Wireless Energy Transfer with Metamaterials

• US 20130140908A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Bingnan, Teo, Koon Hoo
• Application Number:
  US13/758,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20130140908A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 7/00 Other common features of elevators
• 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 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention disclose a system configured to exchange energy wirelessly. The system includes a structure configured to exchange the energy wirelessly via a coupling of evanescent waves, wherein the structure is electromagnetic (EM) and non-radiative, and wherein the structure generates an EM near-field in response to receiving the energy; and a metamaterial arranged within the EM near-field such that the coupling is enhanced.

Claims

1. A system configured to exchange energy wirelessly, comprising:

a structure configured to exchange the energy wirelessly via a coupling of evanescent waves, wherein the structure is electromagnetic (EM) and non-radiative, and wherein the structure generates an EM near-field in response to receiving the energy; and

a metamaterial arranged within the EM near-field such that an amplitude of the evanescent waves is increased.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure is a source configured to transfer the energy to a sink, further comprising:

a driver configured to supply the energy to the structure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure is a sink configured to receive the energy wirelessly from a source, further comprising:

a load, configured to receive the energy from the structure.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein dimensions of the structure are smaller than a wavelength of the evanescent waves.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure is a resonant structure.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the metamaterial is arranged optimally based on a desired direction of the energy transfer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the metamaterial is arranged such as to enclose the structure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of metamaterials arranged on a path of an evanescent wave such that the evanescent wave travels through each metamaterial in the plurality of metamaterials during the coupling.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the metamaterial has a negative permittivity property and a positive permeability property.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the metamaterial has a positive permittivity property and a negative permeability property.

11. A method of transferring electromagnetic, energy wirelessly via a coupling of evanescent waves, comprising steps of:

increasing amplitudes of the evanescent waves using a metamaterial, such that the coupling is enhanced.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a first resonator structure having a first mode with a resonant frequency ω

₁, an intrinsic loss rate r₁ and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω

₁/(2r₁), wherein the first resonator structure is electromagnetic and designed to have Q₁>

100;

providing a second structure positioned distal from the first electromagnetic resonator structure and not electrically wired to the first resonator structure, the second resonator structure has a second mode with a resonant frequency ω

₂, an intrinsic loss rate r₂, a second Q-factor Q₂=ω

₂/(2r₂), wherein the second resonator structure is electromagnetic and designed to have Q₂>

100;

arranging the metamaterial between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure; and

transferring the electromagnetic energy from the first resonator structure through the metamaterial to the second resonator structure over a distance D, wherein the distance D is smaller than each of the resonant wavelength λ

₁ and λ

₂ corresponding to the resonant frequencies ω

_l and ω

₂ respectively.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the metamaterial has a positive permittivity property and a negative permeability property.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the metamaterial has a negative permittivity property and a positive permeability property.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the metamaterial has a negative permittivity property and a negative permeability property.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein dimensions of the structure are smaller than a wavelength of the evanescent waves.

17. A system configured to exchange electromagnetic energy wirelessly, comprising:

a first resonator structure having a first mode with a resonant;

frequency ω

₁, an intrinsic loss rate r₁ and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω

₁/(2r₁), wherein the first resonator structure is electromagnetic and designed to have Q₁>

100;

a second structure positioned distal from the first electromagnetic resonator structure and not electrically wired to the first resonator structure, the second resonator structure has a second mode with a resonant frequency an intrinsic loss rate r₂, a second Q-factor Q₂=ω

₂/(2r₂), wherein the second resonator structure is electromagnetic and designed to have Q₂>

100; and

a metamaterial arranged between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure, wherein the first resonator structure transfer the electromagnetic energy through the metamaterial to the second resonator structure over a distance D, wherein the distance D is smaller than each of the resonant;

wavelength λ

₁ and λ

₂ corresponding to the resonant frequencies ω

₁ and ω

₂ respectively.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first resonator structure transfer the electromagnetic energy via a coupling of evanescent waves, wherein dimensions of the structure are smaller than each of the resonant wavelength λ

₁ and λ

₂, and wherein the metamaterial is a single-negative (SNG) metamaterial.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the coupling is an electric-dominant coupling, and the SNG metamaterial is ε

-negative (ENG) metamaterial, wherein ε

is a permittivity property of the metamaterial.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the coupling is a magnetic-dominant coupling, and the SNG metamaterial is μ

-negative (MNG) metamaterial, wherein μ

is a permeability property of the metamaterial.