Abstract: According to various embodiments, heat can be dissipated from a heat producing component mounted on a first side of a printed circuit board through a securing post extending out of the first side of the printed circuit board. The securing post can be configured to attach to a heat sink through a fastening mechanism. Subsequently, the securing post can transfer heat received from the heat producing component to the heat sink as part of dissipating the heat from the heat product component. The securing post can receive heat from the heat producing component through a printed circuit board heat transfer path integrated as part of the printed circuit board. The heat transfer path can include one or more thermal vias and one or more thermally conductive layers used to transfer the heat from the heat producing component to the securing post.

Abstract: A system for monitoring electrical power usage in an electrical power infrastructure of a building. The system can include: a power consumption measurement device configured to be coupled to a first surface of the circuit breaker box, the circuit breaker box containing at least part of the electrical supply conductors for the electrical power infrastructure, the power consumption measurement device comprising one or more electrical current sensors; a first calibration device configured to be electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure, the first calibration device comprising one or more first calibration loads; and a calibration module configured to be performed using one or more processors and further configured to at least partially calibrate the power consumption measurement device using a Kalman filter and data obtained from the one or more electrical current sensors of the power consumption measurement device.

Abstract: Examples described herein include devices and methods that may facilitate interoperability between backscatter devices and wireless communication devices. For example, backscatter devices and methods for backscattering are described that provide a transmitted backscattered signal formatted in accordance with a wireless communication protocol (e.g. Bluetooth Low Energy, WiFi, IEEE 802.11, or IEEE 802.15.4). Such communication may reduce or eliminate any modifications required to wireless communication devices necessary to receive and decode backscattered signals.

Abstract: Activity sensing in the home has a variety of important applications, including healthcare, entertainment, home automation, energy monitoring and post-occupancy research studies. Many existing systems for detecting occupant activity require large numbers of sensors, invasive vision systems, or extensive installation procedures. Disclosed is an approach that uses a single plug-in sensor to detect a variety of electrical events throughout the home. This sensor detects the electrical noise on residential power tines created by the abrupt switching of electrical devices and the noise created by certain devices while in operation. Machine learning techniques are used to recognize electrically noisy events such as turning on or off a particular light switch, a television set, or an electric stove. The system has been tested to evaluate system performance over time and in different types of houses. Results indicate that various electrical events can be learned and classified with accuracies ranging from 85-90%.

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

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

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

Abstract: A DC-DC boost converter and apparatus including the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the DC-DC converter comprises an input for receiving a first voltage at a first level, where the first voltage is negative; a transformer coupled to the input to convert the first voltage to a second voltage at a second level, where the second level is higher than the first level and the second voltage is positive; and an output connected to the transformer to output the second voltage.

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

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

Abstract: Activity sensing in the home has a variety of important applications, including healthcare, entertainment, home automation, energy monitoring and post-occupancy research studies. Many existing systems for detecting occupant activity require large numbers of sensors, invasive vision systems, or extensive installation procedures. Disclosed is an approach that uses a single plug-in sensor to detect a variety of electrical events throughout the home. This sensor detects the electrical noise on residential power tines created by the abrupt switching of electrical devices and the noise created by certain devices while in operation. Machine learning techniques are used to recognize electrically noisy events such as turning on or off a particular light switch, a television set, or an electric stove. The system has been tested to evaluate system performance over time and in different types of houses. Results indicate that various electrical events can be learned and classified with accuracies ranging from 85-90%.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an antenna system includes antenna elements for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation. The antenna elements may be connected to a feed via a plurality of tunable impedance elements. At least some of the tunable impedance elements may have nonlinear responses to impedance tuning that can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients. Control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements allow for the selection of distinct impedance patterns that correspond to distinct field patterns attainable by the antenna system. The number of field patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients. Thus, a selection of tunable impedance elements and control inputs may be made to attain a target number of field patterns to serve a desired coverage area.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an antenna system includes antenna elements for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation. The antenna elements may be connected to a feed via a plurality of tunable impedance elements. At least some of the tunable impedance elements may have nonlinear responses to impedance tuning that can be numerically approximated by nonlinear impedance-tuning parameter curves with a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients. Control inputs to nonlinearly vary impedance values of the tunable impedance elements allow for the selection of distinct impedance patterns that correspond to distinct field patterns attainable by the antenna system. The number of field patterns attainable is a function of the number of control inputs and a cumulative number of selectable nonlinear coefficients. Thus, a selection of tunable impedance elements and control inputs may be made to attain a target number of field patterns to serve a desired coverage area.

Abstract: Examples described herein include devices and methods that may facilitate interoperability between backscatter devices and wireless communication devices. For example, backscatter devices and methods for backscattering are described that provide a transmitted backscattered signal formatted in accordance with a wireless communication protocol (e.g. Bluetooth Low Energy, WiFi, IEEE 802.11, or IEEE 802.15.4). Such communication may reduce or eliminate any modifications required to wireless communication devices necessary to receive and decode backscattered signals.

Abstract: A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; one or more sensors for sensing; a backscatter communicator to backscatter energy to communicate; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state and cause the radio to communicate sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit.

Abstract: An antenna system includes a tunable medium, rectifier circuitry, combining circuitry, and control circuitry. The tunable medium includes antenna elements corresponding to lumped impedance elements and variable impedance control inputs configured to enable selection of an impedance value for each of the lumped impedance elements. The control circuitry is configured to determine a scattering matrix (S-matrix) relating field amplitudes at lumped ports including internal lumped ports and lumped external ports. The internal lumped ports correspond to the lumped impedance elements, and the lumped external ports correspond to at least one of the rectifier circuitry inputs, the combined output of the combining circuitry, and the at least one transmitting element. A method includes determining at least a portion of component values of a desired S-matrix, and adjusting the variable impedance control inputs to at least approximate at least a portion of the desired S-matrix.

Abstract: An antenna system includes a tunable medium, rectifier circuitry, combining circuitry, and control circuitry. The tunable medium includes antenna elements corresponding to lumped impedance elements and variable impedance control inputs configured to enable selection of an impedance value for each of the lumped impedance elements. The control circuitry is configured to determine a scattering matrix (S-matrix) relating field amplitudes at lumped ports including internal lumped ports and lumped external ports. The internal lumped ports correspond to the lumped impedance elements, and the lumped external ports correspond to at least one of the rectifier circuitry inputs, the combined output of the combining circuitry, and the at least one transmitting element. A method includes determining at least a portion of component values of a desired S-matrix, and adjusting the variable impedance control inputs to at least approximate at least a portion of the desired S-matrix.

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

Abstract: Described embodiments include a system and method. An antenna is configured to implement at least two selectable radiative electromagnetic field spatial distributions. Each selectable radiative electromagnetic field spatial distributions respectively has a bounding surface that describes a specified power density in the radiative electromagnetic field. A sensor circuit is configured to detect a presence of an object within the bounding surface of an implemented radiative electromagnetic field. A countermeasure circuit is configured to select a response to the detected presence of the object within the bounding surface of the implemented radiative electromagnetic field.

Abstract: Backscatter communication offers the potential for significant energy savings compared to conventional wireless links such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi, etc. However, backscatter communication requires the presence of a carrier source in the environment at an appropriate frequency. If such a carrier source is not available in the environment, backscatter communication may not be practical. Examples are presented for a radio frequency communication device having the option to use either backscatter communication, or non-backscatter communication, with the re-use of at least portions of the hardware components between the backscatter and non-backscatter communication modes.