CN112055927A - Electrochromic window wirelessly powered and wirelessly powered - Google Patents

Abstract

Electrochromic windows powered by wireless power transfer and other devices powered by wireless power transfer and wireless power transfer networks incorporating these electrochromic windows are described.

Description

Electrochromic window wirelessly powered and wirelessly powered

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims benefit and priority from U.S. provisional application No. 62/642,478 entitled "ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESSLY POWERED AND POWERING ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS) wirelessly POWERED and wirelessly POWERED" filed on 3/13 of 2018 and is a partial continuation of international application No. PCT/US17/52798 (assigned the united states) entitled "ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESSLY POWERED AND POWERING ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS) wirelessly POWERED and wirelessly POWERED" filed on 9/21 of 2017, which claims U.S. provisional application No. 62/510,671 entitled "ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESSLY POWERED AND POWERING ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS) wirelessly POWERED and wirelessly POWERED" filed on 5/24 of 2017, U.S. provisional application No. 62/402,957 entitled "ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESS POWERED electrically ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS)" filed on 5/30 of 2016, and U.S. provisional application No. 62/402,957 filed on 5/4 of 2017, entitled "ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESS POWERED and wirelessly POWERED)" filed on 5/4 of 2016 U.S. provisional application No. 62/501,554 for the ELECTROCHROMIC window of power (WIRELESS POWERED AND power electric WINDOWS) "; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. This application is also a continuation-in-part application of united states patent application No. 14/962,975 entitled "wirelessly POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESS POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS)" filed on 8.12.2015, a continuation-in-part application of united states patent application No. 14/735,016 entitled "wirelessly POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESS POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window)" filed on 9.6.2015, a continuation-in-part application of united states patent application No. 9,664,976 entitled "wirelessly POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window", filed on 17.2010, 12.17.2010, a continuation-in-part application of united states patent application No. 12/971,576 entitled "wirelessly POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESS POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window) (U.S. patent No. 9,081,246), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. United states patent application No. 12/971,576 claims the benefit and priority of united states provisional application No. 61/289,319 entitled "wirelessly POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC window (WIRELESS POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS)" filed on 12/22/2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. This application is also a continuation-in-part application, filed on 4.5.2017, international application No. PCT/US17/31106 entitled "WINDOW ANTENNAS" (assigned to the united states), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. PCT/US17/31106 claims the benefit and priority of united states provisional application No. 62/333,103 entitled "WINDOW antenna (WINDOW antenna)" filed on 6/5/2016, united states provisional application No. 62/340,936 entitled "WINDOW antenna (WINDOW antenna)" filed on 24/5/2016, united states provisional application No. 62/352,508 filed on 20/6/2016, and united states provisional application No. 62/379,163 entitled "WINDOW antenna (WINDOW antenna)" filed on 24/8/2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. This application also claims the benefit and priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/510,653 entitled WINDOW antenna (WINDOW antenna), filed 24/5/2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of Electrochromic (EC) devices plus wireless power transfer technology. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to EC windows configured to use wireless power transfer techniques.

Background

Electrochromism is a phenomenon that exhibits a reversible electrochemically-mediated change in optical properties when the material is placed in different electronic states, typically subjected to a change in voltage. The optical property is typically one or more of color, transmittance, absorbance, and reflectance. For example, one well-known EC material is tungsten oxide (WO)₃). Oxidation by oxygenTungsten is a cathodic electrochromic material in which a colored transition from transparent to blue occurs by electrochemical reduction. Although electrochromism was discovered in 1960, electrochromic devices (EC devices) and devices, as well as systems containing EC devices, have not yet begun to fully exploit their commercial potential.

For example, electrochromic materials may be incorporated into the window. One potential drawback of electrochromic windows is that the amount of power used, although small, requires a hard-wired connection to the building's power supply. This can create problems when a builder installs a large number of windows in, for example, an office building. The hard wiring required to have to deal with the windows is just another obstacle that the builder must deal with in building a long list of projects required for modern structures. Furthermore, while EC windows provide a good solution for heating zone management in modern buildings, EC windows that require hard wired power, for example, when controlled by an automated thermal and/or energy management system, create obstacles to integration into automated energy management systems. Thus, the additional installation costs and risks associated with wires may delay the adoption of EC windows in new construction projects and may in many cases prevent retrofit applications, as retrofitting requires additional installation of wiring infrastructure for the new EC windows.

Disclosure of Invention

Electrochromic devices powered by wireless power transfer, particularly in EC windows, are described. The combination of low-defect, high-reliability EC windows with wireless power transfer is one aspect of the present disclosure.

Scalable EC window techniques are described that integrate wireless power transfer techniques to create wirelessly powered EC windows. Such techniques may optionally include environmental sensors, wireless controls, and/or in some aspects photovoltaic power sources. The present disclosure enables the full benefits of EC window technology to be realized on a national level, saving a large amount of energy annually and reducing hundreds of tons of carbon emissions. New buildings would greatly benefit from wirelessly powered EC windows and would be particularly advantageous in retrofit applications where replacement of window mounting wires would be problematic. Generally, EC windows that integrate wireless power transfer technology may make their installation and/or repair easier.

One embodiment is an electrochromic device (EC device) powered by wireless power transfer. In one embodiment, the EC device is an EC window. Wireless power transmission is used to provide power to one or more EC devices in an EC window. The wireless power may be used to directly power the EC devices in the window, or in an alternative embodiment, to charge an internal battery that powers the EC transitions and/or EC states of one or more EC devices in the window. In one embodiment, the wireless power transmission is received by a receiver that powers more than one EC window. The wireless power may also be used to power a portion of the EC window or other active devices that directly support the EC window: such as motion sensors, light sensors, heat sensors, humidity sensors, wireless communication sensors, and the like. Wireless communication techniques may also be used to control the wirelessly powered EC window.

Any suitable type of wireless power transfer may be used in conjunction with the EC window. Wireless power transfer includes, for example, but is not limited to, magnetic induction, resonant induction, radio frequency power transfer, microwave power transfer, and laser power transfer. In one embodiment, power is transmitted to the receiver by radio frequency, and the receiver converts the power to current using polarized waves, such as circularly polarized, elliptically polarized, and/or dual polarized waves, and/or various frequencies and vectors. In another embodiment, power is transferred wirelessly through inductive coupling of a magnetic field. In a specific embodiment, power is wirelessly transferred through a first resonator (a coil that converts electrical energy, e.g., AC, flowing through the coil into a magnetic field) that receives power from an external supply hardwired to the first resonator and a second resonator (a coil that is coupled to the magnetic field and thereby generates electrical energy through induction) that functions as a receiver by generating a current or potential through the coupling of the magnetic resonance fields of the first and second resonators. While embodiments utilizing magnetic induction do not necessarily have to use a resonant coupling magnetic field, in those embodiments that do have to be used, near-field resonance from local transient magnetic field patterns is a relatively efficient method of wireless power transfer.

In one embodiment, the window receiver is an RF antenna. In another embodiment, the RF antenna converts RF power to electrical potential for the EC device to function. In another embodiment, the receiver is a second resonator, resonantly coupled to the first resonator, configured such that power is wirelessly transferred from the first resonator to the second resonator. The second resonator converts the wirelessly transferred power into a current to power the EC window.

In certain embodiments, the receiver is an on-board receiver, meaning that the receiver is attached to or disposed on or in the electrochromic window during manufacture or prior to installation. In some cases, a receiver, such as an RF antenna or secondary resonant coil, is located near or in the (auxiliary) outer seal of the IGU and/or somewhere in the window frame, for example, so as not to obscure the viewable area through the IGU glass. Thus, in certain embodiments, the receiver has a relatively small size. In one embodiment, a user having a receiver with a window may not be able to identify the receiver as part of the window, but rather a sufficiently small size that the receiver is hidden from the user's view.

In one embodiment, wireless power transmission is conducted over a wireless power transmission network that includes one or more power nodes for transmitting power to window receivers in a particular area. Depending on the building or need, one or more, sometimes several nodes are used to form a network of power nodes that supply power to their respective window receivers. In one embodiment, radio frequency is used to transmit power and there is more than one power node in which more than one frequency and/or polarization vector is used, thereby allowing different levels or types of power to pass from each node to windows with different power needs. In another embodiment, magnetic induction is used for wireless power transfer, there are also one or more power nodes, but in this embodiment the power nodes are the resonators themselves. For example, in one embodiment, a first resonator that receives power through a power source is resonantly coupled to a second resonator, and the second resonator is resonantly coupled to, for example, a third resonator that delivers power to an EC window. In this way, the second resonator acts as a power node in the power transfer network from the first resonator to the second resonator, to the third resonator, which acts as a receiver, and transfers power to the EC window by converting the magnetic field to power.

Another aspect is a method of providing power to an EC device, the method comprising: i) generating and/or transmitting wireless power to a receiver configured to convert the wireless power into electrical energy (e.g., current or potential) for powering the EC device; and ii) delivering electrical energy to the EC device. In one embodiment, the EC device is an EC window as described above. In another embodiment, i) is performed by RF; in another embodiment, i) is performed by magnetic induction. In one embodiment, power from the receiver is used to charge a battery, which in turn is used to power one or more EC devices of the EC window. In one embodiment, a single window has a wireless power receiver, and the electrical energy generated by the receiver is used to power more than one EC window directly and/or through battery or battery system charging associated with the window.

Another aspect is a wireless power transmission network comprising: i) a wireless power transmitter configured to transmit wireless power; ii) a power node configured to receive wireless power and relay the wireless power; iii) a receiver configured to receive the relayed wireless power and convert the wireless power into electrical energy; and iv) an EC device configured to receive electrical energy to power transitions between optical states and/or maintain optical states. The electrical energy may be received directly or indirectly by the EC device. In one embodiment, the power is received directly from the receiver, and in another embodiment, the power is directed from the receiver to the battery and then to the EC device. In one embodiment, the EC device is part of an EC window.

In certain embodiments, the EC device receives some of its power from a wireless power source as described above, and additional power from a photovoltaic source (e.g., in or near the IGU, such as in a window frame), which may optionally be integrated with the EC device. Such systems may not require wiring to power the EC device and associated controllers, sensors, etc.

Another aspect relates to an insulated glass unit base station (IGU base station) having a first sheet, a second sheet, a gasket disposed between the first sheet and the second sheet, a primary seal between the gasket and the first sheet and between the gasket and the second sheet, and an emitter in electrical communication with at least one power source. The transmitter is configured to convert electrical energy from at least one power source into a wireless power transmission configured to be transmitted to a wireless receiver in electrical communication with the device. The wireless power transmission is configured to be converted by the wireless receiver into electrical energy to power the device. The transmitter is further configured to receive a beacon signal from the wireless receiver.

Another aspect relates to a power transmission network of a building, the power transmission network including a window base station, a wireless receiver, and a controller. The window base station includes an insulating glass unit having a first sheet and a second sheet. The window base station further includes a transmitter in electrical communication with the at least one power source. The transmitter is configured to convert electrical energy from at least one power source into a wireless power transmission. The transmitter is further configured to receive a beacon signal. A wireless receiver in electrical communication with the device. The wireless receiver is configured to convert a wireless power transmission received from the transmitter into electrical energy to power the device. The wireless receiver is further configured to transmit a beacon signal. The controller is in communication with the transmitter. The controller is configured to determine a path of the power transmission based on the beacon signal received by the transmitter from the wireless receiver.

Another aspect relates to a building comprising a skin comprised of a plurality of electrochromic windows between an exterior environment and an interior environment of the building. The building further includes a plurality of transmitters. Each emitter is positioned on one of the electrochromic windows. Each transmitter is in electrical communication with at least one power source and is configured to convert electrical energy from the at least one power source into a wireless power transmission. These wireless power transmissions are configured to be received by a wireless receiver. The wireless receiver is configured to convert the wireless power transmission into electrical energy to power the device. The building further includes a network of window controllers in communication with the plurality of transmitters. The window controller network is configured to control a phase and a gain of the wireless transmission from the plurality of transmitters based on the determined path of beacon signals received by the plurality of transmitters from the wireless receiver.

These and other features and advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to associated figures.

Drawings

The following detailed description may be more fully understood when considered in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

fig. 1 depicts EC window fabrication including a wireless power receiver.

Fig. 2A-2E are schematic diagrams of a wireless power transfer network as described herein.

Fig. 3A depicts some conventional operations in the construction of an Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) of an EC window according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3B-3E depict cross-sections X-X of the IGU of fig. 3A according to different embodiments configured for wireless power transfer.

Fig. 3F-H depict the inductive powering of an electrochromic Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) with a wireless receiver located in the secondary seal of the IGU and a wireless transmitter located outside the IGU.

Fig. 4 depicts a schematic view of the interior of a room configured for wireless power transfer.

Fig. 5 depicts a schematic diagram of the components of an RF transmitter architecture.

Fig. 6 depicts a schematic diagram of the components of an RF receiver structure.

Fig. 7 depicts an illustration of a patch antenna on a glass substrate according to an embodiment.

Fig. 8 depicts a schematic diagram of an electrochromic window configured to wirelessly transmit power to other electronic devices.

Fig. 9 depicts a schematic diagram of a window network in which power is wirelessly transmitted between windows.

FIG. 10 depicts a schematic view of a plurality of electrochromic windows forming a curtain wall, wherein power is transferred between the windows using inductive coupling.

Fig. 11 depicts a schematic view of a window frame in which a key has been inserted into the frame to allow magnetic power transfer.

Fig. 12 depicts a wireless power scheme for an electrochromic window.

Fig. 13A depicts a schematic diagram of a top view of the interior of a room configured for wireless power transmission with a remote transmitter of a standalone base station.

Fig. 13B depicts another schematic diagram of a top view of the interior of a room configured for wireless power transfer of fig. 13A.

Fig. 14A depicts a schematic diagram of an overhead view of a room with an IGU base station configured for wireless power transmission of other IGUs and mobile devices.

Fig. 14B depicts another schematic diagram of a top view of a room configured for wireless power transfer of fig. 14A.

Fig. 15A depicts a schematic diagram of a top view of a room with stand-alone base stations and IGU base stations configured for wireless power transmission by other IGUs and mobile devices.

Fig. 15B depicts another schematic diagram of a top view of a room configured for wireless power transfer of fig. 15A.

Fig. 16 depicts an isometric view of a corner of an IGU configured to receive, provide, and/or condition wireless power, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 17 depicts an example of a photovoltaic electrochromic system.

Fig. 18A-18D illustrate example embodiments of a laminated glass structure configured to provide power to an electrochromic window.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Detailed Description

I. Brief introduction to Wireless Power and powering EC Windows

In its broadest sense, the present disclosure describes EC devices, particularly in an EC window, that are configured to receive and/or transmit wireless power. As described herein, a "transmitter" generally refers to a device that draws power from a power source and broadcasts in a wireless power transmission, for example. As described herein, a "receiver" generally refers to a device configured to receive a wireless power transmission and convert the wirelessly transmitted power back into electrical energy. In a particular embodiment, the EC window is powered by a wireless power source. In some embodiments, wireless power transfer is particularly suitable for powering EC windows because EC window functions use low potentials, on the order of a few volts, to switch the EC device and/or maintain the optical state of the EC device. In a typical case, the EC window may take several conversions each day. Further, wireless power transfer may be used to charge an associated battery so that indirect powering through the EC window of the wireless power transfer may be achieved.

