Wireless energy transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444265-B2
Application number	US-201213477459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2012
Priority date	Jul 12, 2005
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for use in wireless energy transfer, which includes a first resonator structure configured to transfer energy non-radiatively with a second resonator structure over a distance greater than a characteristic size of the second resonator structure. The non-radiative energy transfer is mediated by a coupling of a resonant field evanescent tail of the first resonator structure and a resonant field evanescent tail of the second resonator structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy transferring system, comprising:
a source-side resonator for receiving an energy, wherein the source-side resonator has a first resonant frequency;
an intermediate resonant module having a second resonant frequency substantially the same with the first resonant frequency, wherein the energy on the source-side resonator is coupled to the intermediate resonant module, such that non-radiative energy transfer is performed between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module, and the coupling between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module corresponds to a first coupling coefficient; and
a device-side resonator having a third resonant frequency substantially the same with the second resonant frequency, wherein the energy coupled to the intermediate resonant module is further coupled to the device-side resonator, such that non-radiative energy transfer is performed between the intermediate resonant module and the device-side resonator, and the coupling between the intermediate resonant module and the device-side resonator corresponds to a second coupling coefficient;
wherein the coupling between the source-side resonator and the device-side resonator corresponds to a third coupling coefficient,
wherein the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module, and the device-side resonator are movable relative to one another, and
wherein:
the source-side resonator has a resonant frequency ω 1 , an intrinsic loss rate Γ 1 , and an intrinsic quality factor Q 1 =ω 1 /(2Γ 1 );
the device-side resonator has a resonant frequency ω 2 , an intrinsic loss rate Γ 2 , and an intrinsic quality factor Q 2 =ω 2 /(2Γ 2 );
the intermediate resonant module has a resonant frequency ω 3 , an intrinsic loss rate Γ 3 , and an intrinsic quality factor Q 3 =ω 3 /(2Γ 3 ),
the first coupling coefficient is κ 1 and the second coupling coefficient is κ 2 , and wherein the intrinsic loss rates satisfy κ 1 /√{square root over (Γ 1 Γ 3 )}>1 and κ 2 /√{square root over (Γ 3 Γ 2 )}>1 for a range of distances between the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module, and the device-side resonator.

2. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first coupling coefficient is larger than the third coupling coefficient, and the second coupling coefficient is larger than the third coupling coefficient.

3. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein magnetic energy transfer is performed between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module.

4. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein power energy transfer is performed between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module.

5. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply to provide the energy to the source-side resonator; and
a load to receive the energy from the device-side resonator,
wherein the work-drainage rate is configured to maximize the efficiency of the energy transfer from the power supply to the load.

6. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate resonant module has at least one intermediate resonator.

7. The energy transferring system according to claim 6 , wherein the intermediate resonator is a conductive coil structure with self-capacitance.

8. The energy transferring system according to claim 6 , wherein the intermediate resonator has a dielectric disk structure.

9. The energy transferring system according to claim 6 , wherein the intermediate resonator has a capacitively loaded conducting-wire coil structure.

10. The energy transferring system of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate resonant module is configured to receive energy from the source-side resonator and transfer energy to the device-side resonator.

11. The energy transferring system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second, and third coupling coefficients decreases with increasing distance between the respective two of the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module, and the device side resonator.

12. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein the range of distances includes distances between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module and distances between the device-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module that are each greater than the characteristic size of the device-side resonator.

13. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , further comprising a device having a load coupled to the device-side resonator, and wherein the power provided to the load from the device-side resonator defines a work drainage rate Γ w , and wherein the work drainage rate Γ w is configured to be set such that Γ w >Γ 2 ·√{square root over (2)} for the range of distances between the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module, and the device-side resonator.

14. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein the source-side resonator has a solenoid inductance structure.

15. The energy transferring system according to claim 1 , wherein the device-side resonator has a solenoid inductance structure.

16. An energy transferring method, comprising:
providing a source-side resonator to receive an energy;
providing an intermediate resonant module, wherein the energy on the source-side resonator is coupled to the intermediate resonant module, such that non-radiative energy transfer is performed between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module, and the coupling between the source-side resonator and the intermediate resonant module corresponds to a first coupling coefficient; and
providing the energy for coupling a device-side resonator to the intermediate resonant module, wherein the energy is further coupled to the device-side resonator, such that non-radiative energy transfer is performed between the intermediate resonant module and the device-side resonator, and the coupling between the intermediate resonant module and the device-side resonator corresponds to a second coupling coefficient, wherein:
the coupling between the source-side resonator and the device-side resonator corresponds to a third coupling coefficient,
the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module, and the device-side resonator are movable relative to one another, and
the source-side resonator has a resonant frequency ω 1 , an intrinsic loss rate Γ 1 , and an intrinsic quality factor Q 1 =ω 1 /(2Γ 1 );
the device-side resonator has a resonant frequency ω 2 , an intrinsic loss rate Γ 2 , and an intrinsic quality factor Q 2 =ω 2 /(2Γ 2 );
the intermediate resonant module has a resonant frequency ω 3 , an intrinsic loss rate Γ 3 , and an intrinsic quality factor Q 3 =ω 3 /(2Γ 3 ),
the first coupling coefficient is κ 1 and the second coupling coefficient is κ 2 , and wherein the intrinsic loss rates satisfy κ 1 /√{square root over (Γ 1 Γ 3 )}>1 and κ 2 /√{square root over (Γ 3 Γ 2 )}>1 for a range of distances between the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module, and the device-side resonator.

17. The energy transferring method according to claim 16 , wherein the source-side resonator, the intermediate resonant module and the device-side resonator respectively have a first resonant frequency, a second resonant frequency and a third resonant frequency, and the first resonant frequency, the second resonant frequency and the third resonant frequency are substantially the same.

18. The energy transferring method of cl

Assignees

• Karalis Aristeidis
• Kurs Andre B
• Moffatt Robert
• Joannopoulos John D
• Fisher Peter H
• Soljacic Marin
• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Karalis Aristeidis
• Kurs Andre B
• Moffatt Robert
• Joannopoulos John D
• Fisher Peter H
• Soljacic Marin

Classifications

• B60L2210/20

  AC to AC converters · CPC title

• H02J50/80

  involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices · CPC title

• H01Q9/04

  Resonant antennas · CPC title

• Y10T29/4902

  Electromagnet, transformer or inductor · CPC title

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title