Light-based low power device

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for providing power to a target device. For example, a process may include performing, at an environmental infrastructure system, a device discovery process for discovering a target device in an environment; obtaining power demand information corresponding to the target equipment; obtaining a distance between a power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system and the target device; determining an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determining a direction from the power providing component to the target device; transmitting the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and receiving an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to providing power to edge devices. In some examples, aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and techniques for identifying the location of edge devices and providing power to them to perform various operations. Background Art

[0002] There are an increasing number of scenarios in which edge devices can perform tasks (e.g., sensors obtain data) that produce outputs that are obtained for consumption by separate computing devices. Typically, it is impractical for such devices to have a wired power source. Therefore, the devices are often powered by other components (such as batteries) that must be replaced periodically. In addition, if such devices cannot communicate with other devices, the results of operations performed by the edge devices must be obtained manually, and updates (e.g., software and / or firmware updates, etc.) must be performed at least partially manually. However, as the number of edge devices increases, and the complexity of the operations that these devices are expected to perform increases, manual interaction with the devices will become increasingly difficult to perform at scale. Summary of the invention

[0003] In some examples, systems and techniques for providing offloading services are described. According to at least one illustrative example, a method for providing power to a target device is provided. The method includes: performing a device discovery process at an environmental infrastructure system for discovering a target device in an environment; obtaining power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtaining a distance between a power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system and the target device; determining an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determining a direction from the power supply component to the target device; sending the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and receiving an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

[0004] In another example, an environmental infrastructure system for providing power to a target device is provided, comprising a power supply component, a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and the power supply component. The processor is configured to: perform a device discovery process for discovering a target device in an environment; obtain power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtain a distance between the power supply component and the target device; determine an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determine a direction from the power supply component to the target device; send the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and receive an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

[0005] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon is provided, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: perform a device discovery process for discovering a target device in an environment; obtain power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtain a distance between the power supply component and the target device; determine an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determine a direction from the power supply component to the target device; send the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and receive an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

[0006] In another example, an apparatus for providing power to a target device is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for performing a device discovery process for discovering a target device in an environment at an environmental infrastructure system; a component for obtaining power demand information corresponding to the target device; a component for obtaining a distance between a power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system and the target device; a component for determining an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; a component for determining a direction from the power supply component to the target device; a component for sending the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and a component for receiving an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

[0007] In some aspects, one or more of the apparatuses described herein are a mobile or wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone or other mobile device), an extended reality (XR) device or system (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a mixed reality (MR) device), a wearable device (e.g., a web-connected watch or other wearable device), a vehicle or a computing device or component of a vehicle, a camera, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a server computer or a server device (e.g., an edge or cloud-based server, a personal computer acting as a server device, a mobile device such as a mobile phone acting as a server device, an XR device acting as a server device, a vehicle acting as a server device, a network router, or other device acting as a server device), any combination thereof, and / or a part of other types of devices, and / or include the above-mentioned devices. In some aspects, the apparatus includes a camera or multiple cameras for capturing one or more images. In some aspects, the apparatus includes a display for displaying one or more images, notifications, and / or other displayable data. In some aspects, the apparatus may include one or more sensors (e.g., one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), such as one or more gyroscopes, one or more gyrometers, one or more accelerometers, any combination thereof, and / or other sensors).

[0008] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

[0009] The foregoing, together with other features and examples, will become more apparent upon reference to the following description, claims, and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] An illustrative example of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing power to a target device according to some examples;

[0012] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a target device according to some examples;

[0013] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating power providing components according to some examples;

[0014] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing power to a target device according to some examples;

[0015] Figure 5is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing power to a target device according to some examples;

[0016] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing power to a target device according to some examples;

[0017] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing power to a target device according to some examples;

[0018] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process for providing power to a target device according to some examples;

[0019] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computing system for implementing certain aspects described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Certain aspects and examples of the present disclosure are provided below. Some of these aspects and examples can be applied independently, and some of them can be applied in combination, which is obvious to those skilled in the art. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples of the present application. However, it is obvious that various examples can be practiced without these specific details. The accompanying drawings and descriptions are not intended to be restrictive. In addition, certain details known to those of ordinary skill in the art can be omitted to avoid vague descriptions.

[0021] In the following description of the drawings, in the various examples described herein, any component described with respect to a drawing may be equivalent to one or more similarly named components described with respect to any other drawing. For the sake of brevity, the description of these components may not be repeated completely with respect to each figure. Therefore, each example of the components of each drawing is incorporated by reference and is assumed to be optionally present in each other drawing with one or more similarly named components. In addition, according to the various examples described herein, any description of the components of the drawings should be interpreted as an optional example, which can be implemented in addition to, in combination with, or in place of the examples described with respect to the corresponding similarly named components in any other drawings.

[0022] The following description provides only exemplary examples and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. On the contrary, the following description of the exemplary examples will provide an enabling description for implementing the exemplary examples for those skilled in the art. It should be understood that various changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as set forth in the appended claims.

[0023] As used herein, the phrase operably connected or operable connection means that there is a direct or indirect connection between elements / components / devices that allows the elements to interact with each other in some way. For example, the phrase "operably connected" can refer to any direct (e.g., directly wired between two devices or components) or indirect (e.g., a wired and / or wireless connection between any number of devices or components that connect an operably connected device) connection. Therefore, any path through which information can travel can be considered an operable connection. In addition, operably connected devices and / or components can exchange things other than information, such as, for example, an electric current for providing power to at least one of the devices and / or components.

[0024] Devices and components designed and configured to perform specific tasks are typically deployed at the edge of a network of computing devices. As an example, such a device may be configured to obtain data (e.g., via a sensor), which may be at least partially processed by the device, or may be used for processing by other devices (e.g., operably connected computing devices). Such devices require power (e.g., electrical power) to obtain data, perform operations, communicate, etc. However, as the number and complexity of such devices (which may be referred to as target devices or edge devices in this article) increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide power using wired connections, and it becomes impractical to provide power via other components such as batteries, because when the battery exhausts its ability to provide sufficient power to the device, the battery must be manually replaced or at least manually recharged. In addition, such devices require power to send data (e.g., obtained sensor data, results of operations performed locally, etc.) and receive data (e.g., software updates, firmware updates, machine learning model updates, etc.), otherwise such interactions must also be performed manually. In addition, manual interactions with a large number of edge devices require knowing exactly where the device is located at any given time. Therefore, in order to address the necessity of providing power to and facilitating communication with an increasing number of edge devices, systems and techniques are needed for identifying the locations of such devices, providing power to the identified devices, and communicating with the devices without the need for manual interaction.

[0025] Systems, apparatus, processes (also referred to as methods), and computer-readable media (collectively, "systems and techniques") for providing power to a target device (e.g., an edge device) using light are described herein. In some examples, an environmental infrastructure system includes a power providing component. In some examples, the power providing component includes a light source capable of directing a light beam to a target device. In some examples, the target device includes a power collection component (e.g., a photovoltaic panel) for receiving the light beam and converting the light into electricity, which can be used to provide power to the device.

[0026] In some examples, in order to direct the light beam to the target device in the environment, a device discovery process may be performed to locate the target device. The device discovery process may be performed by any one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system. As an example, in addition to the power supply component, the environmental infrastructure system may also include one or more cameras. Such a camera may be able to sense the environment (e.g., a warehouse), and / or be controlled to sense parts of the environment. In some examples, images obtained by cameras in the environment may be processed (e.g., by a computing device included in and / or operably connected to the power supply component and / or the camera) to determine the location of one or more target devices in the environment. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, any technology for identifying target devices in the environment using a camera may be used. As an example, the target device may have a perceptible information tag (e.g., a quick response (QR) code) that can be identified in an image. The perceptible information tag may transmit any type of information to the environmental infrastructure system or any component therein. Examples of such information include, but are not limited to, identification of the target device (e.g., serial number, model, unit number, etc.), information related to the intended purpose of the device (e.g., obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors, processing sensor information, etc.), information related to the power requirements of the target device, and the like. As another example of identifying a target device in an image, an image obtained by a camera of an environmental infrastructure system can be provided to a computing device, which can use the image as input to a trained object detection and recognition model (e.g., a machine learning model) that locates and identifies the target device in the image.

[0027] In some examples, the device discovery process is performed without using a camera. As an example, the power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system can scan the environment with one or more light beams. In some examples, when the light beam reaches the target device, the target device can collect light to obtain enough power to transmit information to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system. Such information may include, but is not limited to, the identification of the target device (e.g., serial number, model, unit number, etc.), information related to the intended purpose of the device (e.g., obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors, processing sensor information, etc.), information related to the power requirements of the target device, etc. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, other techniques for discovering target devices in the environment may be used. As an example, the environmental infrastructure system or any one or more components thereof may include and / or be operably connected to one or more data structures that store information about target devices in the environment, including, for example, the presence and location of one or more target devices. In some examples, as part of the device discovery process, one or more data structures may be accessed and information about one or more specific target devices therein may be obtained.

[0028] In some examples, after the target device has been identified in the environment, the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components of the environment infrastructure system can be obtained. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, any technique for obtaining the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components can be used. As an example, a data structure included in one or more components of the environment infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) and / or operably connected to one or more components of the environment infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) can be accessed, and distance information can be obtained from it. As another example, one or more images obtained by one or more cameras of the environment infrastructure can be processed to determine the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components. Examples of processing one or more images to determine the distance may include, but are not limited to: deriving the distance from the target device to one or more cameras, and combining the information with the known position of one or more cameras relative to one or more power supply components in the environment; using one or more images including both the target device and one or more power supply components and using a technique (e.g., based on a reference object or distance, known pixel size, etc.) to determine the distance; using the one or more images as input to a trained machine learning model for identifying an object, which allows the size of the object to be known, thereby allowing the distance to be derived; etc.

[0029] In some examples, power requirement information for a target device may be obtained. In some examples, the power requirement information for a target device includes the amount of power (e.g., ten milliwatts (mW)) required for the target device to perform one or more operations. The power requirement information for a target device may include any number of separate amounts of power, each amount of power corresponding to one or more types of operations (e.g., waking up, sending information, obtaining data, performing calculations, etc.) that the target device can perform. Any technique for obtaining power requirement information may be used without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, a data structure included in and / or operably connected to one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power providing component, etc.) may be accessed, and power requirement information may be obtained therefrom (e.g., by looking up the type of device discovered during a device discovery process). As another example, in response to a device discovery process, a discovered target device may send power requirement information to one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power providing component, etc.). As another example, perceptible information indicia displayed on a target device may be designed to convey power requirement information (eg, an image obtained by a camera may be processed to derive power requirement information from perceptible information indicia of the target device in the image).

