Energy Device With Integral Collector Surface For Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting And Method Thereof

• US 20100032001A1
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sapurast Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Sapurast Research LLC
• Inventors: Brantner, Paul C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,906,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/244
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/465 with solar battery as charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• 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 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/38 Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and system to harvest and store electromagnetic energy is disclosed. The present invention uses, for example, conductive surfaces within the energy storage component itself as a means of electromagnetic energy collection. The surface may be an integral portion of the energy device, such as a charge collection surface within a battery or a capacitor that mainly provides the battery or a capacitor with a necessary function. In another embodiment of the invention a metallic or conductive surface is added to and specifically built into the energy device during manufacturing for the main purpose of collecting electromagnetic energy for the energy device but is otherwise not necessary for the energy storage component. Once the energy is collected, it can be rectified either via rectification components that were built directly into the energy storage component during its manufacture or connected external to the energy storage component but within the energy device. The so-designed energy device may represent a self-sustaining, autonomous electromagnetic energy harvesting—energy storage device.

Claims

1. An energy device comprising:

an energy storage component, and

at least one electrically conductive surface that is an integral part of said energy storage component,

wherein said at least one surface is adapted to collect electromagnetic energy.

2. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said energy storage component comprises any device from the group comprising electrochemical storage device, electrical storage device, mechanical energy storage device, electro-mechanical device, thermal energy storage device, and chemical energy storage device.

3. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said energy storage component comprising components selected from the group of:

battery, thin-film battery, capacitor, thin-film capacitor, piezo-electric element, magneto-electric element, thermal mass container, flywheel, micro-flywheel, micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS), mechanical spring, hydrogen generator with hydrogen container, and ozone generator with ozone container.

4. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said electrically conductive surface comprises a suitable electromagnetic impedance that is adapted to the frequencies of the collected electromagnetic energies such that the dimensions of said surface are sized to create signal gains in the wavelength targeted for harvesting.

5. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said electrically conductive surface comprises a material selected from the group of:

the anode of an electrochemical storage device, the anode current collector of an electrochemical storage device, the cathode of an electrochemical storage device, the cathode current collector of an electrochemical storage device, the encapsulation of an electrochemical storage device, the substrate of an electrochemical storage device, the casing of an electrochemical storage device, the negative electrode of a capacitor, the positive electrode of a capacitor, and the casing of a capacitor.

6. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface is structurally or chemically modified beyond the primary functional need by said energy storage component, whereby said modification causes an increase in the ability of said surface to collect electromagnetic energy.

7. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises an increased surface area in at least one horizontal direction.

8. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises an increased thickness.

9. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction parallel to the component layers.

10. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction orthogonal to the component layers.

11. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises an increased surface area in at least one horizontal direction.

12. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises an increased thickness.

13. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction parallel to the component layers.

14. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction orthogonal to the component layers.

15. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising said electrically conductive surface incorporated into said device during the fabrication of said energy storage component.

16. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said electrically conductive surface comprises a material selected from the group of:

metals, alloys, semiconductors, conductive organics and polymers, and conductive composites.

17. The energy device of claim 1, wherein the shape of said device is selected from the group of:

square, rectangular, triangular, multi-sided polygonal, round, curved, wavy, and non-uniform in thickness.

18. The energy device of claim 1, wherein the collected electromagnetic energy comprises energy selected from the group of:

electrical field coupled energy, magnetic field coupled energy, light wave direct coupled energy, light wave thermally coupled energy, laser or coherent light coupled energy, and sub-millimeter wavelength radiation coupled energy.

19. The energy device of claim 1, wherein the collected electromagnetic energy is selected from the group comprising:

broad band frequency, narrow band frequency, directed energy, indirect energy, ultra low frequency, super low frequency, very low frequency, low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, very high frequency, ultra high frequency, super high frequency, extremely high frequency, infra red light frequency, visible light frequency, ultra violet light frequency, and x-ray frequency.

20. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electrically conductive surfaces.

21. The energy device of claim 20, wherein said surfaces are adapted to form an array that improves the collection of power of the electromagnetic energy in an omni-directional response.

22. The energy device of claim 20, wherein said surfaces are adapted to form an array that improves the collection of power of the electromagnetic energy in an uni-directional response.

23. An array comprising a plurality of energy devices of claim 1.

24. The array of claim 23, further comprising electrically conductive surfaces adapted to collect electromagnetic energy in an omni-directional response.

25. The array of claim 23, further comprising electrically conductive surfaces adapted collect electromagnetic energy in a uni-directional response.

26. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising at least one external rectification element adapted to rectify the collected electromagnetic energy.

27. The energy device of claim 26, wherein said at least one rectification element is selected from the group of external diode, rectenna comprising said external diode and said electrically conductive surface, external full bridge rectifier, external half bridge rectifier, and external reactive components, wherein said external reactive components comprise any combination of capacitors, coils, diodes, transistors, RF chokes, and integrated devices.

28. The energy device of claim 26, further comprising two or more rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at least two electrically conductive surfaces of differing sizes in order to allow broad band energy collection.

29. The energy device of claim 26, comprising two or more rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at least two electrically conductive surfaces of similar sizes in order to allow narrow band energy collection.

30. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising at least one integral rectification element that is adapted to rectify the collected electromagnetic energy.

