Method and apparatus for harvesting an energy from a power cord

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018159367-A1
Application number	US-201715830538-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2017
Priority date	Dec 6, 2016
Publication date	Jun 7, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for harvesting an energy from a power cord is disclosed. A salient idea of the present principles is to adapt the antenna of a wireless tag device, so as to harvest an energy from a power cord and to power the wireless tag with the harvested energy. The disclosed principles propose to combine in a single antenna a classical antenna function of radio frequency signals reception to a new function of energy harvesting from a power cord. The harvested energy is used to power the wireless tag device or to boost the range performances of the wireless tag, through the powering of its communication circuitry.

First claim

1 . A device comprising a dipole type antenna of two arms adapted to receive a RF signal, wherein each of the two arms comprises two conductive strips adapted
to be wrapped around a power cord with a separating slot keeping the two conductive strips electrically disconnected, harvest an energy from the power cord.

2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the separating slot is short, and the two conductive strips are electromagnetically coupled.

3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two conductive strips comprises a flexible substrate.

4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to operate at a central radio frequency, each of the two conductive strips having an equal length being a quarter of a guided wavelength of the central radio frequency.

5 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an integrated circuit adapted to receive an operating energy from a modulated RF carrier captured by the dipole type antenna, the integrated circuit being further adapted to be powered by the harvested energy.

6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a wireless tag.

7 . The device according to claim 6 wherein the device is an RFID tag.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a capacitor adapted to store the harvested energy

9 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor adapted to be powered at least by the harvested energy.

10 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an impulse detector adapted to be powered at least by the harvested energy.

11 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two conductive strips have a plurality of spikes inserted in an insulating envelope of the power cord.

12 . The device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the two conductive strips have a first rectangular conductive part, the spikes originating from the first rectangular conductive part and being perpendicular to the first rectangular conductive part.

13 . The device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the two conductive strips have a first conductive part being partially cylindrical around an axis, the spikes originating from the first conductive part and being directed towards the axis.

14 . A method for powering a device comprising a dipole type antenna of two arms adapted to receive a RF signal, each of the two arms comprising two conductive strips, the method comprising:
wrapping the two conductive strips around a power cord with a separating slot keeping the two conductive strips electrically disconnected; harvesting an energy from the power cord and powering the device with the harvested energy.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the separating slot is short, and the two conductive strips are electromagnetically coupled.

Assignees

• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Louzir Ali
• Sadiq Mohammad
• Kumar Rupesh
• Le Naour Jean-Yves

Classifications

• H01Q1/46

  Electric supply lines or communication lines · CPC title

• H02J50/05 Primary

  using capacitive coupling · CPC title

• H01Q9/065

  Microstrip dipole antennas (patch antenna H01Q9/0407) · CPC title

• H01Q1/248

  provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas · CPC title

• G06K19/071

  the source being a field other than an interrogation field, e.g. WLAN, cellular phone network · CPC title