Installing windows with wires requires further consideration for architects and builders, and in retrofit applications, wires are particularly problematic due to the need for additional wiring infrastructure that has not previously been installed in buildings. The combination of these advanced technologies, wireless power transfer, and EC window solves these problems and provides a synergy that saves energy and time and money spent integrating the hard-wired electrical connections of the EC window.

Dynamic EC Insulating Glass Units (IGUs) for commercial and residential windows change the light transmission characteristics in response to small voltages, allowing control of the amount of light and heat passing through the window. EC devices change between a transparent "clear or bleached" state and a dark (light and/or thermal blocking) state using a small electrical potential, and can maintain the optical state with even lower power. Dynamic EC windows can filter the amount of light passing through the window, in one aspect provide visibility even in its dark state, and thereby maintain visual contact with the outside environment while conserving energy, for example, by blocking hot sunlight during hot weather or maintaining valuable heat in a building due to its insulating properties during cold weather. While the EC window is primarily discussed with reference to an insulated glass unit configuration, this need not be the case. For example, the EC window may have an integral laminate structure. Those skilled in the art can readily understand how the disclosed concepts for wirelessly powering electrochromic insulated glass units can be applied in a similar manner to light-operated switching windows having different configurations.

One example of such a dynamic window is a low defect rate, high reliability EC window, which includes solid state and inorganic EC device stack materials. Filed on 12/22 of 2009, entitled "Fabrication of Low-defect Electrochromic Devices," and entitled Mark Kozlowski et al, U.S. patent application serial No. 12/645,111; and U.S. patent application serial No. 12/645,159 (now U.S. patent No. 8,432,603) entitled "Electrochromic Devices" and entitled Zhongchun Wang et al, which was filed on 12/22 2009 and was the inventor; and U.S. patent application serial nos. 12/772,055 (now U.S. patent No. 8,300,298) and 12/772,075 (now U.S. patent No. 8,582,193), both filed on 30/2010, and U.S. patent application serial nos. 12/814,277 (now U.S. patent No. 8,764,950) and 12/814,279 (now U.S. patent No. 8,764,951), both filed on 11/2010, entitled Zhongchun Wang et al inventor, all such solid state and inorganic EC Devices, their methods of manufacture, and defect criteria are described in greater detail in the title "Electrochromic Devices" (Electrochromic Devices) for each of the four applications; each of these six patent applications is incorporated by reference herein and for all purposes. One aspect includes a combination of EC windows, such as, but not limited to, the EC windows described in any of the six U.S. patent applications powered by wireless power transfer techniques. After conversion to electrical energy by the receiver, the EC window may be directly powered by wireless power transfer, and/or the electrical energy may be used to charge a battery used to power the EC window.

Wireless power transfer is a process that occurs when electrical energy is transferred from a power source to an electrical load without interconnecting wires. In the broadest sense, the current can pass through the environment, whether air, water or a solid object, without the need for wires. Wireless power transfer is typically electromagnetic transfer. Examples of useful (controlled) forms of wireless power transfer include magnetic induction, electrostatic induction, laser, ultrasound, radio waves, and microwave energy. Wireless transmission may be particularly useful in applications where instantaneous or continuous energy transmission is required but where interconnecting wires is inconvenient, problematic, dangerous or impossible. In some embodiments, power is transmitted by RF and converted to an electrical potential or current by a receiver in electrical communication with the EC device, particularly the EC window. One particularly useful Method of transferring Power by RF Transmission is described in U.S. patent application 2007/0191074, entitled "Power Transmission Network and Method," filed on 29.1.2007 by Daniel w.

In other embodiments, power is transferred by magnetic induction using a first resonator and a second resonator powered by an external power source, the second resonator converting magnetic field energy generated by the first resonator to power an EC device supplying an EC window. One particularly useful method of transferring power by magnetic induction is described in U.S. patent application 2007/0222542 entitled "Wireless Non-radiative Energy Transfer" filed on 5.7.2006 by John Joannapoulos et al, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Another useful Method of controlling wireless inductive power is described in U.S. patent 7,382,636 entitled "System and Method for Powering a Load" filed on 14.10.2005 by davidpaarman et al, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The EC window described herein may incorporate such a method of controlling wireless power transfer.

Certain embodiments include more than one wireless power transmission source, i.e., the present disclosure is not limited to embodiments using a single wireless power transmission source. For example, in embodiments using a wireless power transfer network, one wireless power transfer method, e.g., RF power transfer, is used in one portion of the network, while another method, e.g., magnetic induction, is used in another portion of the network.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an EC window powered by a wireless power transfer source. In one embodiment, the EC window may be of any useful size, for example, in automotive applications, such as in skylights or rearview mirrors, where wiring is inconvenient, such as having to pass through the windshield of the automobile. In one embodiment, the EC window uses architectural-scale glass as a substrate for the EC device of the window. Architectural glass is glass used as a building material. Architectural glass is commonly used in commercial buildings, but may also be used in residential buildings, and typically, but not necessarily, separates the indoor environment from the outdoor environment. Architectural glass is at least 20 inches by 20 inches and can be as large as about 80 inches by 80 inches. In some embodiments, the EC devices are all solid state and inorganic. The window will have a receiver, e.g., an RF receiver or resonator, as part of the window assembly.

Fig. 1 depicts EC window fabrication 100 in which a window assembly includes a receiver 135 for receiving a wireless power transmission, converting the transmission to electrical energy, and utilizing the electrical energy to directly or indirectly power an EC device of the window, e.g., by directly powering the EC device or charging a battery used to power the EC window. An EC pane 105 with an EC device (not shown, but for example on surface a) and a bus bar 110 to power the EC device are mated with another glass plate 115. During fabrication of IGU 125, spacer 120 is sandwiched between and in registration with substrates 105 and 115. IGU 125 has an associated interior space defined by the face of the substrate in contact with the bulkhead 120 and the surface of the interior perimeter of the bulkhead 120. The barrier 120 is typically a sealed barrier, i.e., contains a gasket and a seal, and seals between each of the substrates to which they abut in order to hermetically seal the interior region and thereby protect the interior from moisture and the like. Typically, once the glass sheets are sealed to the spacer, a secondary seal may be applied around the peripheral edge spacer 120 of the IGU to not only further seal the environment, but also to impart further structural rigidity to the IGU. The IGU is supported by a frame to create a window assembly 130. A cutout of the window frame is shown to show the wireless power receiver 135 including the antenna in this example. In this example, receiver 135 is proximate to the IGU, within the frame of window assembly 130. The wireless power transfer receiver may be a component of a window controller.

In one embodiment, the wireless power transfer source transfers power over radio waves. In such embodiments, the EC window includes a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver, wherein the RF receiver is configured to convert radio frequencies into electrical energy (e.g., current or potential) for powering the EC devices in the EC window. Powering the EC device includes powering at least one of an optical transition or an optical state of the EC device. In one embodiment, the radio frequency receiver resides in or near the IGU of the EC window. For example, the receiver may be in a window frame supporting the IGU, in an area adjacent to a spacer separating glass sheets of the IGU, or both. Preferably, but not necessarily, the receiver does not obscure the viewable area of the IGU, for example, as shown in fig. 1. Some examples of RF transmitters and RF receivers for wireless transmission are described elsewhere herein.

In another embodiment, power is transmitted wirelessly through inductive coupling of a magnetic field. Generally, a primary coil (which converts electrical energy, e.g., AC, passing through the coil into a magnetic field) supplied by a power source generates a magnetic field, and a secondary coil couples to the magnetic field and thereby generates electrical energy by induction. The electrical energy generated by the secondary coil is used to power the EC device, in particular embodiments, the EC device of the EC window. In a specific embodiment utilizing resonant coupled magnetic energy, power is transferred wirelessly through a first resonator that receives power from an external power source hard-wired to the first resonator and a second resonator that generates current through coupling of magnetic resonance fields of the first and second resonators to function as a receiver. While embodiments utilizing magnetic induction do not necessarily have to use a resonant coupling magnetic field, in those embodiments that do have to be used, near-field resonance from local transient magnetic field patterns is a relatively efficient method of wireless power transfer.

In another embodiment, power is transferred wirelessly through capacitive coupling of electric fields. In general, both the transmitter and receiver take the form of electrodes, and the capacitive transmitter-receiver pairs together form a capacitor. By supplying an alternating voltage to the transmitter, an oscillating electric field is generated, which induces an alternating potential on the receiver electrode. Alternating current is then caused to flow in the load circuit using the alternating potential at the receiver.

In yet another embodiment, power is transferred wirelessly through magnetomotive dynamic coupling. In this method, power is generated by two moving armatures, each of which has a permanent magnet. One armature acts as a transmitter and the other armature acts as a receiver. The power supply is used to drive rotation of the transmission armature using, for example, an electric motor. The transmitter thus produces a rotating magnetic field and the nearby receiving armature, which experiences the rotating magnetic field generated by the transmitter, starts to rotate in a synchronous manner. The receiving armature can then be used to generate current using induction.

In yet another embodiment, power is transferred wirelessly using ultrasound transmission. In this example, the receiver is equipped with a piezoelectric transducer that collects the energy that is wirelessly transmitted as ultrasonic waves. In some cases, a piezoelectric transducer may be attached to the surface of the sheet and collect resonant vibrations of the sheet caused by wind or motion within the building.

In yet another embodiment, power is transmitted wirelessly using a power beam, where energy is transmitted in the form of laser light, and then converted back into electrical energy using photovoltaic cells. In one embodiment, the electrical beam is performed using an infrared laser.

In one embodiment, the receiver, whether an RF antenna or a resonant coil, is located near the IGU of the EC window, e.g., near the IGU seal or window frame, so as not to obscure the viewable area through the IGU glass. Thus, in certain embodiments, the receiver has a relatively small size. By "small size" is meant, for example, that the receivers occupy no more than about 5% of the viewable area of the EC window. In one embodiment, the receiver does not occupy the viewable area of the EC window, that is, the size of the receiver is small enough that a user of the window may not recognize the receiver as part of the window, but rather the receiver is hidden in the user's field of view, e.g., housed in the frame of the window. In an embodiment where the receiver is housed in the sealed area of the IGU, the frame of the window may have one or more access ports for servicing the receiver or the receiver may be permanently sealed in the window frame. There may also be ports and/or materials transparent to the wireless power transfer so that the receiver can properly receive the wireless power transfer without interference from the window frame material.

In certain embodiments, there is a controller, such as a microprocessor, that regulates the electrical potential applied to the EC device, and may optionally control other functions (alone or in combination with other microprocessors), such as recharging batteries for operating the window, wireless communication with a remote control device, such as a handheld, automatic heating, and/or energy management system that communicates wirelessly with the window controller. In certain embodiments described in more detail elsewhere herein, the wireless power transmission is performed over a network that includes one or more power nodes for transmitting the wireless power transmission into a window receiver in a particular area and/or for receiving the wireless power transmission in the particular area. The wireless power transfer networks described herein may use various forms of wireless power transfer, such as RF, magnetic induction, or both, as desired. Depending on the building, one or more, sometimes several nodes are used to form a network of power nodes that supply power to their respective window receivers. For example, a power node network may include wireless power transmitters distributed in one or more rooms or other building spaces such that each wireless power receiver may receive power transmissions from more than one transmitter in the network. In one implementation, for example, certain windows in a wireless power transmission network have a wireless power transmitter (e.g., each window in the middle of the front may have a transmitter) and other windows have a wireless power receiver that may receive power transmissions relayed by one or more of the transmitters in the power node network.

In one embodiment, radio frequency is used to transmit power and there is more than one power node in which more than one frequency and/or polarization vector is used, thereby allowing different levels or types of power to pass from each node to windows with different power needs.

In one embodiment, magnetic induction is used for wireless power transfer, there are also one or more power nodes, but in this embodiment the power nodes are the resonators themselves. For example, in one embodiment, a first resonator that receives power through a power source is resonantly coupled to a second resonator, and the second resonator is resonantly coupled to a third resonator that delivers power to, for example, an EC window. In this way, the second resonator acts as a power node in the power transfer network from the first resonator to the second resonator, to the third resonator, which acts as a receiver, and transfers power to the EC window by converting the magnetic field to power. In this way, near-field magnetic energy can span longer distances to meet the EC window requirements of a particular building.

Another embodiment is a method of providing power to an EC device, the method comprising: i) generating wireless power; ii) transmitting wireless power to a receiver; the receiver is configured to convert wireless power into electrical energy for powering the EC device; and iii) delivering electrical energy (e.g., current or potential) to the EC device and/or a battery for powering the EC device. In one embodiment, the EC device is an EC window. In other embodiments, the generating wireless power is performed by a wireless power transmitter that transmits power over radio frequencies and the electrical energy is a voltage potential. In another embodiment, the generating of the wireless power is performed by a wireless power transmitter that transfers power by magnetic induction, in a more specific embodiment, resonant coupling magnetic induction. In other particular embodiments, ii) and iii) are accomplished by at least one of the wireless power transmission networks described above. In a particular embodiment of the above embodiments, the EC device is part of an EC pane of an EC window. In even more particular embodiments, the EC pane is of architectural glass scale. In another embodiment, at least one of i), ii) and iii) is performed by wireless communication. One embodiment includes charging a battery used to power the EC device using electrical energy generated by conversion of the wireless power transfer by the receiver.

Examples of Wireless Power transfer networks

Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of a wireless power transfer network 200. The wireless power transmission network has a wireless power transmitter 202 that transmits wireless power, such as by RF power or magnetic induction as described herein, to an EC window 204. The present disclosure is not limited to EC windows; any EC device powered by wireless power transfer is within the scope of the present disclosure. The electrochromic window 204 is configured with a receiver that converts the wirelessly transmitted power into electrical energy for operating the EC device in an EC window and/or window controller, sensor, or the like. In one embodiment, the electrical energy is a voltage potential used to power the transitions and/or maintenance optical states of the EC device. Typically, the EC device will have an associated controller, such as a microprocessor, that controls and manages the device according to the inputs. Additionally, EC devices may be controlled and managed by an external controller that communicates with the device over a network. The input may be manually entered by a user, directly or through wireless communication, or the input may be from an energy management system of a building in which the thermal and/or EC windows are components automatically.

The wireless power transfer network is generally defined by an area 206, i.e., the power transfer is generally, but not necessarily, located in the area 206. The region 206 may define a region where one or more windows reside and wireless power is to be transmitted. In some embodiments, the transmitter 202 may be an outer zone 206 (and transmit power into the zone) or an inner zone 206, as shown in fig. 2A. In one embodiment, the wireless power receiver resides near the IGU of the EC window. Preferably, the receiver does not block the view through the EC window. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the described wireless power network may contain multiple EC windows, to which power is supplied wirelessly by one or more transmitters. Also, the electrical energy generated by the wireless power may be used to augment battery power or photovoltaic power in the EC window. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic power source is used to enhance battery charging performed by wireless power transfer.

