WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS

• US 20150280456A1
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Kesler, Morris P., Hall, Katherine L., Giler, Eric R., Kulikowski, Konrad J., Campanella, Andrew J., Verghese, Simon
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• 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 2300/24 : of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 : Dispersed generators
• 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 50/80 : 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: H02J 7/35 : with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 : Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 : for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0081 : with antenna coils loop aerials H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 : using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 : Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 : Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Described herein are improved configurations for a wireless power transfer involving photovoltaic panels. Described are methods and designs that use electric energy from a photovoltaic module to energize at least one wireless energy source to produce an oscillating magnetic field for wireless energy transfer. The source may be configured and tuned to present an impedance to a photovoltaic module wherein said impedance enables substantial extraction of energy from said photovoltaic module.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A wireless energy transfer system comprising:

at least one solar cell configured to convert solar energy into electrical energy, the at least one solar cell disposed on an exterior surface of a wall or roof;

a source comprising a source resonator and source power and control circuitry, the source coupled to the at least one solar cell via the source power and control circuitry and disposed on the exterior surface of the wall or roof; and

a repeater comprising a repeater resonator, the repeater disposed inside a structure comprising the wall or roof;

wherein the repeater resonator wirelessly receives energy from the source resonator through the wall or roof and wirelessly transfers energy to at least one other resonator.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the at least one other resonator is disposed inside the structure comprising the wall or roof.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the source is coupled to the at least one solar cell via a wired connection.

29. The system of claim 26 further comprising at least one additional solar cell.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein the at least one other resonator is a device resonator coupled to a load in an electronic device.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the electronic device is one of a cell phone, laptop, or tablet.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein an additional wall is positioned between the repeater resonator and the at least one other resonator.

33. The system of claim 26 wherein the at least one other resonator is an additional repeater resonator.

34. The system of claim 26 wherein the source is enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure.

35. The system of claim 26 wherein the wall or roof is a part of a building or vehicle.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the wall comprises a window and the source resonator is disposed on the exterior surface of the window and the repeater resonator is disposed on the interior surface of the window.

37. A wireless energy transfer system comprising;

a source comprising a source resonator and source power and control circuitry, the source coupled to at least one solar cell via the source power and control circuitry and disposed on an exterior surface of a wall or roof, wherein the at least one solar cell is configured to convert solar energy into electrical energy, the at least one solar cell disposed on the exterior surface of the wall or roof; and

a repeater comprising a repeater resonator, the repeater disposed inside a structure comprising the wall or roof;

wherein the repeater resonator wirelessly receives energy from the source resonator through the wall or roof and wirelessly transfer energy to at least one other resonator.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the at least one other resonator is disposed inside the structure comprising the wall or roof.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein the wall or roof is a part of a building or vehicle.

40. The system of claim 37 wherein the at least one other resonator is a device resonator.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein the device resonator is coupled to a battery of an electronic device.

42. A method of operating a wireless energy transfer system comprising:

converting solar energy into electrical energy via at least one solar cell disposed on an exterior surface of a wall or roof;

transmitting the electrical energy via a wired connection to a source disposed on an exterior surface of the wall or roof, the source comprising a source resonator and source power and control circuitry, the source coupled to at least one solar cell via the source power and control circuitry and disposed on the exterior surface of the wall or roof;

transferring wireless energy via an oscillating magnetic field from the source resonator to a repeater resonator, the repeater resonator disposed inside a structure comprising the wall or roof; and

transferring wireless energy via an oscillating magnetic field from the repeater resonator to a least one other resonator.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the at least one other resonator is disposed inside the structure comprising the wall or roof.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the at least one other resonator is a device resonator.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein the wall or roof is a part of a building or vehicle.