Wireless energy transfer across variable distances using field shaping with magnetic materials to improve the coupling factor

• US 8,669,676 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Karalis, Aristeidis, Kurs, Andre B., Campanella, Andrew J., Kulikowski, Konrad J., Hall, Katherine L., Soljacic, Marin, Kesler, Morris P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAPLAN, HAL IRA
• Application Number:
  US12/650,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20120153738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 : using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 : using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 : involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 : involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 : with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 : Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a method and system comprising a first resonator coupled to an energy source generating a field having magnetic material, and a second resonator located a variable distance from the source resonator having magnetic material and not connected by any wire or shared magnetic material to the first resonator, where the source resonator and the second resonator are coupled to provide near-field wireless energy transfer among the source resonator and the second resonator, and where the field of at least one of the source resonator and the second resonator is shaped using magnetic materials to increase the coupling factor among the resonators.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a source resonator coupled to an energy source generating a field having magnetic material; and

a second resonator located a variable distance from the source resonator having magnetic material and not connected by any wire or shared magnetic material to the source resonator, wherein the source resonator and the second resonator are coupled to provide near-field wireless energy transfer among the source resonator and the second resonator;

wherein the field of at least one of the source resonator and the second resonator is shaped using magnetic materials to increase the coupling factor among the resonators.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the distance between the resonators is greater than 5 cm.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the distance between the resonators is greater than 10 cm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the distance between the resonators is larger than the characteristic size of the smaller of the source resonator and the second resonator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each resonator comprises an electrical conductor shaped into one or more loops wound in substantially a single plane circumscribing a substantially planar area.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the loops of the electrical conductors of each of the source and second resonators are in substantially the same plane.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein a line drawn from the center of the source resonator to the center of the second resonator is substantially normal to the circumscribed planar area of each resonator.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein a line drawn from the center of the source resonator to the center of the second resonator is substantially parallel to the circumscribed planar area of each resonator.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein a line drawn from the center of the source resonator to the center of the second resonator forms a different angle to the planar area circumscribed by the source resonator than to the circumscribed planar area of the second resonator.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the resonators has a quality factor, Q, greater than 100.

11. A method, comprising:

providing a source resonator coupled to an energy source generating a field having magnetic material; and

providing a second resonator located a variable distance from the source resonator having magnetic material and not connected by any wire or shared magnetic material to the source resonator,

wherein the source resonator and the second resonator are coupled to provide near-field wireless energy transfer among the source resonator and the second resonator;

wherein the field of at least one of the source resonator and the second resonator is shaped using magnetic materials to increase the coupling factor among the resonators.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the distance between the resonators is greater than 5 cm.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the distance between the resonators is greater than 10 cm.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the distance between the resonators is larger than the characteristic size of the smaller of the source resonator and the second resonator.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each resonator comprises an electrical conductor shaped into one or more loops wound in substantially a single plane circumscribing a substantially planar area.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the loops of the electrical conductors of each of the source and second resonators are in substantially the same plane.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a line drawn from the center of the first resonator to the center of the second resonator is substantially normal to the circumscribed planar area of each resonator.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a line drawn from the center of the source resonator to the center of the second resonator is substantially parallel to the circumscribed planar area of each resonator.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a line drawn from the center of the source resonator to the center of the second resonator forms a different angle to the surface area circumscribed by the source resonator than to the circumscribed planar area of the second resonator.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the resonators has a quality factor, Q, greater than 100.