Apparatus for harvesting leakage energy

• US 9,246,359 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Moon, Jung Ick, Cho, In Kui, Kim, Seong-Min, Yun, Je Hoon, Byun, Woo Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Amaya, Carlos
• Application Number:
  US13/773,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.1, 455/299, 455/572, 216/67, 204/298.08, 204/192.1, 118/723, 427/569, 156/345.48, 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for harvesting leakage energy. The apparatus for harvesting leakage energy includes: an energy harvesting unit configured to harvest energy leaked while energy radiated from a transmitting unit of an energy transmitting apparatus is transmitted to a receiving unit of an energy receiving apparatus; and a harvesting circuit module configured to supply energy harvested by the energy harvesting unit to a load. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, energy efficiency of overall system can be increased by harvesting the leakage energy without affecting performance of a wireless power transmission system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for harvesting leakage energy, comprising:

an energy harvesting unit disposed on an outer side of a transmitting unit of an enemy transmitting apparatus, which is configured to radiate energy to be transmitted to an energy receiving apparatus, and configured to harvest leaked energy, which is a portion of the energy radiated from the transmitting unit that is not transmitted to a receiving unit of the energy receiving apparatus; and

a harvesting circuit module configured to supply energy harvested by the energy harvesting unit to a load.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting unit includes:

an inner loop coil configured to be disposed at an outer side of the transmitting unit or the receiving unit and to have an opened side; and

an outer loop coil configured to be disposed at an outer side of the inner loop coil and to have an opened side,

the opened sides of the inner loop coil and the outer loop coil being connected to each other to form a single closed loop.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting unit is disposed on the transmitting unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting unit is disposed at a predetermined distance from the transmitting unit or the receiving unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit and the receiving unit each are a transmitting coil and a receiving coil.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein diameters of the inner loop coil and the outer loop coil are determined, respectively, based on an amount of energy to be harvested.