Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

The Boeing Company

Intersil Americas Inc.

James Benjamin Turner

Steven Fulton Griffin

Sean Russell Mercer

David J Hedberg

Jonathan David Canan

Daryn David Kono

Thomas H Turnbull

Charles S Foss

Kalyan C Uppalapati

Gary W Roth

Jason Lane Williams

Timothy John Paulitz

An energy harvesting circuit is disclosed and comprises one or more electrical loads that consume direct current (DC) power, a rectifier, and a hybrid acoustic absorber. The rectifier comprises one or more active switching elements that are driven by a gate drive voltage. The hybrid acoustic absorber comprises a diaphragm and a voice coil. The diaphragm is constructed at least in part of a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material is configured to generate a diaphragm voltage in response to sound waves deforming the diaphragm. The diaphragm voltage is at least equal to the gate drive voltage to drive the one or more active switching elements of the rectifier. The voice coil is attached to the diaphragm and configured to generate a voice coil voltage that is less than the gate drive voltage of the one or more active switching elements.

Energy harvesting circuit comprising an active rectifier

In an example, an acoustically powered sensor unit for obtaining sensor data indicative of flight characteristics of an aircraft is described. The acoustically powered sensor unit includes a housing having a first portion comprising a diaphragm and a second portion coupled to an exterior of an aircraft and. The diaphragm is configured to receive acoustic energy from an engine of the aircraft. The acoustically powered sensor unit further includes a voice coil actuator disposed within the housing and coupled to the diaphragm. The voice coil actuator is configured to receive kinetic energy by way of a vibration of the diaphragm and responsively generate an electrical power signal. The acoustically powered sensor unit further includes one or more sensors disposed within the housing and powered using energy from the electrical power signal. The one or more sensors are configured to obtain the sensor data indicative of flight characteristics of the aircraft.

Systems and methods for obtaining sensor data indicative of flight characteristics of an aircraft using an acoustically powered sensor unit

Described is a technology in which Bluetooth&#xae; devices, e.g., navigation devices, are enhanced with additional power amplification to allow long range radio communication links between moving vehicles and/or between moving vehicles and roadside hubs. In one example, collection and dissemination of traffic information, including aggregation and filtering, is facilitated via a Bluetooth&#xae; vehicle-to-vehicle and/or vehicle-to-roadside hub ad-hoc network. Also described is efficient connection establishment and data transfer for vehicle to vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside hubs via the enhanced Bluetooth&#xae; radio. The ad-hoc network comprising a mesh of vehicles/a supernode also facilitates the exchange of information that originated at an Internet source.

Mobile data flow collection and dissemination

DC power savings in a mobile communication device can be achieved by dynamically adjusting the biasing for a receiver based on the communication link quality. The output signal levels of at least one low noise amplifier (LNA) are monitored to identify the DC operating conditions for the LNA. Closed loop control of the DC biasing is adjusted based on a comparison between the monitored DC operating conditions and a reference signal. The output of the LNA is also coupled to a radio receiver section that is configured (e.g., SW or HW) to evaluate the link quality based on various criteria such as inter-modulation distortion, noise, interference, fading, etc. The reference signal that is used to control the DC biasing of the LNA is adjusted (periodically, continuously, or on demand) in response to the evaluated link quality. The dynamic biasing yields acceptable signal reception with low DC power consumption.

Dynamic bias for receiver controlled by radio link quality

A radio frequency circuit is generated as an integrated circuit that is arranged to provide transmission, receipt, and storage of data. The data is transmitted and received across a radio frequency band. An antenna is included within the integrated circuit, wherein the antenna is manufactured at the time the integrated circuit is manufactured. A power source is mounted adjacent to the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit and the power source are encapsulated within the same integrated circuit package.

Self-powered radio integrated circuit with embedded antenna

An electronic device such as watch adapted for wireless communication, the electronic device using a dipole antenna, the dipole antenna having two component parts, each of which being disposed in respective parts of a two-part connecting band, such as a watchband of the electronic device.

Dipole antenna for a watchband

A mobile electronic device, such as a smart personal object includes an antenna system for emitting and receiving signals. The antenna system includes at least two antennas electrically connected in parallel to define an equivalent circuit having a reduced inductance with a substantially unaffected induced voltage for the equivalent circuit.