[0030] In some examples, once the target device is already in the environment, the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components has been obtained, and the power demand information of the target device (e.g., the amount of power required for the target device to perform one or more specific operations) has been obtained, the amount of power to be sent to the target device from one or more power supply components is determined. As an example, when the operation to be performed by the target device is known, the power required for the target device to perform the operation can be determined from the power demand information of the target device. In this case, the power of the light beam to be directed to the target device can be calculated based at least in part on the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components, so that the power collection component of the target device can convert light energy into enough power to perform the operation. For different operations, different operations may require different amounts of power. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, the power supply component can use any light source, as well as any technology for directing light from such a light source as a light beam to the target device. In some examples, a light beam is a group of light rays that usually travel in the same direction (e.g., a straight line), thereby transmitting energy in the direction of light beam propagation by photons. The amount of energy transmitted by a light beam may decrease as a function of distance, which is why it may be desirable to obtain the distance from the target device to one or more power providing components in order to at least partially determine the necessary power of the light beam to provide a certain amount of power to the target device.

[0031] Other considerations may be included in the determination of the amount of power projected by the power supply component to the target device. Such considerations may include, but are not limited to: whether other power supply components will also provide power to the target device; whether the target device is in a direct line of sight from the power supply component, or whether the light beam is to be reflected from another surface to the target device; whether the target device is configured with any components (e.g., Fresnel lenses) that can focus and / or increase the amount of power in the received light beam; one or more characteristics of the power collection component of the target device (e.g., conversion efficiency); whether the target device has or is receiving light or power from any other source (e.g., ambient light, a dedicated light source near the target device, a piezoelectric component, etc.), whether the operation performed by the target device will require additional operations (e.g., sending the obtained data back to a component of the environmental infrastructure system); whether the target device is configured to provide all or any portion of the power to other target devices; the direction of the target device relative to the power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system; etc.

[0032] In some cases, in order to send a light beam from a power supply component to a target device to provide power to the target device, the direction between the power supply component and the target device is determined. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, any technology can be used to determine the direction between the power supply component and the target device. As an example, a data structure included in one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) and / or operably connected to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) can be accessed, and the direction can be obtained or derived based on the data therein. As another example, one or more images obtained by one or more cameras of the environmental infrastructure system can be processed to determine the direction from the power supply component to the target device. As used herein, the direction may refer to the direct direction (e.g., a straight line) from the power supply component to the target component, or the direction in which the light beam must be guided to ultimately reach the target device (e.g., when the light beam is first reflected from one or more additional surfaces before reaching the target device).

[0033] In some examples, once the amount of power of the light beam to be sent from the power providing component to the target device has been determined, and the direction from the power providing device to the target device has been determined, the light beam is sent from the power providing component to the target device. In some aspects, the amount of time the light beam is aimed at the target device depends at least in part on the amount of power intended to be provided to the device, which can, for example, depend at least in part on the conversion efficiency of one or more power collection components of the target device. In some examples, light energy from the light beam is converted into electricity by the one or more power collection components.

[0034] In some cases, as described above, the target device includes one or more power collection components (e.g., photovoltaic panels) that are capable of converting the energy of received light into electricity for use by the target device to perform one or more operations (e.g., sending information, obtaining data, performing calculations, updating software or firmware, etc.). In some examples, the electricity is consumed by the target device when it is received. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, all or any portion of the electrical energy may be stored (e.g., stored in a battery included in the target device and / or operably connected to the target device). Receiving power to be stored in a battery can be considered an example of an operation that the target device can perform in response to receiving light energy from a power supply component. In some examples, the target device is configured to provide power to other target devices. As an example, a specific target device in the environment may be operably connected to one or more additional target devices that cannot receive power from the power supply component (e.g., because they lack a power collection component, because they are not within the line of sight of the power supply component, etc.). In this case, the target device that receives power from the power supply component can be used as a conduit between the additional one or more target devices and one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system. The conduit can be configured to transmit power from one or more power providing components to one or more additional target devices, and to transmit information between (e.g., to and / or from) one or more additional target devices and one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system.

[0035] In some examples, the environmental infrastructure system or any one or more components thereof is configured to detect the presence of an object (e.g., one or more persons) in the environment and, if detected, suspend the transmission of power to a target device via a light beam until the object is no longer in the environment and / or is not between the power providing component and the target device to which power is provided via the light beam.

[0036] The examples described herein address the need to provide power to a target device and provide communications to and from a target device by providing an environmental infrastructure system that can determine the power requirements of the target device, direct a light beam to the target device to address the power requirements, and communicate with and / or export information from the target device. This can at least partially eliminate or reduce the need for manual interaction with the target device (e.g., replacing batteries, obtaining data, updating software, etc.).

[0037] Various aspects of the technology described herein will be discussed below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an environment 100 including an environmental infrastructure system 102 and a target device 110. As shown, the environmental infrastructure system 102 includes a power providing component 104, a computing device 106, and a camera 108. Each of these components is described below.

[0038] In some examples, an environmental infrastructure system is any system of one or more components configured to provide power to any number of target devices (e.g., target devices 110) via a light beam. In some examples, one component of the environmental infrastructure system is power providing component 104. Power providing component 104 can be any device, component, or any portion thereof that is capable of sending a light beam toward a target device in environment 100. In some examples, power providing component 104 includes and / or is operably connected to one or more light sources (not shown) of any type that radiate light (e.g., light bulbs, light emitting diodes, light pipes, the sun, etc.). In some examples, power providing component 104 includes a light source that can direct light radiated from the light source into a light beam (e.g., Figure 1 112). In some examples, power supply assembly 104 is configured to direct the light beam in any direction. The direction in which power supply assembly 104 directs the light beam can depend on the position of the target device relative to the power supply assembly. As used herein, light (e.g., light in a light beam) can have any wavelength (e.g., visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, etc.). Any technology for directing light from a light source can be used to direct the light beam without departing from the scope of the examples described herein (e.g., reflectors (e.g., mirrors), mechanical devices, electromagnetic fields). In some examples, the light beam from power supply assembly 104 can be generated by a laser device. Power supply assembly 104 can be coupled to a power source (e.g., a power outlet, Power over Ethernet (POE), etc.), which can power the light source and / or the light directing subassembly. Although Figure 1 The environmental infrastructure system 102 is shown as having a single power supply component 104, but the environmental infrastructure system 102 may include any number of power supply components without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Figure 3 The power supply components are further discussed in the description of .

[0039] In some examples, environmental infrastructure system 102 includes a computing device 106. In some examples, computing device 106 is any device, portion of a device, or any collection of devices capable of electronically processing instructions, and may include, but is not limited to, any of the following: one or more processors (e.g., components including integrated circuits), memory, input and output devices, non-volatile storage hardware, one or more physical interfaces, any number of other hardware components, and / or any combination thereof. Examples of computing devices include, but are not limited to, mobile devices (e.g., laptops, smart phones, personal digital assistants, tablet computers, automotive computing systems, and / or any other mobile computing devices), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, servers (e.g., blade servers in blade server chassis, rack servers in racks, etc.), desktop computers, storage devices (e.g., disk drive arrays, Fibre Channel storage devices, Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) storage devices, tape storage devices, flash storage arrays, network attached storage devices, etc.), network devices (e.g., switches, routers, multilayer switches, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., VR headsets, AR headsets, AR glasses, network-connected watches or smart watches, or other wearable devices), robotic devices, televisions, and / or any other type of computing device having the aforementioned requirements. In one or more examples, any or all of the aforementioned examples may be combined to create a system of such devices, which may be collectively referred to as a computing device. Other types of computing devices may be used without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0040] In some examples, computing device 106 is operably connected to power supply component 104. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, although Figure 1 Not shown in FIG. 1 , the computing device and the power providing component may be combined into a single device.

[0041] In some examples, the computing device 106 is configured to provide computing resources for the environment infrastructure system 102 for performing any type of operation and / or providing any type of functionality. As an example, the computing device 106 can receive data from any number of target devices (e.g., the target device 110) and / or send data to any number of target devices (e.g., the target device 110). As another example, the computing device 106 may include and / or be operably connected to one or more data structures that include information about one or more target devices. Examples of such information may include identification information of the target device, power demand information, location information within the environment 100 (e.g., including distance and / or direction information between a specific target device and a specific power providing component), target device capabilities, etc. The computing device 106 may be configured to use the identification of the target device (e.g., serial number, model, appearance, etc.) to obtain information about the target device from one or more data structures, and provide such information (e.g., power demand information) to one or more power providing components (e.g., power providing component 104) of the environment infrastructure system 102.

[0042] The computing device 106 may be configured to receive image data from one or more cameras (e.g., camera 108) and process the image data to determine various information items. Examples of such information items include, but are not limited to, the identification or type of the target device, the location of the target device in the environment 100, the distance from a particular target device to one or more power supply components (e.g., power supply component 104), the direction from one or more power supply components (e.g., power supply component 104) to the target device, etc. The computing device 106 may be configured to calculate the amount of power that the power supply component 104 must send to the target device via a light beam in order to allow the target device to perform one or more operations. The computing device 106 may be configured to receive the results of operations performed by the target device (e.g., sensor data, state information, information related to additional target devices, calculation results, machine learning model outputs, etc.), and may also be configured to process the results for any purpose. As an example, the environmental infrastructure system and the target device may be deployed in a warehouse, and the target device may include a sensor for monitoring the status of the equipment therein. In such a scenario, the target device may periodically receive power to use sensors to obtain data about the equipment and send the data to computing device 106, which processes the sensor data to determine the status of the equipment. Figure 1 A single computing device 106 is shown, but the environmental infrastructure system 102 may include any number of computing devices without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0043] In some examples, the environmental infrastructure system 102 includes a camera 108. In some examples, the camera is any device capable of optically sensing and capturing an image (e.g., a two-dimensional representation) of at least a portion of the environment 100. The camera 108 can obtain an image via light in the visible spectrum or any other portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, the camera 108 can be any type of camera. Examples of camera types include, but are not limited to, video cameras, digital cameras, tablet cameras, single-lens reflex cameras, mobile device cameras, security cameras, etc. In some examples, the camera 108 is operably connected to the computing device 106 and / or the power supply component 104. Additionally or alternatively, the camera 108 can be combined with the power supply component 104 and / or the computing device 106. In some examples, the camera 108 is configured to capture an image of at least a portion of the environment 100 and provide data representing the image (e.g., image data) to the computing device 106 and / or the power supply component 104 or make the data representing the image (e.g., image data) available. In some examples, the camera may be capable of being repositioned to capture different parts of the environment via panning, tilting, tracking, etc. In some examples, the camera is configured with zoom capabilities. Figure 1 The environmental infrastructure system 102 is shown as having a single camera 108 , but the environmental infrastructure system 102 may have any number of cameras without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0044] In some examples, environment 100 includes a target device 110. The target device can be any device capable of receiving power via a light beam (e.g., light beam 112) and using the power to perform any type of operation. Target device 110 can be or include any number of sensors for obtaining data (e.g., sound data, pressure data, image data, temperature data, ambient light data, etc.). In some examples, target device 110 is or includes a computing device for processing data. For example, target device 110 can be a computing device having one or more sensors and is configured to obtain sensor data and use the sensor data as input to a trained machine learning model to produce a result that can be sent to computing device 106 for further processing or other use. In some examples, target device 110 is operably connected to computing device 106. Although Figure 1 The environment 100 is shown as having a single target device 110, but the environment 100 may have any number of target devices without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Figure 2 The target device is discussed in more detail in the description of .

