WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER SYSTEMS FOR SURFACES
First Claim
1. A wireless energy transfer source, comprising:
- at least two source resonators electrically connected in parallel and configured so that during operation, the at least two source resonators can each transfer energy wirelessly via an oscillating magnetic field to a device resonator; and
a power source coupled to a first tunable element and to each of the at least two source resonators, and configured so that during operation, the power source provides a supply of electrical current,wherein each of the at least two source resonators has a nominal impedance when a device resonator is not positioned on or near any of the at least two source resonators, the nominal impedances of each of the at least two source resonators varying by 10% or less from one another; and
wherein the at least two source resonators are configured so that during operation of the wireless energy transfer source, when a device resonator is positioned on or near a first one of the at least two source resonators;
the impedance of the first source resonator is reduced such that the reduced impedance of the first source resonator is smaller than the nominal impedances of each of the other resonators by a factor of 2 or more; and
the first source resonator draws electrical current from the power source.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure features wireless energy transfer sources that include at least two source resonators and a power source, where: each of the at least two source resonators has a nominal impedance when a device resonator is not positioned on or near any of the at least two source resonators, the nominal impedances of each of the at least two source resonators varying by 10% or less from one another; and the at least two source resonators are configured so that during operation of the wireless energy transfer source, when a device resonator is positioned on or near a first one of the at least two source resonators: (a) the impedance of the first source resonator is reduced to a value smaller than the nominal impedances of each of the other resonators by a factor of 2 or more.
17 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A wireless energy transfer source, comprising:
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at least two source resonators electrically connected in parallel and configured so that during operation, the at least two source resonators can each transfer energy wirelessly via an oscillating magnetic field to a device resonator; and a power source coupled to a first tunable element and to each of the at least two source resonators, and configured so that during operation, the power source provides a supply of electrical current, wherein each of the at least two source resonators has a nominal impedance when a device resonator is not positioned on or near any of the at least two source resonators, the nominal impedances of each of the at least two source resonators varying by 10% or less from one another; and wherein the at least two source resonators are configured so that during operation of the wireless energy transfer source, when a device resonator is positioned on or near a first one of the at least two source resonators; the impedance of the first source resonator is reduced such that the reduced impedance of the first source resonator is smaller than the nominal impedances of each of the other resonators by a factor of 2 or more; and the first source resonator draws electrical current from the power source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for tuning a wireless power source, the method comprising:
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driving at least two source resonators with a power source coupled to a first tunable element and to each of the at least two source resonators, wherein the power source is configured to provide an electrical current supply; and in response to the positioning of a device resonator on or near a first one of the at least two source resonators, supplying electrical current to the first source resonator to wirelessly transfer power from the first resonator to the device resonator, wherein the positioning of the device resonator on or near the first source resonator reduces an impedance of the first source resonator by a factor of at least two relative to impedances of each of the other source resonators.
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18. A wireless energy transfer system comprising:
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a source comprising; at least two source resonators electrically connected in parallel; and a driving circuit coupled to a first tunable element and to each of the at least two source resonators, the driving circuit configured to provide a current supply; and a device comprising at least one device resonator coupled to a load, wherein the source is configured to transfer wireless energy via an oscillating magnetic field to the at least one device resonator; wherein a first one of the at least two source resonators draws current from the driving circuit when the device resonator is positioned on or near the first of the at least two source resonators; and wherein other resonators of the at least two source resonators are detuned when the device resonator is positioned on or near the first source resonator. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification