Method and apparatus for wireless powering and recharging

• US 6,127,799 A
• Filed: 05/14/1999
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GTE Internetworking Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krishnan, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Application Number:
  US09/312,519
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109, 320/108
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

An arrangement is provided for charging a charge storage device by placing the charge storage device in an RF or microwave radiation field. One or more antennas which receive the radiated RF electromagnetic field are placed on the charge storage device. Rectifiers connected to the antennas rectify the received RF electromagnetic field an produce a DC output current which is used to charge the charge storage device. The charge storage device may be a battery or a capacitor and may form an integral part of an electronic device. The same RF field that charges the charge storage device can also be employed to communicate data to transponders which may be associated with computing devices.

Claims

1. A charge storage device chargeable by an RF electromagnetic field radiated into free space, comprising:

at least one antenna adapted to receive the radiated RF electromagnetic field, the at least one antenna being a plurality of dipole antenna elements that are combined to form at least two subsets of dipole antenna element arrays, wherein a subset is oriented at an acute or a right angle with respect to at least one other subset; and

a rectifier connected to the antenna for rectifying the received RF electromagnetic field into a DC output current;

wherein the DC output current produced by the rectifier charges the charge storage device.

2. The charge storage device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is a dipole antenna.

3. The charge storage device of claim 1, wherein the charge storage device comprises at least two surfaces that are not parallel to each other, and wherein the antenna are disposed on at least the two surfaces.

4. The charge storage device of claim 1, wherein the rectifier is a bridge rectifier.

5. The charge storage device of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic control for controlling charging conditions of the charge storage device.

6. The charge storage device of claim 1, further comprising;

an electromagnetic shield enclosing at least a portion of the charge storage device for shielding the portion of the charge storage device from the RF electromagnetic field,

wherein the antenna is disposed on an outside surface of the electromagnetic shield.

7. The charge storage device of claim 1, wherein the charge storage device is a battery.

8. The charge storage device of claim 7, wherein the battery comprises an organic polymer.

9. The charge storage device of claim 1, wherein the charge storage device is a capacitor.

10. The charge storage device of claim 7, wherein the battery is formed as a thin sheet and the antenna is disposed on a major surface of the sheet.

11. The charge storage device of claim 1, wherein the RF electromagnetic field has a frequency in the range between 1 GHz and 100 GHz.

12. A charging system for contactless charging a charge storage device, comprising:

a source of an RF electromagnetic field radiated into free space; and

a support for positioning the storage device in the free space;

the charge storage device comprising;

an antenna adapted to receive the radiated RF electromagnetic field, the antenna being a plurality of dipole antenna elements that are combined to form at least two subsets of dipole antenna element arrays, wherein a subset is oriented at an acute or a right angle with respect to at least one other subset; and

a rectifier connected to the antenna for rectifying the received RF electromagnetic field to produce a DC output current,

wherein the DC output current charges the charge storage device.

13. The charging system of claim 12, further comprising a housing for confining the RF electromagnetic field, wherein the source of the RF electromagnetic field and the support are enclosed in the housing.

14. A method for contactless charging a charge storage device having an antenna, the method comprising:

generating an RF electromagnetic field radiated into free space;

exposing the antenna to the RF electromagnetic field, the antenna being a plurality of dipole antenna elements that are combined to form at least two subsets of dipole antenna element arrays, wherein a subset is oriented at an acute or a right angle with respect to at least one other subset;

rectifying an RF voltage produced at the antenna by the RF electromagnetic field; and

charging the charge storage device with the rectified RF voltage.

15. A wireless communication system comprising:

a base station;

at least one transponder for wireless transmission of data between the transponder and the base station;

a charge storage device connected to the transponder for providing electric power to the transponder, the charge storage device comprising;

a rotatable axis coupled to the charge storage device for rotating the charge storage device;

an antenna for receiving an RF electromagnetic field; and

a converter for converting the received RF electromagnetic field to an electric charging current to charge the charge storage device.

16. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the RF electromagnetic field has a frequency in the range between 1 GHz and 100 GHz.

17. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein at least the base station and the RF electromagnetic field have a common frequency range.

18. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the data are transmitted by modulating the RF electromagnetic field.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the transponder comprises a memory for storing data.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 19, wherein the data stored in the transponder comprise characteristic properties of an object associated with the transponder.

21. The wireless communication system of claim 20, wherein the transponder is attached to the object and the characteristic properties include inventory information of the object.

22. The wireless communication system of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of computing devices associated with the transponders and receiving electrical power from the charge storage device, wherein the computing devices receive data via a modulation of the RF electromagnetic field.

23. A charge storage device chargeable by an RF electromagnetic field radiated into free space, comprising:

antenna means adapted to receive the radiated RF electromagnetic field, the antenna means being a plurality of dipole antenna elements that are combined to form at least two subsets of dipole antenna element arrays, wherein a subset is oriented at an acute or a right angle with respect to at least one other subset; and

rectifier means connected to the antenna means for rectifying the received RF electromagnetic field into a DC output current;

wherein the DC output current produced by the rectifier means charges the charge storage device.

24. A battery chargeable by an RF electromagnetic field radiated into free space, comprising:

at least one antenna adapted to receive the radiated RF electromagnetic field; and

a rectifier connected to the antenna for rectifying the received RF electromagnetic field into a DC output current;

wherein the DC output current produced by the rectifier charges the charge storage device; and

wherein the battery is formed as a thin sheet and the antenna is disposed on a major surface of the sheet.

25. A charging system for contactless charging a charge storage device, comprising:

a source of an RF electromagnetic field radiated into free space;

a support for positioning the storage device in the free space; and

a housing for confining the RF field, wherein the source of the RF field and the support are enclosed in the housing;

the charge storage device comprising;

an antenna adapted to receive the radiated RF electromagnetic field; and

a rectifier connected to the antenna for rectifying the received RF electromagnetic field to produce a DC output current, wherein the DC output current charges the charge storage device.

26. A wireless communication system comprising:

a base station;

at least one transponder for wireless transmission of data between the transponder and the base station;

a charge storage device connected to the transponder for providing electric power to the transponder, the charge storage device comprising;

antenna for receiving an RF electromagnetic field; and

a converter for converting the received RF electromagnetic field to an electric charging current to charge the charge storage device, wherein the data are transmitted by modulating the RF electromagnetic field.