[0045] Although Figure 1A particular number of components in a particular configuration are shown, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that environment 100 may include more components or fewer components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations, without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, there may be any number of power supply components, computing devices, cameras, and / or target devices. As another example, if other techniques are to be employed for the device discovery process, the environment infrastructure system may not include a camera. Therefore, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 1 The configuration of the components shown in . Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 Additional non-limiting examples of environment configurations are discussed in the description of .

[0046] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example target device 200 according to one or more examples described herein. In some examples, the target device 200 and Figure 1 The target device 110 is the same as that shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, target device 200 includes power harvesting component 202, power storage component 204, processor 206, memory device 208, storage device 210, communication component 212, sensor 214, and perceptible information tag 216. Each of these components is described below.

[0047] In some examples, as described above in Figure 1 As discussed in the description of , the target device 200 is capable of transmitting light beams (e.g., Figure 1112 shown in the figure), and uses the power to perform any type of operation. The target device may be configured to obtain data (e.g., using sensor 214), process data (e.g., using processor 206, memory device 208, and / or storage device 210), send data to other devices and / or receive data from other devices (e.g., via communication component 212), perform any other type of operation, and / or perform any combination of such operations. In some examples, the target device is a low-power device deployed in an environment and configured to perform one or more tasks. Such tasks may be performed continuously, periodically, on demand, etc. Examples of tasks may include, but are not limited to, obtaining data about the environment and / or devices, objects, etc. therein, performing pre-processing or processing of the obtained data, executing a trained machine learning algorithm, sending data, sending operation results, sending identification information, sending information related to power requirements, receiving updates (e.g., software updates, firmware updates, machine learning algorithm updates, etc.), installing updates, communicating with other target devices, etc. As an example, various target devices including target device 200 may be deployed in a warehouse environment and used for various tasks, such as, for example, product tracking, equipment monitoring, predictive failure, safe product handling, inventory management, etc. In some examples, target device 200 is a computing device (see above Figure 1 106 in the description of ). In some examples, the target device 200 obtains data (e.g., via the sensor 214), processes the data, and sends the results of the processing (e.g., to a separate computing device). In other examples, the target device 200 obtains data and sends the raw data. In other examples, the target device 200 shares data processing with one or more other devices. For example, the target device can obtain raw sensor data from one or more sensors, pre-process the data to put the data in a particular form, and then send the data to a separate computing device, which further processes the pre-processed data. The target device 200 can be a separate device in the environment, or can be integrated into one or more other devices in the environment.

[0048] In some examples, the target device 200 includes a power collection component 202. The power collection component 202 can be any component capable of receiving energy via light and converting the energy into electricity. One example of a power collection component is a photovoltaic panel. Any other type of power collection component may be used without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Although Figure 2A single power collection component 202 is shown, but the target device 200 may include any number of power collection components. The power collection components may be placed on different sides of the target device 200 and / or different locations on the target device 200. The power collection component 202 and any other power collection components of the target device 200 may be configured to collect power from any light source, such as one or more power providing components of an environmental infrastructure system, ambient light sources in the environment, dedicated light sources that shine light on the target device 200, sunlight, etc. Although Figure 2 Not shown, but the target device 200 may include one or more concentrators (eg, Fresnel lenses) that may increase the power provided to the target device 200 by concentrating light on the power collection component or portion thereof.

[0049] In some examples, the power collection component 202 provides power to various other components of the target device. Figure 2 2, but the power harvesting component 202 may be operably connected to all or any portion of the other components of the target device 200. In some examples, the power provided by the power harvesting device is used immediately.

[0050] Additionally or alternatively, power can be stored for future use. In some examples, power is stored on a power storage component 204 that is operably connected to the power collection component 202. The power storage component 204 can be any component capable of receiving and storing power and capable of providing power to other components of the target device 200 as needed. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, the power storage component 204 can store any amount of power. As an example, the power storage component 204 can include one or more batteries of any type (e.g., lithium-ion, alkaline, aluminum-air, nickel-cadmium, solid-state, etc.), capacitors, one or more thermal energy storage components, and the like. In some examples, the power storage component includes one or more batteries that can be charged and / or recharged using power provided by the power collection component 202. Although Figure 2 Target device 200 is shown as having a single power storage component 204 , but target device 200 may have any number of power storage components without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0051] In some examples, the power collection component 202 and the power storage component 204 are each operably connected to the processor 206. In some examples, the processor 206 is any component that includes a circuit for executing instructions (e.g., of a computer program). As an example, such a circuit can be an integrated circuit implemented at least in part using transistors that implement components such as an arithmetic logic unit, a control unit, a logic gate, a register, etc. In some examples, the processor may include additional components, such as a cache memory. In some examples, the processor retrieves and decodes instructions and then executes them. The execution of instructions may include operating on data, which may include reading and / or writing data. In some examples, the instructions and data used by the processor are stored in a memory (e.g., a memory device 208) of the target device 200. The processor may perform various operations for executing software (such as an operating system, an application, etc.). The processor 206 may cause data to be written from a memory to a storage device of the target device 200 and / or cause data to be read from a storage device via a memory. Examples of processors include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit, a tensor processing unit, a data processing unit (DPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. Processor 206 may be operably connected to memory device 208 and any storage device of target device 200 (e.g., storage device 210). Although Figure 1 The target device 200 is shown with one processor 206 , but the target device 200 may have any number of processors without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0052] In some examples, target device 200 includes storage device 210. In some examples, storage device 210 is a non-volatile data storage device. Storage device 210 may be, for example, a persistent memory device. In some examples, storage device 210 may be any type of computer storage device. Examples of computer storage device types include, but are not limited to, hard drives, solid-state drives, flash memory, tape drives, removable disk drives, universal serial bus (USB) storage devices, secure digital (SD) cards, optical storage devices, read-only memory devices, and the like. Although Figure 1 The storage device 210 is shown as part of the target device 200, but the storage device 210 can be separate from the target device 200 and operably connected to the target device 200 (e.g., an external drive array, a cloud storage device, etc.). In some examples, the storage device 210 is operably connected to the processor 206. Although Figure 1 The target device 200 is shown having a single storage device 210, but the target device 200 may have any number of storage devices without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0053] In some examples, the target device 200 includes a memory device 208. The memory device 208 can be any type of computer memory. In some examples, the memory device 208 is a volatile memory device. As an example, the memory device 208 can be a random access memory (RAM). In one or more examples, data stored in the memory device 208 is located at a memory address and can therefore be accessed by the processor 206 using the memory address. Similarly, the processor 206 can write data to the memory device 208 using the memory address. The memory device 208 can be used to store any type of data, such as, for example, computer programs, calculation results, sensor data, etc. In some examples, the memory device 208 is operably connected to the processor 206. Although Figure 2 The target device 200 is shown with a single memory device 208, but the target device 200 may have any number of memory devices without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

[0054] In some examples, the target device 200 includes one or more sensors 214. A sensor can be any device capable of obtaining any type of data about an environment or anything in the environment. Examples of sensors include, but are not limited to, sound sensors, pressure sensors, image capture devices, temperature sensors, radio detection and ranging (RADAR) devices, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices, motion sensors, location tracking devices, collision detection devices, proximity sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, smoke detectors, gas detectors, touch sensors, color sensors, humidity sensors, precipitation sensors, fluid flow sensors, magnetic sensors, tilt sensors, strain and weight sensors, etc. The target device 200 can have any number of sensors of a single type or any combination of types. In some examples, the sensor 214 is operably connected to the processor 206 and / or the storage device 210. In some examples, data from one or more sensors 214 is stored in the storage device 210. In some examples, data from one or more sensors 214 is processed by the processor 206 to obtain a result. When the target device 200 uses one or more sensors to obtain data or process such data, there may be different power requirements to perform the sensing and / or processing, which may require receiving different amounts of power from one or more power supply components. The sensor 214 can be used to provide power to the target device 200 at a predetermined time, upon request (e.g., from a power supply). Figure 1 Data may be obtained by a component of the environmental infrastructure system 102 , in response to an event occurring (e.g., event-driven sensing), and / or any combination thereof.

[0055] In some examples, the target device 200 includes a communication component 212. The communication component 212 can be any component capable of sending and / or receiving data wirelessly. Examples of communication components include, but are not limited to, wireless transceivers, modems, and / or other components that implement any type of wireless communication technology. Such types of wireless communication technology include, but are not limited to, radio frequency communication, cellular network communication, Bluetooth communication, infrared communication, satellite communication, microwave communication, visible light communication (e.g., Li-Fi), wireless network communication (e.g., Wi-Fi), ultrasonic communication, etc. Although Figure 2 The target device 200 is shown with a single communication component 212, but without departing from the scope of the examples herein, the target device 200 can have any number of communication components, and such communication components can use a single wireless communication technology or a mix of any number of different wireless communication technologies. In some examples, the communication component 212 is operably connected to the processor 206 and / or the sensor 214. In some examples, the communication component 212 is configured to send a signal to an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 The environmental infrastructure system 102 may be configured to receive data (e.g., sensor data, operational results, processed data, etc.) from one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 102 (e.g., one or more power providing components, one or more computing devices, etc.) and / or receive data from the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 The communication component 212 may be configured to communicate with the environment (e.g., Figure 1 100) such as, for example, other target devices (hereinafter referred to as Figure 5 ).