Fig. 2B is a schematic diagram of another wireless power transmission network 201. Network 201 is much like network 200, as described above with respect to fig. 2A, except that wireless power transmitted from transmitter 202 received by a receiver in EC window 204 is used to power not only window 204, but also window 205. That is, the receiver in a single window is configured to convert the wireless power transmission to electrical energy to power more than one EC window either directly or through one or more batteries charged by the receiver. In this example, a receiver associated with window 204 converts the wireless power transmission into electrical energy and transfers the energy to window 205 through a wire. This has the advantage of not relying on a receiver for each window and, although some wiring is used, it is confined to the window mounting area, providing electrical communication between windows, rather than having to run throughout the building. Furthermore, this configuration is practical because the EC window does not have high power requirements.

Fig. 2C is a schematic diagram of another wireless power transfer network 208. Network 208 is much like network 200, as described above with respect to fig. 2A, except that the wireless power transmitted from transmitter 202 is not directly received by the receiver in EC window 204, but is relayed through power node 210. The power node 210 may relay power in the same form as it receives (e.g., through an RF antenna or induction coil) or be configured to alter the wireless power and transmit it to a receiver in a form that is more appropriate to the (ultimate) requirements of the window 204. In one example, the power node receives wireless power transmission in one form, RF or magnetic induction, and transmits wireless power to the window 204 in other forms of the forms described above. One embodiment is a power node, comprising: a wireless power transfer receiver; configured to receive a wireless power transmission in one or more forms and convert the transmission into electrical energy; and a wireless power transmitter configured to convert the electrical energy into a wireless power transmission in the one or more forms. In one embodiment, the wireless power transmitter is configured to convert the electrical energy into a wireless power transmission of the same form as the wireless power transmission that the wireless power receiver is configured to receive. Although in the same form, there may be different frequencies or polarities used, for example, so that the power node's receiver can distinguish between wireless transmissions from between the transmitter 202 and the power node's 210 transmitter. In one embodiment, the wireless power transmitter is configured to convert electrical energy into a wireless power transmission in a different form than the wireless power transmission that the wireless power receiver is configured to receive.

Fig. 2D is a schematic diagram of another wireless power transfer network 212. The network 212 is much like the network 208, as described above with respect to fig. 2C, except that the wireless power transmitted from the transmitter 202 is relayed to the plurality of windows 204 through the power node 210. Again, the power node 210 may relay power in the same form as it receives (e.g., through an RF antenna or induction coil) or be configured to alter the wireless power and transmit it to a receiver in a form that is more appropriate to the (ultimate) requirements of the window 204. In this example, emitter 202 is outside of region 206. In this example, the power requirements of the windows 204 are the same, however the disclosure is not so limited. That is, the wireless power transmitted from node 210 may be sufficient to meet the power requirements of EC windows having different power requirements, e.g., the means for properly converting the wireless power transmission from power node 210 into electrical energy is part of the receiver of each window 204.

In one embodiment, varying power requirements to meet different windows within a wireless power transfer network are achieved using different power nodes for the windows having different power requirements. The power relayed from each node may have, for example, a different power level and/or be transmitted in a different manner. Fig. 2E is a schematic diagram of one such wireless power transfer network 214. Network 214 is much like network 212, as described above with respect to fig. 2D, except that the wireless power transmitted from transmitter 202 is relayed through two power nodes 210 and 216. The power node 210 may relay power in the same form as it receives (e.g., through an RF antenna or induction coil) or be configured to alter the wireless power and transmit it to a receiver (in the window 204) in a form more appropriate to the (ultimate) requirements of the window 204. The power node 216 relays the wireless power differently than the power node 210, the power node 216 configured to alter the wireless power and transmit it to a receiver in the window 218 in a form that is more appropriate to the (final) requirements of the window 218. In this example, the window 218 is configured to supply power to itself and to supply power to the window 220 through wiring. The window 218 receives the wireless power transmission from the node 216 and the receiver of the window 218 converts the wireless power transmission into sufficient power to operate the window 218 and the window 220. Thus, in the embodiments described herein, different power nodes may receive the same form of wireless energy, e.g., from a single transmitter, but relay the wireless energy in different formats (through associated receivers) for different EC devices, in this instance EC windows having different power requirements. In this example, emitter 202 is outside of region 206. In a particular embodiment, a single wireless power transmitter transmits wireless power and each of the plurality of EC windows includes a receiver specifically configured to convert the wireless power to electrical energy suitable for the particular needs of the window. In another embodiment, each window has an equivalent receiver that converts wireless power to the same electrical energy, but converts the electrical energy to the specific needs of the window through one or more electronic components in communication with the receiver, such as a rectifier, voltage converter, frequency converter, transformer, or inverter.

One embodiment is a wireless power transmission network comprising: i) a wireless power transmitter configured to transmit wireless power; ii) a power node configured to receive wireless power and relay the wireless power; iii) a receiver configured to receive the relayed wireless power and convert the wireless power into electrical energy; and iv) an EC device configured to receive electrical energy. In one embodiment, the EC device is an EC window. In another embodiment, the power node includes an RF antenna. In one embodiment, the power node comprises an induction coil. In another embodiment, the receiver is an RF receiver. In another embodiment, the receiver is an induction coil. In other embodiments, prior to relaying the wireless power to the EC window, the power node is configured to change the wireless power, depending on the requirements of the EC window. In some embodiments, the wireless power network includes a plurality of power nodes, wherein each power node is configured to relay power to one or more EC windows, each of the plurality of power nodes configured to relay wireless power as required by the EC window, the EC window comprising a receiver corresponding to each of the plurality of power nodes.

Although certain embodiments are described herein with reference to EC devices, it will be understood that these embodiments may be used to power other optical devices in other implementations.

Location and other detailed information of wireless transmitters and/or receivers

Fig. 3A depicts some conventional operations in the construction of an EC window in the form of an Insulated Glass Unit (IGU)300 having electrochromic lite 305, in accordance with an embodiment. During construction of IGU 300, shim 310 is sandwiched between and in registration with electrochromic lite 305 and second lite 315. IGU 300 has an associated interior space defined by the faces of the sheet and the interior surfaces of spacers 310. The gasket 310 together with the primary seal may seal, e.g., hermetically seal, the internal volume enclosed by the sheets 305 and 315 and the gasket 310. Once sheets 305 and 315 are coupled to gasket 310, a secondary seal is applied around the peripheral edge of IGU 300 to further seal the surrounding environment and further structural rigidity of IGU 300. For example, the secondary seal may be a silicone-based sealant. In this example, a pair of opposing bus bars 350 (power distribution components of the electrochromic device) are shown on the electrochromic lite 305. The bus bar 350 is configured as an outboard pad 310 in the final construct.

Fig. 3B-3E depict a portion of cross-section X-X of the IGU of fig. 3A according to different embodiments of components of the IGU configured for wireless power transfer. These embodiments include means for receiving and/or transmitting wireless power and delivering power to the bus bars of the electrochromic lite. It will be appreciated that although a portion of cross-section X-X is shown, the cross-section of the IGU contains substantially mirror image portions. Fig. 3F depicts an embodiment of an electrochromic IGU configured to transfer wireless power from a transmitter located at or near a window frame using magnetic induction. Fig. 3G depicts an embodiment of an electrochromic IGU configured with emitters in a glass pocket between a window frame and the IGU.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3B, electrochromic lite 305 is depicted as a lower lite and lite 315 is depicted as an upper lite. The gasket 310 is mated on opposite sides of both sheets 305, 315 with an adhesive sealant that forms the primary seal 325 of the IGU. The primary seal area is defined by the top and bottom outer surfaces (as shown) of the shim 310 and the inner surfaces of the sheets 305, 315. Once mated, a sealed volume 340 is defined within the IGU. Typically, the volume 340 is filled with an inert gas or evacuated. The gasket 310 may have a desiccant (not shown) inside. At the periphery of the gasket 310, but not generally extending beyond the edges of the gasket, is a secondary sealant material 330, which forms a secondary seal for the IGU. The electrochromic device 345 disposed on the transparent substrate of the electrochromic lite 305 is a thin film coating having a thickness of hundreds of nanometers to several microns. Bus bars 351 supply power to the electrochromic device 345, each supplying power to a different transparent conductive layer of the electrochromic device stack to generate a voltage potential across the inner layers of the device 345 and thereby drive the optical transition. The IGU includes wiring 355 to deliver power to the bus bar 351. In this embodiment, the bus bars 351 are located outside of the gasket 310 and in the secondary seal, reducing any possibility that the wiring 355 to the bus bars 351 will interfere with the primary seal of the IGU. In other embodiments, the IGU may have a first bus bar in the secondary seal and a second bus bar in the primary seal or in the sealed volume of the IGU and a second bus bar in the sealed volume of the IGU.

With continued reference to fig. 3B, an IGU configured for wireless power transfer includes an on-board receiver 360 located in the secondary seal 330 of the IGU. As shown, the receptacle 360 is exposed in an area at the edge of the auxiliary seal 330, and the wiring 355 forms an electrical connection to the bus bar 350. In another example, the receptacle 360 may be completely enclosed within the secondary seal 330. Although the illustrated example is described as having the bus bar 350 located outside of the gasket 310 and the electrochromic device 345 extending to the secondary seal 330, the bus bar 350 and electrochromic device 345 may optionally extend only a portion under the gasket 310 in other embodiments, or only within a viewable area within the inner perimeter of the gasket 310 that extends through the IGU. In these latter two cases, the wiring 355 will extend through the gasket 310 to the bus bar 350, or traverse at least a portion of the primary seal 325 between the gasket 310 and the sheet, to connect the receptacle with the bus bar.

Fig. 3C illustrates an embodiment of an IGU in which a pair of bus bars 352 and electrochromic devices 346 extend only within the viewable area of the IGU defined by the inner perimeter of the gasket 310. In this illustrated example, the wiring 356 traverses the primary seal 325 between the gasket 310 and the sheets 305, 315 to electrically connect the receptacle 360 in the secondary seal 330 with the bus bar 351. In another example, the receptacle 360 may be completely enclosed within the secondary seal 330. An additional wiring configuration for supplying power to a bus bar is described in U.S. patent application No. 15/228992 entitled "Connectors for Smart Windows" filed on 8/4/2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. According to some aspects, the receiver or another portion of the IGU may further comprise a battery for storing and delivering power to the bus bar. According to some aspects, the receiver may be part of a window controller, and in some aspects, may also include a transmitter (e.g., an RF transmitter).

Fig. 3D depicts an embodiment of an IGU in which a pair of bus bars 353 and electrochromic device 347 extend below shim 310, i.e., between shim 310 and the transparent substrate of electrochromic lite 305 and not beyond the outer perimeter of shim 310. In the illustrated embodiment, the on-board receiver 362 is located within the inner volume of the gasket 310, rather than in the secondary seal 330. In such an embodiment, bus bar 353 does not extend beyond the outer perimeter of gasket 310, and positioning receiver 362 within gasket 310 may simplify wiring 357 that electrically connects receiver 362 to bus bar 353. In one aspect, the gasket 310 may be, for example, a plastic or foam gasket. Optionally, spacer 310 may have a preformed pocket into which receiver 362 is inserted. In one case, the wiring 357 end connector to at least one of the bus bars 353 can be a piercing connector that is pushed through the foam gasket body or, for example, through a hole formed in the plastic gasket, so as to establish electrical communication with the bus bar 353. In one example, separate wires may extend around the perimeter of the gasket 310, inside the gasket or not, to establish electrical contact with other bus bars, or, for example, bus bar tabs may extend from opposing bus bars to the same device side as the bus bar 330, so that the wiring of the receptacle can contact both bus bars using two adjacent bus bar tab connections. In another aspect, the spacer 310 may be made of a metal, such as, for example, aluminum, in which case inductive coupling may occur through the spacer body (a steel spacer may block such coupling).

Fig. 3E depicts an embodiment of an IGU in which a pair of bus bars 354 and electrochromic device 348 extend below the gasket 311, i.e., between the gasket 311 and the transparent substrate of the electrochromic lite 305 and not beyond the outer perimeter of the gasket 311. The IGU includes a receiver 363 located within the interior volume of the gasket 311 and wiring 358 electrically connecting the receiver 363 to the bus bar 354. The spacer 311 may be made of stainless steel or another material that will substantially inhibit the passage of the time-varying magnetic field to the receiver 363. In this example, a portion of the spacer 311 is removed and replaced with a key 312 made of a material (e.g., plastic, foam, or aluminum) that allows magnetic energy to pass through. Optionally, as shown in fig. 3E, a transmitter 364 is located in the secondary seal 330. The transmitter 364 wirelessly transmits power to the receiver 363 through the keys 312 in the pad 311. In one case, the transmitter 364 may be electrically connected to a power source through wiring. Alternatively, the transmitter 364 may include a receiver for accepting wireless power transfer.

In one aspect, the receiver may be located within a sealed volume of the IGU. In this case, if the transmitter is laterally positioned to the receiver, depending on the spacer material, inductive coupling may be established through the spacer, or a key may be used if it is a steel spacer. Alternatively, the transmitter may be configured to transmit wireless power through one of the sheets (e.g., glass sheets) of the IGU, such as from S4 (inner surface) or S1 (outer surface) of the IGU.

In some embodiments, the receiver contains or is in electrical communication with a local energy storage device, such as a battery or supercapacitor. In some cases, the excess power received is stored in an energy storage device and used in the event that the power transmitted becomes insufficient or unavailable (e.g., a power outage). In some cases, the local energy storage device may be located outside the IGU (e.g., within a wall or window frame) and electrically connected to the receiver. In one example, the local energy storage device is placed in a wall that is connected to the receiver by wires that pass through the window frame. Examples of some energy storage devices that may be used are described in international PCT patent application PCT/US16/41176, filed on 6.7.2016 and entitled "CROSS REFERENCE TO POWER MANAGEMENT RELATED APPLICATIONS FOR ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOW NETWORKS," which is incorporated herein by REFERENCE in its entirety.

Fig. 3F depicts an embodiment of an electrochromic IGU configured to use magnetic induction to transfer wireless power from a transmitter 370 located at or near a window frame into which the IGU is installed. The transmitter 370 oscillates the current through the conductive coil, generating an alternating magnetic field that is converted back to an alternating current through the conductive coil in the receiver 365. A rectifier in the circuitry of the receiver 365 then converts the alternating current to direct current for delivery to the EC device and/or the battery. In some cases, the coil diameter of transmitter 370 may be different than the coil diameter of receiver 365, or one coupling assembly may have redundant coils to account for misalignment of the components with respect to each other. In the example shown, receiver 365 is depicted as having a larger footprint than transmitter 370. The illustrated IGU is configured with two receivers 365, allowing the IGU to be compatible for installation into a chassis having transmitters 370 in different locations. By having redundant receivers 365, the installation process is simplified because the possibility of misalignment of the transmitter and receiver during installation is reduced or eliminated. In other examples, the IGU may have a single receiver 365.

