Patent Application
20120311356
The described embodiments relate generally to utilizing a wireless power transmission in a portable computing environment.
Energy or power may be transferred wirelessly using a variety of known radiative, or far-field, and non-radiative, or near-field, techniques. For example, radiative wireless information transfer using low-directionality antennas, such as those used in radio and cellular communications systems and home computer networks, may be considered wireless energy transfer. However, this type of radiative transfer is very inefficient because only a tiny portion of the supplied or radiated power, namely, that portion in the direction of, and overlapping with, the receiver is picked up. The vast majority of the power is radiated away in all the other directions and lost in free space. Such inefficient power transfer may be acceptable for data transmission, but is not practical for transferring useful amounts of electrical energy for the purpose of doing work, such as for powering or charging electrical devices.
One way to improve the transfer efficiency of some radiative energy transfer schemes is to use directional antennas to confine and preferentially direct the radiated energy towards a receiver. However, these directed radiation schemes may require an uninterruptible line-of-sight and potentially complicated tracking and steering mechanisms in the case of mobile transmitters and/or receivers. In addition, such schemes may pose hazards to objects or people that cross or intersect the beam when modest to high amounts of power are being transmitted. A known non-radiative, or near-field, wireless energy transfer scheme, often referred to as either induction or traditional induction, does not (intentionally) radiate power, but uses an oscillating current passing through a primary coil, to generate an oscillating magnetic near-field that induces currents in a near-by receiving or secondary coil. Traditional induction schemes have demonstrated the transmission of modest to large amounts of power, however only over very short distances, and with very small offset tolerances between the primary power supply unit and the secondary receiver unit. Electric transformers and proximity chargers are examples of devices that utilize this known short range, near-field energy transfer scheme.
As described in Annals of Physics 323 (2008) 34-48 “Efficient Wireless non-radiative mid-range energy transfer” by Aristeidis Karalis et al., available online Apr. 27, 2007 that is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, useable power can be transferred wirelessly from a power source to a receiver located within a distance referred to as a near field. By near field it is meant that within a distance less than a few times the geometric mean of the size of both objects involved in the transfer a relatively significant amount of power (at least on the order of tens of milli-watts) can be transferred between a wireless source device and a receiver. In this way, a realistic and practical approach to wireless transferring useable amounts of power over distances suitable for limited applications can be realized. Typically, each battery powered device such as a wireless electronic device requires its own charger and power source, which is usually an alternating current (AC) power outlet. Such a wired configuration becomes unwieldy when many devices need charging.
However, the maximum power that can be wirelessly transferred from a power transmitter to a receiver is dependent at least upon how closely tuned to each other resonance frequency the power transmitter and receiver are and if both the transmitter and receiver are operating at their resonance frequency. For example, any changes in the local environment can cause their resonance frequencies to change in such a way that the transmitter and receiver become de-tuned or no longer share the same resonance frequency resulting in a substantial reduction in the amount of power that can be wirelessly transmitted.
Therefore, that is desired are methods, systems, and apparatus for maintaining a maximum power transfer between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless receiver in a wirelessly powered local computing environment.
The present invention provides a system and method for utilizing wireless near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power transmission in a computing environment. In particular, techniques for maintaining a shared resonance frequency in the transmitter and receiver in a magnetic resonance power transfer system are described.
In one embodiment, a wireless power transmission unit is described. The wireless power transmission unit includes at least a varying frequency excitation source arranged to provide a variable circuit excitation at frequency f and a first resonator structure coupled to the varying frequency f excitation source, the first resonator structure having a resonant frequency ω1, a first Q factor Q1, and a characteristic size L1. Non-radiative energy transfer between the first resonator structure and a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit, the second resonator structure having a resonant frequency ω2, a second Q factor Q2, and a characteristic size L2 is mediated through a magnetic resonant coupling associated with evanescent tails between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure when the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure are in a tuned state. The first and second resonator structures are in the tuned state when the first resonant frequency ω1 and the second resonant frequency ω2 are within the narrower of first resonance width Γ1 or second resonance width Γ2 such that the first resonant frequency ω1 and the resonant frequency ω2 are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3 db. The first resonator structure maintains the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by varying the first resonant frequency ω1 in order to maintain the first resonant frequency ω1 and the second resonant frequency ω2 such that the first resonant frequency ω1 and the resonant frequency ω2 are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3 db in accordance with any changes in the second resonant frequency ω2.