Parallel loop antennas for a mobile electronic device

A system ( ) and method ( ) for adaptively managing bias of an RF power amplifier ( ) is provided. The system ( ) incorporates a controller ( ) configured to select a radio operating mode. A current-mirror circuit ( ) is coupled to the controller ( ) and configured to produce a reference current (I ) as a function of the radio operating mode. A bias regulator ( ) is coupled to the controller ( ) and the current-mirror circuit ( ) and configured to produce a driver-stage bias current (I ) and an output-stage bias current (I ) for the power amplifier ( ) in response to the reference current (I ). The system ( ) also incorporates a DC-to-DC converter ( ) coupled to the controller ( ) and configured to provide a supply voltage (V ) for the power amplifier ( ) in response to the radio operating mode. The system ( ) also incorporates an envelope detector ( ) configured to produce an envelope current (I ) in response to an RF input signal ( ). The system ( ) causes the reference current (I ) to vary as a function of the envelope current (I ).

Bias-management system and method for programmable RF power amplifier

A broadband, inductively coupled, duplex, radio frequency (RF) transmission system for communcating between a central unit (10) and a plurality of remote units (31) is disclosed. The central unit (10) includes an RF signal source (11) and an RF receiver (21) connected to one end of a balanced transmission line (25) via a signal splitter (15) and a transmission line impedance matching network (27). Each remote unit (31) includes a receiving section (33) and a transmitting section (35) separate from one another. Each receiving section (33) and each transmitting section (35) includes U-shaped couplers (37,43) positioned so as to overlie the balanced transmission line (25). The U-shaped couplers (37,43) are oriented such that the cross-members of the U-shaped couplers (37,43) lie orthogonal to the balanced transmission line (25) and the legs of the U-shaped couplers (37,43) lie parallel to the balanced transmission line (25). The legs of the U-shaped couplers (37,43) are connected to electronic transmit and receive system RF receivers and Rf signal sources (41,47), via impedance matching networks (39,45).

Broadband, inductively coupled, duplex, RF transmission system

A resonant, quasi-square wave, pulse width modulated (PWM) power source (33) for a connectorless power system is disclosed. The power source (33) supplies constant amplitude, fixed-frequency current to a supply loop (31) that is inductively coupled to a plurality of pickup loops (35), each of which supplies power to a remote unit, such as the seat regulator that supplies power to a group of commercial airplane seats (37). Precise, fixed-frequency control is provided by triggering a PWM with fixed-frequency sync pulses. Current control is provided by sensing the current applied to the supply loop, converting the magnitude of the sensed current to a voltage and using the voltage to control the width of the pulses produced by the PWM. The PWM pulses, in turn, control the width of the power pulses applied by the power source (33) to the supply loop (31). Stability and efficiency are improved by maintaining the output of the power source nearly resonant, i.e., maintaining the phase angle between the output voltage and current low. This is accomplished by determining the phase angle between the output voltage and current and using the result to control the magnitude of capacitance connected in series with the supply loop.

Autotuned resonant power source

A regulator circuit for use with a connectorless power supply system in which power is inductively supplied to a plurality of remote loads. A sinusoidal current, at a frequency of 38 kHz, is provided by a power distribution system (10), and circulates through a supply loop (68), which is disposed under the floor of an aircraft cabin. Three parallel connected capacitors (78, 80, and 82) and a multi-turn coil (70) that is inductively coupled to the supply loop comprise a resonant tank circuit in which current circulates. The voltage developed across the tank circuit is half wave rectified, filtered, and supplied to a load connected circuit. An op-amp (134) compares the potential across the load to a regulated voltage. The output of the op-amp is used to control the period of time during which an N channel FET (96) shunts current to regulate the output voltage. Because the N channel FET is only permitted to shunt current to control the output voltage when the potential of the AC current flowing in the tank circuit passes through zero with a negative slope, the regulator circuit produces minimal EMI. The regulator circuit controls the output voltage with respect to variations in the inductive coupling between the supply loop and the pickup coil, and with respect to variations in the connected load.

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Monroe, WA, United States of America

James Benjamin Turner