WIRELESS NON-RADIATIVE ENERGY TRANSFER

• US 20150048676A1
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Joannopoulos, John D., Karalis, Aristeidis, Soljacic, Marin
• Granted Patent: US 9,065,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/11
• 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 a source high-Q resonator, optionally coupled to an energy source, a second high-Q resonator, optionally coupled to an energy drain that may be located a distance from the source resonator. A third high-Q resonator, optionally coupled to an energy drain that may be located a distance from the source resonator. The source resonator and at least one of the second resonator and third resonator may be coupled to transfer electromagnetic energy from said source resonator to said at least one of the second resonator and third resonator.

Claims

1. An energy transfer method comprising:

Q₁ providing a first resonator structure receiving energy from an external power supply, said first resonator structure having a first resonant frequency ω

₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁, and characteristic size L₁,

providing a second resonator structure being positioned distal from said first resonator structure, at closest distance D, said second resonator structure having a second resonant frequency ω

₁, and a second Q-factor Q₁, and characteristic size L₂ wherein the two said frequencies ω

₁ and ω

₂ are close to within the narrower of the two resonance widths Γ

₁, and Γ

₂, and

transferring energy non-radiatively between said first resonator structure and said second resonator structure, said energy transfer being mediated through coupling of their resonant-field evanescent tails, and the rate of energy transfer between said first resonator and said second resonator being denoted by κ

,

wherein non-radiative means D is smaller than each of the resonant wavelengths λ

₁ and λ

₂, wherein c is the propagation speed of radiation in the surrounding medium.