In still another embodiment, a wirelessly powered local computing environment is described that includes at least a variable frequency power supply arranged to provide power at a frequency, a resonance frequency-adjustable near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) wireless transmitter coupled to the power supply and arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from the power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d, and a central processing unit, the central processing unit providing processing resources to the variable frequency power supply and the resonance frequency-adjustable NFMR transmitter. In the described embodiment, when the NFMR transmitter establishes a resonance coupling with the receiver, the central processing unit maintains the resonance frequency by adjusting the NFMR transmitter.
In another embodiment, a method performed by a wireless power transmission unit for automatically tuning a wireless power transmission system is described. In the described embodiment, the wireless power transmission unit includes at least a first resonator structure coupled to a varying frequency f voltage supply. The method can be performed by establishing a magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure to a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit in a tuned state, non-radiatively transferring useable power from the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure using the magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure. In the tuned state, a first resonant frequency ω1 of the first resonator structure and the second resonant frequency ω2 of the second resonator structure are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3 db. The first resonator structure maintains the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by varying a first resonant frequency ω1 of the first resonant structure in order to maintain the first resonant frequency ω1 and a second resonant frequency ω2 are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3 db in accordance with any change in the second resonant frequency ω2.
Other apparatuses, methods, features and advantages of the described embodiments will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is target that all such additional apparatuses, methods, features and advantages be included within this description be within the scope of and protected by the accompanying claims.
The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only to provide examples of possible structures and arrangements for the disclosed embodiments. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the described embodiments by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments.
Various embodiments of a wirelessly powered local computing environment are described. The wireless powered local computing environment includes at least a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply arranged to wirelessly provide power to any of a number of suitably configured devices. In the described embodiments, the devices arranged to receive power wirelessly from the NFMR power supply can be located in a region known as the near field that extends about a distance D that can be a few times a characteristic size of the NFMR power supply transmission device. Typically, the distance D can be on the order of 1 meter or so. The local wireless environment can be affected by many things such as the relative positions of the NFMR power transmitter and receivers, obstacles that can affect the distribution of magnetic energy in the NFMR field that can adversely affect the resonance frequency of the system as a whole and those of the NFMR power transmitter and receiver specifically. This effective de-tuning of resonance frequency can effectively reduce the overall efficiency of the system (i.e., the Qsystem factor) which can result in a concomitant reduction in the amount of useable power that can ultimately be transferred.
In the context of this discussion, it is well known that useable power can be wirelessly transmitted by way of a wireless transmitter and receiver transiently coupled by way of a magnetic field. More specifically, a system in accordance with the described embodiments can include a wireless power receiver incorporated within or electrically coupled to a peripheral device that can wirelessly receive useful amounts of power from an external power supply. In the described system, the wireless power receiver can include a first resonator structure having a first resonant frequency ω1, a first Q factor Q1 (a measure of power transfer efficiency), and a first characteristic size L1. For example, in the context of a computing system where the peripheral device takes the form of a computer mouse or other input device, the characteristic size L1 can be on the order of a few inches or centimeters. The system can also include a power supply coupled to at least a second resonator structure positioned a variable distance d from the first resonator structure having a second resonant frequency ω2 and a second Q factor Q2 and second characteristic size L2. For example, the second resonator structure can be incorporated within a computer such as a desktop or laptop computer. In this way, a charging region can be formed around the computer in which the peripheral device (or any other appropriately configured device) can wirelessly receive useful amounts of power from the power supply via the second resonator structure.
When first and second resonant frequencies ω1 and ω2 are close together, a coupling region between the first and second resonator structures can be formed. Within this coupling region, useful power can be transferred by way of a non-radiative energy transfer mechanism that utilizes resonant-field evanescent tails of the magnetic field provided by the second resonator structure. For example, when the first resonator structure is incorporated into a peripheral device such as a computer mouse, the computer mouse can be at least partially supplied with power from the second resonator structure coupled to the power supply mediated by the magnetic field. In this way, the peripheral device can operate in a wireless mode without the need for a power supply other than that provided in the computing device. The amount and duration of power that can be delivered to the peripheral device can be dependent on a number of factors. For example, the coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure can be highly dependent upon maintaining a tuned state between the first and second resonant structures.
