Recharging method and apparatus

• US 8,090,414 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Original Assignee: University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Inventors: Mickle, Marlin H., Capelli, Christopher C., Swift, Harold, Mats, Leonid, Mi, Minhong, Greene, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PABLO N
• Application Number:
  US12/332,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20090098915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/127.1, 455/127.5, 455/128, 455/129, 455 901- 903, 455572-574, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 455/333, 455/343.1, 455/343.5, 455/343.6, 455/344, 455290-291, 320/101, 320/102, 320/124, 320/127, 320/137, 320/138, 343701-703, 343/720
• US Class Current: 455/573
• 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 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus and an associated method for remotely energizing power storage devices. Energization may preferably be effected through the use of RF energy from a base station, ambient energy or ultra-wide band energy. The remote station preferably has at least one antenna having an effective area greater than its physical area. The system may have an antenna and associated circuitry provided on an electronic chip such as a monolithic chip or on a printed circuit with a suitable substrate.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving power at a remote station via a plurality of antennas coupled to the remote station, the received power being associated with a plurality of frequencies within an ultra-wide frequency band, each antenna from the plurality of antennas of the remote station configured to receive a unique frequency from the plurality of frequencies within of the ultra-wide band, each antenna from the plurality of antennas having an effective area greater than a physical area of that antenna as a result of a circuit formed within that antenna, wherein the plurality of antennas are formed on a substrate, the circuit formed within each antenna from the plurality of antennas being based on (1) a specific capacitance of the substrate, and (2) specific electrode and inter-electrode dimensions of that antenna; and

converting the received power to a DC power at the remote station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the effective antenna area of each antenna from the plurality of antennas is increased by the circuit formed therein.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit formed within each antenna from the plurality of antennas is an LC circuit, the LC circuit further being defined by a parasitic capacitance of the substrate and an inductance of the substrate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote station is coupled to a power storage device, the method further comprising:

sending at least a portion of the DC power from the remote station to the power storage device to energize the power storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a receiving strength of at least one antenna from the plurality of antenna is independent of magnetic induction, a number of turns of a loop in that at least one antenna, or an area of the loop of that at least one antenna.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote station includes a microcontroller, the method further comprising:

powering the microcontroller using at least a portion of the DC power, the microcontroller configured to process power-related data and to control wireless transmission of the power-related data from the remote station to a base station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote station is formed on a single semiconductor chip.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving power at a remote station through at least one antenna, the received power being associated with an RF frequency band, the at least one antenna having an effective area greater than a physical area of the at least one antenna the at least one antenna having a circuit defined by a specific capacitance of a substrate on which the at least one antenna is disposed and specific electrode and inter-electrode dimensions of the at least one antenna; and

converting the received power to a DC power at the remote station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the RF frequency band is an ultra-wide frequency band.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the remote station includes a power storage device, the method further comprising:

sending the DC power to the power storage device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the circuit is formed within the at least one antenna without any additional discrete circuitry being electrically connected to the at least one antenna.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the circuit is an LC tank circuit configured to increase the effective area of the at least one antenna.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the remote station includes a communication antenna and a microcontroller, the method further comprising:

storing power-related information at the microcontroller of the remote station; and

sending the power-related information to a base station via the communication antenna of the remote station.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device; and

a remote station including at least one antenna and being coupled to the storage device, the remote station configured to receive power from a base station through the at least one antenna, the received power being associated with an RF frequency band, the remote station configured to convert the received power to a DC power,

the at least one antenna disposed on a substrate, the at least one antenna having an effective area greater than a physical area of the at least one antenna, the at least one antenna having a circuit defined by a specific capacitance of the substrate and specific electrode and inter-electrode dimensions of the at least one antenna,

the storage device configured to store at least a portion of the DC power.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RF frequency band is an ultra-wide frequency band.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each antenna from the at least one antenna is tuned to a mutually exclusive portion of the ultra-wide frequency band.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote station further includes a microcontroller and a communication antenna separate from the at least one antenna, the microcontroller configured to cause the communication antenna to wirelessly transmit information to a base station when the microcontroller is powered by at least a portion of the DC power.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the circuit is formed within the at least one antenna without any additional discrete circuitry being electrically connected to the at least one antenna.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the effective antenna area of the at least one antenna having the circuit formed therein is greater than an effective antenna area of the at least one antenna not having the circuit formed therein.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the circuit is an LC tank circuit.