31. The energy device of claim 30, wherein said integral rectification element comprises a part of said energy storage component and wherein said integral rectification element comprises the electrical properties of at least a diode, a rectenna, a full bridge rectifier, a half bridge rectifier, or a reactive component.

32. The energy device of claim 30, further comprising two or more rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at least two electrically conductive surfaces of differing sizes in order to allow broad band energy collection.

33. The energy device of claim 30, comprising two or more rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at least two electrically conductive surfaces of similar sizes in order to allow narrow band energy collection.

34. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said energy storage component comprises a geometrical shape selected from the group of square, rectangular, triangular, multi-sided polygonal, round, curved, wavy, and non-uniform in thickness.

35. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising more than one energy storage component.

36. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said more than one energy storage components are connected in series or in parallel and wherein at least one of said energy storage components is adapted to provide an electrically conductive surface that is adapted to collect electromagnetic energy.

37. The energy device of claim 36, wherein said energy storage components all comprise substantially the same size and shape.

38. The energy device of claim 36, wherein at least one of said energy storage components comprise a substantially different size and shape than the other energy storage components.

39. The energy device of claim 20, wherein said plurality of electrically conductive surfaces comprises a connection in series or in parallel that are adapted to collect electromagnetic energy.

40. The energy device of claim 39, wherein all electrically conductive surfaces comprise substantially equal size and shape.

41. The energy device of claim 39, wherein at least one of said electrically conductive surfaces comprises a substantially different size and shape than the other electrically conductive surfaces.

42. The energy device of claim 23, wherein said array of energy devices comprise a connection in series or in parallel and wherein at least one of said energy devices provides an electrically conductive surface that is adapted to collect electromagnetic energy.

43. The energy device of claim 42, wherein said energy devices all comprise substantially equal size and shape.

44. The energy device of claim 42, wherein at least one of said energy devices comprise a substantially different size and shape than the other energy devices.

53. The energy device of claim 4, wherein said electrically conductive surface comprises a height of a dielectric (h), and a dielectric constant (ε

_r), and said dimensions of said surface for harvesting energy frequency (f_r) comprises width

W=1/2fr√

{square root over (μ

₀ε

₀)}*√

{square root over (2/ε

_r+1)}=v₀/2fr*√

{square root over (2/ε

_r+1)}, and length L=[1/(2fr√

{square root over (ε

_reff)}√

{square root over (μ

₀ε

₀)})]−

2Δ

L

where ε

_reff is the effective dielectric

ε

_reff=[(ε

_r+1)/2]+[(ε

_r−

1)/2*[1+12h/W]<sup>−

1/2</sup>

54. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive surface comprises a height of a dielectric (h), and a dielectric constant (ε

_r), and said dimensions of said surface for harvesting energy frequency (f_r) comprises width

W=1/2fr√

{square root over (μ

₀ε

₀)}*√

{square root over (2/ε

_r+1)}=v₀/2fr*√

{square root over (2/ε

_r+1)}, and length

L=[1/(2fr√

{square root over (ε

_reff)}√

{square root over (μ

₀ε

₀)})]−

2Δ

L where ε

_reff is the effective dielectric

ε

_reff=[(ε

_r+1)/2]+[(ε

_r−

1)/2*[1+12h/W]<sup>−

1/2</sup>.

55. The energy device of claim 6 wherein said electrically conductive surface is adapted to affect the RF conductive properties in regions of the surface to provide for isolated, conductive and semicondutive areas.

56. The energy device of claim 8 further comprising one or more layers between a plurality of conductive surfaces, said layers comprising an insulation material.

57. The energy device of claim 8 further comprising one or more layers between a plurality of conductive surfaces, said layers comprising a semi-conducting material.

58. The energy device of claim 15 wherein a conductive layer and an associated insulating layer are added to said device during fabrication of said energy storage component.

61. The array of claim 24, comprising a substrate element and at least two collection surfaces, each said collection surface located on opposite sides of said substrate element.

45. A method of collecting electromagnetic energy within an environment containing electromagnetic energy comprising:

providing at least one energy harvesting device within the environment, said device comprising an electrically conductive surface and an energy storage component;

collecting electromagnetic energy from the environment across said electrically conductive surface;

storing the energy in said energy storage component;

powering an autonomous electrical device.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising modifying the geometry of said electrically conductive surface to improve the collection of electromagnetic energy.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising rectifying the collected electromagnetic energy before storing the energy in said energy storage component.

59. The method of claim 45 further comprising incorporating said electrically conductive surface into said device during the fabrication of said energy storage component.

48. A method of collecting electromagnetic energy within an environment containing electromagnetic energy comprising:

providing at least one energy harvesting device within the environment, said device comprising an electrically conductive surface; and

collecting electromagnetic energy from the environment across said electrically conductive surface.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising modifying the geometry of said electrically conductive surface to improve the collection of electromagnetic energy.

50. The method of claim 48, further comprising rectifying the collected electromagnetic energy before storing the energy in said energy storage component.

51. The method of claim 48, further comprising powering an autonomous electrical device.

52. The method of claim 48, further comprising storing the collected energy.

60. The method of claim 48 further comprising incorporating said electrically conductive surface into said device during the fabrication of said energy storage component.