In a magnetic resonance power transfer system, at least a transmitter and a receiver are resonantly coupled in such a way that useable power can be transferred from a power supply by way of the transmitter to at least one receiver. In order to transfer useable power, both the transmitter and receiver are tuned to a resonance frequency characteristic of the magnetic resonance power transfer system. A quality factor or Q factor is a dimensionless parameter that can be used as a measure of the ability of the resonant system to transfer energy from the transmitter to the receiver. More specifically, the Q factor is the ratio of power stored to power dissipated in reactance and resistance elements in the circuit according to Eq. (1):
where X is the capacitive/inductive reactance, and
R is series resistance.
The Q factor can also be used to characterize a resonator's bandwidth (BW) relative to its center frequency in accordance with Eq. (2):
BW=Δω=ωh−ω1=ωc/Q Eq. (2)
where ωh=high band edge, ω1=low band edge, and ωc=center frequency (resonant frequency)
ω1=ωc−Δω/2
ωh=ωc+Δω/2.
Therefore, systems having high Q factors have necessarily narrow bandwidths (i.e., Δω/2 decreases as Q increases). For example, a wireless power transfer system with a system quality factor Qsystem of 100 or more can be achieved by properly tuning the transmitter and receiver. However, the higher the Q factor, the narrower the associated frequency range. For example, a wireless power transfer system can only maintain system quality factor Qsystem of at least 100 by tuning the resonant frequencies of the transmitter and receiver to within an extremely tight (such as 3 dB) bandwidth of each other. In other words, the transmitter and receiver must be very closely tuned to the same frequency for significant power transfer to occur. If the transmitter and receiver become de-tuned beyond the 3 dB bandwidth, the ability of the wireless power transfer system to magnetically transfer power exponentially decays. The detuning of the system can occur if either a) the transmitter or receiver detunes (i.e not resonating) or b) the resonance frequency of the transmitter and receiver do not align resulting from interference created by extraneous objects (typically ferro-magnetic) that capacitively couple with either or both the transmitter or receiver.
For example, if either the transmitter and/or receiver are placed in an environment in which the transmitter and/or receiver are in proximity to metallic or ferromagnetic objects, the resonance frequency of either can deviate significantly from design due to magnetic or capacitive coupling to the objects in the environment. Therefore, without any modifications, the transmitter and receiver can de-tune to such a degree that the system Q factor drops precipitously resulting in a substantial, if not complete, loss in power transfer between the transmitter and receiver.
Accordingly, the following discussion describes techniques for automatically maintaining a NFMR power transfer system in a tuned state thereby maintaining a high system Q factor. In one embodiment, the system can be maintained in a tuned state by automatically tuning a transmitter to match the resonant frequency of an associated receiver. The high system Q factor, in turn, facilitates an efficient transfer of power from the transmitter to the receiver having the effect of providing useful amounts of power wirelessly to a device coupled to the receiver. In one embodiment, the transmitter is actively tuned in order to maintain resonance coupling between the transmitter and receiver. Tuning the transmitter is an advantageous technique since the transmitter is typically tethered to a power source that can be frequency adjusted.
In one embodiment, the transmitter can be coupled to an oscillator circuit that can generate a frequency used to excite the transmitter. The oscillator circuit can take the form of a variable oscillator circuit that can be adjusted via a variable clock circuit or a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator). Moreover, a capacitance or inductance of the resonant system can be modified in such a way that the resonance frequency of the transmitter is within an acceptable range of the resonance frequency of the system. In this way, maximum power can be transferred from the power supply via the transmitter to the receiver that can be used to provide power to a device. In one embodiment, a variable capacitance circuit can be used to change the system capacitance, leaving the system inductance unchanged. Other techniques can be used in other embodiments.
