System for optical wireless power supply

• US 10,063,109 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wi-Charge Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Wi-Charge Ltd.
• Inventors: Mor, Ori Refael, Alpert, Ortal, Slepoy, Alexander, Golan, Lior, Sagi, Ran, Shmukler, Vadim, Ronen, Eitan, Nahmias, Omer, Vaisleib, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Pinping
• Application Number:
  US15/670,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A system for optical wireless power transmission to a power receiving apparatus generally situated in a mobile electronic device. The transmitter has an optical resonator with end reflectors and a gain medium positioned between them, such that an optical beam is generated. The frequency of the beam is selected such that it is absorbed by almost all transparent organic materials in general use. A beam steering unit on the transmitter can direct the beam in any of a plurality of directions, and the beam is absorbed on the receiver by means of an optical-to-electrical power converter, through a low reflection surface. The band gap of this power converter is selected to be smaller than that of the gain medium. The receiver has a voltage converter including an inductor, an energy storage device and a switch. A beam steerer controller ensures that the beam impinges on the receiver.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting power wirelessly to at least one remotely disposed receiver, said receiver being electronically attached to a power consuming electronic device, said system comprising:

a beam generator, adapted to generate an electrooptical beam having a frequency;

a beam steering apparatus adapted to direct said electrooptical beam towards said at least one receiver;

a first detection system configured to detect at least one object having an optical absorption for said frequency of less than 20% attenuation per cm, disposed in a transmission path between said system and one of said receivers, said first detection system generating a signal in response to the detection of one or more of said objects;

a second detection system configured to detect if said electrooptical beam is impinging on any of said receivers, and generate another signal accordingly; and

a controller adapted to respond to said signals from said first detection system and said second detection system, and accordingly to control said beam generator and said beam steering apparatus,

wherein

said frequency of said electrooptical beam is between a first overtone of C—

H absorption situated at approximately 6940 cm−

1 and a second overtone of said C—

H absorption situated at approximately 8130 cm−

1;

said first detection system is configured to detect at least one of said objects in one of said transmission paths, by detecting a change of at least one of electrooptical power delivery efficiency and electrooptical radiant efficiency, between a transmitter and said receiver;

said signal generated by said first detection system is adapted to cause said controller, when said beam is determined by said second detection system to be impinging on said receiver, to perform at least one of (a) decreasing power of said electrooptical beam, (b) diverting a direction at which said beam steering apparatus directs said electrooptical beam, and (c) reducing radiance of said electrooptical beam, and

said frequency of said electrooptical beam is selected such that it falls on an absorption line sufficiently weak that a level of contamination on a beam impingement area of a receiver does not affect said power of an unattenuated beam received by said receiver by more than a predetermined level.

2. A transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said contamination results from a presence of at least one of fingerprints and dust.

3. A system for transmitting power according to claim 1, wherein said change to said beam impinging on said at least one receiver is a decrease in power greater than a predetermined threshold.

4. A system for transmitting power according to claim 1, wherein said beam generator is a laser generator.

5. A system for transmitting power according to claim 4, wherein a bandgap of said beam generator is greater than 0.8 eV.

6. A system for transmitting power according to claim 4, wherein a bandgap of said beam generator is smaller than 1.1 eV.

7. A system for transmitting power according to claim 1, adapted to power said receiver, said receiver comprising an optical to electrical converter having a bandgap.

8. A system for transmitting power according to claim 7 wherein said beam generator has a bandgap greater than said bandgap of said optical to electrical converter of said receiver.

9. A system for transmitting power according to claim 1 wherein said beam generated by said beam generator has said radiance of at least 10 GW/m2/Steradian.

10. A system for transmitting power according to claim 1, wherein said beam steering apparatus is adapted to electronically report its status.

11. A system for transmitting power according to claim 10, wherein said controller checks said status of said beam steering apparatus soon after receiving said another from said second detection system.

12. A system for transmitting power according to claim 10, wherein said controller causes a change to said status of said beam steering apparatus soon after receiving said another from said second detection system.