Wireless energy transfer with frequency hopping
View Patent ↗Described herein are improved capabilities for a source resonator having a Q-factor Q 1 >100 and a characteristic size x 1 coupled to an energy source, and a second resonator having a Q-factor Q 2 >100 and a characteristic size x 2 coupled to an energy drain located a distance D from the source resonator, where the source resonator and the second resonator are coupled to exchange energy wirelessly among the source resonator and the second resonator.
1. A wireless energy transfer system comprising:
a source, having at least one source magnetic resonator, each resonator having a resonant frequency;
at least one power and control circuit, coupled to a power source, and configured to energize at least one source magnetic resonator to generate an oscillating magnetic field;
a device, having at least one device magnetic resonator configured to capture said oscillating magnetic field, each device magnetic resonator having a resonant frequency;
wherein magnetic energy transferred by the source to the device is converted into electrical energy by one or more device resonators;
wherein frequency of said oscillating magnetic field of said source is varied in time in a predetermined sequence; and
wherein the resonant frequency of at least one device magnetic resonator is varied in the same said predetermined sequence as the said oscillating magnetic field.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied to prevent power transfer to unauthorized devices.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied in time to a random value within a predetermined frequency range.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied between a set of discrete frequencies.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied to any frequency in a predetermined frequency range.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined frequency range is between 1 kHz and 100 MHz.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said resonators are coupled to adjustable electrical components.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the resonant frequency of said resonators is varied by tuning at least one value of said adjustable electrical components.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein said magnetic resonators are high-Q magnetic resonators.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100 for more than one frequency.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is changed to reduce interference with other power transfer systems.
13. A wireless energy transfer system comprising:
a source, having at least one source magnetic resonator, each resonator having a resonant frequency;
at least one power and control circuit, coupled to a power source, and configured to energize at least one source magnetic resonator to generate an oscillating magnetic field;
a device, having at least one device magnetic resonator configured to capture said oscillating magnetic field, each device magnetic resonator having a resonant frequency;
wherein magnetic energy transferred by the source to the device is converted into electrical energy by one or more device resonators;
wherein frequency of said oscillating magnetic field of said source is varied in time;
wherein said oscillating magnetic field generated by the source is substantially at the resonant frequency of the energized source magnetic resonator; and
wherein different said source magnetic resonators are energized depending on the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied to prevent power transfer to unauthorized devices.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied in time to a random value within a predetermined frequency range.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied between a set of discrete frequencies.
17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied to any frequency in a predetermined frequency range.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the predetermined frequency range is between 1 kHz and 100 MHz.
19. The system of claim 13 , wherein said resonators are coupled to adjustable electrical components.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the resonant frequency of said resonators is varied by tuning at least one value of said adjustable electrical components.
21. The system of claim 19 , wherein said magnetic resonators are high-Q magnetic resonators.
22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100.
23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100 for more than one frequency.
24. The system of claim 13 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is changed to reduce interference with other power transfer systems.
25. A wireless energy transfer system comprising:
a source, having at least one source magnetic resonator, each resonator having a resonant frequency;
at least one power and control circuit, coupled to a power source, and configured to energize at least one source magnetic resonator to generate an oscillating magnetic field;
a device, having at least one device magnetic resonator configured to capture said oscillating magnetic field, each device magnetic resonator having a resonant frequency;
wherein magnetic energy transferred by the source to the device is converted into electrical energy by one or more device resonators;
wherein frequency of said oscillating magnetic field of said source is varied in time;
wherein said oscillating magnetic field generated by the source is substantially at the resonant frequency of the energized source magnetic resonator; and
wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is changed to multiplex power to multiple device resonators tuned to different resonant frequencies.
26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied to prevent power transfer to unauthorized devices.
27. The system of claim 25 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied in time to a random value within a predetermined frequency range.
28. The system of claim 25 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied between a set of discrete frequencies.
29. The system of claim 25 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is varied to any frequency in a predetermined frequency range.
30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the predetermined frequency range is between 1 kHz and 100 MHz.
31. The system of claim 25 , wherein said resonators are coupled to adjustable electrical components.
32. The system of claim 31 , wherein the resonant frequency of said resonators is varied by tuning at least one value of said adjustable electrical components.
33. The system of claim 31 , wherein said magnetic resonators are high-Q magnetic resonators.
34. The system of claim 33 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100.
35. The system of claim 33 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100 for more than one frequency.
36. The system of claim 25 , wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field is changed to reduce interference with other power transfer systems.
37. A wireless energy transfer source comprising:
at least one source magnetic resonator, each resonator having a resonant frequency;
at least one power and control circuit, coupled to a power source, and configured to energize at least one source magnetic resonator to generate an oscillating magnetic field;
wherein the frequency of said oscillating magnetic field of said source is varied in time in a predetermined sequence;
wherein said oscillating magnetic field generated is substantially at the resonant frequency of the energized source magnetic resonator; and
wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is maintained above 100 as the source frequency is changed.
38. The source of claim 37 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100.
39. The source of claim 37 , wherein the resonant frequency of the energized source magnetic resonator may be varied using at least one tunable electrical component.
40. A wireless energy transfer device comprising:
at least one device magnetic resonator, each resonator having a resonant frequency, is configured to capture an oscillating magnetic field with a frequency that is varied in a predetermined sequence;
at least one tunable electrical component coupled to at least one said magnetic resonator wherein the resonant frequency of at least one said magnetic resonator is varied in the same said predetermined sequence as the said oscillating magnetic field;
wherein magnetic energy transferred to the device via the said oscillating magnetic field is converted into electrical energy by the one or more device resonators;
wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is maintained above 100 as device frequency is changed.
41. The source of claim 40 , wherein the quality factor of said magnetic resonators is at least 100.
42. The source of claim 40 , wherein the resonant frequency of the energized device magnetic resonator may be varied using at least one tunable electrical component.