When installing the IGU, glass blocks (also referred to herein as set blocks) may be provided to help support the IGU in the frame. The setting block is located in a glass pocket, which is the space between the window frame and the IGU. The setting block also helps prevent the window from cracking or jumping out during an earthquake by, for example, isolating the window from the surrounding movement/deformation of the building, by helping to accommodate a certain degree of movement/deformation of the building relative to the window. Such blocks are typically rubber, although other durable and deformable materials may be used. The blocks may be disposed on the bottom of the window, the sides of the window, and the top of the window. Typically, two or more blocks are provided for each side of a window in which the blocks are present. Additional details of window frame components such as glass blocks may be found in PCT patent application number PCT/US15/62530 filed 11/24/2015 and entitled "filled ELECTROCHROMIC window (INFILL ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS)", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Fig. 3G depicts an embodiment of an electrochromic IGU 301 configured for wireless power transfer with a transmitter 371 located in a glass pocket (space between the window frame 375 and the IGU 301). The setting block 365 is also located between the IGU 301 and the window frame 375. In this embodiment, the receiver 366 is located in the IGU 301, e.g., in a secondary seal. Further details are shown in an expanded view of a portion, and cross section B-B shows further details. According to one aspect, emitter 371 may be enclosed in a material similar to that of setup block 365. In the illustrated embodiment, the emitter 371 has the same or approximately the same width as the setup block 365. In another embodiment, the form factor of the transmitter 371 is smaller than the form factor of the setup block 365, such that there is a void space between the transmitter 371 and the receiver 366 in the IGU. In another embodiment, emitter 371 is located in a portion of window frame 375. In the embodiment shown here, the window frame 375 includes a press plate 375a that is used to hold the IGU 301 in place. In another embodiment, the emitter 370 is located on the platen 375 a. In each of these embodiments, the long axes of the coils in the transmitter and receiver are substantially collinear to increase the efficiency of wireless power transfer. In some cases, there may be wood, plastic, aluminum, glass, or another material that does not substantially inhibit wireless power transfer between the transmitter and the receiver.

Fig. 3H is a schematic diagram depicting an embodiment of an EC window 380 incorporating an IGU comprising electrochromic lite. The EC window 380 includes an outer frame 384 in which a fixed frame 382 and a movable frame 383 are mounted. The fixed frame 382 is fixedly mounted within the outer frame 384 such that it does not move. The movable frame 383 is movably mounted in the frame 384 such that it can be moved, for example, from a closed position to an open position. In the window industry, EC window 380 may be referred to as a "single-hung window," the fixed frame may be referred to as a "fixed sash," and the movable frame may be referred to as a "movable sash. The movable frame 383 includes an IGU 300 having electrochromic lite and a receiver 367 configured to receive wireless power from a transmitter 372 located in the outer frame 384. In instances where wireless power transfer occurs through electromagnetic induction, the depicted configuration is optimized, i.e., power is transferred when the frame is in the closed position. In examples where wireless power transfer between the receiver 367 and the transmitter 372 is by electromagnetic induction, power transfer is maximized when the movable frame 383 is in the closed position. In another example, receiver 367 and transmitter 372 may be positioned so that maximum wireless power transfer occurs when movable frame 383 is in the open position. In another embodiment, the movable sash window contains multiple transmitters and/or receivers, such that wireless power transfer may occur at various window positions or may be accomplished if magnetic coupling may be established within the operating range of window movement.

Although fig. 3H shows an EC window with one movable frame of electrochromic lite, additional receivers and transmitters may be used with an EC window with two or more movable frames, each with electrochromic lite. In another aspect, a single transmitter may be used to wirelessly transmit power to a receiver over multiple movable frames. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the described embodiments having one or more movable frames may comprise configurations such as horizontally sliding windows, sliding doors, tilting windows, and the like.

While the embodiments depicted in fig. 3F through I have been described with reference to wireless power transfer by magnetic induction, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other forms of wireless power transfer may be used in the described embodiments. For example, instead of having a conductive coil transfer power by electromagnetic induction, the transmitter and receiver may have electrodes that allow power to be transferred by capacitive coupling.

In some embodiments, power is transferred by Radio Frequency (RF) waves and converted to an electrical potential or current by a receiver in electrical communication with the EC window. An example of a method of transferring Power via RF waves is described by Michael a.leabman et al, filed and named "Integrated Antenna Structure array for Wireless Power Transmission" on 21.7.2014, and in U.S. patent publication No. US20160020647 published on 21.1.2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Certain embodiments include more than one wireless power transmitter, i.e., the present disclosure is not limited to embodiments using a single wireless power transmission source.

In certain RF embodiments, RF power transmission may be used to transmit power to RF receivers located in an area within about 100 feet of the RF transmitter. In one example, RF power transmission may be used to transmit power to an RF receiver located within about 75 feet of an RF transmitter. In another example, RF power transmission may be used to transmit power to an RF receiver located within about 50 feet of an RF transmitter. In yet another example, RF power transmission may be used to transmit power to an RF receiver located within about 25 feet of the RF transmitter. In yet another example, RF power transmission may be used to transmit power to an RF receiver located within about 20 feet of the RF transmitter. In yet another example, RF power transmission may be used to transmit power to an RF receiver located within about 15 feet of the RF transmitter.

Fig. 4 depicts the interior of a room 404 configured for wireless power transfer (e.g., RF power transfer). The room 404 contains a plurality of electrochromic windows 406. In this example, room 404 includes a transmitter 401 connected by a wire 405 to the electrical infrastructure of the building having room 404. The transmitter 401 converts the power in the form of current through the wire 405 into an electromagnetic transmission that is transmitted to one or more of the receivers 402 (in this case located in the corners of each electrochromic window 406 in the room 404) that convert the electromagnetic transmission back into an electrical signal to power its associated electrochromic device. In order to reduce the loss of power transmission caused by absorption and reflection of electromagnetic waves, especially in the case of RF waves, the transmitter may be placed in a central location, such as a ceiling or wall, which preferably has a line of sight to all receivers in the room. In the example shown, the transmitter 401 is located in a central portion of the ceiling of the room. Optionally, the emitter 401 may be in the form of a ceiling tile or a lighting fixture to blend in with the aesthetics of the room. Electrical devices that receive wireless power transmissions typically have at least one associated receiver that can convert electromagnetic transmissions into usable electrical energy and power. When one or more of the EC windows 406 is configured to wirelessly receive power from the transmitter 401, the transmitter 401 may also be configured to wirelessly power additional electronics 403, such as a laptop or mobile device with a receiver.

When power is transferred via radio waves, an RF transmitter or transmitters are typically placed in a central location of the device being powered. In many cases, this means that the RF transmitter will be located near the ceiling or wall of the device (e.g., within a range of the RF transmitter/receiver, e.g., within 15 feet, within 20 feet, within 25 feet, within 50 feet, within 75 feet, within 100 feet). For example, the RF transmitter may be located on the ceiling/wall so that it can power multiple EC windows in proximity. In one embodiment, the RF transmitter is located next to or is a component of the master controller. In one embodiment, the RF transmitter is integrated into a wall closet with a user interface for controlling the tint state of the EC window. In one example, a wall closet can also perform plug and play window commissioning. In one embodiment, each EC window has an assigned RF transmitter mounted directly to the ceiling near the front of the window, allowing greater power transfer. In yet another embodiment, an EC window powered by wire or wirelessly may also have a transmitter with an antenna on the surface of the sheet. By placing the antenna on the sheet, the antenna tends to be located at an unobstructed point in the room. In some embodiments, this may allow for broadcast power transmission through both sides of the sheet. In the case of an RF receiver having one or more designated RF transmitters, the location of which does not change, the RF receiver may not have to communicate the location and instructions for power transfer to the RF transmitter.

In some embodiments, the wireless receiver and/or wireless transmitter may be a component of a window controller that is part of the EC window (i.e., an on-board window controller). In some embodiments, the onboard controllers may be positioned on a pane of the IGU, e.g., on a surface accessible from the interior of a building. For example, in the case of an IGU having two panes, onboard controllers may be provided on surface S4. In some embodiments, the on-board controllers may be located between the wafers in the IGU. For example, the on-board controller may be in the secondary seal of the IGU, but have a control panel on the outward facing surface, e.g., S1 or S4 of the IGU. In other cases, the on-board controller may be separate from the window (e.g., dockable) and read the chip associated with the pedestal. In such an embodiment, the on-board controller may be configured in the field for the particular window with which it is associated, as it mates with the base and reads the chip therein. In some embodiments, the on-board controller is substantially within the thickness of the IGU such that the controller does not protrude very much into the interior (or external environment) of the building. Details of various embodiments of on-board window controllers can be found in U.S. patent application 14/951,410 filed on 24/11/2015 and entitled "SELF-CONTAINED EC IGU" (SELF-CONTAINED EC IGU), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

To improve wireless transmission, the RF transmitter may employ a directional antenna design, where the RF transmission is directed to the receiver. Directional RF antennas include such designs as yagi, log periodic, corner reflector, patch, and parabolic antennas. In some cases, the antenna structure may be configured to transmit waves with a particular polarization. For example, the antenna may have vertical or horizontal polarization, right or left hand polarization, or elliptical polarization. Transmitters and receivers configured for RF transmission (electromagnetic radiation having a frequency between about 3kHz and about 300 GHz) are referred to herein as RF transmitters and RF receivers. In some embodiments, the RF transmitter and/or RF receiver includes an array of antenna elements. For example, an RF transmitter may contain an array of antenna elements that operate independently of one another to transmit controlled three-dimensional radio frequency waves that may converge in space. The waves can be controlled to form a constructive interference pattern or pocket of energy at the location where the receiver is located by phase and/or amplitude modulation. In some embodiments, the antenna array covers a surface area of about 1 square foot to 4 square feet on a flat or parabolic panel. The antenna elements may be arranged in rows, columns, or any other arrangement. In general, a greater number of antennas allows greater directional control of the power transmitted. In some cases, the antenna array contains more than about 200 structures, and in some cases, the antenna array may be composed of more than about 400 structures.

In a multi-path embodiment, multiple transmission paths may be used simultaneously between the RF transmitters, and the RF receiver may be used to reduce the power transmitted along any one path, for example, to reduce power below a predetermined level. Various transmission paths may reach the receiver by reflecting off walls and other stationary objects. In some cases, the RF transmitter may transmit power along 5 to 10 paths, in some cases along 5 or more paths, and in some cases along 10 or more paths.

A typical RF transmitter may be capable of delivering about 10 watts of power to a single receiver located near the transmitter, e.g., less than 10 feet from the transmitter. If multiple devices are powered simultaneously, or if the RF receiver is located at a greater distance from the RF transmitter, the power delivered to each receiver may be reduced. For example, if power is transmitted simultaneously to four RF receivers at a distance of 10 feet to 15 feet, the power delivered at each RF receiver may be reduced to 1 watt to 3 watts.

In some embodiments, the RF transmitter includes one or more Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFICs), wherein each RFIC controls transmission by adjusting the phase and/or amplitude of RF transmissions from one or more antennas. In certain embodiments, each RFIC receives instructions for controlling one or more antennas from a microcontroller containing logic for determining how the antennas should be controlled to form energy pockets at the location of one or more RF receivers. In some cases, the position of one or more RF receivers may be communicated to a transmitter through a network of ANTENNAS using geographic location and positioning methods, such as those described in U.S. patent application No. 62/340,936 entitled "WINDOW antenna" (WINDOW antenna), filed 24.5.2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some cases, the location of one or more RF receivers may be determined manually during installation, and the RF transmitter may be configured to transmit the location of the receivers. To receive information related to delivering wireless power to an electrochromic window or other device, the RF transmitter may be configured to communicate with a window antenna network or another network, which may, for example, provide receiver position information and other information related to power transmission. In certain embodiments, the RF transmitter includes components for wireless communication via protocols such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, EnOcean, and the like. In some embodiments, the same hardware used for wireless power transfer may also be used for communication (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). In some embodiments, the antenna of the transmitter may be used for both power transmission and communication using multi-mode and RF transmission.

In some embodiments, the RF transmitter may determine the location of an RF receiver that is also configured for wireless communication using a guessing and checking method. To perform the guessing and checking method, the RF transmitter first transmits a plurality of power transmissions, where each transmission corresponds to a different location in 3D space, thereby performing a coarse scan of the RF receiver in the vicinity of the RF transmitter. If the receiver receives power, it then communicates with the transmitter to confirm that the power transfer was successful. In some cases, the RF transmitter is also informed of the amount of power received by the receiver. The RF transmitter may then repeat guessing and checking multiple points in 3D space near a successful power transfer point to determine the optimal transfer settings for wirelessly delivering power to the RF receiver.

In some embodiments, the RF transmitter includes a Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) array integrated with an Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) metamaterial. PIFA designs may provide small dimensions and AMC metamaterials may provide artificial magnetic reflectors to direct the direction of energy wave emission. Further information on how PIFA antennas can be used with AMC metamaterials to create transmitters can be found in U.S. patent application publication No. 20160020647 entitled "Integrated Antenna array for Wireless Power Transfer" published on 21/1/2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Fig. 5 shows the components of an RF transmitter 500. The RF transmitter is encased by a housing 501, which may be made of any suitable material that does not substantially impede the passage of electromagnetic waves, such as plastic or hard rubber. Inside the housing 501, the RF transmitter 500 contains one or more antennas 502 that may be used to transmit radio frequency waves in a bandwidth, e.g., consistent with the regulations of the federal communications commission (or other governmental regulator of wireless communications). The RF transmitter 500 further comprises one or more RFICs 503, at least one microcontroller 504 and means for wireless communication 505. The RF transmitter 500 is connected to a power source 506, typically the wired electrical infrastructure of the building.

In some cases, the means for wireless communication 505 may comprise a micro-positioning chip that allows the location of the RF transmitter to be determined by an antenna network that communicates through pulse-based ultra-wideband (UWB) technology (ECMA-368 and ECMA-369). When the receiver is equipped with a micro-positioning chip, the relative position of the device with the receiver can be determined to within 10cm, and in some cases within 5 cm. In other cases, the means for wireless communication 505 may comprise an RFID tag or another similar device.

A wireless power receiver (e.g., an RF receiver) may be located in various locations near the transmitter to receive wireless power transmissions, such as locations within the same room as the transmitter. Where the receiver is paired with an electrochromic IGU, the receiver may be an onboard receiver structurally attached to the IGU. The on-board receiver may be located in the window controller, in a box attached to the window controller, located in proximity to the IGU (e.g., within the frame of the window assembly), or located a short distance from the IGU but electrically connected to the window controller. In some cases, the on-board receiver may be located within the secondary seal or within the gasket of the IGU.

In some embodiments, the antenna of the on-board receiver is located on one or more sheets of the IGU. By placing the antenna on the surface of the sheet of window, the antenna is generally located in an unobstructed vantage point in the room and can receive power transmission through both sides of the IGU.

In some embodiments, an on-board receiver is located on the sheet and connected to a window controller located in a pod on the wall. The wall pod can be made serviceable. For example, a dongle with a window controller may fall into a recess in a wall during installation. In some embodiments, the on-board receiver is built on a non-conductive substrate (such as a flexible printed circuit board) on which the antenna elements are printed, etched, or laminated, and the on-board receiver is attached to a surface of a sheet of the IGU.

