RESONATORS FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20110012431A1
• Filed: 09/10/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• 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:
  US12/879,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20110012431A1
• 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 method for receiving power wirelessly from at least one high-Q resonator that include integrating a high-Q resonator element in an electronic device, said high-Q resonator element including an inductive part wound around a magnetic material, said resonator element including a first coil portion which is connected in series with a capacitor to form an LC resonant circuit that may be resonant with an applied magnetic driving signal, and also including a second coil portion wound around a magnetic material, and inductively coupled to said first coil portion and receiving power wirelessly using said resonator element, at a frequency that is substantially resonant with a value determined according to said LC resonant circuit and producing an output using said coil portion to drive said electronic device.

Claims

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

integrating a high-Q resonator element in an electronic device, said high-Q resonator element including an inductive part wound around a magnetic material, said resonator element including a first coil portion which is connected in series with a capacitor to form an LC resonant circuit that is resonant with an applied magnetic driving signal, and also including a second coil portion wound around a magnetic material, and inductively coupled to said first coil portion; and

receiving power wirelessly using said resonator element, at a frequency that is substantially resonant with a value determined according to said LC resonant circuit and producing an output using said coil portion to drive said electronic device.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising tuning the resonator element based on characteristics of the reception.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said characteristics include an amount of power received by the electronic device.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said tuning comprises changing a Q value of said first coil portion on said resonator element.

5. A method as in claim 2, wherein said tuning comprises changing a resonant frequency value of said resonator element.

6. A method as in claim 2, wherein said tuning comprises changing a characteristic to change the coupling coefficient.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein said second coil part has a different number of windings than said first coil part.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein said resonant element comprises a rod of magnetic material which is substantially cylindrical.

9. A method as in claim 2, wherein said electronic device is a portable electronic device.

10. A portable device for receiving power wirelessly from at least one high-Q resonator, comprising:

a housing;

a high-Q resonator comprising a first coil part wound around a magnetic material, inside said housing, said first coil part in parallel with a capacitor forming an LC circuit, and a second coil part not wired to said first coil part;

a circuit, that receives power from said second coil part, and transfers said power to a powered device within said housing to power said device,

wherein said resonator operates to control an amount of power transferred within said housing.

11. A device as in claim 10, wherein said resonator comprises a rod of magnetic material, extending across an area of said housing.

12. A device as in claim 10, further comprising a tuning part for the resonator, said tuning part changing at least one parameter of said resonator to adjust an amount of received power.

13. A device as in claim 12, wherein said tuning part changes a resonant frequency of said resonator.

14. A device as in claim 12, wherein said tuning part changes a Q value of said resonator.

15. A device as in claim 12, wherein said tuning part is controlled according to a parameter of operation of said powered device, to automatically change said tuning.

16. A device as in claim 12, wherein said tuning part is controlled to change the coupling coefficient.