Integrated rectifier and boost converter for boosting voltage received from wireless power transmission waves

• US 9,800,172 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Original Assignee: Energous Corporation
• Inventors: Leabman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/584,939
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0022 the disturbance parameters being input voltage fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/05 Capacitor coupled rectifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/066 particular circuits having a special characteristic
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/08 arranged for operation in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A novel integrated rectifier and boost converter circuit architecture is disclosed. The rectifier architecture includes a plurality of identical half-bridge rectifiers connected to receiving antennas to convert wireless AC power into DC power. The integrated rectifier may be coupled in series with a charging inductor in a boost converter. The inductor may discharge upon operation of two micro-controller-driven switching transistors using predetermined threshold and timing scheme to turn on/off. The rectifier architecture may provide high power densities, improve efficiency at larger load currents, and may be enabled in an integrated circuit with eight RF signal inputs, eight half-bridge rectifiers, and eight DC outputs ganged together as single feed into the boost converter. The rectifier circuit topology may include a comparator driven by the boost controller with a proprietary algorithm which suits control for a maximum power point tracking functionality, and an external micro-controller for additional control of the boost converter.

Claims

1. A wireless power receiver comprising:

a controller coupled with a comparator;

a rectifier coupled to an antenna of the wireless power receiver, the rectifier being configured to rectify energy from wireless power transmission waves received by the antenna into a first voltage;

a boost converter coupled to the rectifier, the boost converter being configured to increase the first voltage to a second voltage based on instructions from the controller; and

the controller configured to control an amount of increase in voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on a comparison, performed by the comparator, of the first voltage with a reference voltage generated by the controller.

2. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless power receiver is coupled with an electronic device; and

the amount of increase in voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage is controlled by the controller based also at least in part on a power level required by the electronic device.

3. The wireless power receiver of claim 2, wherein the electronic device houses the wireless power receiver.

4. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the antenna receives the wireless power transmission waves from a remote wireless power transmitter.

5. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transmission waves are radio frequency power transmission waves.

6. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller is a microcontroller.

7. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein:

the antenna is one of a plurality of antennas; and

the rectifier is one a plurality of rectifiers, and each of the plurality of rectifiers, including the rectifier, is configured to rectify energy from wireless power transmission waves received by the plurality of antennas into the first voltage.

8. The wireless power receiver of claim 7, wherein:

the wireless power receiver is coupled with an electronic device; and

a number of rectifiers is included in the plurality of rectifiers so as to supply a power level power required by the electronic device.

9. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, further comprising an inductor coupled to the rectifier, the inductor being configured to:

receive the first voltage from the rectifier, and

provide the second voltage to an output terminal of the boost converter.

10. The wireless power receiver of claim 9, wherein:

the wireless power receiver further comprises a plurality of transistors coupled to the inductor and the controller; and

the controller is configured to control the amount of increase in voltage by controlling the plurality of transistors.

11. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein:

the energy rectified by the rectifier is an alternating current; and

the antenna is configured to convert energy from the wireless power transmission waves into the alternating current.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a wireless power receiver, comprising;

a controller coupled with a comparator;

a rectifier coupled to an antenna of the wireless power receiver, the rectifier being configured to rectify energy from wireless power transmission waves received by the antenna into a first voltage;

a boost converter coupled to the rectifier, the boost converter being configured to increase the first voltage to a second voltage based on instructions from the controller; and

the controller configured to control an amount of increase in voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on a comparison, performed by the comparator, of the first voltage with a reference voltage generated by the controller.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the amount of increase in voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage is controlled by the controller based also at least in part on a power level required by the electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the electronic device houses the wireless power receiver.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the antenna receives the wireless power transmission waves from a remote wireless power transmitter.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the wireless power transmission waves are radio frequency power transmission waves.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is a microcontroller.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the wireless power receiver further comprises an inductor coupled to the rectifier, the inductor being configured to:

receive the first voltage from the rectifier, and

provide the second voltage to an output terminal of the boost converter.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein:

the wireless power receiver further comprises a plurality of transistors coupled to the inductor and the controller; and

the controller is configured to control the amount of increase in voltage by controlling the plurality of transistors.

20. A method of receiving wireless power from a remote wireless power transmitter, the method comprising:

at a wireless power receiver having a controller coupled with a comparator, an antenna, a rectifier coupled with the antenna, and a boost converter coupled with the rectifier;

rectifying, by the rectifier, energy from wireless power transmission waves received by the antenna into a first voltage;

increasing, by the boost converter, the first voltage to a second voltage based on instructions from the controller; and

controlling, by the controller, an amount of increase in voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on a comparison, performed by the comparator, of the first voltage with a reference voltage generated by the controller.