WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER FOR REFRIGERATOR APPLICATION

• US 20100181843A1
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Kesler, Morris P., Schatz, David A., Fiorello, Ron, Hall, Katherine L., Kulikowski, Konrad J., Lou, Herbert T., Giler, Eric R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,106,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/20 using propulsion power generated by humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 : Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 : Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 : The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 : of the resonant type
• 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 50/80 : involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 : Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 : with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 : Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 : One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Described herein are improved configurations for a refrigerator with wireless power transfer that includes an enclosure member comprising a non-metallic material, a source comprising at least one high-Q source magnetic resonator coupled to a power source and generating an oscillating magnetic field, wherein the source is integrated into the enclosure member of the refrigerator.

Claims

1. A refrigerator with wireless power transfer comprising:

an enclosure member comprising a non-metallic material; and

a source comprising at least one high-Q source magnetic resonator coupled to a power source and generating an oscillating magnetic field;

wherein the source is integrated into the enclosure member of the refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least one said high-Q source magnetic resonator is configured to generate said oscillating magnetic field that is substantially inside the refrigerator.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least one said high-Q source magnetic resonator is configured to generate said oscillating magnetic field that is substantially outside the refrigerator.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein said enclosure member is part of a door of the refrigerator.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein said enclosure member is part of a side of the refrigerator.

6. The refrigerator of claim 4, further comprising a magnetic material on the refrigerator for attaching devices to the outside of the refrigerator using permanent magnets.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least one source magnetic resonator is a planar resonator comprising an electrical conductor wrapped around a block of magnetic material.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least one source magnetic resonator is a capacitively loaded conducting loop.

9. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a high-Q device resonator inside a door of a refrigerator, wherein said magnetic resonator is positioned to interact with the oscillating magnetic field of the source to wirelessly transfer power to the door of the refrigerator.

10. A refrigerator wireless power transfer system comprising:

an enclosure member comprising a non-metallic material,

a source having at least one high-Q source magnetic resonator coupled to a power source and generating an oscillating magnetic field;

at least one device having at least one high-Q device magnetic resonator, distal from the source magnetic resonator,

wherein the source is integrated into the enclosure member of the refrigerator and power is transferred wirelessly from the source magnetic resonator to the device resonator via the oscillating magnetic field.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one device is a sensor inside the refrigerator.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one device is a mobile handset on the outside of the refrigerator.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one device comprises a display on the outside of the refrigerator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is a digital picture frame.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is a tablet.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is a monitor.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one device is an electronic device on the outside of the refrigerator.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one source and at least one device resonator is a planar resonator comprising an electrical conductor wrapped around a block of magnetic material.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising an attachment means on the outside of the refrigerator for attaching said devices within the oscillating magnetic field generated by the source.

20. A retrofit wireless power transfer source for a refrigerator comprising:

at least one high-Q source magnetic resonator coupled to a power source and generating an oscillating magnetic field;

a backing for attaching said source magnetic resonator to the outside surfaces of a refrigerator;

21. The source of claim 20, wherein the backing comprises a permanent magnet for attaching the source to metallic surfaces of a refrigerator.

22. The source of claim 20, wherein the backing comprises tape for attaching the source to outside surfaces of a refrigerator.

23. The source of claim 20, wherein the backing comprises an attachment material or mechanism for attaching the source to an attachment material or mechanism on said refrigerator.

24. The source of claim 20, wherein the source comprises a shielding for the resonator near-fields from the metallic materials of the refrigerator.

25. The source of claim 24, wherein shielding comprises a layer of an electrical conductor between the resonator and the refrigerator.

26. The source of claim 20, further comprising a layer of magnetic material between the resonator, the conductor, and the refrigerator with the electrical conductor being closest to the refrigerator.