[0056] In some examples, the target device 200 includes a perceptible information tag 216. In some examples, a perceptible information tag is any entity that can convey any type of information to the perceptual tag (e.g., Figure 1The perceptible information marker 216 may be any perceptible marker of the target device 200 (e.g., a camera 108 of the environmental infrastructure system 102). Examples of perceptible information markers include, but are not limited to, quick response (QR) codes, ultraviolet markers, infrared range images, LIDAR reflective patches, sonic / ultrasonic markers, electromagnetic tags, bar codes, alphanumeric markers, near field communication tags, images (e.g., displayed on a screen, electronic paper, etc.), Bluetooth beacons, Aztec codes, website links, portable data file 417 (PDF417) codes, etc. Examples of information that may be conveyed by the perceptible information marker 216 include, but are not limited to: information identifying the target device 200; information related to the power requirements or other characteristics of the target device 200; status information; a request for power to perform an operation; etc. As an example, the perceptible information marker 216 may be a marker captured by a camera (e.g., Figure 1 The QR code is sensed by the camera 108 and is used to discover the environment (e.g. Figure 1 As another example, the perceptible information tag 216 may be a QR code of known size that, when detected by an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 When sensed by one or more cameras of the environmental infrastructure system 102, it allows the distance between the target device 200 and one or more power providing components to be obtained. As another example, the perceptible information tag 216 can convey information identifying the target device 200 (e.g., serial number, model number, device type, etc.), which can be used by one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system to perform a lookup in a data structure that includes additional information about the target device (e.g., power demand information).

[0057] although Figure 2 Although not shown in the figure, the perceptible information indicia 216 can be operably connected to other components of the target device 200. As an example, the perceptible information indicia 216 can be a screen for displaying information that can change over time, and the perceptible information indicia 216 can be operably connected to a processor that directs the updating of the information displayed on the screen. In some examples, the information displayed by the perceptible information indicia 216 is static. Additionally or alternatively, the information displayed by the perceptible information indicia 216 can change from time to time. Although Figure 2 The target device 200 is shown with a single perceptible information indicia 216, but the target device 200 may have any number of perceptible information indicia without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Such perceptible information indicia may each display the same information, or may display different information.

[0058] Although Figure 2Although a specific number of components in a specific configuration are shown, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the target device 200 may include more or fewer components, a combination of one or more components into a single component, certain components implemented as two or more components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, the target device 200 may not have a processor, memory device, storage device for other components. As another example, the target device 200 may not include perceptible information indicia. As another example, for Figure 2 Any components of the target device 200 shown in FIG. 1 may include any number of such components. Figure 1 Although not shown in the figure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the target device 200 can execute any amount or type of software or firmware (e.g., boot program, operating system, hypervisor, virtual machine, computer application, mobile device app, etc.) when powered on. Therefore, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 2 Configuration of the components shown in .

[0059] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a power supply component 300 according to one or more examples described herein. In some examples, the power supply component 300 and Figure 1 The same as the power supply assembly 104 shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, power supply assembly 300 includes a light source 302, a beam projector 304, a processor 306, a memory device 308, a storage device 310, and a communication assembly 312. Each of these components is described below.

[0060] As mentioned above Figure 1 As discussed in the description of FIG. 1 , the power supply assembly 300 is capable of directing a light beam toward a target device (eg, Figure 1 Target device 110, Figure 2 The target device 200) can be any type of component that provides power to the target device. Thus, the power supply component 300 can include a light source 302. In some examples, the light source 302 is any light source. Examples of light sources include, but are not limited to, any type of light bulb or lamp, LED, laser, light pipe, sun, etc. Although Figure 3 A power supply assembly having a single light source 302 is shown, but the power supply assembly may have any number of light sources without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Figure 3 The light source 302 is shown as part of the power supply assembly 300 , but the light source 302 may additionally or alternatively be separate from and operably connected to the power supply assembly 300 .

[0061] In some examples, the power supply assembly 300 includes a beam projector 304. The beam projector 304 may be a device capable of directing light radiated from a light source into a beam (e.g., Figure 1 112 shown in ). The beam projector 304 can direct the beam in any direction. The direction in which the power supply component 104 directs the beam can depend on the position of the target device relative to the power supply component. As used herein, light (e.g., light in the beam) can have any wavelength (e.g., visible light, infrared light, ultraviolet light, etc.). The amount of energy sent via the beam can depend on the amount of power determined as needed to provide a certain amount of power to the target device. As an example, after the target device is discovered and positioned in the environment, the distance from the power supply component to the target device can be determined. The power demand and distance of the target device to perform one or more specific operations can be used to determine the energy to be sent via the beam, because the beam may lose energy as it propagates over the distance to the target device. Therefore, the energy in the beam at the beam projector can be greater than the energy received at the target device to account for any lost energy when the beam travels a certain distance to the target device. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein (e.g., reflectors (e.g., micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) mirrors), mechanical devices, electromagnetic fields, laser devices, etc.), any technology for directing light from a light source can be used to direct the beam.

[0062] In some examples, the beam projector 304 can provide different amounts of power at different times. As an example, a target device may require different amounts of power for different operations. As another example, various target devices in the environment may be at different distances from the power supply component 300. In some examples, the direction of the light beam emitted by the beam projector 304 is controllable. As an example, the direction of the light beam can be controlled to be in the direction of the target device. As another example, the beam projector 304 can be used to scan the environment to discover target devices during a device discovery process, which can, for example, provide a response (e.g., indicating the presence of the target device) when the light beam encounters the target device.

[0063] In some examples, the target device may not be in a direct line of sight from the beam projector 304. In such a scenario, the light beam may be transmitted by the beam projector 304 in a direction other than directly at the target device. As an example, a series of one or more light reflecting surfaces (e.g., mirrors) may be used to change the direction of the light beam to allow the light beam to reach the target device. In some examples, the beam projector 304 is operably connected to the light source 302. Additionally or alternatively, although Figure 3 Although not shown, the light source 302 and the beam projector 304 may be combined into a single component (e.g., a laser device). Figure 3The power supply assembly 300 is shown as having a single beam projector 304, but without departing from the scope of the examples herein, the power supply assembly 300 may include any number of beam projectors, and the various beam projectors may be used to provide power to any number of target devices in an environment.

[0064] The light source 302 and the beam projector 304 can each be operably connected to a processor 306. In some examples, the processor 306 is any component that includes a circuit for executing instructions (e.g., of a computer program). As an example, such a circuit can be an integrated circuit implemented at least in part using transistors that implement components such as an arithmetic logic unit, a control unit, a logic gate, a register, etc. In some examples, the processor may include additional components, such as, for example, a cache memory. In some examples, the processor retrieves and decodes instructions and then executes them. The execution of instructions may include operating on data, which may include reading and / or writing data. In some examples, the instructions and data used by the processor are stored in a memory (e.g., a memory device 308) of the power supply component 300. The processor can perform various operations for executing software (such as an operating system, an application, etc.). The processor 306 can cause data to be written from the memory to the storage device of the power supply component 300 and / or cause data to be read from the storage device via the memory. Examples of processors include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit, a tensor processing unit, a data processing unit (DPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. Processor 306 may be operably connected to memory device 308 and any storage device (e.g., storage device 310) of power supply component 300. Although Figure 1 The power supply assembly 300 is shown as having one processor 306, but the power supply assembly 300 may have any number of processors without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, although Figure 3 The power supply component 300 is shown as including a processor 306, but in some examples, the processor 306 may instead be a subcomponent of the power supply component 300 and / or the power supply component 300 may be a subcomponent of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 A portion of a computing device operably connected thereto within an environmental infrastructure system) as shown in and described above.

[0065] In some examples, power supply component 300 includes storage device 310. In some examples, storage device 310 is a non-volatile data storage device. Storage device 310 can be, for example, a persistent memory device. In some examples, storage device 310 can be any type of computer storage device. Examples of computer storage device types include, but are not limited to, hard drives, solid-state drives, flash memory, tape drives, removable disk drives, universal serial bus (USB) storage devices, secure digital (SD) cards, optical storage devices, read-only memory devices, etc. Although Figure 3 The storage device 310 is shown as part of the power supply component 300, but the storage device 310 can be separate from the power supply component 300 and operably connected to the power supply component 300 (e.g., an external drive array, a cloud storage device, etc.). In some examples, the storage device 310 is operably connected to the processor 306. Although Figure 1 The power supply assembly 300 is shown with a single storage device 310, but the power supply assembly 300 may have any number of storage devices without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, although Figure 3 The power supply component 300 is shown as including the storage device 310, but in some examples, the storage device 310 may instead be a subcomponent of the power supply component 300 and / or the power supply component 300 may be located in an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 A portion of a computing device operably connected thereto within an environmental infrastructure system) as shown in and described above.

[0066] In some examples, power supply component 300 includes memory device 308. Memory device 308 can be any type of computer memory. In some examples, memory device 308 is a volatile memory device. As an example, memory device 308 can be a random access memory (RAM). In one or more examples, data stored in memory device 308 is located at a memory address and can therefore be accessed by processor 306 using the memory address. Similarly, processor 306 can write data to memory device 308 using the memory address. Memory device 308 can be used to store any type of data, such as, for example, computer programs, calculation results, power demand data for a target device, etc. In some examples, memory device 308 is operably connected to processor 306. Although Figure 1 The power supply assembly 300 is shown with a single memory device 308, but the power supply assembly 300 may have any number of memory devices without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, although Figure 3The power supply component 300 is shown as including a memory device 308, but in some examples, the memory device 310 may instead be a subcomponent of the power supply component 300 and / or the power supply component 300 may be stored in an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 A portion of a computing device operably connected thereto within an environmental infrastructure system) as shown in and described above.

