USING SKIN EFFECT TO PRODUCE A MAGNETIC VECTOR POTENTIAL FOR INDUCING A VOLTAGE

• US 20150249341A1
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Divergent, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Divergent, Inc.
• Inventors: Kapcia, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 9,385,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/00 Circuit arrangements for providing service supply to auxiliaries of stations in which electric power is generated, distributed or converted
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods are provided for driving a conductor with a signal comprising a series of pulses for inducing a voltage in an output circuit wirelessly. The pulses can be sufficiently short so as to reduce an amount of current produced along the conductor, thereby reducing the Lenz effect, which is proportional to a change in current along the conductor. Further, the pulses can have a sufficiently fast rise time (e.g., less than 30 ns) to induce a sufficiently high voltage in the output circuit (e.g., greater than 5 or 10 V). A surprisingly high voltage can be induced in an output circuit when using fast rise times of less than 30 ns.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a power supply circuit for providing a DC voltage;

an input conductor selectably connected to the power supply circuit, wherein the input conductor is situated for inducement of an output voltage in an output circuit;

a switching mechanism coupled with the power supply circuit and the input conductor and configured to connect and disconnect the input conductor to the power supply circuit, such that an input voltage pulse is provided to the input conductor for inducing an output voltage pulse in the output circuit;

a controller communicably coupled with the switching mechanism for controlling a connection state of the switching mechanism, wherein the controller is configured to control the switching mechanism, such that the power supply circuit provides a series of input voltage pulses to the input conductor for inducing a series of output voltage pulses in the output circuit, each input voltage pulse having a rise time of less than 30 nanoseconds and having an amplitude of at least 1 volt.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each input voltage pulse has a rise time of 3 nanoseconds or less.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each input voltage pulse has an amplitude of at least 50 volts.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each input voltage pulse has an amplitude of at least 900 volts.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each input voltage pulse has a pulse width of 100 microseconds or less.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each input voltage pulse has a pulse width of 1 microsecond or less.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit comprises two resonant circuits and a junction recovery diode, wherein a first resonant circuit includes a capacitor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each input voltage pulse has a slew rate of more than 10 V volts per nanosecond.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the series of input voltage pulses create a time-varying magnetic vector potential perpendicular to a surface of the input conductor.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the time-varying magnetic vector potential forms a longitudinal wave.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input conductor comprises a wire, and wherein the wire comprises a coil.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the input conductor has a length of at least one foot.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the coil comprises a solenoid.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the solenoid is a toroidal solenoid.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switching mechanism includes a solid-state switch, and wherein the solid-state switch includes at least one of a MOSFET or an IGBT.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide signals to the switching mechanism to control the connection state of the switching mechanism, and wherein the signals are not periodic.

17. A method of generating a curl-free magnetic vector potential for inducing an output voltage in an output circuit using a power supply circuit selectably connected to an input conductor, the input conductor situated for inducement of the output voltage in the output circuit, the power supply circuit providing a DC voltage, the method comprising:

providing, with the power supply circuit, a series of input voltage pulses to the input conductor for inducing a series of output voltage pulses in the output circuit, each input voltage pulse having a rise time of less than 30 nanoseconds and having an amplitude of at least 1 volt.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

selectably connecting the power supply circuit to the input conductor using a switching mechanism such that an input voltage pulse is provided to the input conductor, where the switching mechanism is configured to connect and disconnect the input conductor to the power supply circuit; and

using a controller to control a connection state of the switching mechanism such that the series of input voltage pulses each have a rise time of less than 30 nanoseconds and an amplitude of at least 1 volt.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the controller provides signals to the switching mechanism to control the connection state of the switching mechanism, and wherein the signals are periodic.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each input voltage pulse has an amplitude of at least 50 volts.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each input voltage pulse has an amplitude of at least 900 volts.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein each input voltage pulse has a pulse width of 100 microseconds or less.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each input voltage pulse has a pulse width of 1 microsecond or less.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein each pulse has a slew rate of more than 10 V volts per nanosecond.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the series of input voltage pulses create a time-varying magnetic vector potential perpendicular to a surface of the input conductor, wherein the time-varying magnetic vector potential forms a longitudinal wave.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving at the output circuit an electric field generated by the time-varying magnetic vector potential, the electric field creating the series of output voltage pulses in the output circuit.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the input conductor comprises a wire, and wherein the wire comprises a coil.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the input conductor has a length of at least one foot.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the wire comprises a solenoid.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the solenoid is a toroidal solenoid.