Method of operating a system having a substrate configured to facilitate through-metal energy transfer via near field magnetic coupling

• US 10,868,444 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2017
• Issued: 12/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nucurrent, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nucurrent, Inc.
• Inventors: Peralta, Alberto, Alam, Md. Nazmul, Singh, Vinit, Alizad, Sina Haji
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L
• Application Number:
  US15/836,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20180166921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/348 Preventing eddy currents
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/361 made of combinations of electrically conductive material and ferromagnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/366 made of ferromagnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 : Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0084 : comprising a single continuous metallic layer on an electrically insulating supporting structure, e.g. metal foil, film, plating coating, electro-deposition, vapour-deposition

Abstract

An electrically conductive material configured having at least one opening of various unlimited geometries extending through its thickness is provided. The opening is designed to modify eddy currents that form within the surface of the material from interaction with magnetic fields that allow for wireless energy transfer therethrough. The opening may be configured as a cut-out, a slit or combination thereof that extends through the thickness of the electrically conductive material. The electrically conductive material is configured with the cut-out and/or slit pattern positioned adjacent to an antenna configured to receive or transmit electrical energy wirelessly through near-field magnetic coupling (NFMC). A magnetic field shielding material, such as a ferrite, may also be positioned adjacent to the antenna. Such magnetic shielding materials may be used to strategically block eddy currents from electrical components and circuitry located within a device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a system to transmit wireless electrical energy, the method comprising:

a) providing a system, comprising;

i) a transmitting antenna comprising at least one transmitting inductor coil;

ii) a receiving antenna spaced from the transmitting antenna, the receiving antenna comprising at least one receiving inductor coil positioned on a first substrate, the at least one receiving inductor coil having an inner inductor coil diameter;

iii) a second substrate having a second substrate surface extending to a second substrate perimeter with an end defining a second substrate surface area and having a second substrate thickness oriented about perpendicular to the second substrate surface, wherein the second substrate is positioned adjacent to the at least one receiving inductor coil;

iv) a cut-out residing within the second substrate surface area, the cut-out having a cut-out perimeter defining a cut-out shape oriented parallel to the second substrate surface, the cut-out extending through the second substrate thickness, wherein the cut-out perimeter is aligned in parallel with the inner inductor coil diameter of the at least one receiving inductor coil; and

v) at least one slit having a slit length extending from a slit proximal end to a slit distal end, a slit width oriented perpendicular to the slit length, and a slit depth extending at least partially within the second substrate thickness, wherein the slit proximal end extends from the cut-out perimeter, the slit distal end extending towards a second substrate edge; and

b) selecting an operating frequency so that an incident magnetic field generated by the transmitting antenna is received by the receiving antenna so that an electrical energy is captured by the receiving antenna.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the slit depth extends through the second substrate thickness.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the cut-out shape in a geometric shape selected from a group consisting of a circle, an oval, a rectangle, a square, a triangle, an octagon, and a polygon.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second substrate is composed of an electrically conducting material.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the cut-out and the at least one slit to define a cut-out pattern area according to the equation;

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the length of the at least one slit ranges from about 1 mm to about 50 mm.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the width of the at least one slit ranges from about 1 mm to about 5 mm.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the slit distal end of the at least one slit resides at the second substrate edge.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the slit distal end of the at least one slit extends through the second substrate edge.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna are configured to transmit and receive wireless electrical energy via near field magnetic coupling, respectively.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein either of the transmitting antenna or the receiving antenna is electrically incorporated with an electronic device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the electronic device is selected from a group consisting of a cellular phone, a computer, a radio, a television, a medical device, and a device that comprises an electronic circuit.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the second substrate comprises a sidewall of an electronic device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a gap resides between the at least one receiving inductor coil and the second substrate.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the gap ranges from about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a spacer comprising a polymeric material resides between the at least one receiving inductor coil and the second substrate.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first substrate of the receiving antenna comprises a ferrite material.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the ferrite material has a loss tangent equal to or less than about 0.70.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein an opening extends through a thickness of the first substrate of the receiving antenna, the at least one receiving inductor coil positioned surrounding the opening.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the first substrate of the receiving antenna comprises an overhang portion that circumferentially extends around an outer diameter of the at least one receiving inductor coil.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the receiving and transmitting antennas comprise a self resonance frequency that is equal to or greater than 1.5 times an antenna operating frequency.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the antenna operating frequency ranges from about 1 kHz to about 1 GHz.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein a third substrate comprising an electrically conductive material is positioned adjacent to a surface of the first substrate of the receiving antenna opposite the at least one receiving inductor coil.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the third substrate comprises copper, nickel, aluminum, or a combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the cut-out and the at least one receiving inductor coil are aligned so that an imaginary line oriented perpendicular therebetween extends through the cut-out perimeter and the inner inductor coil diameter of the at least one receiving inductor coil.