[0067] In some examples, power supply component 300 includes communication component 312. Communication component 312 can be any component capable of sending and / or receiving data wirelessly. Examples of communication components include, but are not limited to, wireless transceivers, modems, and / or other components that implement any type of wireless communication technology. Such types of wireless communication technology include, but are not limited to, radio frequency communication, cellular network communication, Bluetooth communication, infrared communication, satellite communication, microwave communication, visible light communication (e.g., Li-Fi), wireless network communication (e.g., Wi-Fi), ultrasonic communication, etc. Although Figure 3 The power supply assembly 300 is shown with a single communication assembly 312, but the power supply assembly 300 can have any number of communication assemblies without departing from the scope of the examples herein, and such communication assemblies can use a single wireless communication technology or a mix of any number of different wireless communication technologies. In some examples, the communication assembly 312 is operably connected to the processor 306. In some examples, the communication assembly 312 is configured to communicate to an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 The environmental infrastructure system 102 may be configured to transmit data to and / or receive data from one or more other components of the environmental infrastructure system 102 (such as, for example, one or more other power providing components, one or more computing devices, etc.) Figure 1 The communication component 312 may be configured to receive data (e.g., sensor data, operation results, processed data, power demand information related to a target device, etc.) from one or more other components of the environment infrastructure system 102 (e.g., one or more other power providing components, one or more computing devices, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the communication component 312 may be configured to communicate with the environment (e.g., Figure 1 any number of target devices in environment 100).

[0068] Although Figure 3 Although a specific number of components in a specific configuration are shown, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the power providing components may include more components or fewer components, combinations of one or more components into a single component, certain components implemented as two or more components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. Figure 3Although not shown in the figure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the target device 200 can execute any amount or type of software or firmware (e.g., boot program, operating system, hypervisor, virtual machine, computer application, mobile device app, etc.) when powered on. Therefore, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 3 Configuration of the components shown in .

[0069] Figure 4 4 is a block diagram of an example environment 400 according to one or more examples described herein. Figure 4 As shown, environment 400 includes environmental infrastructure system 402 and target device 410. In some examples, environmental infrastructure system 402 includes power providing components 404, computing device 406, camera 408, and additional light sources 414. Each of these components is described below.

[0070] In some examples, the power supply component 404 is connected to Figure 1 The power supply components 104 shown in and described above and / or Figure 3 The power supply assembly 300 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same or substantially similar. In some examples, the computing device 406 is Figure 1 The computing device 106 shown in and described above is the same or substantially similar to the computing device 106 shown in FIG. Figure 1 The target device 410 may be the same as or substantially similar to the camera 108 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 1 and / or the target device 110 shown in and described above Figure 2 The target device 200 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same as or substantially similar to the target device 200 shown in FIG.

[0071] Figure 4 The environment 400 shown is Figure 1 The environment 100 shown differs in that the environment infrastructure system 402 includes an additional light source 414. The additional light source 414 can be any light source that can be received by the target device 410. As an example, the additional light source 414 can be ambient light in the environment 400 (e.g., from overhead lighting). As another example, the additional light source 414 can be a dedicated light source (e.g., a lamp) positioned to shine light on one or more target devices (e.g., target device 410) in the environment 400. As another example, the additional light source 414 can be sunlight in the environment 400 (e.g., from a window or skylight). As another example, the additional light source 414 can be a separate power supply component in the environment infrastructure system 402.

[0072] In some examples, the presence of the additional light source 414 affects the determination of how much energy the power providing component 404 provides to the target device 410. Specifically, in some examples, the additional light source alone provides energy to the target device 410 and, therefore, reduces the amount of energy that must be provided by the power providing component 404 to meet the power requirements of the target device 410 for performing one or more specific operations. In other words, in some examples, the amount of energy provided to the target device 410 by the additional light source 414 via the additional light 416 reduces the energy provided to the target device 410 from the power providing component 404 via the light beam 412.

[0073] Although Figure 4 A particular number of components in a particular configuration are shown, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that environment 400 may include more components or fewer components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, there may be any number of power supply components, computing devices, cameras, additional light sources, and / or target devices. As another example, if other techniques are to be employed for the device discovery process, the environment infrastructure system may not include a camera. Thus, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 4 Configuration of the components shown in .

[0074] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an example environment 500 according to one or more examples described herein. Figure 5 As shown, environment 500 includes environment infrastructure system 502, target device 510, and additional target device 514. In some examples, environment infrastructure system 502 includes power providing component 504, computing device 506, and camera 508. Each of these components is described below.

[0075] In some examples, the power supply component 504 is connected to Figure 1 The power supply components 104 shown in and described above and / or Figure 3 The computing device 506 is the same as or substantially similar to the power supply assembly 300 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 1 The computing device 106 shown in and described above is the same or substantially similar to the computing device 106 shown in FIG. Figure 1 The target device 510 may be the same as or substantially similar to the camera 108 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 1 and / or the target device 110 shown in and described above Figure 2 The target device 200 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same as or substantially similar to the target device 200 shown in FIG.

[0076] Figure 5The environment 500 shown is Figure 1 The environment 100 shown differs in that the environment 500 includes additional target devices 514. In some examples, the additional target devices 514 are each Figure 1 The target device 110 shown in and described above and / or Figure 2 4. The target device 200 shown in FIG. 4 and described above is the same or substantially similar. In some examples, additional target devices 514 are each operably connected to target device 410. Additional target devices 514 can be directly connected to target device 410, or can be indirectly connected to target device 410 (e.g., via other intervening target devices).

[0077] In some examples, additional target devices 514 can communicate with the target device to allow indirect communication with one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system. Such communication can be used for any purpose. As an example, one or more of the additional target devices 514 can request power from the target device 510, and the target device 510 can in turn communicate with one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 502 to request power from the power providing component 504. Such power provided to the target device 510 via the light beam 512 can then be transmitted from the target device 510 to the one or more additional target devices 514. In some examples, when the power is received by the target device 510, the power is provided to the one or more additional target devices 514. Additionally or alternatively, where the target device includes a power storage component (e.g., Figure 2 In the example of the power storage component 204 shown in and described above, the target device 410 can provide power from the power storage component to one or more additional target devices 514, and may or may not then communicate with one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 502 to request additional power to replace the power provided to the one or more additional target devices 514.

[0078] In some examples, the target device 510 facilitates communication between the additional target devices 514 and one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 502 to facilitate communication of data to or from the additional target devices 514. As an example, one or more of the additional target devices 514 may seek to communicate information, such as sensor data, operational results, processed data, identification information, power demand information, etc., to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 502, and thus may do so by first communicating the information to the target device 510, which in turn communicates the information to the one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 502. As another example, one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system 502 may seek to communicate information (e.g., a request for identification information, a request for data, a request to perform an operation, a request for power demand information, etc.) to one or more additional target devices 514.

[0079] Although Figure 5 A particular number of components in a particular configuration are shown, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that environment 500 may include more components or fewer components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, there may be any number of power supply components, computing devices, cameras, additional light sources (not shown), and / or target devices. As another example, if other techniques are to be employed for the device discovery process, the environment infrastructure system may not include a camera. Therefore, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 5 Configuration of the components shown in .

[0080] Figure 6 600 is a block diagram of an example environment 600 according to one or more examples described herein. Figure 6 As shown, environment 600 includes environmental infrastructure system 602, target device 610, and interfering object 612. In some examples, environmental infrastructure system 602 includes power providing component 604, computing device 606, and camera 608. Each of these components is described below.

[0081] In some examples, the power supply component 604 is connected to Figure 1 The power supply components 104 shown in and described above and / or Figure 3 The computing device 606 is the same as or substantially similar to the power supply assembly 300 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 1 The computing device 106 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same or substantially similar to the computing device 106 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. In some examples, the camera 608 is Figure 1 The target device 610 may be the same as or substantially similar to the camera 108 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 1and / or the target device 110 shown in and described above Figure 2 The target device 200 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same as or substantially similar to the target device 200 shown in FIG.

[0082] Figure 6 The environment 600 shown is Figure 1 The environment 100 shown differs in that an interfering object 612 is located between the power supply component 604 and the target device 610. The interfering object 612 may be any object with which it may not be desirable for the light beam from the power supply component 604 to interact. As an example, as a safety measure, the environmental infrastructure system 602 may be configured to suspend the provision of power to the target device 610 when a person or animal is present in the environment 600. As another example, the environmental infrastructure system 602 may be configured to suspend the provision of power when certain types of objects (e.g., robots, other equipment, various goods, etc.) that may be sensitive to light are between the power supply component 604 and the target device 610.

[0083] Although Figure 6 A particular number of components in a particular configuration are shown, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that environment 600 may include more components or fewer components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, there may be any number of power supply components, computing devices, cameras, additional light sources (not shown), and / or target devices. As another example, if other techniques are to be employed for the device discovery process, the environment infrastructure system may not include a camera. Therefore, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 6 Configuration of the components shown in .

[0084] Figure 7 700 is a block diagram of an example environment 700 according to one or more examples described herein. Figure 7 As shown, environment 700 includes environment infrastructure system 702, target device 710, interfering objects 712, and reflective surfaces. In some examples, environment infrastructure system 702 includes power supply component 704, computing device 706, and camera 708. Each of these components is described below.

[0085] In some examples, the power supply component 704 is connected to Figure 1 The power supply components 104 shown in and described above and / or Figure 3 The computing device 706 is the same as or substantially similar to the power supply assembly 300 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 1 The computing device 706 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same or substantially similar to the computing device 706 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. In some examples, the camera 708 is Figure 1The target device 710 is the same as or substantially similar to the camera 108 shown in and described above. Figure 1 and / or the target device 110 shown in and described above Figure 2 The target device 200 shown in FIG. 1 and described above is the same as or substantially similar to the target device 200 shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Figure 6 The interfering object 612 shown in FIG. 7 and discussed above may be the same or similar. Additionally or alternatively, the interfering object may be a permanently or semi-permanently positioned component of the environment 700 that interrupts the line of sight between the power providing component 704 and the target device 710 .

[0086] Figure 7 The environment 700 shown is Figure 1 The environment 100 shown differs in that an interfering object 712 is between the power providing component 704 and the target device 710 . Figure 7 The environment 700 shown in FIG. Figure 6 The environment 600 shown in is also different in that, instead of pausing the transmission of the light beam from the power supply component 704 to the target device 710 based on the presence and location of the interfering object 712, the power supply component 704 directs the light beam 716 toward the target device 710 via the reflective surface 714. In some examples, the reflective surface 714 is any surface that is capable of fully or partially reflecting the light beam. In some examples, according to the law of reflection, when the light beam is received at a given incident angle, the light beam is reflected from the reflective surface 714 at a reflection angle equal to the incident angle. In some examples, the reflective surface 714 is at least partially controllable so that the light beam 716 can be reflected in any number of directions to any number of target devices in the environment 700. Although Figure 7 Although not shown, the reflective surface 714 may include any number of discrete individual reflective surfaces for reflecting light toward a target device. Additionally or alternatively, although Figure 7 7. Although not shown in the drawings, environment 700 may include any number of reflective surfaces for directing a light beam from power supply assembly 704 to one or more target devices (e.g., target device 710). Such additional reflective surfaces may be configured to reflect the light beam to different groups of one or more target devices. Additionally or alternatively, a reflective surface group may be used to reflect the light beam multiple times to direct the light beam to target device 710 around any number of interfering objects.

