OPTICAL POWER CONVERTER

• US 20110210236A1
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerojet Rocketdyne Of De, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aerojet Rocketdyne Of De, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hertel, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,552,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/214.R
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits

Abstract

An optical voltage converter has an emitter array and a receiver array. Each of the emitter array and the receiver array have at least one LED. The LEDs are arranged such that light from the emitter LED directly strikes the receiver LED.

Claims

1. An optical converter comprising:

an emitter array having a plurality of emitter units; and

a receiver array having a plurality of receiver units, wherein the arrays are arranged such that light from each of the plurality of emitter units strikes a corresponding receiving unit, thereby generating a voltage in said receiver array.

2. The optical converter of claim 1, wherein said at least one component in said receiver array is at least are photovoltaic.

3. The optical converter of claim 2, wherein said at least one photovoltaic cell is at least one narrow band photovoltaic cell.

4. The optical converter of claim 3, wherein said at least one narrow band photovoltaic cell has a frequency band equal to a frequency band of said at least one emitter LED.

5. The optical converter of claim 1, wherein light from said emitter array travels from said emitter array to said receiver array without being redirected.

6. The optical converter of claim 1, wherein said at least one component in said receiver array is at least one LED.

7. The optical converter of claim 6, wherein each of said at least one emitter array and said at least one receiver array have the same number of LEDs.

8. The optical converter of claim 7, wherein said plurality of emitter LEDs are connected in an electrically parallel configuration, and said plurality of receiver LEDs are configured in an electrically serial configuration.

9. The optical converter of claim 7, wherein said plurality of emitter LEDs are connected in an electrically serial configuration, and said plurality of receiver LEDs are configured in an electrically parallel configuration.

10. The optical converter of claim 6, wherein each of said at least one emitter LED corresponds to at least one of said at least one receiver LEDs, wherein each of said emitter LEDs comprises a light emitter portion, each of the receiver LEDs comprises a light emitter portion, and wherein each of said light emitter portions faces the light emitter portion of said corresponding at least one receiver LED.

11. The optical converter of claim 6, wherein said plurality of emitter LEDs are arranged in a bridge rectifier arrangement, comprising a plurality high emitter LEDs and a plurality of low emitter LEDs, said plurality of receiver LEDs, having a first grouping of parallel configured LEDs and a second grouping of parallel configured LEDs.

12. The optical converter of claim 11, wherein each LED in said first grouping of parallel configured LEDs corresponds to a high emitter LED and each LED in said second grouping of parallel configured LEDs corresponds to a low emitter LED.

13. The optical converter of claim 12, wherein said first grouping of parallel LEDs and said second grouping of parallel LEDs are arranged in series with each other.

14. The optical converter of claim 12, wherein said first grouping of parallel LEDs and said second grouping of parallel LEDs are arranged in parallel with each other.

15. The optical converter of claim 6, wherein said emitter LEDs and said receiver LEDs comprise a substantially identical light emission wavelength.

16. The optical converter of claim 15, wherein said emitter LEDs and said receiver LEDs comprise substantially the same material composition.

17. The optical converter of claim 15, wherein said emitter LEDs and said receiver LEDs comprise ultra-violet LEDs.

18. The optical converter of claim 1, wherein said emitter array and said receiver array are separated by a gap.

19. The optical converter of claim 18, wherein said gap comprises a solid capable of transmitting light.

20. A method for controlling power electronics using a low voltage control signal comprising the steps of:

generating a low voltage control signal using a controller;

passing said low voltage control signal through an optical DC/DC converter, thereby generating a power voltage control signal; and

transmitting said power voltage control signal to a power electronics device, thereby controlling said power electronics device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of passing a low voltage control signal through an optical DC/DC converter further comprises the steps of:

passing said low voltage control signal through a plurality of emitter LEDs thereby causing said emitter LEDs to emit light; and

receiving light emitted from said emitter LEDs at a plurality of receiver LEDs thereby causing each of said receiver LEDs to generate a current.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of emitter LEDs are connected in parallel and each of the receiver LEDs are connected in series, thereby causing said DC/DC converter to have an output voltage that is equal to the input voltage time the number of receiver LEDs, less efficiency.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said emitter LEDs corresponds to a receiver LED such that light from said emitter LED directly strikes said receiver LED.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said light emitted from said emitter LED comprises at least an ultra-violet frequency.