PACKAGING AND DETAILS OF A WIRELESS POWER DEVICE

• US 20100327661A1
• Filed: 09/10/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Karalis, Aristeidis, Soljacic, Marin, Moffatt, Robert, Kurs, Andre B., Joannopoulos, John D., Fisher, Peter H.
• Application Number:
  US12/879,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20100327661A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• 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: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/04 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

Described herein are embodiments of a wireless power transmitter for transmitting power to at least one high-Q resonator that includes a high-Q magnetic resonator, a transmit system that creates a driving signal at a frequency that is substantially resonant with said magnetic resonator, and a current sensor, sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetic resonator and creates a current sense signal indicative thereof and wherein said signal indicative of current is used by said transmit system to change said driving signal based on a characteristic of transmitting by said magnetic resonator.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter for transmitting power to at least one high-Q resonator, comprising:

a high-Q magnetic resonator;

a transmit system that creates a driving signal at a frequency that is substantially resonant with said magnetic resonator; and

a current sensor, sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetic resonator and creates a current sense signal indicative thereof;

wherein said signal indicative of current is used by said transmit system to change said driving signal based on a characteristic of transmitting by said magnetic resonator.

2. A transmitter as in claim 1, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 13.56 MHz.

3. A transmitter as in claim 1, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 135 kHz.

4. A transmitter as in claim 1, further comprising a controller that monitors said current sense signal, and uses said signal to change said driving signal.

5. A transmitter as in claim 4, further comprising a power indicator meter, and wherein said controller changes said signal based on an output of said power indicator meter.

6. A transmitter as in claim 4, further comprising an inverter that creates said signal at said frequency of said magnetic resonator.

7. A transmitter as in claim 6, wherein said controller controls characteristics of said inverter.

8. A transmitter as in claim 4, further comprising a switching amplifier wherein said controller controls characteristics of said switching amplifier.

9. A transmitter as in claim 1, wherein said magnetic resonator includes at least one component with a specified voltage and/or current rating, and further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said amount of current, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components.

10. A wireless power receiver for receiving power from at least one high-Q resonator, comprising:

a high-Q magnetic resonator;

a receive system that receives a signal at a frequency that is substantially resonant with said magnetic resonator; and

supplies electrical power from said signal; and

a current sensor, sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetic resonator and creating a current sense signal indicative thereof;

wherein said signal indicative of current is used by said receive system to change a characteristic of receiving based on said signal from said current sensor.

11. A receiver as in claim 10, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 13.56 MHz.

12. A receiver as in claim 10, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 135 kHz.

13. A receiver as in claim 10, further comprising a controller that monitors said current sense signal from said current sensor, and uses said signal to change said receiving.

14. A receiver as in claim 13, further comprising a power indicator meter, and wherein said controller also changes said receiving based on an output of said power indicator meter.

15. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said receive system further comprises rectifier circuitry that is controlled by said controller.

16. A receiver as in claim 10, further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said current sense signal, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components from flowing in parts of the receive system.

17. A receiver as in claim 16, wherein said ratings are ratings of components forming the magnetic resonator.

18. A method for receiving power wirelessly from at least one high-Q resonator, comprising:

using a high-Q magnetic resonator which is tuned to have a magnetic resonance at a first frequency to receive a wireless magnetic signal;

using electrical circuitry connected to said magnetic resonator to convert the received magnetic signal to electrical power;

sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetic resonator and creating a current sense signal indicative thereof; and

adjusting said electrical circuitry, based on said current sense signal, to adjust an amount of received power.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein said using comprises using said magnetic resonator to receive wireless power.

20. A method as in claim 18, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 13.56 MHz.

21. A method as in claim 18, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 135 kHz.

22. A method as in claim 18, wherein said magnetic resonator includes at least one component with a specified voltage and/or current rating, and further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said amount of current, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components.

23. A method for transmitting power wirelessly to at least one high-Q resonator, comprising:

using electrical circuitry to convert electrical power to a drive signal at a first frequency;

using a high-Q magnetic resonator which is tuned to have a magnetic resonance at said first frequency to generate a wireless magnetic signal based on said drive signal;

sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetic resonator and creating a current sense signal indicative thereof; and

said electrical circuitry changing a way that it interfaces with said magnetic resonator based on said current sense signal to change an amount of transmitted power.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 13.56 MHz.

25. A method as in claim 23, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 135 kHz.

26. A method as in claim 23, wherein said magnetic resonator includes at least one component with a specified voltage and/or current rating, and further comprising an overload protection part, responsive to said amount of current, that prevents currents higher than a predetermined level based on ratings of electronic components from impacting the transmitting.

27. A wireless power receiver for receiving power wirelessly from at least one high-Q resonator, comprising:

a high-Q magnetic resonator; and

a receive system that receives a signal at a frequency that is substantially resonant with said magnetic resonator, and supplies electrical power from said signal, said receive system including electrical circuitry that adjusts the supply of electrical power from the receiver.

28. A receiver as in claim 27, wherein said receive system includes a rectifier.

29. A receiver as in claim 28, wherein said receive system adjusts a frequency of said electrical circuitry to adjust the received power.

30. A receiver as in claim 27, wherein said receive system includes a DC-to-DC converter.

31. A receiver as in claim 30, wherein said receive system adjusts said DC-to-DC converter to adjust the received power.

32. A receiver as in claim 30, further comprising a current sensor, sensing an amount of current that flows through said magnetic resonator and creates a signal indicative thereof.

33. A receiver as in claim 32, wherein said receive system is adjusted to create more electrical power during a time when said signal indicative of current indicates that more power is being received.

34. A receiver as in claim 27, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 13.56 MHz.

35. A receiver as in claim 27, wherein said magnetic resonator is tuned to 135 kHz.