In some implementations, when one or more IGUs are configured to wirelessly receive power from a transmitter, the transmitter is also configured to wirelessly power additional electronic devices, such as laptops or other mobile devices.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram depicting the structure of a wireless RF receiver 600 that may be used with an electrochromic window. Similar to the RF transmitter, the RF receiver includes one or more of the antennas 602, which may be connected to a rectifier in series, parallel, or a combination thereof. In operation, the antenna element 602 passes an alternating current signal corresponding to an alternating RF wave that has been received to a rectifier circuit 603, which converts the alternating voltage to a direct current voltage. The direct current voltage is then passed to a power converter 604, such as a DC-to-DC converter for providing a constant voltage output. Optionally, receiver 600 further comprises or is connected to an energy storage device 606, such as a battery or super capacitor, that stores energy for later use. In the case of an on-board receiver for a window, receiver 600 and/or energy storage device 606 may be connected to powered device 607, which may include one or more of a window controller, a window antenna, sensors associated with the window, and an electrochromic device. When the RF receiver includes or is connected to an energy storage device, a microcontroller or other suitable processor logic may be used to determine whether the received power is to be used immediately by powered device 607 or stored in energy storage device 606 for later use. For example, if the RF receiver harvests more energy than the powered device currently needs (e.g., coloring the window), the excess energy may be stored in the battery. Optionally, the RF receiver 600 may further include a wireless communication interface or module 608 configured to communicate with a window network, an antenna network, a BMS, and the like. Using such a communication interface or module, a microcontroller or other control logic associated with receiver 600 may request power to be transferred from the transmitter. In some embodiments, the RF receiver contains a micro-positioning chip that communicates via pulse-based ultra-wideband (UWB) technology (ECMA-368 and ECMA-369), allowing the position of the RF receiver to be determined by, for example, a window or antenna network, which may provide a location for the transmitter. Other types of positioning devices or systems may be used to assist the RF transmitter and associated transmission logic in delivering power wirelessly to the appropriate location (the location of the receiver).

In some cases, some or all of the components of RF receiver 600 are contained in a housing 601, which may be made of any suitable material that allows electromagnetic transmission, such as plastic or hard rubber. In one case, the RF receiver shares a housing with the window controller. In some cases, the wireless communication component 608, microcontroller 605, converter 604, and energy storage device 606 have functions that are shared with other window controller operations.

As explained, the receiver (e.g. RF receiver) may have means to provide location information and/or to instruct the transmitter to transmit power. In some cases, the receiver or an associated component nearby, such as an electrochromic window or window controller, provides the location of the receiver and/or instructs the transmitter where to send the power transmission. In some embodiments, the transmitter may determine the power transfer independent of instructions from the receiver. For example, during installation the transmitter may be configured to send a power transmission to one or more specified locations corresponding to placement of one or more receivers at fixed locations or at movable locations that are repositioned at specified time intervals. In another example, the instructions for power transfer may be sent by a module or component other than the receiver; for example, a remote device operated by the BMS or by a user. In yet another example, the instructions for power transfer may be determined from data collected from sensors, such as photoelectric sensors and temperature sensors, that have been correlated to the power requirements of the electrochromic window.

The antenna array of the RF receiver may contain antenna elements with different polarizations, e.g. vertical or horizontal polarization, right or left hand polarization, or elliptical polarization. When there is one RF transmitter that transmits an RF signal of known polarization, the RF receiver may have antenna elements of matched polarization. In the case where the orientation of the RF transmission is unknown, the antenna elements may have various polarizations.

In certain embodiments, the RF receiver includes an array of antenna elements (also referred to as an antenna array) comprising between about 20 and 100 antenna elements that as a group are capable of delivery to the powered device between about 5 volts to 10 volts. In some cases, the RF receiver has an array of antenna elements in the form of patch antennas having length and width dimensions. In one example, the length and width of the patch antenna are in a range between about 1mm and about 25 mm. The patch antenna may be located on a transparent substrate of the EC window. The use of an antenna array (transmitter and/or receiver) on a transparent substrate provides for bi-directional transmission and can enable unobstructed transmission, as windows are typically located at unobstructed points in a room. Fig. 7 is a photograph of a patch antenna 705 on a glass substrate 701. In other cases, other antenna designs are used to include metamaterial antennas and dipole antennas. In some cases, the spacing between the antennas of the RF receiver is very small; for example between 5nm and 15 nm. Higher frequency antennas in the gigahertz range are relatively small, e.g., 2 to 3 inches in either direction.

The wireless power transfer configuration enables window powering that is otherwise unavailable. For example, in some systems, trunk lines (e.g., 24V trunk lines) are used to route wiring throughout a building, intermediate lines (often referred to as drop lines) connect local window controllers to the trunk lines, and window lines connect window controllers to the windows. According to one aspect, the EC windows are powered by wireless power transfer and each window contains a local power storage device. In this case, no trunk lines are required at the EC window.

Wireless power transfer enables building power supply systems that are otherwise unavailable. For example, in some building systems, trunk lines (e.g., 24V trunk lines) are used to route wiring throughout the building, intermediate lines (often referred to as drop lines) connect local window controllers to the trunk lines, and window lines connect window controllers to the windows. According to one aspect, certain EC windows are powered by wireless power transfer and each window contains a local power storage device for storing power until needed. In this case, no trunk lines are required at the EC window. The local electrical power storage device may optionally have a charging mechanism, such as a trickle charging mechanism, for example. The charging mechanism may be based on wireless power transfer or wired. Typically, the use of wireless power (and communications) transmission eliminates the need for expensive cables that can carry both power and communications.

Some examples of wireless power transfer network configurations

Electrochromic windows are typically part of a large window network in which the power transmission is coupled to the network infrastructure. As the window networks may have different sizes and applications, there may be various configurations in which wireless power may be implemented within the window networks. In some cases, only one cascaded segment between nodes of the power transmission network may be wireless, and in some cases, there may be multiple cascaded segments of the power transmission network in which power is transmitted wirelessly. The window network may also interface with other networks or devices to which power may be transmitted or received. For purposes of illustration, several configurations of power transmission networks in a building will now be described. These configurations are not meant to be limiting. For example, additional configurations may include combinations of the configurations described below or elsewhere herein. Although these illustrative examples are given in the context of a building, one skilled in the art can readily appreciate how similar configurations can be implemented for applications such as automobiles, airplanes, boats, trains, and the like.

In each of these configurations, a wirelessly powered device (e.g., a window or a mobile device) has a receiver that may be part of a single component or may be a separate component. In addition to receiving wireless power, the receiver may also be configured to send and/or receive communication signals. For example, the receiver may be configured to broadcast an omnidirectional beacon signal (e.g., via a reflective surface or direct propagation) that is received by the wireless power transmitter. These signals received by the transmitter may be used to inform the wireless power transmitter path to return the wireless power transfer to the device to be charged.

Configuration I

In a first power transmission network configuration, one or more electrochromic windows and/or one or more other devices (e.g., mobile devices) in a window network are each configured with a receiver to receive wireless power broadcast from a remote transmitter (e.g., a remote transmitter that is a standalone base station). The remote transmitter is connected to the electrical infrastructure of the building and/or has its own power supply. Typically, each receiver will have an energy storage device in which the wirelessly transmitted power can be stored until it is used by one or more electrochromic windows and/or one or more devices. By supplying power to the operating window from an energy storage device, such as a battery, power may be wirelessly transmitted at a level below that required for operation of the one or more electrochromic windows or the one or more mobile devices. Although the window is described in many examples herein in the form of an IGU, other embodiments may include windows in the form of a laminated structure.

An embodiment of this first power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 4. As depicted in fig. 4, a single transmitter 401 may be configured to deliver power transmission to a particular group of EC windows, e.g., EC window 406 with receiver 402 in room 404. In one embodiment, the designated transmitter 401 may also be configured to power an additional electronic mobile device 403, such as a phone, tablet, or laptop. In some embodiments, the remote transmitter may be very close to the receiver (e.g., less than 6 inches), such as when inductive coupling is used as described elsewhere herein, while in other cases, such as when RF or microwave wireless transmission of power is used, the remote transmitter may be far from its intended receiver (e.g., 15 feet to 30 feet). In the latter case, the emitters may be located in or on a wall, ceiling (as shown in fig. 4), or on a shelf, table top, or floor of a space. In some cases, the window network may have multiple transmitters, where the transmitters are configured such that each receiver receives power from only one transmitter. In some cases, two or more transmitters may be configured to broadcast a wireless power transmission to a single receiver.

In some embodiments described herein, the transmitter is an RF transmitter manufactured by a company, such as Powercast, Energous, or Cota systems manufactured by OssiaTM. In some cases, the RF transmitter may initially receive an omnidirectional beacon signal broadcast from a receiver of the wirelessly powered device. By calculating the phase of each of the incident waves of the beacon signal, the transmitter can determine the location of the receiver of the wirelessly powered device, thereby informing of the directionality of the RF power transmission. In some cases, the remote transmitter may broadcast power along reflections of each of the incident waves of the beacon signal. In other cases, the remote transmitter may broadcast power along an optimal reflected path, for example, of an incident wave having the strongest signal received by the RF transmitter. In these cases, the remote transmitter may broadcast focused RF waves along a plurality of different beam paths, each of which may reflect surfaces (e.g., walls and ceilings) before reaching the receiver in the wirelessly powered device so that power may be transmitted around obstacles between the remote transmitter and the receiver in the wirelessly powered device. By transmitting power along multiple paths, the power transmitted along each path may be significantly less than the total power wirelessly delivered to the receiver.

In other cases, the RF receiver of the wirelessly powered device broadcasts multiple unidirectional beacon signals in different directions at different times. The RF transmitter receives one or more unidirectional beacon signals (S) and is configured to calculate a phase of each of the incident waves of the beacon signals to determine the directionality of the path of the RF power transmission and/or the location of the receiver. In one embodiment, the remote RF transmitter may broadcast power along a path (e.g., a reflected path or a direct propagation path) of each of the incident waves of the beacon signal. In another embodiment, the remote transmitter may broadcast power along some optimized path, for example, the incident wave with the strongest beacon signal received by the RF transmitter. In this embodiment, the power transferred may depend on the number of optimized paths. In any of these embodiments, the remote transmitter may broadcast focused RF waves along a plurality of different beam paths. Some of these paths may reflect surfaces (e.g., walls and ceilings) before reaching a receiver in the wirelessly powered device so that power may be transmitted around obstacles between the remote transmitter and the powered device. By transmitting power along multiple paths, the power transmitted along each path may be significantly less than the total power wirelessly delivered to the receiver of the powered device.

Another embodiment of this first power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 13A and 13B. In the embodiment shown here, a top view of a room 1301 is depicted that uses a transmitter 1310 (e.g., an RF transmitter) as a stand-alone base station. The transmitter or standalone base station 1310 is configured to wirelessly power IGU1320 and/or to power other devices having a receiver, such as mobile device 1430 depicted as a mobile phone, although other mobile devices may be implemented. For example, a similar embodiment with a separate base station may be implemented to power the curtain wall of an IGU in a room.

Fig. 13A and 13B depict schematic diagrams of a top view of a room 1301 configured for wireless power transfer, including an RF transmitter or stand-alone base station 1310. The room 1301 includes two IGUs 1320 along the walls and a mobile device 1330 in the form of a mobile phone. Although not shown, other devices with receivers may be in the room 1301. Each of IGUs 1320 has a receiver (e.g., an RF receiver) configured on the glass of IGU 1322. In other embodiments, receiver 1322 may be located within IGU1320 (e.g., in a secondary seal of the IGU), in or on a frame element, or in or on a wall adjacent IGU 1320. The mobile device 1330 has a receiver such as an RF receiver. The RF transmitter or independent base station 1310 may be connected to the power infrastructure of the building and/or have an internal power source. The RF transmitter or independent base station 1310 is configured to convert electrical power into electromagnetic transmissions. Devices such as IGU1320 and mobile device 1330 have at least one associated receiver configured to convert electromagnetic transmissions from independent base station 1310 into electrical signals to power their associated devices into usable electrical energy and power. In the example shown, the standalone base station 1310 is located in a corner of the room 1301. According to another embodiment, which is similar in some respects to the example shown in fig. 4, in order to reduce the loss of power transmission resulting from the absorption and reflection of electromagnetic waves (especially in the case of RF waves), a separate base station may be placed in a central location, such as in the middle of a ceiling or in the center of a wall, which may have a clearer line of sight (less obstruction) to the receivers in the room 1301.

Fig. 13A depicts an example when an RF transmitter or standalone base station 1310 is receiving incident waves from an omni-directional beacon signal broadcast from a receiver of a mobile device 1330. In some cases, a user may request initiation of wireless charging through an application on the mobile device 1330 that causes the mobile device 1330 to broadcast a substantially omnidirectional beacon signal. Three arrows 1340 depict the direction of the substantially omni-directional beacon signal along the path that successfully reaches independent base station 1310, as the waves of the omni-directional beacon signal reflect off the walls of room 1301. By calculating the phase of the waves received at the independent base station 1310, the corresponding direction of power transmission from the RF transmitter or the independent base station 1310 may be determined. Three arrows 1350 depict the direction of return to the receiver of the mobile device 1330 along the return path of the power transmission. Arrow 1340 and arrow 1350 show how the direction of the wave receiving the beacon signal may be used to determine a path for delivering power wirelessly to the mobile device 1330.

Receiver 1322 may be in or on the window controller or otherwise associated with IGU 1320. In this example, the receiver 1322 is also configured to broadcast a substantially unidirectional beacon signal to provide a transmission path for wireless power transfer to an RF transmitter or a separate base station 1310. If the mobile base station 1310, or the window or associated power receiver, moves, then the beacon method may be a useful reconfiguration method, as the wireless power transmission may be automatically updated. Fig. 13B depicts an example when an RF transmitter or standalone base station 1310 is receiving an incident wave from an omni-directional beacon signal broadcast from a receiver 1322 of one of IGUs 1320. The instantaneous energy paths, power, and beacon signals shown in fig. 13A and 13B may occur simultaneously or at different times. In fig. 13B, three arrows 1340 depict the direction back to the mobile device's receiver along the return path of the power transmission, depicting the direction of the beacon signal along the path that successfully reaches the RF transmitter or independent base station 1310, as the beacon signal reflects off the walls of the room 1301. By calculating the phase of each of the incident waves of the omnidirectional beacon signal, the power transmission path can be determined. Three arrows 1350 depict the direction of return to the receiver 1322 of one of the IGUs 1320 along the return path of the power transmission.

Another embodiment of this first power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 2B. As depicted in fig. 2B, the window with receiver 204 may receive power from transmitter 202, which is electrically connected to additional windows 205, such that these additional windows receive power through the window with receiver. In the embodiment described with respect to fig. 2B, the window 204 need not be located at the end of the linear chain of windows, e.g., it may be anywhere in the linear chain of windows, or a central receiver hub (not shown in fig. 2) used as other windows, e.g., in a star network topology, a ring network topology, etc. Fully interconnected (meshed) wireless power networks of windows are also within the scope of embodiments herein, e.g., where each window includes a wireless power transmitter and receiver. For example, an external power transmitter remote from the window network transmits power to one or more of the windows in the network. In turn, one or more windows of the network may transmit power and/or receive power from other windows in the network. Such a configuration may increase cost, but allows for greater flexibility in the power scheme and allows for redundancy of potential blockages of wireless power signals.

