The Invention Science Fund I LLC

Elwha LLC

Searete LLC

Microvision, Inc.

Russell J Hannigan

Clarence T Tegreene

Lowell L Wood, Jr

Roderick A Hyde

Yaroslav Aleksandrovich Urzhumov

Jordin T Kare

Muriel Y Ishikawa

Charles Whitmer

Victoria Y H Wood

Matthew Stephen Reynolds

Guy Shlomo Lipworth

Nathan Kundtz

Nathan P Myhrvold

David R Smith

Daniel Arnitz

Joseph Hagerty

3ric Johanson

Tony S Pan

Jeffrey A Bowers

Ehren Brav

David R Nash

Phillip Rutschman

David Bazeley Tuckerman

Philip A Sullivan

Ryan Allan Stevenson

Adam Bily

Alistair K Chan

Tom Driscoll

Joseph R Guerci

John Brian Pendry

Geoffrey Frank Deane

Eric James Black

Jay Howard McCandless

Alexander Remley Katko

John Desmond Hunt

Brian Mark Deutsch

Melroy Machado

Anna K Boardman

Karlton David Powell

Jeff Dallas

Amjad Malik

Elizabeth A Sweeney

William David Duncan

Hakan Urey

Lawrence Frederick Arnstein

Michael Allan Schneider

Hakan Ürey

Yaroslav A Urhumov

Joseph A Hagerty

The present technology pertains to a system and method of operation of a metamaterial phase shifter having various use applications. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a phase shifter includes a network of tunable impedance elements and a controller. The controller is coupled to the network of tunable impedance elements and configured to receive a phase shift input value and determine a corresponding tuning voltage to be supplied to each tunable impedance element of the network of tunable impedance elements based on the phase shift input value, the network of tunable impedance element being configured to shift a phase of an input signal based on tuning voltages supplied to the network of tunable impedance elements by the controller.

Metamaterial phase shifters

System and methods are described herein for providing wireless power to a target device, such as a laptop computer, a mobile phone, a vehicle, robot, or an unmanned aerial vehicle or system (UAV) or (UAS). A tunable multi-element transmitter may transmit electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to the target device using any of a wide variety of frequency bands. A location determination subsystem and/or range determination subsystem may determine a relative location, orientation, and/or rotation of the target device. For a target device within a distance range for which a smallest achievable waist of the Gaussian beam of the EMR at an operational frequency is smaller than the multi-element EMR receiver of the target device, a non-Gaussian beamform may be determined to increase efficiency, decrease overheating, reduce spillover, increase total power output of rectenna receivers on the target device, or achieve another target power delivery goal.

Non-Gaussian beamforming for wireless power transfer optimization

Described embodiments include a system and method. A system includes a tracking circuit configured to determine a location of a target device within a Fresnel region of an electronically reconfigurable beam-forming antenna. The antenna is configured to implement at least two selectable focused electromagnetic beams within its Fresnel region. The system includes a beam selector circuit configured to select from the at least two selectable focused electromagnetic beams a focused electromagnetic beam having a focal spot that covers at least a portion of the determined location of the target device. The system includes a beam definition circuit configured to determine an electromagnetic field distribution over an aperture of the electronically reconfigurable beam-forming antenna implementing the selected focused electromagnetic beam. The system includes an output circuit configured to transmit a signal indicative of the determined electromagnetic field distribution.

Wireless power transfer management

Systems and methods are provided for various tunable multi-timescale wireless rectification systems. Tunable multi-timescale wireless rectification systems may include multiple feedback control loops, systems, or sub-systems that modify characteristics of components of a wireless rectification system on various timescales. A wireless rectification system may include antennas, impedance-matching components, rectifying devices, DC-to-DC converters, and/or load controllers. Two or more feedback controls may function on different timescales to modify one or more characteristics or functionalities of components of the wireless rectification system in response to monitored AC and/or DC power values at various locations within the wireless rectification system. Feedback controls operating on various timescales may include antenna feedback controls, impedance feedback controls, rectifying feedback controls, and/or DC feedback controls.

