DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING ENERGY BY PARTIAL INFLUENCE THROUGH A DIELECTRIC MEDIUM

• US 20090206675A1
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Tmms Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Bondar, Henri, Camurati, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,242,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling

Abstract

The invention proposes a means for transporting electrical energy and/or information from a distance by using, at a slowly varying regime, the Coulomb field which surrounds any set of charged conductors. The device according to the invention is composed of energy production and consumption devices situated a short distance apart, it uses neither the propagation of electromagnetic waves nor induction and cannot be reduced to a simple arrangement of electrical capacitors. The device is modeled in the form of an interaction between oscillating asymmetric electric dipoles, consisting of a high-frequency high-voltage generator (1) or of a high-frequency high-voltage load (5) placed between two electrodes. The dipoles exert a mutual influence on one another. The devices according to the invention are suitable for powering industrial and domestic electrical apparatus, they are especially suitable for powering low-power devices moving in a limit [sic] environment and for short-distance non-radiating transmission of information.

Claims

1. Devices for transport of electricity through a vacuum and dielectric materials, which is characterized, on the one hand, by the quasi-longitudinal arrangement of two remote, dipolar, asymmetrical oscillating devices, exterior to each other, one of which is a producer and the other a consumer of energy, and on the other hand, by the existence of a capacitive coupling between, primarily, two active electrodes, one of which (3) is integrated into the producer and the other (6) into the consumer;

these electrodes are subjected to high potentials, the intense field zone being limited to the space (4) located between these electrodes, and the electrodes (2,7) exterior to this zone are passive, subjected to low potentials, and not coupled to other remote electrodes.

2. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that potential energy is supplied to the surrounding medium (4) by one or more producer devices comprising at least one generating electrode (3) connected to a high-voltage high-frequency generator (1) and subjected to large variations in potential. The other end of the generator is connected either to at least one electrode (2), preferably of larger size, far from the first, which acts as a charge reservoir, or, optionally, is replaced by a connection to ground.

3. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that energy is used at a distance by one or more consumer devices, which are, optionally, similar to that used to supply the energy;

the high-voltage high-frequency generator is then simply replaced by a high-voltage high-frequency load (5) connected on one side to an electromotive electrode (6) located in a zone area where the variations in potential are high and on the other side to a second electrode (7) located in an area where variations in potential are lower.

4. The producer device according to claim 2 and the consumer device according to the previous claim, characterized by the fact that they each form an asymmetrical oscillating electric dipole, the two dipoles being in mutual influence and preferably arranged in alignment on the same axis.

5. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that they can be fully or partially reversible.

6. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the frequencies used are, advantageously, the highest possible insofar as the associated wavelengths in the surrounding dielectric medium remain large relative to the size of the said devices, so that the energy dispersed in the form of electromagnetic radiation is low compared to that transported from the producer device to the consumer device.

7. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the electrodes are, optionally, fully or totally covered with solid dielectric materials or, more generally, with a material exhibiting high breakdown voltage and low surface conductivity.

8. The producer device according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the high-voltage, high-frequency generator (1) placed between the electrodes (2) and (3), can, as an option, be achieved from low voltages at high frequencies, using an induction transformer that produces high voltages on its secondary coil and is capable of operating at high frequencies or, optionally, using piezoelectric transformers or, more generally, any technology that can generate high voltages at high frequencies.

9. The remote consumer device according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that the load (5) can, optionally, consist of a low-voltage load functioning at high frequency (9) connected to a step-down transformer achieved either using an induction transformer (8) or using a piezoelectric transformer or, more generally, any technology that gives the same result.

10. The remote consumer device according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that some loads, constituted by media having low conductivity, such as for example a slightly ionized gas (15) contained in a dielectric enclosure (16), some highly resistive solid media or some semi-conductors, operate directly in high voltages at high frequencies upon being placed in the intense field zone (4) surrounding a generator electrode, without requiring a step-down voltage transformer or additional electrodes.

11. The devices according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that in one embodiment, the generator electrodes belonging to the supplier device and the electromotive electrodes belonging to the consumer device, have between them, one or more removable mechanical connections of the electric outlet type without any solid electrical contact being produced between the two removable parts.

12. The devices according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that, in the absence of any mechanical connection, they exhibit certain degrees of mobility in relative translation and rotation without breaking the energy connection that unites them.

13. A producer device according to claim 2 and one or more remote consumer devices according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that one or more consumer devices consisting of only two electrodes and of any orientation are all powered if the producer device, through the use of phase differences applied to a set of internal electrodes, generates a rotating field. In the same way, one or more remote consumer devices consisting of a load connected to one set of internally-switched electrodes, operate, no matter what their angular positions, relative to a field of a given orientation.

14. The devices according any claim 1, characterized by the fact that the power provided is, optionally, distributed over several remote consumer devices by one single producer device, equipped either with a single large generator electrode or with multiple small generator electrodes. One variation (FIG. 6) is the centralized production of energy using a large high-frequency low-voltage generator (12);

the energy is then distributed to remote high-voltage remote transformers (13). The use of coaxial cables (14) allows energy to be transmitted this time over distances that are much greater than the wavelength corresponding to the frequency used.

15. The producer device according to claim 2 and the remote consumer device according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that since they are under mutual influence, all forms of modulation by devices that are internal to the producer device and the remote consumer device, making use of the frequency or frequencies used for energy transport or of superposed frequencies which do not produce significant losses by radiation, allow simultaneous bidirectional transfer of signals that transport information independently of the direction in which the energy is transported.

16. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the order of magnitude of the effective range of energy transport is defined by the sizes of the producer device when the consumer devices are small.

17. The devices according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that in the case where amplification of received signals is performed both on the producer device side and on the consumer device side, optionally provided with an internal method of energy storage, only information can be transported, according to either a mono, alternating bidirectional, or simultaneous mode, optionally by intermittence, over distances that are distinctly higher.

18. The devices according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that in one embodiment, the generator electrodes belonging to the supplier device and the electromotive electrodes belonging to the consumer device, have between them, one or more removable mechanical connections of the electric outlet type without any solid electrical contact being produced between the two removable parts.

19. The devices according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that, in the absence of any mechanical connection, they exhibit certain degrees of mobility in relative translation and rotation without breaking the energy connection that unites them.