Configuration II

In a second power transmission network configuration, one or more of the electrochromic windows of the network has a transmitter and may serve as a base station configured to wirelessly power devices. For example, an IGU having a wireless power transmitter may act as an IGU base station that powers other IGUs and/or devices such as mobile devices. Each IGU base station (also referred to herein as a "source window" or "window base station") has an associated transmitter configured to wirelessly deliver power to a receiver. Typically, an IGU base station serves a device with a receiver that is located within a predefined range of a wireless transmitter at the IGU. The receiver may also be configured to transmit a substantially omni-directional beacon signal. In one embodiment, the curtain wall has one or more wireless powered base stations IGU configured to wirelessly deliver power to other IGUs in the receiver-equipped curtain wall. Typically, the receiving electrochromic window or device has an energy storage device in which the wirelessly transmitted power can be stored until it is used by the electrochromic window or other device, such as a mobile device. By supplying power to operate the window or device from an energy storage device, such as a battery, power may be wirelessly transmitted at a level lower than required for operation of the electrochromic window or mobile device. In some cases, the wireless power transmission window may also include a photovoltaic power source, e.g., an integrated transparent PV film and/or a power feed from a remote PV array. Additionally or alternatively, the electrochromic window and/or window controller may also receive power from a conventional power source.

One embodiment of a second power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 8. In this illustrated example, the window network 800 has an electrochromic window 810 (linked to a central power supply 820 in this example) configured with a transmitter to wirelessly broadcast power to other electronic devices 803. Each of the electronic devices 803 is equipped with a remote wireless receiver such as a cellular device and a laptop computer near a network of windows. In some cases, the transmitter may be located inside the window controller. In some cases, the transmitter may be attached to the window frame, in a secondary seal of the IGU, in a gasket of the IGU, or near the window (e.g., on a nearby wall). In some cases, such as when using RF wireless transmission of power, the antenna array of the transmitter may be on a surface (e.g., a visible portion) of the window sheet, as described elsewhere herein. In some embodiments, the transmitter may be configured to broadcast the power signal from both sides of the sheet. Windows configured to transmit wireless power may be powered by wires passing through the electrical infrastructure of building 820, or in some cases, they may be powered wirelessly, for example, by inductive coupling. Optionally, the window network 800 also includes an additional electrochromic window 811 that is not configured with a wireless power transmitter. In the example shown, additional electrochromic window 811 is electrically connected to electrochromic window 810 by a wire to receive power. In another embodiment, the additional electrochromic window 811 may additionally or alternatively have a receiver configured to receive wireless power transmission from the electrochromic window 810.

Another embodiment of a second power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 14A and 14B. Fig. 14A and 14A depict schematic diagrams of top views of a room 1401 configured for wireless power transfer. In the example shown, room 1401 contains two IGUs 1421, with transmitters (e.g., RF transmitters) 1425 acting as IGU base stations in a first wall. The room 1401 also includes an IGU 1420 in the opposite wall with a receiver 1422 (e.g., an RF receiver) for receiving wireless power. The two transmitters 1425 are configured to wirelessly power other IGUs 1420 and/or other devices having receivers (e.g., RF receivers), such as mobile devices 1430. Although the mobile device 1430 is depicted herein as a mobile phone, it should be understood that other mobile devices may be implemented. The transmitter 1425 on the IGU 1421 can be connected to the electrical infrastructure of the building and/or have an internal power supply. The transmitter 1425 is configured to convert power into electromagnetic transmissions that are received by one or more receivers that convert wireless power into electrical current to power their associated devices.

Fig. 14A depicts an example when the transmitter 1425 receives incident waves from the mobile device 1430. According to one aspect, a user may request initiation of wireless charging by an application on mobile device 1430 that causes mobile device 1430 to generate a substantially omni-directional beacon signal. The four arrows 1440 depict the direction of the beacon signal along several paths that successfully reach the transmitter 1425 when the beacon signal is reflected off the walls of the room 1401. By calculating the phase of the incident wave received at the transmitter 1425, the corresponding path of power transmission can be determined. Four arrows 1450 depict return paths that may be used to wirelessly deliver power to the mobile device 1430.

Fig. 14B depicts an example when a transmitter 1425 receives incident waves from a substantially omni-directional beacon signal broadcast by a receiver 1422 disposed on an IGU 1420. The events depicted in fig. 14A and 14B may occur simultaneously or at different times. In fig. 14B, arrow 1440 depicts the direction of an omni-directional beacon signal along six paths that successfully reach transmitter 1425 of transmitter 1425. In some cases, these paths may reflect off of walls or other objects and in other cases, these paths may go directly between the receiver 1422 and the transmitter 1425. By calculating the phase of each of the incident waves, the power transmission path can be determined. Arrows 1440 and 1450 depict how power is transmitted back along the same path of the received beacon signal to deliver wireless power to the receiver 1422 of the IGU 1420.

Configuration III

In a third power transmission network configuration, the window network has one or more source windows (also referred to herein as "window base stations" or "IGU base stations") and one or more receive windows. The one or more source windows are configured to wirelessly distribute power to a window network. Typically, the source window is configured to receive power from the electrical infrastructure of the building from a transmitter, either by wire or wirelessly (e.g., by RF or inductive coupling). Additional receive windows in the window network are powered by a receiver that converts wireless power transmissions from one or more of the source windows back into electrical energy. Typically, the receiver has an associated energy storage device in which the wirelessly transmitted power may be stored until the power is required so that it may be transmitted at a lower level than required for operating window switching. According to one aspect, a window network may have one or more windows with both a receiver and a transmitter so that they may both receive and broadcast wireless power transmissions.

An embodiment of a third power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 9. As depicted in fig. 9, the window network 900 has one or more source windows 910 for wirelessly distributing power to the window network and, for example, mobile devices or other devices in a space having receivers. The window network 900 has two wireless power distribution areas 930 and 931, which may, for example, represent areas over which the source window may effectively distribute wireless power. As shown, there may be some overlap (common space) of these regions where one or more windows may effectively receive power from either or both of the source windows 910.

Considering the area 930 of the window network 900, the network has an additional window 911 configured to receive power from a source window on the network. Although not shown, the windows 911 that receive power wirelessly may be electrically connected by wires to one or more additional windows such that each additional window receives power by being connected to a receiver (as described with respect to windows 204 and 205 in fig. 2B).

Considering the area 931 of the window network 900, the network also has windows 912 with both receivers and transmitters so that they can receive and broadcast wireless power transmissions. By having the ability to receive and transmit power, the windows may be daisy chained together such that each window becomes a power node in the wireless power distribution network, thereby increasing the distance over which power originating from the source window can be delivered wirelessly. In this sense, each window configured with a receiver and a transmitter may be considered a power repeater, relaying the power signal to the next window, and supplementing the received power with energy already stored in the energy storage device. When the windows are daisy chained together, the electrical wiring required for window operation can be greatly reduced, for example, by a factor of 10 compared to a standard electrochromic window network. Such reduced wiring may be advantageous in applications such as when retrofitting older structures that do not have sufficient electrical infrastructure in some places to have electrochromic windows. Another advantage of using this configuration is that the window network can also be used to distribute power to other electronic devices in the building having remote wireless receivers, thus potentially eliminating the need for a wired distribution network within the structure.

In another embodiment of the third power transmission network configuration depicted in fig. 10, the curtain walls of the electrochromic window 1000 are powered through a single source window 1020. The window 1020 may receive power through a wired connection to the power supply 1010, or it may receive power wirelessly. Using magnetic induction as described elsewhere herein, the transmitter 1370 and receiver 1360 are used to (virtually) daisy chain the rest of the windows 1030 on the curtain wall so that they receive power through the source windows 1020. The daisy-chained connection in this sense is a wireless chain, and in this example, the window 1020 is a divergent node, with two daisy-chains emanating from it through two transmitters 1370. In some embodiments, the transmitter 1370 and receiver 1360 are located in the secondary seal of each window, and in some embodiments, they are located in the frame between each window. In some embodiments, wireless power transfer between windows on a curtain wall occurs by some other means, such as electrostatic induction or radio waves.

Configuration IV

In a fourth power transmission network configuration, power is wirelessly transferred from the window frame to the IGU using inductive coupling as described elsewhere herein (e.g., the description of fig. 3B-G). By wirelessly transferring power across the glass pocket, the space required for the glass pocket for wiring and the electronic components for powering the EC window may be eliminated. This is advantageous in the marketplace, where the glass pocket depth is reduced to maximize the viewable area of each window. In addition to passing through the glass pocket, the time-varying magnetic field may also pass through a window frame, a glass pane, a gasket (e.g., if the receiver is located within the gasket), or a material in the glazing such as aluminum or foam (e.g., if the receiver is located within the IGU and the transmitter is external to the IGU, such as transmitting wireless power to the glass face).

An embodiment of a fourth power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 11. The window depicted in fig. 11 includes a setup block 1165 between the IGU1103 and the window frame 1375. The frame 1375 has an embedded transmitter 1137 made of stainless steel or another material that will substantially inhibit the passage of the time-varying magnetic field to the receiver 1136. In the example shown, a portion of the frame 1375 between the transmitter 1137 and the glass pocket is removed and replaced with a key 1110 made of a material that allows the passage of magnetic energy (e.g., plastic). In some cases, the key 1110 is inserted into the frame during manufacture of the window frame. In other cases, such as in retrofit applications where the window frame is reused, a portion of the frame may be cut out to create space for the transmitter and keys prior to installation of the IGU. In the example shown, the emitters 1137 have exposed surfaces (the angle of the holes formed by cutting holes in the window frame) from which energy transmission can be radiated. The exposed surface may have a protective coating such as a polymer or plastic material. This material may be substantially color matched to the frame (as may the aforementioned keys).

In one embodiment of such a configuration, the window controller may be attached to the window frame or positioned proximate to the window, thereby separating the window controller from the IGU. In one embodiment, the window controller first wirelessly receives power by any method disclosed elsewhere herein before powering the IGU through the inductive coupling. By separating the window controller from the IGU, the hardware can be updated more easily. For example, if the IGU needs to be replaced, it may not be necessary to replace or remove the window controller. On the other hand, if the window controller is updated, it may not be necessary to replace or remove the IGU. When the window controller is separate from the IGU, the IGU may contain active circuitry for converting the received alternating current to direct current and controlling the voltage applied to the bus bars. In one embodiment, the plurality of transmitters may operate out of phase with one another, and the passive circuitry may be contained in a secondary seal or gasket of the IGU to generate direct current from the plurality of alternating currents out of phase.

Configuration V

In a fifth power transmission network configuration, a remote window controller is connected to and controls wireless transmission by the transmitter, wherein the remote window controller is located at a distance from the window. An example of such a configuration is depicted in fig. 12, where a window controller 1230 is connected to and controls wireless power transmission of a transmitter 1240 located at a remote distance from the electrochromic window 1210. In this illustrated example, electrochromic window 1210 has passive electronics 1250 for delivering power directly to the EC device. The passive electronic device 1250 is electrically connected to a receiver that receives wireless transmissions from a remote transmitter 1240. Typically, in this configuration, the receiver will have an antenna on the surface of the sheet (e.g., on the surface of the electrochromic device coating) for receiving electromagnetic transmissions. In some cases, as the antenna shown in fig. 12, the antenna is a loop antenna 1220 that runs along the perimeter of the viewable area. The ANTENNAS described herein that may be placed on the surface of the sheet may be manufactured using methods such as those described in U.S. patent application No. 62/340,936 filed 5/24 of 2016 and entitled "WINDOW antenna," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some implementations of the fifth configuration, the window controller controls duty cycle and pulse width modulation of transmissions having the same frequency sent from multiple antennas (e.g., an antenna array of transmitters) such that a net voltage difference may be delivered to the bus bars. In some cases, the receiver may be equipped with multiple antennas that receive electromagnetic transmissions out of phase such that a net voltage is applied to the bus bar.

Configuration VI

A sixth power transmission network configuration includes both stand-alone base stations and windows acting as base stations, i.e., windowed base stations (also referred to herein as "IGU base stations" or "source windows"). It may be desirable to have both independent base stations and window base stations in the area served, depending on the needs of the powered device and the geometry of the space. For example, multiple base stations may be needed in a room with transmission blocking obstructions that will block transmissions from a single base station anywhere in the room. Other windows and/or other devices, such as mobile devices or other electronic devices, are configured with receivers to wirelessly receive power broadcast from transmitters of both independent base stations and window base stations. In one aspect, an IGU having a wireless power transmitter may act as an IGU base station, and the IGU base station, along with a standalone base station, may power other IGUs and/or additional devices. For example, a curtain wall may have one or more wireless powered base stations IGU that may deliver wireless power to the remaining IGUs in the curtain wall that have receivers. These devices powered by IGU base stations typically have a receiver with an energy storage device in which the wirelessly transmitted power can be stored until it is used. By supplying power to operate the IGU from an energy storage device, such as a battery, power may be wirelessly transmitted at a level below that required for operation of one or more electrochromic windows or one or more mobile devices.

An embodiment of the components in this sixth power transmission network configuration is shown in fig. 15A and 15B. Fig. 15A and 15B depict schematic diagrams of top views of a room 1501 configured for wireless power transmission with this sixth configuration. The room 1501 includes an IGU 1521 serving as an IGU base station on which an RF transmitter 1510 and an RF transmitter 1525 serving as independent base stations are disposed. The transmitter is connected to the electrical infrastructure of the building and/or has an internal power source. In this illustrated example, the RF transmitter 1510 of the standalone base station and the RF transmitter 1525 of the IGU base station are configured to wirelessly power other IGUs 1521 with a receiver 1522 and/or other devices with a receiver such as a mobile device 1530. While the mobile device 1530 is shown in the form of a mobile phone, it should be understood that other mobile devices (e.g., laptop, tablet, etc.) may be implemented. In the depicted example, the transmitters 1510 of the individual base stations are located in the corners of the room 1501. In another embodiment, to reduce losses in the power transmission due to absorption and reflection of electromagnetic waves (especially in the case of RF waves), the transmitter 1510 of a separate base station may be placed in a central location, such as in the middle of a ceiling or in the center of a wall, which preferably has a line of sight to all receivers in the room 1501.

Fig. 15A depicts an example when a transmitter 1510 acting as an independent base station and a transmitter 1525 on/in an IGU acting as an IGU base station are receiving incident waves from an omni-directional beacon signal broadcast by a receiver of a mobile device 1530. For example, a user may request initiation of wireless charging through an application on the mobile device 1530 that causes the device to generate a substantially omnidirectional beacon signal. Arrow 1540 depicts the direction of a substantially omnidirectional beacon signal along several paths that successfully reach transmitters 1510, 1525 as the beacon signal propagates around room 1501. By calculating the phase of the incident wave received at each transmitter 1510, 1525, the corresponding path of power transmission to be used by each respective transmitter 1510, 1525 can be determined. Arrow 1550 depicts the direction of the return path to wirelessly deliver power to the mobile device 1530. Arrows 1540 and 1550 depict how the path of the received beacon signal can be used to deliver power wirelessly to mobile device 1530 along the return path.

Fig. 15B depicts an example when the transmitters 1510, 1525 are receiving incident waves from a substantially omnidirectional beacon signal broadcast by the receiver 1522 of one of the IGUs 1520. The events depicted in fig. 15A and 15B may occur simultaneously or at different times. In fig. 15B, arrow 1540 depicts the direction of an omni-directional beacon signal along several paths that successfully reach one of the two transmitters 1510, 1525. In some cases, these paths may reflect walls or other objects, and in other cases, these paths may take a direct path between the receiver and the transmitter. By calculating the phase of each of the incident waves, the power transmission path can be determined. Arrow 1550 depicts how power may be transmitted back along the same path of a received beacon signal to deliver wireless power to the receiver 1522 of the IGU 1520 that transmitted the beacon signal.

