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Remote Power Safety System
| Content Provider | The Lens |
|---|---|
| Abstract | A power beaming system delivers electric power in laser light from a first location to a remote second location. The laser light has a high energy intensity level defining a hazardous illumination area and a low energy intensity level defining a safe illumination area. The system includes guard circuitry emitter(s) and corresponding detector(s). The guard circuitry forms a detection area about the hazardous illumination area to detect objects in proximity to the hazardous illumination area. A controller directs the guard and power beam circuitry according to sequentially activated safety modes to operate at a low energy intensity level, to scan in a defined pattern, to adjust operation of the detector(s), and to set guard circuitry parameters based on a time value, an object detection value, or a change to the delivered electric power. An output coupled to the controller and power beam circuitry controllably permits or prevents operation at the high energy intensity level. |
| Related Links | https://www.lens.org/lens/patent/010-887-885-306-86X/frontpage |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2019-02-28 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Patent |
| Jurisdiction | United States of America |
| Date Applied | 2017-02-22 |
| Applicant | Lasermotive Inc Lastermotive Inc |
| Application No. | 201716079073 |
| Claim | A power beaming system, comprising: power beam circuitry to deliver electric power embodied in laser light beamed from a first location to a second location, the first and second locations being remote from each other, the laser light having at least two energy intensity levels, a high energy intensity level defining a hazardous illumination area and a low energy intensity level defining a safe illumination area; guard circuitry having at least one emitter and at least one detector corresponding to the at least one emitter, wherein the guard circuitry is arranged to form a detection area about the hazardous illumination area, and wherein guard circuitry is arranged to detect one or more objects in proximity to the hazardous illumination area; a controller arranged to direct the guard circuitry and the power beam circuitry according to a plurality of sequentially activated safety modes, the plurality of sequentially activated safety modes including: a first sequentially activated safety mode configured to set parameters of the power beam circuitry to operate at the low energy intensity level; a second sequentially activated safety mode configured to set parameters of the guard circuitry to scan the detection area in a defined pattern; a third sequentially activated safety mode configured to set parameters of the guard circuitry to adjust operation of the at least one detector; and a fourth sequentially activated safety mode configured to dynamically set parameters of the guard circuitry based on at least one time value, at least one object detection value, or a change to the delivered electric power; and an output coupled to the controller and the power beam circuitry, the output arranged to controllably permit or prevent operation of the power beam circuitry at the high energy intensity level based on at least one parameter set by the plurality of sequentially activated safety modes. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein an energy intensity level of the laser light is determined at least in part by a voltage, a current, or the voltage and the current applied to produce the laser light. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the power beam circuitry includes a transmitter module arranged to produce a laser light beam that is controllably aimed at a fixed position laser light receiver, controllably tracked to a moving laser light receiver, or controllably directed in a scanning pattern. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the hazardous illumination area is determined at least in part by a distance from a transmitter of the beamed laser light. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the safe illumination area is determined at least in part by controlling at least one of average power, peak power, duty cycle, or pulse width of the beamed laser light. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the safe illumination area is controlled at least in part by reducing output flux of the beamed laser light, by increasing a diameter of the beamed laser light, or by increasing a divergence of the beamed laser light. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein an energy intensity level of the beamed laser light is determined at least in part by a wavelength light produced by the power beam circuitry. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the power beam circuitry includes: a laser light receiver to receive the beamed laser light, wherein the laser light receiver includes at least one photovoltaic structure. A power beaming system according to claim 8 wherein circuitry of the laser light receiver forms at least part of the at least one detector of the guard circuitry. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the power beaming system is at least one of a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, a Doppler LIDAR system, a remote chemical sensor system, laser communications system, and a laser power beaming system. A power beaming system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one time value of the fourth sequentially activated safety mode is associated with system startup, a fixed time interval, or a specific event. A laser transmission system having a failsafe link, comprising: at least one emitter of a coded signal; at least one detector of the coded signal, the at least one detector corresponding to the at least one emitter; a control system coupled to the at least one emitter and the at least one detector; and an output coupled to the control system, the output arranged to controllably permit or prevent operation of a laser light source in a hazardous mode. A laser transmission system according to claim 12 wherein the coded signal is a light based signa A laser transmission system according to claim 12 wherein the at least one emitter of the coded signal includes a plurality of emitters formed in a defined pattern about the laser light source. A laser transmission system according to claim 14 wherein the at least one detector of the coded signal includes a plurality of detectors, each one of the plurality of detectors corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of emitters wherein each emitter is configured to emit a distinguishably different coded signal from each other emitter. A laser transmission system according to claim 15 wherein the control system is arranged to assert a disable signal on the output when at least one of the distinguishably different coded signals is not received by a corresponding one of the plurality of detectors. A laser system to pass laser light from a first location to a second location that is remote from the first location, the laser system including at least one guard beam emitter arranged to emit a guard beam toward at least one corresponding guard beam detector, the laser system including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose stored contents configure a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising: storing at least one optical intensity profile, the at least one optical intensity profile defining guard beam light received by the at least one corresponding guard beam detector over time; detecting a change in guard beam light received by the at least one corresponding guard beam detector based on a comparison of current guard beam light received by the at least one corresponding guard beam detector and values stored in the at least one optical intensity profile; disabling the laser light passed from the first location to the second location based on the detected change in guard beam light. A laser system according to claim 17 wherein the stored contents of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configure the computing system to perform the method, the method further comprising: storing a plurality of optical intensity profiles, at least one of the plurality of optical intensity profiles defining a size of an object detected in proximity to the laser light passed from the first location to the second location. A laser system according to claim 17 wherein the stored contents of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configure the computing system to perform the method, the method further comprising: storing a plurality of optical intensity profiles, at least one of the plurality of optical intensity profiles defining information used to approximate a distance of a detected object from the first location or from the second location. A laser system according to claim 17 wherein the stored contents of the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configure the computing system to perform the method, the method further including a calibration, the calibration: measuring a first value produced by the at least one corresponding guard beam detector; moving a known object between the at least one guard beam emitter and the at least one corresponding guard beam detector; measuring a second value produced by the at least one corresponding guard beam detector when the known object is between the at least one guard beam emitter and the at least one corresponding guard beam detector; and storing information representative of the first value and the second value in the at least one optical intensity profile. |
| CPC Classification | Radio Direction-Finding;Radio Navigation;Determining Distance Or Velocity By Use Of Radio Waves;Locating Or Presence-Detecting By Use Of The Reflection Or Reradiation Of Radio Waves;Analogous Arrangements Using Other Waves TRANSMISSION CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER;SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY |
| Extended Family | 114-368-522-503-449 129-296-670-954-318 164-171-881-762-965 005-769-557-794-042 114-371-431-933-870 010-887-885-306-86X 115-026-497-736-078 |
| Patent ID | 20190064353 |
| Inventor/Author | Nugent Jr Thomas J Kare Jordin T Hay Alexander |
| IPC | G01S17/04 G01S17/66 H02J50/30 H04B10/80 |
| Status | Active |
| Simple Family | 114-368-522-503-449 129-296-670-954-318 164-171-881-762-965 005-769-557-794-042 114-371-431-933-870 010-887-885-306-86X 115-026-497-736-078 |
| CPC (with Group) | G01S17/66 H04B10/807 H02J50/60 H02J50/30 G01S17/04 |
| Issuing Authority | United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) |
| Kind | Patent Application Publication |