[0087] Although Figure 7A particular number of components in a particular configuration are shown, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that environment 700 may include more components or fewer components, and / or components arranged in any number of alternative configurations without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, there may be any number of power providing components, computing devices, cameras, additional light sources (not shown), and / or target devices. As another example, if other techniques are to be employed for the device discovery process, the environment infrastructure system may not include a camera. Thus, the examples disclosed herein should not be limited to Figure 7 Configuration of the components shown in .

[0088] Figure 8 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process 800 for providing power to a target device according to examples described herein. The process 800 may be performed at least in part by, for example, Figure 1 The environmental infrastructure system 102 shown, Figure 4 The environmental infrastructure system 402 shown, Figure 5 The environmental infrastructure system 502 shown, Figure 6 The environmental infrastructure system 602 and / or Figure 7 Additionally or alternatively, process 800 or any portion thereof may be performed by a component within any environmental infrastructure system, such as a power supply component (e.g., Figure 1 104, Figure 3 300 Figure 4 404, Figure 5 504, Figure 6 604, Figure 7 704) and / or a computing device (e.g., Figure 1 106 Figure 4 406, Figure 5 506, Figure 6 606 Figure 7 706).

[0089] At block 802, process 800 includes executing, at an environmental infrastructure system, a device discovery process for discovering target devices in an environment. The device discovery process may be performed by one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a power supply component, a computing device, and / or a camera). The device discovery process may include locating and identifying target devices in the environment (e.g., Figure 1 Target device 110, Figure 2Any technology for identifying a target device 200 of the environment (e.g., a target device 200). As an example, in addition to the power supply component, the environmental infrastructure system may also include one or more cameras. Such a camera may be capable of sensing an environment (e.g., a warehouse), and / or be controlled to sense parts of the environment. In some examples, an image obtained by a camera in the environment may be processed (e.g., by a computing device included in and / or operably connected to the power supply component and / or the camera) to determine the location of one or more target devices in the environment. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, any technology for identifying a target device in an environment using a camera may be used. As an example, the target device may have a perceptible information tag (e.g., a quick response (QR) code) that can be identified in an image. The perceptible information tag may transmit any type of information to the environmental infrastructure system or any component therein. Examples of such information include, but are not limited to, an identification of the target device (e.g., a serial number, model number, unit number, etc.), information related to the intended purpose of the device (e.g., obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors, processing sensor information, executing a machine learning model, etc.), information related to the power requirements of the target device, and the like. As another example of identifying a target device in an image, an image obtained by a camera of an environmental infrastructure system can be provided to a computing device, which can use the image as input to a trained object detection and recognition model (e.g., a machine learning model) that locates and identifies the target device in the image.

[0090] In some examples, the device discovery process is performed without the use of a camera. As an example, one or more power providing components of an environmental infrastructure system may scan the environment with one or more light beams. In some examples, when the light beam reaches a target device, the target device may collect light to obtain sufficient power to transmit information to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system. Such information may include, but is not limited to, an identification of the target device (e.g., serial number, model number, unit number, etc.), information related to the intended purpose of the device (e.g., obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors, processing sensor information, etc.), information related to the power requirements of the target device, etc.

[0091] Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, other techniques for discovering target devices in an environment may be used. As an example, an environmental infrastructure system or any one or more components therein may include and / or be operably connected to one or more data structures that store information about target devices in an environment, including, for example, the presence and location of one or more target devices. In some examples, as part of a device discovery process, one or more data structures may be accessed and information about one or more specific target devices therein may be obtained.

[0092] At block 804, process 800 includes obtaining power requirement information corresponding to the target device. Obtaining power requirement information corresponding to the target device can be performed by any component of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a power providing component, a computing device, a camera) or any combination of these components. In some examples, the power requirement information of the target device includes the amount of power required by the target device to perform one or more operations (e.g., fifty milliwatts (mW)). The power requirement information of the target device may include any number of separate power amounts, each corresponding to one or more types of operations that the target device can perform (e.g., waking up, sending information, obtaining data, performing calculations and operations, etc.). Any technique for obtaining power requirement information may be used without departing from the scope of the examples described herein. As an example, a data structure included in one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power providing component, etc.) and / or operably connected to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power providing component, etc.) can be accessed, and power requirement information can be obtained therefrom (e.g., by looking up the device type discovered during the device discovery process). As another example, in response to the device discovery process, the discovered target device may send power requirement information to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., computing devices, power providing components, etc.). As another example, the perceptible information indicia displayed on the target device may be designed to convey the power requirement information (e.g., an image obtained by a camera may be processed to derive the power requirement information from the perceptible information indicia of the target device in the image).

[0093] At block 806, process 800 includes obtaining the distance between the power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system and the target device. The distance can be obtained by any component of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a power supply component, a computing device, a camera) or any combination of these components. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, any technique for obtaining the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components can be used. As an example, a data structure included in one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) and / or operably connected to one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) can be accessed, and distance information can be obtained therefrom. As another example, one or more images obtained by one or more cameras of the environmental infrastructure can be processed to determine the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components. Examples of processing one or more images to determine distance may include, but are not limited to: deriving the distance from the target device to one or more cameras and combining that information with the known position of the one or more cameras relative to one or more power supply components in the environment; using one or more images that include both the target device and the one or more power supply components and using techniques (e.g., based on reference objects or distances, known pixel sizes, etc.) to determine the distance; using the one or more images as input to a trained machine learning model for identifying objects, which allows the size of the object to be known, thereby allowing the distance to be derived; etc.

[0094] At block 808, process 800 includes determining the amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, power demand information, and the operation to be performed at the target device. The determination of the amount of power to be sent to the target device can be determined by any component of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a power supply component, a computing device, a camera) or any combination of such components. In some examples, the amount of power corresponds to the amount of energy to be sent to the target device via a beam from the power supply component. As an example, when the operation to be performed by the target device is known, the power required for the target device to perform the operation can be determined based on the power demand information of the target device previously obtained. In this case, the energy of the light beam to be directed to the target device can be calculated based at least in part on the distance between the target device and one or more power supply components, so that the power collection component of the target device can convert the light energy into enough power to perform the operation. For different operations, different operations may require different amounts of power. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, the power supply component can use any light source, as well as any technology for directing light from such a light source as a light beam to the target device. In some examples, a light beam is a group of light rays that usually travel in the same direction (e.g., a straight line), thereby transmitting energy in the direction of light beam propagation by photons. The amount of energy transmitted by a light beam may decrease as a function of distance, which is why it may be desirable to obtain the distance from the target device to one or more power providing components in order to at least partially determine the necessary power of the light beam to provide a certain amount of power to the target device.

[0095] Other considerations may be included in the determination of the amount of power projected by the power supply component to the target device. Such considerations may include, but are not limited to: whether other power supply components will also be providing power to the target device; whether the target device is in a direct line of sight from the power supply component, or whether the light beam is about to reflect off a reflective surface (e.g., Figure 7 714 shown in ) to the target device; whether the target device is configured with any components capable of focusing and / or increasing the amount of power provided by the received light beam (e.g., a Fresnel lens); one or more characteristics of the power collection component of the target device (e.g., conversion efficiency); whether the target device has or is receiving light or power from any other source (e.g., ambient light, a dedicated light source near the target device, a piezoelectric component, the sun, etc.), such as, for example Figure 4 the additional light source 414 shown; whether the operation to be performed by the target device will require additional operations (e.g., sending acquired data back to a component of the environmental infrastructure system); whether the target device is configured to provide all or any portion of the power to other target devices; the amount of time that the target device will require a certain level of power; etc.

[0096] At block 810, process 800 includes determining a direction from a power supply component to a target device. Determining a direction may be performed by any component of an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a power supply component, a computing device, a camera) or any combination of such components. In some examples, a direction is determined so that a light beam is sent from a power supply component to a target device to provide power to the target device for performing one or more operations. Without departing from the scope of the examples described herein, any suitable technique may be used to determine the direction between a power supply component and a target device. As an example, a data structure included in one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) and / or operably connected to one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a computing device, a power supply component, etc.) may be accessed, and a direction may be obtained or derived based on the data therein. As another example, one or more images obtained by one or more cameras of an environmental infrastructure system may be processed to determine a direction from a power supply component to a target device. As used herein, a direction may refer to a direct direction (e.g., a straight line) from a power supply component to a target component, or a direction in which a light beam must be directed to ultimately reach a target device (e.g., when a light beam is first reflected from one or more reflective surfaces before reaching a target device).

[0097] At block 812, process 800 includes sending the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation. In some examples, the amount of power is sent by a power providing component of the environmental infrastructure system. In some examples, the amount of power is sent as light energy via a light beam sent from the power providing component to the target device. In some examples, the amount of time that the light beam is aimed at the target device depends at least in part on the amount of power intended to be provided to the device, which can, for example, depend at least in part on the conversion efficiency of one or more power collection components of the target device. In some examples, the light energy from the light beam is converted into electricity by one or more power collection components of the target device.

[0098] In some examples, as described above, the target device includes one or more power collection components (e.g., photovoltaic panels) that are capable of converting the energy of received light into electricity for use by the target device to perform one or more operations (e.g., sending information, obtaining data, performing calculations, updating software or firmware, etc.). In some examples, the electricity is consumed by the target device when it is received. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, all or any portion of the electrical energy may be stored (e.g., stored in a battery included in the target device and / or operably connected to the target device). Receiving power to be stored in a battery can be considered an example of an operation that the target device can perform in response to receiving light energy from a power supply component. In some examples, the target device is configured to provide power to other target devices. As an example, a specific target device in the environment may be operably connected to one or more additional target devices that cannot receive power from the power supply component (e.g., because they lack a power collection component, because they are not within the line of sight of the power supply component, etc.). In this case, the target device that receives power from the power supply component can be used as a conduit between the additional one or more target devices and one or more components of the environmental infrastructure system. The conduit can be configured to transmit power from one or more power providing components to one or more additional target devices, and to transmit information between (e.g., to and / or from) one or more additional target devices and one or more components of an environmental infrastructure system.