Multiple emitters

In certain embodiments, the power transmission network comprises a plurality of transmitters. For example, the power transmission network configuration shown in fig. 14A and 14B includes two IGUs 1421, with the transmitter 1425 serving as an IGU base station. As another example, the power transmission network configuration shown in fig. 15A and 15B includes IGU 1521 with transmitter 1525 acting as an IGU base station and remote transmitter 1510 acting as a stand-alone base station.

With a single base station in the network, the ability to resolve the precise angle of the received signal may be limited by the directional antenna of the transmitter at the single base station. Configurations with multiple base stations allow additional sources of reflected signals (or direct signals), which can more accurately determine: 1) the direction of the signal path, 2) the location of the device at a greater distance that is wirelessly powered, such as a mobile device or IGU, and/or 3) the location of other objects in space.

In one embodiment, multiple base stations may be implemented to determine a 3D mapping of space. For example, if the entire skin of a building is covered or substantially covered by the source window, a 3D map may be generated based on the reflected signal (and/or the direct signal). In some cases, the "reflected signal model" may be combined with other location awareness technologies (e.g., UWB chips in mobile devices) to create a more fault tolerant positioning system. For example, signals from transmitters at multiple base stations at different locations may be used to triangulate the location of the device, and in some cases take into account the physical layout of buildings, such as walls and furniture. Additionally, the network may utilize data measured by internal, magnetic, and other sensors on the devices therein to improve positioning accuracy. For example, using the sensed magnetic information, the orientation of assets within a building may be determined. The orientation of the assets may be used to refine the accuracy of the footprint of the asset footprint. In one case, the determined 3D mapping may be used to optimize a path for power transmission from a base station in a building. For example, a path may be determined that avoids furniture or other objects in the space.

According to some embodiments, an electrochromic window of a building has a transmitter that can be used as a wireless power transmission source for the building. For electrochromic windows between the interior and the exterior environment of a building, such as, for example, windows in glass curtain walls, the windows may be configured to transmit wireless power inside and/or outside the building. According to one aspect, the entire skin of a building may be covered in an EC window, with the transmitter acting as a window base station to provide a wireless power source throughout the building.

According to various embodiments, the transmitter may be configured to communicate via various forms of radio-electromagnetic transmission; such as a time-varying electric, magnetic or electromagnetic field. Common wireless protocols for electromagnetic communication include, but are not limited to, Bluetooth, BLE, Wi-Fi, RF, and Ultra Wideband (UWB). The direction of the reflected path and the position of the device may be determined from information relating to the transmission received from the transmitter, such as received strength or power, time or phase of arrival, frequency and angle of arrival of the wirelessly transmitted signal. When determining the position of the device from these metrics, triangulation algorithms may be implemented, which in some cases take into account the physical layout of buildings such as walls and furniture.

Examples of windows configured to provide and/or receive wireless power

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to Insulated Glass Units (IGUs) or other window structures that receive, provide, and/or condition wireless power within a building. In some embodiments, the window structure comprises at least one antenna for receiving and/or transmitting wireless power. Window structures such as those in the form of IGUs comprise a plurality of lamellae. In various embodiments, a photocontrol switching device, such as an electrochromic device, is disposed on at least one of the lamellae.

In some cases, the antenna is in the form of a window antenna located on one or more surfaces of a window structure, such as an IGU. In some cases, one or more window antennas are located in the viewable area of the window structure (i.e., the area that is substantially clearly visible to an observer through the window). In other cases, one or more window antennas are placed outside the viewable area, e.g., on a window frame.

In various embodiments, an IGU or other window structure having a plurality of lamellae includes both one or more electrochromic device coatings and one or more window antennas. In some cases, the electrochromic device coating and the window antenna layer are co-located on the same surface of the sheet. In other cases, the electrochromic device coating is on a different surface than the antenna layer. For example, the electrochromic device may be located on a surface on the outside of the internal antenna, or may be placed on a surface on the inside of the external antenna.

During a typical IGU manufacturing process, a first sheet is received into a manufacturing line for various manufacturing operations, and then a second "mated" sheet is introduced into the manufacturing line for further operations. In various embodiments described herein, an IGU includes a first sheet having an electrochromic device coating disposed on one of its surfaces (e.g., S1 or S2) and a second "mating" sheet (also referred to as an antenna sheet) having a window antenna layer disposed on at least one of its surfaces (e.g., S3 and/or S4). In one embodiment, the IGU includes a first sheet having an electrochromic device coating disposed on the interior surface S2, and a mating sheet having a window antenna layer disposed on the interior third surface S3 or fourth surface S4. In one example, the antenna array is etched from ITO on the surface of S3. Fabricating the EC device coating and antenna layer on different sheets may provide flexibility during IGU fabrication. For example, a mating sheet with or without an antenna layer may be introduced into the IGU manufacturing process without changing the general manufacturing process, as desired.

Fig. 16 depicts an isometric view of a corner of an IGU1600 configured to receive, provide, and/or condition wireless power, in accordance with various embodiments. In general, unless otherwise specified, the structure of IGU1600 may represent any of the window structures described above. The IGU1600 includes a first sheet 1602 having a first surface S1 and a second surface S2. The IGU1600 further includes a second mating tab 1604 having a third surface S3 and a fourth surface S4. A first sheet 1602 and a second mating sheet 1604 are shown attached to a frame structure 1606. Although not shown, IGU1600 also includes a gasket between first sheet 1602 and second mating sheet 1604, a sealant between the gasket and the first and second sheets, and/or various other IGU structures. The IGU1600 is shown generally mounted on a first surface facing the external environment S1 and a fourth surface facing the internal environment S4. During a typical manufacturing process of IGU1600, first sheet 1602 would be received into a manufacturing line for various manufacturing operations, and then second mating sheet 1604 would be introduced for further operations to complete IGU 1600. In one embodiment of IGU1600 shown in fig. 16, an electrochromic device coating is located on the second surface S2 of the first sheet 1602, and an antenna layer is located on one or both of the third surface S3 and the fourth surface S4 of the second mating sheet 1604.

Some embodiments employ an antenna as part of or in conjunction with a window controller in conjunction with a window network. Components that may be used with such an embodiment are: one or more antennas associated with the IGU; a window controller associated with the IGU and connected to the one or more antennas; a window network connected to a window controller; and logic to selectively provide wireless power. Some embodiments allow certain mobile devices and windows to receive wireless power through an antenna in a building. Such embodiments may be designed or configured to couple a device to an antenna for various wireless power services. Such embodiments also allow building management (or other entity controlling the window network) to allow or restrict wireless power transfer based on device, location, etc. Some embodiments may allow for controlled deployment of wireless power services within buildings with antennas, particularly in other areas near rooms or windows. Such services may be selectively opened or closed by a building administrator or other entity that gives permission to control access to the services. Through such control, the entity may give a particular tenant or device access to the wireless power service.

Controlling the wireless power may be implemented such that by default some or all areas of the building do not have wireless power transmission, but transmission is allowed upon detection that a known device has entered the building or a particular location in the building. Such detection may be based on GPS, UWB or other suitable technology. Similarly, the wireless power transmission may be turned on when a building tenant or owner of the mobile device has paid to activate the service.

Integration with photovoltaic systems

In some embodiments, the power used to control the optically controlled switching window is provided using a photovoltaic system. Photovoltaic ("PV") cells or solar cells convert solar energy into electrical energy. PV panels or modules are typically a collection of PV cells arranged such that the output power of each cell is collected and combined. PV arrays are collections of PV panels or modules arranged, for example, in series, parallel, or series/parallel. Such as Grape Solar

NeON of GS-P60-265-Fab2 or LG^TMConventional PV panels such as 2LG320N1C-G4 typically produce a peak between 240W and 350W (e.g., 36V at 8A DC) at a rated efficiency of 16-20%. Typically, the PV array is placed on top of a structure, such as the roof of a building, to maximize solar exposure, but the PV array may be located anywhere outside the buildingWhere, for example, the west facing front, or even on the ground.

In some cases, the PV generated power may be stored at one or more local energy storage devices, which in turn provide power for one or more transmitters, base stations, and/or source windows for wireless power transfer. In some cases, the PV-generated power is wirelessly transmitted to one or more receivers, while the electrical energy received at the one or more receivers is stored, for example, with batteries and/or capacitors associated with one or more window controllers. PV generated power may be used to wirelessly transmit power to the window system and wired power may be delivered when excess PV generated power is available, for example, to a battery. In some cases, a building equipped with PV panels for generating electricity may have a power distribution system (or hybrid solar system) supported by a power grid that can receive power from the grid during peak demand periods of power and/or provide power to the grid when the energy demand of the windows is low. In some cases, a building with a PV power distribution system may produce enough power so that the system can operate on multiple cloudy or cloudy days where the daily power generation is insufficient to power the window. In some cases, the PV power distribution system is an off-grid system ("OTG") in which the optically controlled switching windows of the building are operated without a dedicated connection to the grid. Further examples of PV POWER distribution systems are described in international patent application No. PCT/US18/18241 entitled "SOLAR POWER glass FOR heating and COOLING BUILDINGS (SOLAR POWER DYNAMIC GLASS FOR HEATING AND COOLING BUILDINGS)" filed on day 14/2/2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some cases, a building may have PV panels integrated or coupled with spandrel tiles and/or spandrel glass, hereinafter referred to as photovoltaic spandrel glass. Spandrel glass is not see-through and is commonly used in buildings to hide structural features (e.g., columns, floors, and walls) and/or to create a desired aesthetic in the building. Thus, depending on the architectural design, the spandrel glass may be opaque, translucent, decorative, multi-colored, or uniform in color, etc. For example, large office buildings and skyscrapers often use spandrel glass to create a seamless, uniform appearance. Fig. 17 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a building with electrochromic windows 1720 and photovoltaic spandrel glass that can be located in wall space between rooms on a floor 1722 or in space between floors 1724, for example. A window controller 1726 is depicted adjacent each window, but the window controller could be located elsewhere, such as in the IGU frame, on the windowpane, or in any other suitable location near the window.

In some embodiments, the PV spandrel glass on the building constitutes or supports at least a portion of a PV array for use in a grid-supported system or an OTG solar system. In some cases, photovoltaic spandrel glass, rooftop PV arrays, and/or other PV systems access different systems, respectively, each system providing power to, for example, a base station, source window, or transmitter. In some cases, power generated by the PV system is provided to a transmitter that converts the electrical energy to a wireless power transmission for powering windows and/or other electrical devices in the building. In some embodiments, the transmitter or base station receiving power from the PV array may be a stand-alone device that may not be physically or electrically coupled to the window. In other embodiments, a transmitter or base station receiving power from the PV array is in physical and/or electrical communication with the optically controlled switching window described elsewhere herein. As mentioned, PV arrays may include PV spandrel glass and other photovoltaic systems, such as roofing systems and systems that are not attached to building structures (e.g., PV panels covering parking lots). In some cases, a PV array may comprise a combination of two or more such PV systems. Although some examples have been provided, any photovoltaic system that converts solar energy to electrical energy may be used to provide power to a transmitter, base station, or source window. In some cases, PV arrays may be connected to a DC distribution board in order to distribute power from a single array to multiple windows or transmitters. In some cases, the DC distribution board may be used to provide power over electrical wires to one or more other systems in the building. For example, a DC distribution board may provide power to a low voltage ceiling grid for powering devices such as lights. In some cases, the inverter may be used to provide excess power generated by the photovoltaic array back to the local grid, or to provide power to an AC distribution panel, which in turn may provide AC power to one or more electronic devices in the building.

In some embodiments, the window may have its own PV array, with all or substantially all of the power from the PV array being provided to the window. In some cases, multiple windows may share a single PV array, and the power generated by the PV array can be shared between the windows. In some embodiments, the window controller 1726 may have associated circuitry to receive power from a nearby PV array (e.g., photovoltaic spandrel glass). For example, the window controller may have a voltage regulator that regulates the voltage applied to the battery or to other circuitry of the window controller. In some cases, the voltage regulator may be a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controller. In some cases, the voltage regulator may be a maximum power point tracking "MPPT" charging manager such as the condext MPPT 80-600 produced by Schneider Electric (Schneider Electric), which converts high voltage and low current signals to low voltage and high current signals to optimize the efficiency of solar energy storage in the local battery. In some embodiments, the window controller may also have a photovoltaic monitor configured to monitor electrical power generation and/or collect corresponding irradiance data for the PV spandrel glass. In some cases, the window controller may be configured to control one or more windows based on irradiance data measured from a PV array (e.g., PV spandrel glass) that provides power to the window controller. In some cases, the measured irradiance data may be transmitted to, for example, other window controllers, a network controller, or a master controller on a network, and the data may be used to control other light-operated switching windows in the building. International patent application No. PCT/US18/18241 entitled "SOLAR POWER glass FOR heating and COOLING BUILDINGS (SOLAR POWER DYNAMIC GLASS FOR HEATING AND COOLING BUILDINGS)" filed on day 2, month 14 of 2017, previously incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, further describes how irradiation data from PV spandrel glass and/or other photovoltaic panels are used to control a photoswitching window.

When configured to receive power directly from the PV array, the window may not need to receive power from other power sources. For example, in some embodiments, photovoltaic spandrel glass located near the periphery of the window may be sufficient to power the window. In some cases, one or more windows in a building may be self-sufficient, not requiring to receive power or configured to receive power from other sources than the associated PV array. By using photovoltaic spandrel glass, which is typically translucent, opaque, textured and/or patterned, the PV array does not detract from the desired aesthetics of the building, which the PV panels on the window frame or glass pane typically affect.

In some cases, a window configured to receive power from a PV array may receive more power than is required to operate the window. In some embodiments, the window that receives excess power from the photovoltaic array may be configured as a source window, and the source window provides power to other windows and/or other electronic devices through wired or wireless connections, as described elsewhere herein. The source window may be configured to transmit wireless power to another device upon receiving a power request from the other device. In some cases, the source window may begin transmitting wireless power when the local battery is in a fully or substantially fully charged state. The source window may also be configured to provide power to one or more other devices (e.g., mobile devices such as cell phones or laptops) that are not part of the photocontrol switching system window.

In some cases, the power received from the PV array may be insufficient to power the window. In this case, the window may be configured to receive power wirelessly to supplement the power received by the PV array. In some cases, power from the PV panels may be sufficient to power the windows on sunny days, but insufficient to power the windows on cloudy or winter days. For example, the window may be configured to receive power from a photovoltaic spandrel glass that forms or substantially forms a boundary of the window. In such cases, the wirelessly received power may be used to compensate for inconsistent and/or insufficient power provided by the photovoltaic array.

While several embodiments have been provided for how photovoltaic systems are used in combined wireless power distribution systems, these are not meant to be limiting. One skilled in the art can appreciate how to use a photovoltaic power source as a power source for any configuration of wireless power distribution as described herein. Additionally, it should be understood that in any of the configurations described herein, the received wireless power may be used in combination with power directly derived from the PV array.

