Flat panel, stationary or mobile, spatially beam-formed wireless energy delivery system

• US 9,419,476 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2013
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Farrokh Mohamadi
• Original Assignee: Farrokh Mohamadi
• Inventors: Mohamadi, Farrokh
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnett, Joel
• Application Number:
  US13/934,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20140015344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for achieving delivery of power wirelessly using a highly beam-formed array of radio frequency (RF) transmitters as a source and a spatially beam-formed array of receivers that collect the impinged RF power and feed a multistage RF to direct current (RF-DC) conversion circuit that, for example, increases output voltage by doubling the voltage at each stage, while power delivery remains constant. One or more embodiments may provide energy wirelessly and—unlike conventional systems where the power flux density may be too low for applications where an energy density (specific energy) on the order of several mega-Joules per kilogram (MJ/Kg) is desired—may provide sufficient power flux density for many practical applications.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter, including an array of transmitters, configured to transmit an RF signal, wherein;

each transmitter of the array of transmitters includes one or more antenna array tiles, each antenna array tile comprising a plurality of power amplifiers configured using an H-tree technique in a flat panel, wafer scale antenna array to provide spatial power combining and beam faulting of the RF signal;

an RF receiver, including an array of receivers, configured to receive the RF signal wherein;

each receiver of the array of receivers comprises a plurality of low noise amplifiers configured using the H-tree technique in a second flat panel, wafer scale antenna array to provide spatial power combining and beam forming of the RF signal; and

a power converter connected to the RF receiver and configured as a multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier to convert the RF signal to a direct current (DC) output.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the RF receiver comprises an array of sensors wherein;

each sensor includes an antenna array tile; and

the array of sensors is integrated into the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array so that the array tiles operate as a beam forming array.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array provides spatial beam forming with a beam width less than one degree.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array provides spatial beam forming of the beam energy at the surface of the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array so that power is distributed over the entire surface of the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array provides spatial beam forming of the beam energy at the surface of the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array so that power is distributed uniformly over the surface of the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the flat panel, wafer scale antenna array is integrated with low noise amplifiers for receiving the RF signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the RF transmitter transmits a either a continuous wave signal or an ultra wide band (UWB) coded pulse train signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each stage of the multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier comprises:

an input capacitor having a first plate connected to an input of the power converter that is connected to the RF receiver;

a pair of diodes connected in series, including a first diode and a second diode, an anode of the first diode connected through a ground capacitor to ground, a cathode of the first diode connected to a second plate of the input capacitor and to an anode of the second diode, and a cathode of the second diode providing an output of the stage;

wherein the output of each stage is connected to the anode of the first diode of a next stage, and

the DC output of the power converter is taken at an output of a last stage.

9. A method of delivering electrical power wirelessly, the method comprising:

transmitting an RF signal from an array of transmitters, each transmitter including at least one antenna array tile comprising a plurality of power amplifiers configured in a first H-tree feed network in a flat panel, wafer scale antenna array;

providing spatial power combining and beam forming using the array tile to transmit the RF signal with a beam width less than one degree;

receiving the RF signal beam with an array of receivers, wherein each receiver of the array of receivers comprises a plurality of low power, small signal, low noise amplifiers configured in a second H-tree feed network of a second flat panel, wafer scale antenna array;

amplifying a plurality of phase shifted portions of the spatially beam formed RF signal using the low power, small signal, low noise amplifiers;

adding the phase shifted portions of the spatially beam formed RF signal at a combiner circuit; and

feeding the combined signal to a voltage multiplier and rectifier circuit;

converting the combined signal to a direct current (DC) signal using the voltage multiplier and rectifier circuit;

delivering the DC signal to a load.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

a first phase shifted portion has approximately the same amplitude but is phase shifted from a second phase shifted portion by some proportion of the wavelength of the signal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the signal at an array of receivers, each receiver including a spatially beam forming array of antenna elements.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the signal at an array of receivers;

spatially beam forming the signal with the low power, small signal, low noise amplifiers at each receiver of the array of receivers;

forming a combined signal from the spatially beam formed signal at each receiver of the array of receivers; and

adding power from the combined signals of the array of receivers for feeding the voltage multiplier and rectifier circuit.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting the signal using a beam formed array of radio frequency (RF) transmitters so that RF energy in the signal is spread over the entire beam width.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the voltage multiplier and rectifier circuit comprises a multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier and each stage of the multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier comprises:

an input capacitor having a first plate connected to an input of the multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier that is connected to the combiner circuit;

a pair of diodes connected in series, including a first diode and a second diode, an anode of the first diode connected through a ground capacitor to ground, a cathode of the first diode connected to a second late of the input capacitor and to an anode of the second diode, and a cathode of the second diode providing an output of the stage;

wherein the output of each stage is connected to the anode of the first diode of a next stage, and

converting the combined signal to the DC signal using the voltage multiplier and rectifier circuit further comprises;

taking the DC signal as a DC output of the multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier at an output of a last stage of multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier.

15. An apparatus comprising:

an electrical load;

a battery system feeding the load, wherein the battery system includes one or more batteries;

a voltage multiplier and rectifier system configured to recharge the one or more batteries of the battery system and configured as a multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier to convert a radio frequency (RF) signal to a direct current (DC) output;

a receiver connected to feed power to the voltage multiplier and rectifier system, the receiver including;

an array of RF sensors wherein;

each RF sensor includes an antenna array tile comprising a plurality of low noise amplifiers configured using an H-tree technique in a flat panel, wafer scale antenna array to provide spatial power combining and beam forming of the RF signal; and

the array of RF sensors is integrated so that the array tiles operate as a beam forming array; and

an RF transmitter, including an array of transmitters, configured to transmit the RF signal wherein;

each transmitter of the array of transmitters includes one or more antenna array tiles, each antenna array tile comprising a plurality of power amplifiers configured using an H-tree technique in a second flat panel, wafer scale antenna array to provide spatial power combining and beam forming of the RF signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the array of sensors is arranged in a flat panel configuration.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the array of sensors has side dimension less than 2.0 meters.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each stage of the multi-stage voltage doubler and rectifier comprises:

an input capacitor having a first plate connected to an input of the voltage multiplier and rectifier system that is connected to the receiver;

a pair of diodes connected in series, including a first diode and a second diode, an anode of the first diode connected through a ground capacitor to ground, a cathode of the first diode connected to a second plate of the input capacitor and to an anode of the second diode, and a cathode of the second diode providing an output of the stage;

wherein the output of each stage is connected to the anode of the first diode of a next stage, and

the DC output of the voltage multiplier and rectifier system is taken at an output of a last stage.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein at least two of the array tiles are integrated into a flat panel, wafer scale antenna array.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

each sensor includes a receiver and at least one array tile; and

the array of sensors is integrated into a flat panel, wafer scale antenna array.