Wireless power transmission apparatus using near field focusing

• US 9,013,068 B2
• Filed: 12/25/2010
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ryu, Young Ho, Park, Eun Seok, Kwon, Sang Wook, Hong, Young Tack, Kim, Nam Yun
• Primary Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/978,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,578 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

A wireless power transmission apparatus using near field focusing is provided. The wireless power transmission apparatus may include a source unit including a source resonator that transmits power wirelessly to a target apparatus, and a near field focusing unit to focus a near field of a magnetic field radiated in an omni-direction from the source resonator onto the target apparatus.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission apparatus, comprising:

a source resonator disposed between a substrate and a material and configured to transmit wireless power through a magnetic field to a target apparatus;

the substrate; and

the material, having a High Impedance Surface (HIS) based on a resonance frequency of the source resonator, wherein

the substrate and the material are configured to focus a near field of the magnetic field onto the target apparatus, the magnetic field being radiated in an omni-direction from the source resonator.

2. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a meta-superstrate that has a negative refractive index.

3. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a Mu Near Zero (MNZ) superstrate or Epsilon Near Zero (ENZ) superstrate that has a beam forming characteristic.

4. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field of the source resonator has a resonance frequency that is in phase with a resonance frequency of the substrate.

5. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material comprises a U-shaped element comprising:

a side portion configured to control a direction of a side magnetic field of the source resonator; and

a rear surface portion configured to control a direction of a rear surface magnetic field of the source resonator.

6. A source resonator configured to increase wireless energy transmission efficiency, the source resonator comprising:

a resonator disposed between a substrate and a material and configured to wirelessly transmit a power signal to a target resonator through a magnetic field;

the substrate; and

the material that has a High Impedance Surface (HIS) based on a resonance frequency of the source unit, wherein

the substrate and the material are configured to focus a near field of the magnetic field in a direction of a target resonator such that incident waves of the power signal that are not travelling in the direction of the target resonator are redirected towards the target resonator.

7. The source resonator of claim 6, wherein the substrate comprises a meta-superstrate that has a negative refractive index that enables the incident waves to be redirected towards the target resonator.

8. The source resonator of claim 6, wherein the substrate comprises a Mu Near Zero (MNZ) superstrate or Epsilon Near Zero (ENZ) superstrate that has a beam forming characteristic that enables the incident waves to be redirected towards the target resonator.

9. The source resonator of claim 6, further comprising a material operating at a resonance frequency that is in phase with a resonance frequency of the substrate.

10. The source resonator of claim 9, wherein the material comprises a side portion configured to control a direction of a side magnetic field of the source unit, and a rear surface portion configured to control a direction of a rear surface magnetic field of the source unit.

11. The source resonator of claim 6, further comprising a metal conductor configured to adjust a strength of the magnetic field of the source resonator via impedance matching.

12. The source resonator of claim 11, wherein the metal conductor is further configured to adjust the impedance of the source resonator by changing a physical shape of a circuit that the metal conductor is part of.

13. The source resonator of claim 12, wherein the metal conductor is configured to change the physical shape of the circuit that the metal conductor is part of based on a control signal generated by a controller.

14. The source resonator of claim 13, further comprising a ground conducting portion, wherein the metal conductor is configured to adjust a distance between a conductor portion of the circuit and a ground conducting portion based on the control signal.