Device for transporting energy by partial influence through a dielectric medium

• US 8,587,156 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Camurati, Patrick, Bondar, Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): Amrany, Adi
• Application Number:
  US13/535,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20120267959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling

Abstract

The invention proposes a means for transporting electrical energy and/or information from a distance by using, at a slowly varying regime, the Coulomb field which surrounds any set of charged conductors. The device according to the invention is composed of energy production and consumption devices situated a short distance apart, it uses neither the propagation of electromagnetic waves nor induction and cannot be reduced to a simple arrangement of electrical capacitors. The device is modeled in the form of an interaction between oscillating asymmetric electric dipoles, consisting of a high-frequency high-voltage generator (1) or of a high-frequency high-voltage load (5) placed between two electrodes. The dipoles exert a mutual influence on one another. The devices according to the invention are suitable for powering industrial and domestic electrical apparatus, they are especially suitable for powering low-power devices moving in a limited environment and for short-distance non-radiating transmission of information.

Claims

1. A method of supplying power to a load in an energy-consumer device comprising an active electrode, a passive electrode, and said load connected on a first side thereof to said active electrode and on a second side thereof to said passive electrode, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an energy-producer device having an active electrode, a passive electrode, and a generator connected on a first side thereof to the active electrode of the energy-producer device and on a second side thereof to the passive electrode of the energy-producer device, so as to subject said active electrode to variations in potential, wherein the active and passive electrodes of the energy-producer device are asymmetrical, the passive electrode either being larger in size than the active electrode or being a ground, and the passive electrode of the energy-producer device having potential variations of lower amplitude than the potential variations of the active electrode of the energy-producer device, and at least one of the passive electrodes is not connected to a ground potential; and

positioning the active electrode of the energy-consumer device in an intense field zone created by the active electrode of the energy-producer device to produce a Coulomb interaction between the active electrode of the energy-consumer device and the active electrode of the energy-producer device forming a direct capacitive coupling between the active electrode of the energy-consumer device and the active electrode of the energy-producer device, to couple the passive electrode of the energy-consumer device to the passive electrode of the energy-producer device by capacitive coupling.

2. The power-supplying method according to claim 1, wherein in the providing step the generator of the energy-producer device is a high-voltage high-frequency generator.

3. The power-supplying method according to claim 2, wherein in the positioning step the active electrode of the energy-consumer device is disposed in an area where the variations in potential are high and the passive electrode of the energy-consumer device is disposed in an area where variations in potential are lower.

4. The power-supplying method according to claim 3, wherein the energy-producer device and energy-consumer device each comprise a modulator adapted to cause modulation of the varying potentials in said area, making use of the frequency or frequencies used for energy transport or of superposed frequencies which do not produce significant losses by radiation, whereby to perform simultaneous bidirectional transfer of signals that transport information independently of the direction in which the energy is transported.

5. The power-supplying method according to claim 4, and comprising the step of amplifying, in the energy-producer device and the energy-consumer device, information transported therebetween.

6. The power-supplying method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the active electrodes is in electrical contact with at least one removable mechanical electrical outlet connection.

7. The power-supplying method according to claim 1, wherein the energy-producer device is a dipolar, asymmetrical oscillating energy-producer device and the energy-consumer device is a dipolar, asymmetrical oscillating energy-consumer device.

8. A method of supplying power to a load in an energy-consumer device comprising an active electrode, a passive electrode, and said load connected on a first side thereof to said active electrode and on a second side thereof to said passive electrode, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an energy-producer device having an active electrode, a passive electrode, and a generator connected on a first side thereof to the active electrode of the energy-producer device and on a second side thereof to the passive electrode of the energy-producer device, so as to subject said active electrode to variations in potential, wherein the active and passive electrodes of the energy-producer device are asymmetrical, the passive electrode either being larger in size than the active electrode or being a ground, and the passive electrode of the energy-producer device having potential variations of lower amplitude than the potential variations of the active electrode of the energy-producer device; and

positioning the active electrode of the energy-consumer device in an intense field zone created by the active electrode of the energy-producer device to produce a Coulomb interaction between the active electrode of the energy-consumer device and the active electrode of the energy-producer device forming a direct capacitive coupling between the active electrode of the energy-consumer device and the active electrode of the energy-producer device, to couple the passive electrode of the energy-consumer device to the passive electrode of the energy-producer device by capacitive coupling, wherein in the providing step;

the generator of the energy-producer device comprises a second generator and a plurality of transformers remote from said second generator and connected thereto by coaxial cables; and

the energy-producer device comprises a plurality of active electrodes, connected to respective ones of said plurality of transformers,

whereby power can be supplied to the energy-consumer device, remote from said second generator, positioned relative to any of said plurality of active electrodes of the energy-producer device.