Method and system for energy reclamation and reuse

• US 6,882,128 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2000
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leidos, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
• Inventors: Rahmel, Ronald S., Gerace, Gerald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/670,613
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.1, 455/343.2, 455/343.3, 455/572, 455/573, 455/343.5, 320/101, 320/102, 320/124, 320/127, 320/137, 320/138, 343/702, 343/720
• US Class Current: 320/101
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for harvesting ambient electromagnetic energy, and more particularly, to the integration of antennas and electronics for harvesting ubiquitous radio frequency (RF) energy, transforming such electromagnetic energy into electrical power, and storing such power for usage with a wide range of electrical/electronic circuits and modules.

Claims

1. A method for harvesting and utilizing electromagnetic energy, comprising:

receiving ambient electromagnetic energy;

converting the ambient electromagnetic energy into DC electrical power;

charging a power storage component with the DC electrical power, the power storage component comprises a N×

M array of battery micro-cells, N and M are natural numbers;

providing a device power source for powering an electrical device; and

drawing power from the power storage component to power the electrical device, the drawing power from the power storage component to power the electrical device includes;

determining a charged P×

Q sub-array of the N×

M array of battery micro-cells, P and Q are natural numbers less than N and M, respectively; and

drawing power from the charged P×

Q sub-array to power the electrical device.

2. The method of claim 1, the charging the power storage component with the DC electrical power comprises includes:

charging at least one remaining micro-cell of battery in the N×

M array that is not in the charged P×

Q sub-array;

substituting the P×

Q sub-array with the at least one remaining micro-cell of battery once the P×

Q sub array is depleted of power; and

charging the depleted P×

Q sub-array with the DC electrical power.

3. The method of claim 2, the drawing power from the power storage component to power the electrical device further includes:

drawing power from the at least one remaining charged micro-cell of battery to power the electrical device.