[0099] In some examples, the environmental infrastructure system or any one or more components thereof is configured to detect the presence of an object (e.g., one or more people) in the environment, and if detected, suspend the transmission of power to the target device via the light beam until the object is no longer in the environment and / or is not between the power supply component and the target device to which power is provided via the light beam. Additionally or alternatively, the power supply component can change the direction of the light beam toward one or more reflective surfaces so that the light beam reaches the target device by bypassing the interfering object between the power supply component and the target device.

[0100] At block 814, process 800 includes receiving an operation result based on the operation from the target device. The operation result can be received by any component of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., a power providing component, a computing device, a camera) or any combination of such components. The operation result can be any information received from the target device. Examples of operation results include, but are not limited to, identification information of the target device, information from additional target devices, results of calculations and / or operations, raw sensor data, processed or pre-processed sensor data, output of a machine learning model, power requests, power demand information, state information of the target device, etc.

[0101] In some examples, process 800 or any other process described herein can be performed by a computing device or apparatus, and / or one or more components therein and / or to which the computing device is operably connected. As an example, process 800 can be performed in whole or in part by Figure 1 The power supply component 104 of the environmental infrastructure system 102 shown in FIG. Figure 3 The power supply assembly 300 shown in Figure 4 The power supply component 404 shown in Figure 5 The power supply component 504 shown in Figure 6 The power supply component 604 and / or Figure 7 As another example, process 800 may be performed in whole or in part by a power supply component 704 shown in FIG. Figure 1 The computing device 106 shown in Figure 4 The computing device 406 shown in Figure 5 The computing device 506 shown in Figure 6 The computing device 606 and / or Figure 7 As another example, the process may be performed in whole or in part by the computing device 706 shown in FIG. Fig. 9 The computing system 900 shown in FIG. 1 performs, although Fig. 9 800, but the computing system 900 may include and / or be operably connected to at least one power supply component. Portions of the process 800 may be provided by other components of the environmental infrastructure system (e.g., Figure 1 Executed by the camera 108 shown in FIG.

[0102] The computing device may include any suitable device, such as a vehicle or a computing device of a vehicle (e.g., a driver monitoring system (DMS) of the vehicle), a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone), a desktop computing device, a tablet computing device, a wearable device (e.g., a VR headset, an AR headset, AR glasses, a network-connected watch or smartwatch, or other wearable device), a server computer, a robotic device, a television, and / or any other computing device having resource capabilities to perform the processes described herein (including process 800 and / or other processes described herein). In some cases, the computing device or apparatus may include various components, such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and / or other components configured to perform the operations of the processes described herein. In some examples, the computing device may include a display, a network interface configured to transmit and / or receive data, any combination thereof, and / or other components. The network interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive data based on an Internet Protocol (IP) or other types of data.

[0103] The components of the computing device may be implemented in circuits. For example, the components may include and / or may be implemented using electronic circuits or other electronic hardware, which may include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), central processing units (CPUs), and / or other suitable electronic circuits), and / or may include and / or be implemented at least in part using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof to perform the various operations described herein.

[0104] Figure 8 The process 800 shown in is shown as a logical flow diagram, the operations of which represent a series of operations that can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media, which, when executed by one or more processors, perform the operations. Typically, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific functions or implement specific data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described operations may be combined in any order and / or in parallel to implement the process.

[0105] In addition, process 800 and / or other processes described herein may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions, and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that is executed together on one or more processors, by hardware, or a combination thereof. As described above, the code may be stored on a computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, for example, in the form of a computer program including multiple instructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

[0106] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system for implementing certain aspects of the present technology. In particular, Fig. 9 An example of a computing system 900 is shown, which may be any computing device, for example, constituting an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any component thereof, wherein the components of the system communicate with each other using connection 905. Connection 905 may be a physical connection using a bus, or a direct connection into processor 910, such as in a chipset architecture. Connection 905 may also be a virtual connection, a networked connection, or a logical connection.

[0107] In some examples, computing system 900 is a distributed system, where the functionality described in the present disclosure can be distributed across a data center, multiple data centers, a peer-to-peer network, etc. In some examples, one or more of the described system components represent a number of such components, each of which performs some or all of the functionality for which the component is described. In some examples, a component can be a physical or virtual device.

[0108] The example system 900 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 910 and connections 905 coupling various system components including system memory 915, such as read-only memory (ROM) 920 and random access memory (RAM) 925, to the processor 910. The computing system 900 may include a cache 912 of high-speed memory directly connected to the processor 910, in close proximity to the processor 910, or integrated as part of the processor 910.

[0109] Processor 910 may include any general purpose processor and hardware services or software services, such as services 932, 934, and 936 stored in storage device 930, which are configured to control processor 910 as well as special purpose processors where the software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 910 may essentially be a completely independent computing system containing multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. Multi-core processors may be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0110] To enable user interaction, the computing system 900 includes an input device 945, which can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for voice, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, voice, and the like. The computing system 900 can also include an output device 935, which can be one or more of a plurality of output mechanisms. In some instances, a multimodal system can enable a user to provide multiple types of input / output to communicate with the computing system 900. The computing system 900 can include a communication interface 940, which can generally govern and manage user input and system output. The communication interface can perform or facilitate receiving and / or transmitting wired or wireless communications using wired and / or wireless transceivers, including utilizing an audio jack / plug, a microphone jack / plug, a universal serial bus (USB) port / plug, Ports / plugs, Ethernet ports / plugs, Fiber optic ports / plugs, Proprietary wired ports / plugs, Wireless signal transmission, Low power (BLE) wireless signal transmission, Wireless signal transmission, radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless signal transmission, near field communication (NFC) wireless signal transmission, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) wireless signal transmission, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transmission, wireless local area network (WLAN) signal transmission, visible light communication (VLC), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), infrared (IR) communication wireless signal transmission, public switched telephone network (PSTN) signal transmission, integrated services digital network (ISDN) signal transmission, 3G / 4G / 5G / LTE cellular data network wireless signal transmission, ad hoc network signal transmission, radio wave signal transmission, microwave signal transmission, infrared signal transmission, visible light signal transmission, ultraviolet light signal transmission, wireless signal transmission along the electromagnetic spectrum, or some combination thereof. The communication interface 940 may also include one or more global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers or transceivers for determining the location of the computing system 900 based on receiving one or more signals from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the United States-based Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russian-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the Chinese-based BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the European-based Galileo GNSS. There is no restriction to operate on any particular hardware arrangement, and thus the basic features herein may be easily replaced with improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

[0111] The storage device 930 may be a non-volatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer-readable storage device and may be a hard disk or other type of computer-readable medium that can store data accessible by a computer, such as a magnetic cassette, a flash memory card, a solid-state storage device, a digital versatile disk, a cassette, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a magnetic sheet / strip, any other magnetic storage medium, a flash memory, a memristor memory, any other solid-state memory, a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) disc, a rewritable compact disk (CD) disc, a digital video disk (DVD) disc, a Blu-ray disc (BDD) disc, a holographic disc, another optical medium, a secure digital (SD) card, a micro secure digital (microSD) card, a memory stick card, a smart card chip, an EMV chip, a subscriber identification module (SIM) card, mini / micro / nano / pico SIM card, another integrated circuit (IC) chip / card, random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash EPROM (FLASHEPROM), cache memory (L1 / L2 / L3 / L4 / L5 / L#), resistive random access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), phase change memory (PCM), spin transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or box, and / or a combination thereof.

[0112] Storage device 930 may include software services, servers, services, etc., which cause the system to perform functions when the code defining such software is executed by processor 910. In some examples, hardware services that perform a particular function may include software components stored in a computer-readable medium that are combined with the necessary hardware components (such as processor 910, connection 905, output device 935, etc.) to perform the function.

[0113] As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing or carrying instructions and / or data. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory media in which data may be stored and do not include carrier waves and / or temporary electronic signals that are propagated wirelessly or via a wired connection. Examples of non-transitory media may include, but are not limited to, disks or tapes, optical storage media (e.g., compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs)), flash memory, memory, or memory devices. Computer-readable media may have codes and / or machine-executable instructions stored thereon, which may represent any combination of procedures, functions, subroutines, programs, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, categories, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information, data, independent variables, parameters, or memory contents. Any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc. may be used to pass, forward, or transmit information, independent variables, parameters, data, etc.

[0114] In some examples, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories may include cables or wireless signals containing bit streams, etc. However, when referred to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media explicitly excludes media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals themselves.

[0115] Specific details are provided in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the examples provided herein. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that examples can be practiced without these specific details. For clarity, in some cases, the present technology may be presented as including separate functional blocks, which include functional blocks including devices, device components, operations, steps or routines in methods embodied in software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. In addition to those components shown in the drawings and / or described herein, additional components may be used. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form to avoid confusing examples with unnecessary details. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures and techniques may be shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing examples.

[0116] The above examples may be described as processes or methods depicted as flow charts, flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. Although a flow chart may describe an operation as a sequential process, many operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but may have additional operations not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to a calling function or a main function.

[0117] The processes and methods according to the above examples can be implemented using computer executable instructions stored in or otherwise available from computer readable media. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that enable or otherwise configure a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processing device to perform a specific function or group of functions. Parts of the computer resources used may be accessed over a network. Computer executable instructions may be, for example, binary files, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, source code, etc. Examples of computer readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during the method according to the described examples include disks or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, etc.

[0118] Devices implementing the processes and methods disclosed herein may include hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof, and may be implemented in any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., computer program products) for performing the necessary tasks may be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. The processor may perform the necessary tasks. Typical examples of form factors include laptop computers, smart phones, mobile phones, tablet devices or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, stand-alone devices, etc. The functions described herein may also be embodied in peripheral devices or add-on cards. As another example, such functions may also be implemented between different chips or different processes executed in a single device on a circuit board.

[0119] Instructions, media for transmitting such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are example means for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0120] In the foregoing description, various aspects of the present application are described with reference to their specific examples, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the present application is not limited thereto. Therefore, although the illustrative examples of the present application have been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the inventive concept may be implemented and adopted differently in other ways, and the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including such variations, except for being limited by the prior art. The various features and aspects of the above-mentioned application may be used individually or in combination. In addition, without departing from the broader spirit and scope of this specification, the examples described herein may be used in any number of environments and applications other than the environments and applications described herein. Therefore, the description and the accompanying drawings are considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive. For the purpose of illustration, the method is described in a specific order. It should be understood that in an alternative example, the method may be performed in an order different from the described order.

