APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONVERTING AMBIENT HEAT TO ELECTRICITY

• US 20090095908A1
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Imaging Source LLC
• Original Assignee: Imaging Source LLC
• Inventors: Bollhorst, Rolf Wilhelm
• Application Number:
  US12/200,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20090095908A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/338.3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/09 Devices sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation H01L31/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/062 using dipole aerials; H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array

Abstract

An apparatus for converting ambient infrared radiation into electricity including an array of patch resonators each including a metal material having a predetermined shape tuned to resonate within a predetermined frequency range, a micro-strip line network for interconnecting the resonators and guiding energy, a dielectric substrate, and a metal ground plane. A micro-structured array of interconnected patch resonators operable for converting ambient heat to electricity, cooling, controlling temperature and wireless communication.

Claims

1. An apparatus for converting ambient infrared radiation into electricity, comprising:

a plurality of patch resonators each including a metal material having a predetermined size and shape tuned to resonate within a predetermined frequency range, wherein the plurality of patch resonators collectively form an array;

a micro-strip line network interconnecting the plurality of patch resonators and operable for guiding energy from the plurality of patch resonators to a matching impedance;

a dielectric substrate supporting the plurality of patch resonators and the micro-strip line network; and

a metal ground plane.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of patch resonators has a length from about 1.5 microns to about 15 microns and a width from about 1.0 microns to about 11 microns to exploit a bandwidth from about 3.5 μ

m to about 30 μ

m.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one transformer positioned along the micro-strip line network for impedance transformation of connecting micro-strip lines.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the array comprises from about a few thousand to about several trillion patch resonators arranged in at least one layer.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output lead coupled with the micro-strip line network for coupling a load to the array, wherein the micro-strip line network and the load have matching impedances.

6. An apparatus for converting ambient heat to electricity for cooling and controlling temperature, comprising:

a micro-structured array of patch resonators for absorbing infrared radiation interconnected through a micro-strip line network, the patch resonators and micro-strip line network positioned on a dielectric substrate over a metal ground plane;

a load impedance matched to the micro-strip line network and coupled through an output lead of the micro-strip line network; and

thermal insulation positioned between the micro-structured array and the load.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the device includes a Peltier device.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the load includes a rectifier coupled to the output lead for rectifying alternating current into direct current.

9. A method for converting ambient infrared radiation to electricity while cooling a surrounding area, comprising:

providing at least one micro-structured array of patch resonators for absorbing infrared radiation interconnected through a micro-strip network positioned on a substrate over a metal ground plane;

coupling a load having matching impedance to that of the microstrip network; and

thermally insulating the at least one micro-structured array from the load.

10. A method for wireless communication utilizing ambient infrared radiation, comprising:

providing at least one array of micro-structured resonators positioned on a substrate over a metal ground plane capable of absorbing and reflecting infrared radiation;

coupling a matching impedance to an output lead of the at least one array of micro-structured resonators and the ground plane; and

coupling at least one semiconductor switch in series and/or parallel to the matching impedance to switch between different energy stages of the at least one array of micro-structured resonators to transfer information and data.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a termination impedance of the at least one array of micro-structured resonators is one of:

infinitive zero, impedance matched, or between zero and infinitive.