Method and system for energy reclamation and reuse

• US 20050186994A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leidos, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
• Inventors: Rahmel, Ronald S., Gerace, Gerald C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,268,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for harvesting ambient electromagnetic energy, and more particularly, to the integration of antennas and electronics for harvesting ubiquitous radio frequency (RF) energy, transforming such electromagnetic energy into electrical power, and storing such power for usage with a wide range of electrical/electronic circuits and modules.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A method comprising:

drawing power from a power storage component to power an electrical device, wherein the power storage component comprises an N×

M array of battery micro-cells, N and M are natural numbers, with the drawing power coming from a charged P×

Q sub-array of the N×

M array of battery micro-cells, P and Q are natural numbers less than N and M, respectively;

charging at least one remaining micro-cell of battery in the N×

M array that is not in the charged P×

Q sub-array using converted ambient electromagnetic energy; and

substituting the P×

Q sub-array with the at least one remaining micro-cell of battery once the P×

Q sub-array is depleted of power.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein charging at least one remaining micro-cell of battery in the N×

M array that is not in the charged P×

Q sub-array using converted ambient electromagnetic energy further comprises;

receiving ambient electromagnetic energy;

converting the ambient electromagnetic energy into DC electrical power; and

charging the power storage component with the converted ambient electromagnetic energy.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising charging the depleted P×

Q sub-array with the converted ambient electromagnetic energy.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein drawing power from the power storage component to power the electrical device further comprises drawing power from the at least one remaining charged micro-cell of battery to power the electrical device.

42. The method of claim 38 wherein the ambient electromagnetic energy is received by at least one antenna.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the at least one antenna and the power storage component are physically apart from the electrical device.

44. The method of claim 38 wherein the power storage component is located at a physical structure different from that of the electrical device.

45. The method of claim 38 further comprising providing the converted ambient electromagnetic energy to a device power source for powering the electrical device once the power storage component is completely charged.