[0121] One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the less than ("<") and greater than (">") symbols or terms used herein may be replaced by less than or equal to ("≤") and greater than or equal to ("≥") symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of the present specification.

[0122] Where a component is described as being “configured to” perform certain operations, such configuration may be achieved, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operations, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., a microprocessor or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operations, or any combination thereof.

[0123] The phrase "coupled to" refers to any component that is physically connected directly or indirectly to another component, and / or any component that communicates directly or indirectly with another component (e.g., connected to other components via a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0124] Claim language or other language reciting "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more of" a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfies the claim. For example, claim language reciting "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, claim language reciting "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. The language "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more of" a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, claim language reciting "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" may mean A, B, or A and B, and may additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B.

[0125] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic operations described in conjunction with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or a combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and operations have been generally described above with respect to their functionality. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. The technician may implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in a departure from the scope of the present application.

[0126] The techniques described herein may also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques may be implemented in any of a variety of devices, such as a general-purpose computer, a wireless communication device handset, or an integrated circuit device, which has multiple uses for applications included in wireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any features described as modules or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device, or individually implemented as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium including a program code, the program code including instructions for executing one or more of the methods described above when executed. A computer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. A computer-readable medium may include a memory or data storage medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) (e.g., synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)), a read-only memory (ROM), a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a magnetic or optical data storage medium, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the techniques may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carries or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer, such as a propagated signal or wave.

[0127] The program code may be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. This processor may be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor; however, in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Therefore, the term "processor" as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structures, any combination of the foregoing structures, or any other structure or device suitable for implementing the techniques described herein.

[0128] Illustrative aspects of the disclosure include:

[0129] Aspect 1: A method for providing power to a target device, the method comprising: performing a device discovery process at an environmental infrastructure system for discovering target devices in an environment; obtaining power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtaining a distance between a power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system and the target device; determining an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determining a direction from the power supply component to the target device; sending the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and receiving an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

[0130] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, wherein transmitting the amount of power comprises directing a light beam at the power providing component to a power collecting component of the target device.

[0131] Aspect 3: The method according to aspect 2, wherein the power collection component includes a photovoltaic panel.

[0132] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein performing a device discovery process comprises: obtaining an image of at least a portion of an environment using a camera; and identifying the target device in the environment using the image.

[0133] Aspect 5: The method according to aspect 4, wherein identifying the target device in the environment using the image includes identifying a perceptible information tag attached to the target device.

[0134] Aspect 6: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein performing a device discovery process comprises: scanning an environment using a light beam from a power providing component; and receiving communications from a target device when the light beam interacts with a power collecting component of the target device.

[0135] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the power requirement information is obtained by the power providing component from a target device power requirement data structure.

[0136] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the power requirement information is obtained from the target device after performing a device discovery process.

[0137] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the environmental infrastructure system includes the power providing component, a camera, and an additional light source, and the method further comprises: using the additional light source to provide additional power to the target device.

[0138] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the operation result includes data generated by the target device using at least a portion of the amount of power.

[0139] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the operation result includes a request for additional power, and the method further includes: based on the request for additional power, providing a higher amount of power from the power providing component to the target device.

[0140] Aspect 12: The method according to aspect 11, further comprising: receiving, at the environmental infrastructure system, a second operation result based on a second operation of the target device performed using the higher amount of power.

[0141] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12, further comprising: determining that an interfering object has entered the environment; and suspending the transmission of the amount of power based on the determination that the interfering object has entered the environment.

[0142] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein obtaining the distance comprises calculating the distance.

[0143] Aspect 15: An environmental infrastructure system for providing power to a target device, comprising: a power supply component; a memory device; and a processor, which is coupled to the memory device and the power supply component and is configured to: perform a device discovery process for discovering target devices in an environment; obtain power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtain a distance between the power supply component and the target device; determine an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determine a direction from the power supply component to the target device; send the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; and receive an operation result based on the operation from the target device.

[0144] Aspect 16: The environmental infrastructure system of aspect 15, wherein the power providing component is configured to transmit the amount of power by directing a light beam to a power collecting component of the target device.

[0145] Aspect 17: The environmental infrastructure system of Aspect 16, wherein the power collection component comprises a photovoltaic panel.

[0146] Aspect 18: According to any one of Aspects 15 to 17, the environmental infrastructure system further includes a camera coupled to the processor, and wherein, in order to perform the device discovery process, the processor is also configured to: use the camera to obtain an image of at least a portion of the environment; and use the image to identify the target device in the environment.

[0147] Aspect 19: The environmental infrastructure system according to Aspect 18, wherein, in order to identify the target device in the environment using the image, the processor is further configured to identify a perceptible information tag attached to the target device.

[0148] Aspect 20: An environmental infrastructure system according to any one of Aspects 15 to 19, wherein, in order to perform the device discovery process, the processor is further configured to: scan the environment using a light beam from the power providing component; and receive communications from the target device when the light beam interacts with the power collection component of the target device.

[0149] Aspect 21: The environmental infrastructure system according to any one of aspects 15 to 20, wherein the power requirement information is obtained by the power providing component from a target device power requirement data structure.

[0150] Aspect 22: The environmental infrastructure system according to any one of aspects 15 to 21, wherein the power demand information is obtained from the target device after performing the device discovery process.

[0151] Aspect 23: An environmental infrastructure system according to any one of aspects 15 to 22, wherein the environmental infrastructure system further comprises a camera and an additional light source coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor is further configured to: use the additional light source to provide additional power to the target device.

[0152] Aspect 24: The environmental infrastructure system of any one of aspects 15 to 23, wherein the operational result comprises data generated by the target device using at least a portion of the amount of power.

[0153] Aspect 25: An environmental infrastructure system according to any one of Aspects 15 to 24, wherein the operation result includes a request for additional power, and the processor is further configured to: based on the request for additional power, provide a higher amount of power from the power supply component to the target device.

[0154] Aspect 26: The environmental infrastructure system of aspect 25, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive at the environmental infrastructure system a second operation result based on a second operation of the target device performed using the higher amount of power.

[0155] Aspect 27: The environmental infrastructure system according to any one of aspects 15 to 26, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine that an interfering object enters the environment; and suspend the transmission of the amount of power based on the determination that the interfering object enters the environment.

[0156] Aspect 28: The environmental infrastructure system according to any one of aspects 15 to 27, wherein, in order to obtain the distance, the processor is further configured to calculate the distance.

[0157] Aspect 29: A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to perform the operations according to any one of aspects 1 to 28.

[0158] Aspect 29: An apparatus for providing power to a target device, comprising means for performing the operations according to any one of Aspects 1 to 28.

Claims

1. A method for providing power to a target device, the method comprising: performing, at the environment infrastructure system, a device discovery process for discovering target devices in the environment; Obtaining power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtaining a distance between a power supply component of the environmental infrastructure system and the target device; determining an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determining a direction from the power supply component to the target device; sending the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; as well as An operation result based on the operation is received from the target device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Transmitting the amount of power includes directing a light beam at the power providing component to a power collecting component of the target device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The power collection assembly includes a photovoltaic panel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Executing the device discovery process includes: obtaining an image of at least a portion of the environment using a camera; and The target device in the environment is identified using the image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein using the image to identify the target device in the environment comprises: A perceptible information indicia attached to the target device is identified.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Executing the device discovery process includes: scanning the environment using a light beam from the power providing assembly; and When the light beam interacts with a power harvesting component of the target device, a communication is received from the target device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The power requirement information is obtained by the power providing component from a target device power requirement data structure.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The power requirement information is obtained from the target device after performing the device discovery process.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The environmental infrastructure system includes the power supply component, the camera, and the additional light source, and the method further includes: Additional power is provided to the target device using the additional light source.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The operation result includes data generated by the target device using at least a portion of the amount of power.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The operation result includes a request for additional power, the method further comprising: Based on the request for additional power, a higher amount of power is provided from the power providing component to the target device.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: A second operation result based on a second operation of the target device performed using the higher amount of electrical power is received at the environmental infrastructure system.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining that an interfering object enters the environment; as well as Based on determining that the interfering object enters the environment, the transmission of the amount of power is suspended.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Obtaining the distance includes: calculating the distance.

15. An environmental infrastructure system for providing power to a target device, the environmental infrastructure system comprising: Power supply components; Memory devices; as well as a processor coupled to the memory device and the power providing component and configured to: performing a device discovery process for discovering target devices in an environment; Obtaining power demand information corresponding to the target device; obtaining a distance between the power supply component and the target device; determining an amount of power to be sent to the target device based at least in part on the distance, the power demand information, and an operation to be performed at the target device; determining a direction from the power supply component to the target device; sending the amount of power in the direction to provide power to the target device to perform the operation; as well as An operation result based on the operation is received from the target device.

16. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The power providing component is configured to transmit the amount of power by directing a light beam to a power collecting component of the target device.

17. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 16, wherein: The power collection assembly includes a photovoltaic panel.

18. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, further comprising a camera coupled to the processor, and wherein: In order to perform the device discovery process, the processor is further configured to: obtaining an image of at least a portion of the environment using the camera; and The target device in the environment is identified using the image.

19. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 18, wherein: In order to identify the target device in the environment using the image, the processor is further configured to: identify a perceptible information tag attached to the target device.

20. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: In order to perform the device discovery process, the processor is further configured to: scanning the environment using a light beam from the power providing assembly; and When the light beam interacts with a power harvesting component of the target device, a communication is received from the target device.

21. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The power requirement information is obtained by the power providing component from a target device power requirement data structure.

22. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The power requirement information is obtained from the target device after performing the device discovery process.

23. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The environmental infrastructure system also includes a camera and an additional light source coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor is further configured to: Additional power is provided to the target device using the additional light source.

24. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The operation result includes data generated by the target device using at least a portion of the amount of power.

25. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The operation results in a request for additional power, the processor being further configured to: Based on the request for additional power, a higher amount of power is provided from the power providing component to the target device.

26. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 25, wherein: The processor is further configured to: A second operation result based on a second operation of the target device performed using the higher amount of electrical power is received at the environmental infrastructure system.

27. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: The processor is further configured to: determining that an interfering object enters the environment; and Based on determining that the interfering object enters the environment, the transmission of the amount of power is suspended.

28. The environmental infrastructure system of claim 15, wherein: In order to obtain the distance, the processor is further configured to calculate the distance.

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