Wireless power system including impedance matching network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515494-B2
Application number	US-201514682516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 27, 2008
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A wireless power system for powering a television includes a source resonator, configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field, and at least one television component attached to at least one device resonator, wherein the at least one device resonator is configured to wirelessly receive power from the source resonator via the oscillating magnetic field when the distance between the source resonator and the at least one device resonator is more than 5 cm, and wherein at least one television component draws at least 10 Watts of power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A module for use in a wireless power system, the module comprising:
a resonator circuit comprising an inductive element formed by at least one loop of conductive material, the resonator circuit comprising additional circuitry electrically connected directly to the inductive element to couple power between the inductive element and an external circuit having an impedance Z 0 ,
wherein the inductive element forms a resonator with at least a portion of the additional circuitry , wherein the additional circuitry has two terminals for connecting to the external circuit, and wherein the external circuit comprises a power supply or a load,
wherein the resonator is a high-Q resonator having an intrinsic Q greater than 100 for a resonant frequency f=ω/2πbetween 10 kHz and 100 MHz, and
wherein the two terminals for connecting the additional circuitry to the external circuit are located at points that are electrically symmetric with respect to an axis defined by voltage-node points for the resonator.

2. The module of claim 1 , wherein the impedances seen between each of the two terminal points and a point on the axis are the same.

3. The module of claim 1 , wherein the module includes the external circuit and wherein the external circuit is configured to drive the two terminals with opposite voltages.

4. The module of claim 3 , wherein the external circuit comprises the power supply.

5. The module of claim 1 , wherein the additional circuitry comprises a first circuit block electrically connected directly to the inductive element to form a closed circuit with the inductive element, wherein the additional circuitry further comprises a second and third circuit blocks each electrically connected to the first circuit block and a different one of the terminals, and wherein the second and third circuit blocks each have substantially the same electrical impedance.

6. The module of claim 5 , wherein the second and third circuit blocks comprises the same circuit elements.

7. The module of claim 5 , wherein the module includes the external circuit and wherein the two terminals have voltages with equal magnitudes and opposite signs.

8. The module of claim 7 , wherein the external circuit comprises the power supply to drive the terminals to have the voltages with equal magnitudes and opposite signs.

9. The module of claim 5 , wherein the second and third circuit blocks each comprise at least one capacitive element.

10. The module of claim 9 , wherein the at least one capacitive element comprises a tunable capacitive element.

11. The module of claim 5 , wherein the second and third circuit blocks each comprise at least one inductive element.

12. The module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one inductive element comprises a tunable inductive element.

13. The module of claim 1 , wherein the resonator circuit is configured to resonantly provide power wirelessly and non-radiatively to one or more other resonator circuits, or is configured to resonantly receive power wirelessly and non-radiatively from one or more other resonator circuits.

14. A system comprising the module of claim 13 and at least one of the one or more other resonator circuits.

15. The module of claim 1 , wherein the additional circuitry is configured to minimize impedance mismatches between the inductive element and the external circuit during an operation of the module for exchanging wireless power.

16. The module of claim 15 , wherein the inductive element is wirelessly coupled to another resonator circuit during the wireless power operation.

17. The module of claim 1 , wherein the additional circuitry is configured to achieve a certain impedance relationship between the inductive element and the external circuit during an operation of the module for exchanging wireless power.

18. The module of claim 17 , wherein the inductive element is wirelessly coupled to another resonator circuit during the wireless power operation.

19. The module of claim 1 , further comprising the external circuit, and wherein the external circuit comprises a rectifier.

20. A consumer electronic device comprising the module of claim 1 , wherein the external circuit comprises a battery in the consumer electronic device and wherein the resonator is configured to receive power wirelessly to charge the battery.

21. A vehicle comprising the module of claim 1 , wherein the external circuit comprises a load in the vehicle and wherein the resonator is configured to receive power wirelessly to provide power to the load.

22. A module for use in a wireless power system, the module comprising:
a resonator circuit comprising an inductive element formed by at least one loop of conductive material, the resonator circuit comprising additional circuitry electrically connected directly to the inductive element to couple power between the inductive element and an external circuit having an impedance Z 0 ,
wherein the inductive element forms a resonator with at least a portion of the additional circuitry , wherein the additional circuitry has two terminals for connecting to the external circuit, and wherein the external circuit comprises a power supply or a load,
wherein the resonator is a high-Q resonator having an intrinsic Q greater than 100 for a resonant frequency f=ω/2πbetween 10 kHz and 100 MHz, and
wherein the additional circuitry comprises a first circuit block electrically connected directly to the inductive element to form a closed circuit with the inductive element and comprising at least one capacitive element in series with the inductive element and at least one capacitive element in parallel with the inductive element, and wherein the additional circuitry further comprises a second circuit block directly electrically connected to the first circuit block and one of the terminals, the second circuit block comprising at least one element having a reactance.

23. The module of claim 22 , wherein the additional circuitry comprises at least one element with a tunable reactance.

24. The module of claim 23 , wherein the second circuit block comprises the element with the tunable reactance.

25. The module of claim 24 , wherein the element with the tunable reactance is a tunable capacitive element.

26. The module of claim 22 , wherein the resonator circuit is configured to resonantly provide power wirelessly and non-radiatively to one or more other resonator circuits, or is configured to resonantly receive power wirelessly and non-radiatively from one or more other resonator circuits.

27. A system comprising the module of claim 26 and at least one of the one or more other resonator circuits.

28. The module of claim 22 , wherein the additional circuitry is configured to minimize impedance mismatches between the inductive element and the external circuit during an operation of the module for exchanging wireless power.

29. The module of claim 28 , wherein the inductive element is wirelessly coupled to another resonator circuit during the wireless power operation.

30. The module of claim 22 , wherein the additional circuitry is configured to achieve a certain impedance relationship between the inductive element and the external circuit during an operation of the module for exchanging wireless power.

31. The module of claim 30 , wherein the inductive element is wirelessly coupled

Assignees

• Witricity Corp

Inventors

• Kurs Andre B
• Karalis Aristeidis
• Campanella Andrew J
• Kesler Morris P

Classifications

• B60L53/126

  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 title

• B60L53/122

  Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil · CPC title

• B60L53/124

  Detection or removal of foreign bodies · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• B60L53/38

  specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer · CPC title