System for transferring energy wirelessly

• US 8,536,738 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Bella, Valter
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARRIES, DRU M
• Application Number:
  US13/319,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries

Abstract

There is disclosed a system for transferring energy wirelessly by an evanescent electromagnetic field. The system includes a housing including electrically conducting walls defining a space and an injector configured to inject electromagnetic waves into the space. A wall of the housing is configured to be placed adjacent to an electromagnetic energy reception device and includes one or more apertures. The frequency of the electromagnetic waves is lower than the cutoff frequency of the housing, and the one or more apertures have a size smaller than the waves wavelength so that an evanescent electromagnetic field is emitted from the one or more apertures of the wall and may reach the energy reception device.

Claims

1. System for transferring energy wirelessly comprising:

a housing including a plurality of housing walls defining a space, at least a wall of said housing configured to be placed adjacent to an electromagnetic energy reception device,

an oscillator configured to generate an electrical signal, and

an injector configured to receive the electrical signal supplied by said oscillator, and configured to inject electromagnetic waves into said space,

wherein a cutoff frequency and a cutoff wavelength are associated with said housing,

wherein

said walls are electrically conducting walls,

a frequency of the electromagnetic waves is lower than said cutoff frequency, and

said wall comprises at least one aperture,

wherein said at least one aperture has a size smaller than a wavelength of the electromagnetic waves so that an evanescent electromagnetic field is emitted from said at least one aperture.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein said wall comprises a plurality of apertures adjacent to each other, wherein each of said apertures has a size smaller than said wavelength of the electromagnetic waves so that an evanescent electromagnetic field is emitted from said apertures.

3. System according to claim 1, wherein a shape of said at least one aperture is hexagonal.

4. System according to claim 1, wherein said frequency of the electromagnetic waves is at least ten times lower than said cutoff frequency.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein the size of said at least one aperture is at least ten times smaller than said wavelength of the electromagnetic waves.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein said frequency of the electromagnetic waves is smaller than 100 KHz.

7. System according to claim 2, wherein said apertures have a size between 1 millimeter and 3 centimeters and a distance between adjacent apertures between 0.5 millimeters and 5 millimeters.

8. System according to claim 2, wherein said apertures are equally spaced over said wall.

9. System according to claim 1, wherein said injector comprises at least one coil located inside said space and said oscillator is connected to said at least one coil for providing electric energy thereto.

10. System according to claim 9, wherein said coil is spaced apart from said housing walls.

11. System according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for detecting whether an object is leant on said wall.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein said at least one detecting sensor is a weight sensor.

13. System according to claim 9, further comprising a control unit connected to said oscillator and to said at least one detecting sensor, and configured to control the electric energy provided to said at least one coil in relation to signals received from said at least one detecting sensor.

14. System according to claim 1, comprising a measuring sensor configured to measure the emitted evanescent electromagnetic field.

15. System according to claim 9, comprising a measuring sensor configured to measure the emitted evanescent electromagnetic field, wherein said measuring sensor is a current sensor connected to said oscillator in such a way as to measure its electric energy consumption.

16. System according to claim 14, further comprising control unit connected to said oscillator and to said measuring sensor, and configured to control the emitted evanescent electromagnetic field in relation to signals received from said measuring sensor.

17. System according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm device configured to signal when the emitted evanescent electromagnetic field is below a predetermined lower threshold and/or is above a predetermined upper threshold.