Battery and battery set capable of extracting energy wirelessly

• US 10,848,007 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2018
• Issued: 11/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tlhm Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Tlhm Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Nai-Chen, Tay, Yong-Keong, Chang, Chia-Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cavallari, Daniel J
• Application Number:
  US16/231,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20200021140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes a housing, and a wireless energy extracting device installed in the housing. The wireless energy extracting device includes: an RF generator module for wirelessly receiving an RF charging signal to generate electrical energy; a capacitor module; and an energy management module coupled to the RF generator module and the capacitor module, adapted to be coupled further to an energy consuming device, and performing electrical energy transfer from at least the RF generator module to at least the energy consuming device. Therefore, the battery has relatively low electrical energy loss and thus relatively high energy usage efficiency, and can be charged even if the battery is installed in the energy consuming device.

Claims

1. A battery comprising a housing, and a wireless energy extracting device installed in said housing, said wireless energy extracting device including:

a radio frequency (RF) generator module for wirelessly receiving an RF charging signal to generate electrical energy;

a capacitor module including a capacitor electrode unit that is exposed from said housing, and that is adapted to be coupled to a capacitor electrode unit of an additional one of said battery such that said capacitor module is coupled to a capacitor module of the additional one of said battery in parallel; and

an energy management module coupled to said RF generator module and said capacitor module, including an output electrode unit that is exposed from said housing and that is adapted to be coupled to an energy consuming device, and performing electrical energy transfer among said RF generator module, said capacitor module and the energy consuming device;

when said energy management module determines that output power of said RF generator module is greater than or equal to power required by the energy consuming device, said energy management module operating in a first state where electrical energy transfer from said RF generator module to at least the energy consuming device is performed;

when said energy management module determines that the output power of said RF generator module is smaller than the power required by the energy consuming device, said energy management module operating in a second state where electrical energy transfer from said RF generator module and said capacitor module to the energy consuming device is performed.

2. The battery of claim 1, wherein said energy management module further includes:

a capacitor control unit coupled to said capacitor module, detecting a residual electric quantity of said capacitor module, and operable to cause said capacitor module to perform one of storing electrical energy and releasing electrical energy stored therein; and

a transfer control unit coupled to said RF generator module, said capacitor control unit and said output electrode unit, performing electrical energy transfer among said RF generator module, said capacitor control unit and the energy consuming device, and controlling operation of said capacitor control unit;

said transfer control unit cooperating with said capacitor control unit to perform the electrical energy transfer of any of the first and second states;

the electrical energy transfer of the second state being performed when said transfer control unit determines that the output power of said RF generator module is smaller than the power required by the energy consuming device while the detected residual electric quantity of said capacitor module is greater than or equal to a lower limit value.

3. The battery of claim 2, wherein:

said output electrode unit includes a positive output electrode that is coupled to said transfer control unit and that is adapted to be coupled further to the energy consuming device, and a negative output electrode that is adapted to be coupled to the energy consuming device;

said energy management module further includes a load detection unit coupled to said positive and negative output electrodes, to said capacitor control unit and to said transfer control unit;

when said load detection unit detects that there is a load to receive electrical energy, said energy management module enters an active mode where said transfer control unit cooperates with said capacitor control unit to perform the electrical energy transfer of any of the first and second states;

when said load detection unit detects that there is no load to receive electrical energy, said energy management module enters an inactive mode where said transfer control unit cooperates with said capacitor control unit to perform electrical energy transfer from said RF generator module to said capacitor module.

4. The battery of claim 3, wherein said energy management module further includes a protection unit that is coupled between said negative output electrode and said transfer control unit, that allows current flow from said negative output electrode to said transfer control unit therethrough, and that prevents current flow from said transfer control unit to said negative output electrode therethrough.

5. The battery of claim 3, wherein, in the first state,

electrical energy transfer from said RF generator module to the energy consuming device and said capacitor module is performed when said transfer control unit determines that the output power of said RF generator module is greater than the power required by the energy consuming device while the detected residual electric quantity of said capacitor module is smaller than a saturation threshold, and

electrical energy transfer from said RF generator module to the energy consuming device is performed otherwise.

6. The battery of claim 3, wherein:

said housing is rod shaped;

said capacitor electrode unit includes a number (M) of positive capacitor electrodes and a number (N) of negative capacitor electrodes, which are arranged at intervals along an axis of said housing, and which are exposed from a peripheral surface of said housing, where M≥

1 and N≥

1;

said positive and negative output electrodes are respectively exposed from two opposite end surfaces of said housing.

7. The battery of claim 6, wherein each of said positive and negative capacitor electrodes is ring shaped, and has an outer surface exposed from said peripheral surface of said housing.

8. The battery of claim 6, wherein M≥

2 and N≥

2.

