Wireless electric field power transfer system, method, transmitter and receiver therefor

• US 10,424,942 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2018
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solace Power Inc.
• Original Assignee: Solace Power Inc.
• Inventors: Nyberg, Magnus, Bartlett, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Zweizig, Jeffery S
• Application Number:
  US15/973,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20180262015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/04 Helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/32 Rotors
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A wireless power transfer system comprises: a transmitter comprising a transmit electrode set configured to transfer power via resonant electric field coupling; and a receiver comprising a receive electrode set configured to extract the transferred power via resonant electric field coupling, wherein the electrodes of at least one of the transmit and receive electrode sets are concentric.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a transmitter comprising a transmit electrode set configured to transfer power via resonant electric field coupling; and

a receiver comprising a receive electrode set configured to extract the transferred power via resonant electric field coupling,

wherein the electrodes of at least one of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets are concentric, and

wherein at least one of the electrodes of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets are azimuthally asymmetric.

2. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the electrodes of both the transmit and receive electrode sets are concentric.

3. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets are coplanar.

4. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets are segments of concentric electrodes.

5. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the transmit electrode set comprises two or more concentric electrodes.

6. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the receive electrode set comprises two or more concentric electrodes.

7. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the electrodes of the transmit electrode set are non-coplanar and at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set overlaps at least one other electrode of the transmit electrode set, or at least one electrode of the receive electrode set overlaps at least one other electrode of the receive electrode set.

8. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is elliptical.

9. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is circular.

10. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is rectangular.

11. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is a disc.

12. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is cylindrical.

13. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is a ring.

14. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode set is a frustum.

15. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the transmit electrode set is axially offset from the receive electrode set.

16. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the transmit electrode set comprises a tube and a rod, and wherein the receive electrode set comprises at least two tubes.

17. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the electrodes of the transmitter and the electrodes of the receiver are concentric.

18. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, further comprising:

another receiver comprising another receive electrode set configured to extract the transferred power via resonant electric field coupling.

19. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, further comprising:

an axle circumscribed by the transmit electrode set and the receive electrode set.

20. A helicopter comprising the wireless power transfer system of claim 1.

21. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the electrodes of the transmit and receive electrode sets are non-coaxial, wherein at least one of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets rotates about its center axis, wherein the receive electrode set rotates about the central axis of the transmit electrode set, and wherein at least one of the electrodes of the receive electrode set overlaps at least one of the electrodes of the transmit electrode set.

22. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the transmit and/or receive electrode set comprises at least two coplanar non-coaxial inner electrodes circumscribed by a shared outer electrode, and wherein the at least two inner coplanar electrodes are non-overlapping.

23. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the receive electrode set comprises an inner receive electrode and an outer receive electrode, and the transmit electrode set comprises an inner transmit electrode and an outer transmit electrode, wherein at least one of the receive and/or transmit electrode sets rotates about its central axis, wherein the receive electrode set is offset radially from the transmit electrode set and rotates about the central axis of the transmit electrode set, and wherein the inner receive electrode rotates along the outer transmit electrode, and wherein the outer receive electrode overlaps the inner transmit electrode.

24. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a transmitter comprising a transmit electrode set configured to transfer power via resonant electric field coupling; and

a receiver comprising a receive electrode set configured to extract the transferred power via resonant electric field coupling,

wherein the electrodes of the transmit electrode set and/or receive electrode sets are concentric,

wherein one of the transmit and the receive electrode sets comprises a first and second socket electrode, or a first and second ball electrode,

wherein the other of the transmit and receive electrode sets comprises the other of the first and second socket electrode, or the first and second ball electrode, and

wherein at least one of the first and second ball electrode is configured to pivot within an aperture in the first and second socket electrode.

25. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a transmitter comprising a transmit electrode set configured to transfer power via resonant electric field coupling; and

a receiver comprising a receive electrode set configured to extract the transferred power via resonant electric field coupling,

wherein the electrodes of at least one of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets are concentric,

wherein the transmit electrode set comprises an inner spherical electrode and an outer spherical electrode, and

wherein the receive electrode set is intermediate the inner spherical electrode and the outer spherical electrode.

26. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a transmitter comprising a transmit electrode set configured to transfer power via resonant electric field coupling; and

a receiver comprising a receive electrode set configured to extract the transferred power via resonant electric field coupling,

wherein the electrodes of at least one of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets are concentric,

wherein the transmit or receive electrode sets comprise at least three parallel spaced electrodes, and

wherein the first and third electrodes are shorted together.

27. The wireless power system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the transmit and/or receive electrode sets rotates.

28. A vehicle comprising the wireless power transfer system of claim 27.