The field of the present disclosure generally relates to modelling and simulation of wireless power systems, and more particularly to providing a system-of-systems (SoS) design and analysis apparatus or schema for modelling and simulating wireless power systems.
For design of wireless power systems, there are a number of design and analysis schema that have been used for modelling and simulation of such wireless power systems. One previous approach includes U.S. Pat. No. 10,574,097 entitled “Dynamic Wireless Power/Energy Transfer System Apparatus Including Modeling and Simulation (M and S), Analysis, and Visualization (MSAV) Systems along with Related Methods” to assess the feasibility of a certain military scenarios, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. With increased complexities such as multiphysics or harmonic balance analysis and design of circuit aspects, previous systems do not fully incorporate analysis of such increased complexities. The currently known technology only offers a very basic calculation capability and “rule of thumb” approaches. Accordingly, more advanced tool sets for wireless power system design and analysis are desirable.
The present disclosure relates to relates to modeling and simulation of wireless power systems, and more particularly to providing a system-of-systems (SoS) design and analysis apparatus, methods, and/or schema for modelling and simulating wireless power systems.
According to aspects, the present disclosure provides a system for use in designing, optimizing, and manufacturing a wireless power system. The system includes a System-of-Systems (SoS) system for design and analysis of the wireless power system, the SoS system including a plurality of design modules configured for design and analysis of respective portions of the wireless power system. The system further includes an input variable interface adapted to enable graphical user interface selection of wireless system parameters or receive wireless system parameters. Additionally, the system includes an output user interface generator configured to generate a collection of efficiency graphical analysis data, atmospheric efficiency graph data, and rectenna RF to DC conversion efficiency graph data associated with said at least one design scenario of the wireless power system, efficiency values comprising rectenna, atmospheric, and collection percentage values associated with the wireless power system being simulated, and output DC power data.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram to avoid obscuring such concepts.
The disclosed invention provides a System-of-Systems (SoS) design and analysis approach to design, optimization, and planning manufacturing of a wireless power system. The disclosed SoS design and analysis approach addresses, in part, design and analysis consideration for a wireless power receive system and high intensity fields (e.g., increasing surface power density on a receive structure) from thermal and electrical performance aspects. The present invention affords the ability to assess multiphysics (electrical-thermal-structural) aspects to better understand and characterize these performance relationships. Both multiphysics and circuit design models require advance modeling and simulation capabilities.
Of note, the present disclosure utilizes, at least in part, a framework similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,574,097, but including more advanced electrical modeling capability in an SoS approach. The presently disclosed SoS engineering and operational design tool set and process affords rapid aid to designers and operational planners on wireless power components and their effects on operations/utility. Furthers, the presently disclosed invention affords design of various model aspects (e.g., a multiphysics, circuitry, etc.) as an SoS approach offering varying levels of sophistication details that are incorporated into the model. The presently disclosed invention offers broad design aspects for components and applications to be evaluated through an SoS approach. Moreover, the presently disclosed invention offers varying assessment sophistications to the developers and operational planners, which can be dependent on or account for the application requirements.
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Past approaches, including those discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,574,097, do not utilize an SoS tool set because they are mostly focused on optimizing hardware/software for single use applications for commercial demonstrations, as an example. The presently disclosed invention, on the other hand, offers broad design aspects for components and applications to be evaluated through an SoS approach. Moreover, the presently disclosed invention offers varying assessment sophistications to the developers and operational planners, depending on the applications requirements.
In particular, the presently disclosed invention includes a package or system consisting of a set of tools with a streamlined approach that offers greater flexibility, simplicity, and speed to aid component and operational/utility wireless power designers in an SoS approach. The disclosed invention contributes to advancing the field of wireless power by giving the component and operational/utility designers the capability to investigate a vast trade space (e.g., a vast number of variables affecting system design and performance) with greater simplicity and speed through an SoS model and approach. This more holistic approach affords greater design aspects and details to developers, thus reducing errors and time in the process. Moreover, to account for varying levels of anticipated users, the model and approach is designed in a manner that offers different levels of sophistication as desired. This allows a larger customer base to access the tool set as well as offering varying level of details needed in the design that can be selected or individually determined by the developers. Furthermore, the presently disclosed tool is designed to broadly cover numerous cases and/or trade studies.
In yet other aspects, the present invention features a multiphysics model system. By building a multiphysics model system to help characterize the multiphysics (electrical-thermal-humidity-structural) aspects of a wireless power system, the present invention offers a novel assessment block that has not been previously known to be utilized. The present invention, thus, provides a clear sense of all the different design aspects or systems in WP design, and creates a way to simultaneously incorporate these design aspects into an analysis structure.
In still other aspects, the presently disclosed invention provide WP SoS design tools and processes that are configured to broadly capture numerous measured or simulated inputs into the system and the machine can rapidly assess feasibility of a WP system design and performance based on those inputs. The presently disclosed invention focuses on an SoS design and analysis that can afford rapid build of integrated product lines and rapid operational/utility assessment. In addition, the presently disclosed invention provides an integrated and automated apparatus that allows for on-the-fly design changes and assessments of WP systems. Moreover, modifications to the tool set could be applied to a WP Operational Energy Common Operating Picture (COP) layer for increased Situational Awareness (SA) and a Command and Control (C2) structure to inform recharging. In addition, the disclosed invention offers contemplated additional application pathways through wireless power operational energy COP layer for SA and C2 functions of sensor/platform for informing and delivering re-charge to operating platforms, for example.