In yet another embodiment, non-transitory computer readable medium for storing a computer program executable by a processor in a wireless power transmission unit for automatically tuning a wireless power transmission system is described. In the described embodiment, the wireless power transmission unit includes at least a first resonator structure coupled to a varying frequency f voltage supply. The computer readable medium includes at least computer code for establishing a magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure to a second resonator structure positioned apart from the wireless power transmission unit in a tuned state, computer code for non-radiatively transferring useable power from the first resonator structure to the second resonator structure using the magnetic resonant inductive coupling between the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure, wherein in the tuned state, a first resonant frequency ω1 of the first resonator structure and the second resonant frequency ω2 of the second resonator structure are separated by a bandwidth of no more than 3 db; and computer code for maintaining the first resonator structure and the second resonator structure in the tuned state by first resonator structure by varying a first resonant frequency ω1 of the first resonant structure in order to maintain the first resonant frequency ω1 and a second resonant frequency ω2 are separated by the bandwidth of no more than 3 db in accordance with any change in the second resonant frequency 0)2.
In another embodiment, a method performed by a processor for auto-tuning the resonance frequency of a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) transmitter to its receiver is described. In the described embodiment, the NFMR transmitter is arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from a variable frequency power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d of the transmitter, the variable frequency power supply is arranged to provide the power to the NFMR transmitter at a frequency. The method is carried out by performing at least the following operations: providing power to the NFMR transmitter at a frequency by the variable frequency power supply, adjusting the NFMR transmitter to resonate at the power supply frequency, monitoring peak real power supplied to the resonating NFMR transmitter by the power supply, and setting the frequency of the variable frequency power supply to the current frequency when the monitored peak real power supplied is less than peak real power supplied at other frequency when the NFMR is also resonating by at least a pre-determined amount.
In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing computer code executed by a processor for auto-tuning a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) transmitter is described. In the described embodiment, the NFMR transmitter is arranged to create a resonance channel used to transfer useable energy from a variable frequency power supply to a receiver within a near field distance d of the transmitter, the variable frequency power supply is arranged to provide the power to the NFMR transmitter at a frequency. The computer readable medium includes at least computer code for providing power to the NFMR transmitter at the frequency by the variable frequency power supply, computer code for maintaining the NFMR transmitter in resonance mode, computer code for changing the frequency of the variable frequency power supply to a current frequency, computer code for monitoring a current generated in response to the provided power at the current frequency, and computer code for setting the frequency of the variable frequency power supply to the current frequency when the monitored current is less than an average current by at least a pre-determined amount.
These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to
More particularly, as shown in
RLC circuit 300 can also include coil resistor Rcoil 306 that can represent the resistance or power loss inherent in Tx Coil 102. Series resistor Rs 308 can represent the resistance or power loss in the remainder of circuit 300 associated with, for example, PCB traces, internal resistance of Vs 302 and so on. Coil inductance can be represented as coil inductor 310, or more simply Lcoil 310 having reactance XL(=ωLcoil) and variable capacitor (or capacitor bank) C 312 having reactance XC(=1/ωCcoil) that can be varied, or tuned, such that circuit 300 resonates at which point XL=XC resulting in a sharp drop in circuit impedance Z as shown by Eq. (3a) and Eq. (3b) and Eq. (3c):
I
rms
=V
rms
/Z Eq. (3a)
where
Z=√(R↑2)+(X↓L−XC)2 Eq. (3b)
Z=R
circuit
=R
S
+R
coil Eq. (3c)
Therefore at resonance (i.e., XL=Xc), circuit impedance Z simply reduces to Z=Rcircuit. In this way by incrementing frequency f of Vs 302 and tuning capacitor C 312 to maintain RLC circuit 300 in resonance, power detector 304 will measure real power as approximately a straight line vs resonance frequency of circuit 300 as illustrated in
P
Real=(Irms)2Rcircuit=(Vrms)2/Rcircuit. Eq. (4).
In place of or in addition to variable capacitor C 312, RLC circuit 300 can include variable inductor L 312 as shown in
It should be noted that parasitic lossy elements along the lines of metallic or magnetic objects in the vicinity of Tx Coil 102 can be represented as an additional resistive element along the lines of Rp 314 shown in
Z
circuit
=R
s
+R
coil
+R
p
+R
r Eq. (6).
