Power harvesting

• US 20060133733A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Koste, Glen Peter, Tolliver, Todd Ryan, Shih, Min-Yi
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/48
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29352 in a light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4201 Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4277 Protection against electromagnetic interference [EMI], e.g. shielding means shielding of electric apparatus H05K9/00, of instruments G12B17/00

Abstract

A power harvesting module comprises at least one electromagnetic (EM) radiation intensity modulator configured to receive a first EM radiation from at least one source and at least one energy converter configured to at least partially convert the energy of the first EM radiation during modulation into electrical energy.

Claims

1. A power harvesting module comprising:

at least one electromagnetic (EM) radiation modulator configured to receive and modulate an EM radiation from at least one source to provide a modulated EM radiation; and

at least one energy harvester configured to at least partially harvest the energy of the EM radiation unused or discarded in the modulated EM radiation.

2. The power harvesting module of claim 1, wherein the modulator comprises at least one filter.

3. The power harvesting module of claim 1, wherein the EM radiation modulator comprises at least one optical modulator.

4. The power harvesting module of claim 3, wherein the optical modulator comprises a Mach Zehnder modulator.

5. The power harvesting module of claim 3, wherein the optical modulator comprises a switch.

6. The power harvesting module of claim 5, wherein the optical switch comprises a bistable switch.

7. The power harvesting module of claim 3, wherein the optical modulator comprises an optical fiber modulator.

9. The power harvesting module of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester comprises at least one energy converter.

10. The power harvesting module of claim 9, wherein the energy converter comprises an optical energy to electrical energy converter.

11. The power harvesting module of claim 10, wherein the energy converter comprises at least one photovoltaic device.

12. The power harvesting module of claim 9, wherein the energy converter and the EM radiation modulator comprise an integral assembly.

13. The power harvesting module of claim 9, wherein the energy converter comprises at least one radio frequency energy converter.

14. The power harvesting module of claim 1, further comprising at least one energy storage device configured to store the electrical energy.

15. The power harvesting module of claim 14, wherein the energy storage device comprises at least one capacitor.

16. The power harvesting module of claim 14, wherein the energy storage device comprises at least one electrochemical storage device.

17. The power-harvesting module of claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling dynamic power harvesting.

18. The power harvesting module of claim 2, wherein at least one filter is a carrier suppression filter to help harvest energy from a modulated carrier frequency signal.

8. (canceled)

19. A system at least partially powered by EM radiation comprising:

at least one EM radiation source; and

at least one power harvesting module, the power harvesting module including at least one EM radiation modulator configured to modulate EM radiation from the at least one EM radiation source to provide a modulated EM radiation, and at least one energy harvester configured for harvesting an unused or discarded portion of the modulated EM radiation.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the EM radiation source comprises a laser.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the EM radiation modulator comprises a Mach Zehnder modulator.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the EM radiation modulator comprises a switch.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the EM radiation modulator comprises a filter.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the system further comprises a carrier suppression filter to help harvest energy from a modulated EM radiation.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the EM radiation source is situated inside a shielded environment.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the EM radiation source is situated outside a shielded environment.

27. The system of claim 19, further comprising an optical conduit configured to transmit the EM radiation to the modulator, wherein the optical conduit comprises at least one optical fiber.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the energy harvester comprises at least one photovoltaic device.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the energy harvester comprises at least one RF energy converter.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the system comprises a Magnetic resonance system.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the system comprises a Magnetic resonance spectroscopy system or a Magnetic resonance imaging system.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the system comprises a radar system.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein the system further comprises at least one energy storage device.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the system further comprises electronics powered by the energy harvested by the power-harvesting module.

35. A method for harvesting power from an intensity modulator comprising the steps of configuring the modulator to a selected level of power harvesting;

providing an EM radiation to the modulator from an EM source; and

harvesting the energy of the EM radiation unused or discarded in a modulated EM radiation.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein configuring comprises using a bias circuit to dynamically vary a bias voltage to control the performance of the power harvesting module.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein harvesting comprises using energy converters to receive EM radiation and convert to electrical energy.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising storing the electrical energy using an energy storage device.