie et de ce fait sur des caractéristiques de déformation mécanique, de mouvements ou de vibrations. Le dispositif de communication (100) comprend en outre un générateur de signal (120) configuré pour générer un premier signal (121) sur la base du signal électrique généré, et un émetteur (130) configuré pour transmettre le premier signal généré à un ou plusieurs dispositifs de réception (150) lors de la génération d'énergie électrique. Une ou plusieurs propriétés du premier signal transmis comprennent des informations sur les caractéristiques de collecte d'énergie et le fonctionnement du générateur de signal (120) et de l'émetteur (130) est alimenté par l'énergie électrique générée par le collecteur d'énergie mécanique (EH111, EH112, EH113).
PCT/EP2024/060622 2024-04-18 2024-04-18 Dispositif de communication et procédé de collecte d'énergie et de transmission de signal combinées Pending WO2025218902A1 (fr)

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100066506A1 (en) * 2004-08-10 2010-03-18 Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research Asynchronous communication system for remote monitoring of objects or an environment
US20160313798A1 (en) * 2015-04-22 2016-10-27 Medibotics Llc Nerd of the Rings -- Devices for Measuring Finger Motion and Recognizing Hand Gestures
US20170288472A1 (en) * 2016-04-01 2017-10-05 Electrolux Home Products, Inc. Appliance for wireless power and data transfer
US20190081578A1 (en) * 2016-03-14 2019-03-14 National Ict Australia Limited Energy harvesting for sensor systems
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US20100066506A1 (en) * 2004-08-10 2010-03-18 Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research Asynchronous communication system for remote monitoring of objects or an environment
US20160313798A1 (en) * 2015-04-22 2016-10-27 Medibotics Llc Nerd of the Rings -- Devices for Measuring Finger Motion and Recognizing Hand Gestures
US20190081578A1 (en) * 2016-03-14 2019-03-14 National Ict Australia Limited Energy harvesting for sensor systems
US20170288472A1 (en) * 2016-04-01 2017-10-05 Electrolux Home Products, Inc. Appliance for wireless power and data transfer
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MUHAMMAD MOID SANDHU ET AL: "Task Scheduling for Simultaneous IoT Sensing and Energy Harvesting: A Survey and Critical Analysis", ARXIV.ORG, CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, 201 OLIN LIBRARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY ITHACA, NY 14853, 13 April 2020 (2020-04-13), XP081643073 *

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