WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER

• US 20110193419A1
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• 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:
  US13/036,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193419A1
• 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

Disclosed is an apparatus for use in wireless energy transfer, which includes a first resonator structure configured to transfer energy non-radiatively with a second resonator structure over a distance greater than a characteristic size of the second resonator structure. The non-radiative energy transfer is mediated by a coupling of a resonant field evanescent tail of the first resonator structure and a resonant field evanescent tail of the second resonator structure.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic resonance non-contact power transmission device comprising:

a transmitter including a transmitter high-Q resonance element having a mechanism for varying a resonant frequency,

a transmitter excitation element coupled to the transmitter resonance element by electromagnetic induction, and an alternating current source for applying an alternating current at the same frequency as the resonant frequency to the transmitter excitation element; and

a plurality of receivers each including a receiver high-Q resonance element having a specific resonant frequency, a receiver excitation element coupled to the receiver resonance element by electromagnetic induction, and an output circuit for outputting an electric current induced by the receiver excitation element,

wherein electric power is transmitted from the transmitter to any of the plurality of receivers.

2. The electromagnetic resonance non-contact power transmission device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter resonance element is formed of an air-core coil, and the transmitter includes an adjusting unit for adjusting a geometric property of the air-core coil.

3. The electromagnetic resonance non-contact power transmission device of claim 2, wherein the transmitter includes a monitor and a feedback circuit for controlling the adjusting unit.

4. The electromagnetic resonance non-contact power transmission device of claim 3, wherein the receiver resonance element is formed of an air-core coil, and power transmission to each of the receivers is controlled by information exchange between the resonant objects.

5. The electromagnetic resonance non-contact power transmission device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter resonance element is formed of an air-core coil, and the transmitter has an adjusting unit for adjusting a geometric property of the air-core coil.