Electric power-generating apparatus and method

• US 20060140168A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ryoo, Jae-kwan
• Application Number:
  US11/315,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140168A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07784 the inductive antenna consisting of a plurality of coils stacked on top of one another
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

An apparatus and method for generating electric power by using magnetic fields are provided. A sensor node has a coil unit having a spiral structure in a plane that generates an induced electromotive force by using magnetic fields; a conversion unit configured to convert the induced electromotive force into DC power; and an integrated circuit for performing operations using the converted DC power. The sensor node may be disposed on a flexible plate substrate or film, and is attached to or placed on readily available electronic appliance cases which serve as magnetic field sources. The plate substrate or film can be provided with a metal shielding film. The metal shielding film may also be grounded, or the plate substrate or film may be provided with a metal shielding film accompanying an impedance-matching RF circuit for preventing reflection of magnetic fields passing through the coil unit.

Claims

1. An electric power-generating apparatus, comprising:

a coil unit having a spiral structure in a plane that generates an induced electromotive force by using magnetic fields;

a conversion unit configured to convert the induced electromotive force into DC power; and

an integrated circuit for performing operations by using the converted DC power.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is attached to a plate substrate or film.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a metal shielding film is disposed on the plate substrate or film to prevent magnetic fields from offseting.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metal shielding film is grounded.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein an impedance-matching RF circuit is arranged over the metal shielding film or between the metal shielding film and the plate substrate or film in order to prevent magnetic fields passing through the coil unit from being reflected by the metal shielding film.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plate substrate or film has at least two coil units disposed thereon.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is attached to at least two stacked plate substrates or films.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least two stacked plate substrates or films have at least two coil units disposed thereon.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electric charger which charges with the DC power converted by the conversion unit.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a ferrite-including iron core is inserted at a center of the coil unit in order to maximize the induced electromotive force.

11. An electric power-generating method, comprising:

generating an induced electromotive force from magnetic fields by using a coil unit having a spiral structure in a plane;

converting the induced electromotive force into DC power; and

performing operations by using the converted DC power.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising charging using the DC power.