In some embodiments, the photovoltaic spandrel employs architectural glass (e.g., glass that matches the appearance of a nearby window) that covers the surface of or an array below one or more PV cells. In some cases, photovoltaic spandrel glass is made from a layered glass structure that is both solid and inorganic. In some cases, the photovoltaic spandrel glass includes transparent PV cells that can collect solar energy from invisible wavelengths of light. In some cases, the photovoltaic spandrel glass may simply be a PV panel that is cosmetically acceptable to the building owner. In certain embodiments, the spandrel PV may comprise an outer pane of transparent or translucent material and an inner PV panel or PV film. The inner PV panel may be opaque or substantially opaque. This may be in the form of an Insulated Glass Unit (IGU). The outer pane may be an electrochromic pane, capable of being tinted or clear to provide variable light input to the internal PV panel. The electrochromic panes can be colored to match the aesthetics of the building and made from, for example, solid state and inorganic electrochromic devices. PV panels and PV films are not limited to spandrel applications. In some embodiments, the optically-controlled switching IGU can have a PV panel or PV film that is transparent or substantially transparent to wavelengths of light that are perceivable to humans. Such windows can provide both occupant comfort provided by electrochromic tinting and power generation capability from PV films located in the visible portion of the window. WINDOWS with opaque and transparent PV films are further described in us application No. 15/525,262 entitled "PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTROCHROMIC window (photovoltaicic-ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS)" filed on 8.5.2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The use of photovoltaic spandrel glass and IGUs with PV films may be desirable for retrofit applications to upgrade buildings through electrochromic window networks. In such a case, the spandrel glass may be replaced with photovoltaic spandrel glass that may at least partially share the wiring infrastructure of the power distribution network described herein.

In some embodiments, a building may be equipped with a combination of windows configured to receive and/or transmit wireless power transmissions and windows without such capability. For example, a window on building 20 may not have wireless power capability, while a window on cafe 1 may have wireless power capability. In another example, each layer may be equipped with a combination of windows with and without wireless power capability, e.g., every other window may have wireless power capability, or every third window may have wireless power capability. In some embodiments, a building may have a window for providing wireless power, and the service of the window may be controlled by a building administrator. For example, a building administrator may provide wireless power services to building tenants at a premium. Since a building may have a combination of windows with and without antenna layers, embodiments having one or more antenna layers on the mating sheet (S3 and/or S4) and an EC device coating on the first sheet (e.g., S1 or S2) are particularly advantageous because it allows flexibility in introducing mating sheets with or without wireless power capability into a common EC IGU manufacturing process.

International publication No. WO2017/062915 entitled ANTENNA configuration FOR WIRELESS POWER AND COMMUNICATIONs AND COMMUNICATION, AND applied technology VISUAL SIGNALS, filed on 7/10/2016 (international patent application No. PCT/US2016/056188), AND international patent application No. PCT/US2017/031106 entitled WINDOW ANTENNA (WINDOW ANTENNA), filed on 4/5/2017, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, FOR "ANTENNA configuration FOR WIRELESS POWER AND COMMUNICATIONs AND SUPPLEMENTAL VISUAL SIGNALS". While the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, the described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

In some embodiments, a laminated glass structure that can provide power to an electrochromic window is contemplated. The layered glass structure includes an antenna array disposed in a first layer and a second layer, the second layer including a visually opaque glass panel, plastic or paint, ceramic or polymer layer. In certain embodiments, the layered glass structure is or comprises spandrel glass, otherwise referred to herein as "spandrel". In some embodiments, the antenna array is etched from a transparent conductive oxide layer on a glass plate and is covered by a paint, ceramic or polymeric material such as a coating or plastic or polymeric plate as a second layer. Advantageously, the second layer may be arranged to obscure or cover the antenna array from the perspective of the viewer. The antenna array may be configured to transmit or receive RF power and may be electrically coupled to one or both of the transmitter and the receiver. At least a portion of the RF power may be converted to AC or DC power and provided to the electrochromic window. In some embodiments, the RF power may be substantially transmitted through the second layer such that the antenna array may radiate power through the second layer without significant RF power loss.

Fig. 18A-18D illustrate example embodiments of a laminated glass structure configured to provide power to an electrochromic window. Referring first to fig. 18A, the layered structure 1800 includes a substantially planar antenna array 1815 disposed on a glass substrate 1810. In some embodiments, the substrate 1810 may be glass, and the antenna array 1815 may be embedded or deposited on the substrate. For example, the elements of the antenna array 1815 may be conductive traces of metal. In some embodiments, the conductive traces can be formed to be substantially transparent to visible light. For example, the conductive traces may be formed from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). Regardless of whether the conductive traces are substantially transparent, it has been found that the type of antenna array contemplated herein can affect the appearance of the glass substrate 1810 and/or reduce its apparent clarity. This may be acceptable in some embodiments, for example, the second layer is not necessary; however, in some embodiments, the second layer is included to hide the antenna array or otherwise provide a uniform or other specific aesthetic that would be desirable in spandrel applications. In view of this issue, the disclosed techniques contemplate disposing a translucent or opaque layer 1820 proximate to the substrate 1810 so as to mask or otherwise obscure the antenna array 1815 from the perspective of an observer. Although in the illustrated example, a single opaque layer 1820 is shown that is configured to be disposed proximate to a first surface 'a' of the substrate 1810, in some embodiments, a second opaque layer may be disposed proximate to an opposite surface ('B') of the substrate 1810.

The opaque layer 1820 may be opaque, translucent, decorative, multi-colored, or uniform in color, etc., and may be selected based on aesthetic considerations. In some embodiments, layered structure 1800 may be configured to function as a shoulder with an opaque layer 1820, for example, facing the exterior of a building. In some embodiments, the layered structure 1800 may be configured to function as an interior design element that also includes one or more of the functionalities and interfaces described below. In some embodiments, the double-sided spandrel is configured to transmit wireless power through RF both inside and outside of the building. In such embodiments, opaque layer 1820 may be aesthetically different from the exterior on the interior, depending on design parameters. In some embodiments, one side of the two-sided spandrel has a receive antenna array and the other side has a transmit antenna array. In some embodiments, both sides of the two-sided spandrel array have transmit and receive antenna arrays.

In some embodiments, layered structure 1800 may be tightly coupled with an electrochromic window. For example, layered structure 1800 may be coplanar with and adjacent to the electrochromic window, and/or packaged in a common frame with the electrochromic window. As an example, the layered structure 1800 may be configured as a spandrel as depicted in fig. 17, i.e., positioned so as to provide visual aesthetic ornamentation on wall 1722 between rooms on a floor or floor space 1724 between floors of a building. The spandrel can further be configured to provide power to the electrochromic window 1720 (or directly to the window control circuitry through a battery associated with the window controller in some embodiments). In some embodiments, layered structure 1800 may comprise an electrochromic device (not shown). In other embodiments, the layered structure 1800 may be substantially remote from any electrochromic window. The inventors have found that in some cases it is advantageous to use the berms as power generating or transmitting elements because the unsightly antenna array can be hidden from normal line of sight by the decorative layer. In addition, the berms occupy a significant surface area on the facade of a building, but are generally not required to meet the stringent transparency requirements of visual glass or to exhibit the tunability of the color state of electrochromic windows.

Referring now to fig. 18B, an example embodiment is shown in which the antenna array 1815 is electrically coupled with a transmitter 1830. For convenience, the antenna array is depicted as transmitting from the B-side (i.e., not through the opaque layer 1820); however, embodiments in which the antenna array 1815 is transmitted through an opaque layer are also within contemplation of the present disclosure. In the example shown, elements of the antenna array 1815 are conductively coupled with a bus 1816 having a wired interface with the transmitter 1830. The emitter 1830 may be powered by one or more of a battery, a photovoltaic power source, or the building's conventional electrical grid. The antenna array 1815 may be configured to radiate RF power received from the transmitter 1830 to the Electrochromic (EC) window 1804. More specifically, in the example shown, the radiated RF power may be received by an antenna 1840 coupled with a receiver 1850. The receiver may be configured to convert the received RF power to electrical energy and provide the electrical energy over the wired interface for use by the EC window 1804.

In some embodiments, layered structure 1800 may include a photovoltaic layer (not shown) for generating electricity from photonic energy. The photon energy may be generated by solar incidence or incidence of an artificial source, such as an electrical illumination or laser source. A photovoltaic layer may be disposed on a surface of the substrate 1810 proximate to overlap with the antenna array 1815. Alternatively or additionally, the photovoltaic layer may be disposed on a surface opposite the surface on which the antenna array 1815 is disposed. The photovoltaic layer may be electrically coupled with and provide power to the emitter 1830.

Referring now to fig. 18C, an example embodiment is shown in which the antenna array 1815 is electrically coupled with a receiver 1860. More specifically, in the example shown, elements of the antenna array 1815 are conductively coupled with a bus 1816, the bus 1816 having a wired interface with the receiver 1860. The antenna array 1815 may be configured to receive RF power from the transmitter 1870. The receiver 1860 may be configured to convert the received RF power to power and provide the power to the EC window 1804 over a wired interface.

Referring now to fig. 18D, an example embodiment is shown in which a pair of hierarchies 1830 are configured to exchange power wirelessly. Each hierarchy 1830 has a wired coupling to a transmitter 1870 and a receiver 1860 (although shown separately for clarity of illustration, it is understood that the functionality of the transmitter 1870 and receiver 1860 may be combined in a transceiver). In the illustrated arrangement, RF power from the transmitter 1870(1) may be radiated by the antenna array 1815(1) and received by the antenna array 1815 (2). The received radiant power may be converted to electrical energy by the receiver 1860(2) and provided to the electrochromic window 1804 (2). Instead, the same arrangement may be configured to operate in reverse. That is, RF power from transmitters 1870(2) may be radiated by antenna array 1815(2) and received by antenna array 1815 (1). The received radiant power may be converted to electrical energy by the receiver 1860(1) and provided to the electrochromic window 1804 (1).

The arrangement shown may be advantageous, for example, in cases where the layered structure is coupled with respective photovoltaic layers that may receive photon energy of different intensities (e.g., because one photovoltaic layer faces the external environment and the other photovoltaic layer faces the internal environment, or both face the external environment, but one facing east and one facing west). Alternatively or additionally, each of the hierarchical structures may provide power to a respective electrochromic device and/or associated controller and energy storage component that varies in kind and time with respect to power demand.

Thus, the illustrated arrangement may support wireless "power sharing" between various portions of an electrochromic window system that takes into account power sources (e.g., incident photon energy) and power requirements (e.g., for powering or charging batteries for changes in tint state) in each of the various portions. Such a flexible system may yield many use cases, two of which include: (1) a photovoltaic layer coupled with a first layered structure 1800 disposed on a sun-facing facade of a building may deliver electrical energy to change the tint state (e.g., from clear to darkened) of a nearby EC window; once the glass has transitioned to the desired tint state, unwanted (excess) PV power can be wirelessly transferred to the second layered structure 1800 disposed on the shadow-facing front side. For example, power received by the second hierarchy 1800 may be used to charge a battery. (2) The energy stored in the battery can be wirelessly distributed to one or more hierarchies 1800 located near high demand portions of the system. For example, an electrochromic window forming a facade of a building may temporarily require more power than is locally available to achieve a desired tint state change. Such temporary demand can be met by wirelessly allocating power from one or more of the layered structures 1800 positioned near the battery to one or more of the layered structures 1800 positioned near the electrochromic window.

In one or more aspects, one or more of the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, analog electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in any combination thereof. Certain implementations of the subject matter described herein may also be implemented as one or more controllers, computer programs, or physical structures, e.g., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution or to control the operation of a window controller, a network controller, and/or an antenna controller. Any of the disclosed embodiments presented as or for electrochromic windows may be more generally embodied as or for switchable optical devices (including windows, mirrors, etc.)

Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the present disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein. Additionally, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the terms "upper" and "lower" are sometimes used to facilitate describing the drawings and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the graphics on the correctly oriented page and may not reflect the correct orientation of the implemented device.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.

Claims (21)

1. A laminated glass structure for providing electrical power to an electrochromic window, the glass structure comprising:

a first layer including a first antenna array disposed on a first surface of a glass substrate;

a second layer comprising a first opaque panel disposed parallel to a first side of the first layer; wherein

The first antenna array having a wired interface with a first transmitter and/or a first receiver and configured to provide a wireless RF power link; and is

The layered glass structure is configured to deliver power to the electrochromic window through the wireless RF power link.

2. The layered glass structure of claim 1, wherein the second layer is or comprises a spandrel glass panel.

3. The layered glass structure of claim 1, wherein the first antenna array has a wired interface with the first transmitter and is configured to wirelessly transmit power to the electrochromic window.

4. The layered glass structure of claim 3, wherein the first antenna array is configured to wirelessly transmit power to the electrochromic window through a second receiver having a wired interface with the electrochromic window.

5. The layered glass structure of claim 3, further comprising a photovoltaic layer for generating electrical power, the photovoltaic layer being electrically coupled with and providing electrical power to the first emitter.

6. The layered glass structure of claim 5, wherein the photovoltaic layer is electrically coupled to the first emitter and configured to provide power to the first emitter.

7. The layered glass structure of claim 5, wherein the photovoltaic layer is disposed on the first surface of the glass substrate proximate to overlap with the first antenna array.

8. The layered glass structure of claim 5, wherein the photovoltaic layer is disposed on a second surface of the glass substrate opposite the first surface.

9. The layered glass structure of claim 1, wherein the first antenna array has a wired interface with the first receiver and is configured to wirelessly receive power from a second transmitter.

10. The layered glass structure of claim 9, wherein the first receiver has a wired interface with the electrochromic window, and at least a portion of the wirelessly received power is provided to the electrochromic window through the wired interface.

11. The layered glass structure of claim 1, wherein the second layer is translucent or substantially opaque.

12. The layered glass structure of claim 1, further comprising a third layer comprising a second opaque panel disposed parallel to a second side of the first layer.

13. The layered glass structure of claim 12, wherein the third layer is or comprises a spandrel glass panel.

14. A system, comprising:

an electrochromic window; and

a layered glass structure for providing electrical power to the electrochromic window, the structure comprising:

a first layer including a first antenna array disposed on a first surface of a glass substrate;

a second layer comprising a first opaque panel disposed parallel to a first side of the first layer; wherein

The first antenna array having a wired interface with a first transmitter and/or a first receiver and configured to provide a wireless RF power link; and is

The layered glass structure is configured to deliver power to the electrochromic window through the wireless RF power link.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second layer is or comprises a spandrel glass panel.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first antenna array has a wired interface with the first transmitter and is configured to wirelessly transmit power to the electrochromic window.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first antenna array is configured to wirelessly transmit power to the electrochromic window through a second receiver having a wired interface with the electrochromic window.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a photovoltaic layer for generating electrical power, the photovoltaic layer being electrically coupled with and providing electrical power to the first transmitter.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first antenna array has a wired interface with the first receiver and is configured to wirelessly receive power from a second transmitter.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first receiver has a wired interface with the electrochromic window, and at least a portion of the wirelessly received power is provided to the electrochromic window through the wired interface.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the second layer is translucent or substantially opaque.

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