9. A battery set comprising a main battery and a number (P) of auxiliary batteries, where P≥

1;

said main battery including a first housing, and a first wireless energy extracting device installed in said first housing, said first wireless energy extracting device including

a first radio frequency (RF) generator module for wirelessly receiving an RF charging signal to generate electrical energy,

a first capacitor module including a first capacitor electrode unit exposed from said first housing, and

a first energy management module coupled to said first RF generator module and said first capacitor module, including a first output electrode unit that is exposed from said first housing and that is adapted to be coupled to an energy consuming device, and performing electrical energy transfer among said first RF generator module, said first capacitor module and the energy consuming device,

when said first energy management module determines that output power of said first RF generator module is greater than or equal to power required by the energy consuming device, said first energy management module operating in a first state where electrical energy transfer from said first RF generator module to at least the energy consuming device is performed,

when said first energy management module determines that the output power of said first RF generator module is smaller than the power required by the energy consuming device, said first energy management module operating in a second state where electrical energy transfer from said first RF generator module and said first capacitor module to the energy consuming device is performed;

each of said auxiliary batteries including a second housing, and a second wireless energy extracting device installed in said second housing, said second wireless energy extracting device including

a second RF generator module for wirelessly receiving the RF charging signal to generate electrical energy,

a second capacitor module including a second capacitor electrode unit that is exposed from said second housing, and that is coupled to said first capacitor electrode unit such that said second capacitor module is coupled to said first capacitor module in parallel, and

a second energy management module coupled to said second RF generator module and said second capacitor module, and performing electrical energy transfer from said second RF generator module to said second capacitor module.

10. The battery set of claim 9, wherein said main battery and said auxiliary batteries are arranged side by side.

11. The battery set of claim 10, wherein P=2, and said auxiliary batteries are respectively disposed at two opposite sides of said main battery.

12. The battery set of claim 10, wherein P=2, and said auxiliary batteries are disposed at a same side of said main battery.

13. The battery set of claim 9, wherein said main battery and said auxiliary batteries are arranged tandem.

14. The battery set of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of conductive elements, wherein:

said first capacitor electrode unit includes a first positive capacitor electrode and a first negative capacitor electrode;

said second capacitor electrode unit of each of said auxiliary batteries includes a second positive capacitor electrode and a second negative capacitor electrode;

through said conductive elements, said first and second positive capacitor electrodes of said main and auxiliary batteries are coupled to one another, and said first and second negative capacitor electrodes of said main and auxiliary batteries are coupled to one another.

15. The battery set of claim 9, wherein said first energy management module further includes:

a first capacitor control unit coupled to said first capacitor module, detecting a residual electric quantity of said first capacitor module, and operable to cause said first capacitor module to perform one of storing electrical energy and releasing electrical energy stored therein; and

a first transfer control unit coupled to said first RF generator module, said first capacitor control unit and said first output electrode unit, performing electrical energy transfer among said first RF generator module, said first capacitor control unit and the energy consuming device, and controlling operation of said first capacitor control unit;

said first transfer control unit cooperating with said first capacitor control unit to perform the electrical energy transfer of any of the first and second states;

the electrical energy transfer of the second state being performed when said first transfer control unit determines that the output power of said first RF generator module is smaller than the power required by the energy consuming device while the detected residual electric quantity of said first capacitor module is greater than or equal to a lower limit value.

16. The battery set of claim 15, wherein:

in the first state,

electrical energy transfer from said first RF generator module to the energy consuming device and said first capacitor module is performed when said first transfer control unit determines that the output power of said first RF generator module is greater than the power required by the energy consuming device while the detected residual electric quantity of said first capacitor module is smaller than a saturation threshold, and

electrical energy transfer from said first RF generator module to the energy consuming device is performed otherwise;

for each of said auxiliary batteries, said second energy management module

detects a residual electric quantity of said second capacitor module, and

performs the electrical energy transfer from said second RF generator module to said second capacitor module when said second energy management module determines that the detected residual electric quantity of said second capacitor module is smaller than the saturation threshold.

17. The battery set of claim 15, wherein:

P=1;

said first output electrode unit includes a first positive output electrode that is coupled to said first transfer control unit and that is adapted to be coupled further to the energy consuming device, and a first negative output electrode that is grounded;

said second energy management module includes a second output electrode unit;

said second output electrode unit includes a second positive output electrode that is coupled to said first negative output electrode, and a second negative output electrode that is grounded and that is adapted to be coupled to the energy consuming device.

18. The battery set of claim 17, wherein said first energy management module further includes a protection unit that is coupled between said first negative output electrode and said first transfer control unit, that allows current flow from said first negative output electrode to said first transfer control unit, and that prevents current flow from said first transfer control unit to said first negative output electrode.

19. The battery set of claim 15, wherein:

P≥

2;

said first output electrode unit includes a first positive output electrode that is coupled to said first transfer control unit and that is adapted to be coupled further to the energy consuming device, and a first negative output electrode that is grounded;

for each of said auxiliary batteries, said second energy management module includes a second output electrode unit, and said second output electrode unit includes a second positive output electrode, and a second negative output electrode that is grounded;

said second positive output electrode of a first one of said auxiliary batteries is coupled to said first negative output electrode;

said second positive output electrode of a p^th one of said auxiliary batteries is coupled to said second negative output electrode of a (p−

1)^th one of said auxiliary batteries, where 2≤

p≤

P;

said second negative output electrode of a P^th one of said auxiliary batteries is adapted to be coupled to the energy consuming device.