In this way, the value of Zcircuit will increase due to the presence of the resonant receiver causing PReal to drop around where the resonance frequency of transmitter 100 lines up with the resonance frequency of receiver 200 as shown in
Accordingly, by using both frequency sweeping and maintaining the transmitter equivalent circuit in resonance, a receiver resonance frequency can be automatically determined and the transmitter tuned in accordance with the following procedure. Firstly, transmitter 100 can be configured to include a variable reactance element such as a variable capacitor along the lines of capacitor C 312. Transmitter 100 can be provided power by a variable power supply that can supply a variable frequency voltage V(f) that can be incremented from a low frequency value fLOW to a high frequency value fHIGH during a frequency sweep operation. A power detector coupled in series with the variable frequency voltage supply can be used to detect the circuit real power PReal.
During the frequency sweep operation, the power detector provides a periodic value of PReal which is measured against a previous value of PReal in order to determine a value of frequency f corresponding to a pre-determined drop in value of PReal with respect to a previous value of PReal. In the described embodiment, the frequency or range of frequencies corresponding to the detected pre-determined drop 408 in value of PReal can be associated with a resonant frequency ωR of receiver 200 as that can be used to tune transmitter resonant frequency ωT. In one embodiment, transmitter resonant frequency ωT can be determined using an iterative process in which a range of frequencies corresponding to drop 408 can be used to determine a center frequency corresponding to a desired transmitter resonant frequency ωT.
As shown in
In some cases, the ability of desktop computer 802 to provide power directly to mouse 806, for example, can be reduced due to any number of factors. Such factors can include, for example, the addition of other devices into region R that require power from the NFMR power supply, obstacles interfering with the direct power channel formed between the NFMR and mouse 806, and so on. In this case, keyboard 804 can act as a re-resonator such that a portion of the power delivered to keyboard 804 from the NFMR power supply can be passed on by way of a re-resonator transmission unit (not shown) in keyboard 804. In this way, any power loss experienced by mouse 806 can be ameliorated by the power received from keyboard 804. This arrangement can be transitory or can last for as long as mouse 806 is not able to receive adequate power directly from the NFMR power supply. In other cases, the locating of portable media player 808 within region R can reduce the amount of power available to keyboard 804 and mouse 806. In this case, if a battery in keyboard 806 is fully charged (or additional charge is not necessary) then keyboard 806 can decouple a charging circuit while still maintaining a re-resonator circuit providing power to mouse 806.
In some embodiments, dongle 810 can be connected to desktop computer 802 (by way of a USB port or cable, for example). So connected, dongle 810 can, in turn, act as a range extender for the NFMR power supply. In this way, dongle 810 can extend a range that power can be provided by the NFMR power supply included in desktop computer 802. In some cases, dongle 810 can re-resonate power already received from the NFMR power supply while in other cases, dongle 810 can include its own NFMR power supply. By having its own NFMR power supply, dongle 810 can provide additional power wirelessly to those devices within virtual charging region 800 separate from the power provided by the NFMR power supply included in desktop 802. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the housing of desktop computer 802 (or a portion thereof) can be used as a resonator as part of the NFMR power supply.
Further, the file system 904, when active, consumes more power than does the cache 906. The power consumption is particularly important when the computing system 900 is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown).
Computing system 900 also includes a user input device 908 that allows a user of computing system 900 to interact with computing system 900. For example, the user input device 908 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc. Still further, the computing system 900 includes data bus 910 can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system 904, the cache 906, the processor 902, and the CODEC 912.
In one embodiment, computing system 900 serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in the file system 904. When a user desires to have the media player play a particular media item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display 910. Then, using the user input device 908, a user can select one of the available media items. The processor 502, upon receiving a selection of a particular media item, supplies the media data (e.g., audio file) for the particular media item to a coder/decoder (CODEC) 912.
The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The described embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations or as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling a manufacturing line. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.
This application claims priority to and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/491,844, filed May 31, 2011, entitled MAGNETICALLY DE-COUPLED MULTIPLE RESONATING COILS IN A TIGHTLY SPACED ARRAY, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61491844 | May 2011 | US |
