WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER WITH HIGH-Q SUB-WAVELENGTH RESONATORS

• US 20100123355A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Karalis, Aristeidis, Soljacic, Marin, Joannopoulos, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,400,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• 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 9/04 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0064 Magnetic structures combining different functions, e.g. storage, filtering or transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Described herein are embodiments of transferring electromagnetic energy that includes a first electromagnetic resonator structure receiving energy from an external power supply, said first resonator structure may have a first mode with a resonant frequency ω₁, an intrinsic loss rate Γ₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω₁L₁/R_{1 ohm}+R_{1 rad}). A second electromagnetic resonator structure being positioned distal from said first resonator structure and not electrically wired to the first resonator structure, said second resonator structure having a second mode with a resonant frequency ω₂, an intrinsic loss rate Γ₂, and a second Q-factor Q₂=ω₂L₂/(R_{2 ohm}+R_{2 rad}). The electromagnetic energy may be transferred from said first resonator structure to said second resonator structure over a distance D that is smaller than each of the resonant wavelengths λ₁ and λ₂ corresponding to the resonant frequencies ω₁ and ω₂, respectively, where the characteristic sizes of the resonator structures are less than the resonant wavelengths and where Q1>100, Q2>100, R_{1 ohm}>R_{1 rad}, and R_{2 ohm}>R_{2 rad}.

Claims

1. A system of transferring electromagnetic energy comprising:

a first electromagnetic resonator structure receiving energy from an external power supply, said first resonator structure having a first mode with a resonant frequency ω

₁, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω

₁L₁/(R_{1 ohm}+R_{1 rad});

a second electromagnetic resonator structure being positioned distal from said first resonator structure and not electrically wired to the first resonator structure, said second resonator structure having a second mode with a resonant frequency ω

₂, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₂, and a second Q-factor Q₂=ω

₂L₂/(R_{2 ohm}+R_{2 rad}); and

wherein electromagnetic energy is transferred from said first resonator structure to said second resonator structure over a distance D that is smaller than each of the resonant wavelengths λ

₁ and λ

₂ corresponding to the resonant frequencies ω

₁ and ω

₂, respectively,

wherein the characteristic sizes of the resonator structures are less than the resonant wavelengths and where Q1>

100, Q2>

100, R_{1 ohm}>

R_{1 rad}, and R_{2 ohm}>

R_{2 rad}.

2. A method of transferring electromagnetic energy comprising:

providing a first electromagnetic resonator structure receiving energy from an external power supply, said first resonator structure having a first mode with a resonant frequency ω

₁, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω

₁L₁/(R_{1 ohm}+R_{1 rad});

providing a second electromagnetic resonator structure being positioned distal from said first resonator structure and not electrically wired to the first resonator structure, said second resonator structure having a second mode with a resonant frequency ω

₂, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₂, and a second Q-factor Q₂=ω

₂L₂/(R_{2 ohm}+R_{2 rad}); and

transferring electromagnetic energy from said first resonator structure to said second resonator structure over a distance D that is smaller than each of the resonant wavelengths λ

₁ and λ

₂ corresponding to the resonant frequencies ω

₁ and ω

₂, respectively,

wherein the characteristic sizes of the resonator structures are less than the resonant wavelengths and where Q1>

100, Q2>

100, R_{1 ohm}>

R_{1 rad}, and R_{2 ohm}>

R_{2 rad}.