Dynamic rectifier circuits with multiple-order timescale feedback controls

According to various embodiments, a quadrature hybrid coupler included as part of a phase shifter is used to provide variable phase shift to an input signal. The quadrature hybrid coupler includes an input port, an output port, and two terminated ports. The phase shifter includes one or more static lumped elements connected to the QHC to reduce at least one electrical dimension of the QHC to substantially less than a quarter wavelength. The phase shifter also include one or more variable lumped elements connected to the QHC to provide a variable phase shift to the input signal between the input port and the output port of the QHC.

Systems and methods for phase shifting signals

Computationally implemented methods and systems include acquiring a request for particular image data that is part of a scene, transmitting the request for the particular image data to an image sensor array that includes more than one image sensor and that is configured to capture the scene that is larger than the requested particular image data, receiving only the particular image data from the image sensor array, and transmitting the received particular image data to at least one requestor. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

Devices, methods and systems for visual imaging arrays

Holographic beamforming antennas may be utilized for adaptive routing within communications networks, such as wireless backhaul networks. Holographic beamforming antennas may be further utilized for discovering and/or addressing nodes in a communication network with steerable, high-directivity beams. Holographic beamforming antennas may be further utilized for extending the range of communications nodes and providing bandwidth assistance to adjacent nodes via dynamic adjacent cell assist. In some approaches, MIMO is used in concert with holographic beamforming for additional channel capacity.

Methods and systems for communication with beamforming antennas

According to various embodiments, a non-linear RF receiver including non-linear components is configured to receive RF energy. The non-linear RF receiver is coupled to an array of RF antennas having configuration parameters that vary across the array. The varied configuration parameters can be selected to reduce an amount of RF energy that is scatter, reflected, or re-radiated by the array in response to incident RF energy at the array of RF antennas. In various embodiments, the non-linear components of the non-linear RF receiver can have non-linear component configuration parameters that vary across the non-linear receiver. The varied non-linear component parameters can be selected to reduce an amount of RF energy that is re-radiated in response to incident RF energy.

System and methods for reducing scattering, reflection or re-radiation of received RF energy

In one embodiment, a source device includes one or more tunable elements associated with an antenna. The source device is operable to modulate an impedance of one or more tunable elements based on a sequence of tuning vectors, measure a reference signal amplitude for each tuning vector, and determine field amplitudes for an array of reference points that circumscribe at least a portion of the source device based on the reference signal amplitude for each tuning vector. The source device is further operable to determine a target tuning vector that defines a target radiation pattern based on the field amplitudes, and transmit a target signal to a target device based on the target radiation pattern.

Time reversal beamforming techniques with metamaterial antennas

Described embodiments include a system and method. An antenna is configured to implement at least two selectable radiative electromagnetic field spatial distributions. Each selectable radiative electromagnetic field spatial distributions respectively has a bounding surface that describes a specified power density in the radiative electromagnetic field. A sensor circuit is configured to detect a presence of an object within the bounding surface of an implemented radiative electromagnetic field. A countermeasure circuit is configured to select a response to the detected presence of the object within the bounding surface of the implemented radiative electromagnetic field. A spatial distribution selector circuit is configured to select from the at least two selectable radiative electromagnetic field spatial distributions another radiative electromagnetic field spatial distribution (i) that includes a target device present within the bounding surface of the selected radiative electromagnetic field and (ii) that implements the selected response to the detected presence of the object.

Surface scattering antennas provide adjustable radiation fields by adjustably coupling scattering elements along a wave-propagating structure. In some approaches, the scattering elements are complementary metamaterial elements. In some approaches, the scattering elements are made adjustable by disposing an electrically adjustable material, such as a liquid crystal, in proximity to the scattering elements. Methods and systems provide control and adjustment of surface scattering antennas for various applications.

Surface scattering antennas

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Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Russell J Hannigan