The disclosed invention includes tools and processes designed to evaluate Wireless Power (WP) Systems-of-System (SoS) engineering and operational design scenarios. The disclosed invention has three levels of sophistication: (1) built in mathematical and physical models with rule of thumb assumptions; (2) advanced circuit and antenna modeling & simulation tools, and; (3) measured data. Key WP SoS components can be assessed for their engineered system performance, as well as their operational performance in an SoS. Key WP SoS components could include diode, rectifier, antenna, antenna array, rectifying antenna (rectenna), rectenna arrays, and energy storage devices. These components electrical performances can be assessed under room temperature/humidity (normal base line conditions) or under changes in temperature and/or humidity conditions based on changes in surface power density applied by external field and/or by natural environmental conditions. In addition, operational requirements (mission requirements, receiving platform, radiator(s), location(s), etc.) combined with key components can be assessed holistically as an SoS in the model for its feasibility and/or scope. The disclosed invention offers a streamlined approach for assessing numerous parameters and conditions within a WP engineering and operational design environment. In addition, the disclosed invention has visualizations to aid the designers in assessing the component or SoS effects of inputs and outputs to and from the model, respectively.
The apparatus 600 may include at least one processor 602 that is configured to interface with a number of modules including, but not limited to, a diode component analysis module 604, a circuit analysis module 606, an antenna or receive antenna (rectenna) analysis module, a wireless power feasibility analysis module 610, and an energy storage analysis module 612. Furthermore, the apparatus 600 may include an input module 614, which may be embodied to include one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and/or networking devices, for receiving information including mission requirements, UAV platform information including battery information and power management information, power transmission device or transmitter antenna information, diode component information, rectenna design parameters or information, geographical location information including atmospheric data concerning the location, multiphysics feedback information (e.g., electromagnetic, thermal, and/or structural information concerning the UAV platform), and/or flight performance data. The various modules 602, 604, 606, 610, and/or 612 are configured to utilize the data and determine or calculate a wireless power feasibility analysis, as well as energy storage analysis. The results may be output via an output module 614, which may be embodied to include one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and/or networking devices. It is noted that various GUIs associated with processes that may be employed in apparatus 600 may be seen illustrated in the various figures herein including
In still further aspects, one or more of the modules 604, 606, and 608 may employ multiphysics modeling and simulation, as is indicated by box 618. The particular aspects of the multiphysics modeling and simulation will be discussed in more detail below.
Additionally, the system 702 includes a process 704 for diode component analysis, which is configured to perform various modeling of a rectenna diode component(s) (See e.g., diode 508 or 508′), the interface of which is illustrated at 1300 in
Yet further, the system 702 includes a wireless power feasibility analysis function or module 710 that receives the analysis information from each of functions or modules 704, 706, and 708 including efficiency and input power information, as well as effective aperture area (e.g., optimization of antenna configuration and area) from the antenna analysis module 708. The analysis module 710 affords determination of the efficiency (e.g., power density) for the wireless power that may be transferred to a UAS, for example, and also provides power information (e.g., DC power) for energy storage management by an energy storage process or module 712. The outputs of the system 702 may include, but are not limited to, a feasibility analysis/determination and scope information (e.g., what ability or scope is available for a UAS based on the wireless power efficiency available).
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Additionally, the process 800 includes diode analysis process 808, and is shown illustrated by merely one exemplary GUI display of many that may be generated by process 808. The diode analysis process 808 provides diode efficiency parameters to the wireless power analysis process 804. Further, process 800 includes a power and energy modeling process 810, which is used to model power and energy of batteries or power storage in a UAS, for example, and may include battery storage energy modeling and net power charge of the UAS battery. This modeling by process 808 may be based on DC power requirements/parameters as determined by the wireless power analysis process 804.
The disclosed invention allows a System-of-Systems (SoS) design and analysis approach to a wireless power scenario. Most subject matter experts (SMEs) realize the complexities of the trade space. Broad knowledge and expertise as well as creativity are needed to commence in the vast trade space required for an optimal wireless power solution set and vision for the future that informs present day design. The presently disclosed invention affords broad capture of numerous measured or simulated inputs into the system and the apparatus can further rapidly assess a wireless power system scenario and performance based on those inputs. The disclosed SoS design and analysis may be utilized to inform rapid build of integrated product lines, and rapid operational/utility assessment. In addition, the presently disclosed invention offers contemplated additional application pathways through wireless power operational energy COP layer for SA and C2 functions of sensor/platform for informing and delivering recharge.
In still further aspects, the presently disclosed invention can be configured as a package consisting of a set of tools with a streamlined approach that offers greater flexibility, simplicity, and speed to aid component and operational/utility wireless power designers in an SoS approach. The presently disclosed invention contributes to advancing the field of wireless power by giving the component and operational/utility designers them capability to investigate a vast trade space with greater simplicity and speed through an SoS model and approach. This more holistic approach affords greater design aspects and details to the developers thus reducing errors and time in the process.
Moreover, to account for varying level of anticipated users, the presently disclosed model and approach is designed in a manner that offers different levels of sophistication. This allows a larger customer base to access the tool set as well as offering varying level of details needed in the design that is determined by the developers. Still further, the present invention provides users with a multiphysics model system accounting for number aspects (e.g., electrical-thermal-humidity-structural), which offers a novel assessment block. The presently disclosed system also makes clearer sense of all the different design aspects or systems, and creates a way to simultaneously incorporate them into an analysis structure.
In other aspects, the presently disclosed invention is a WP SoS design tool and process that broadly captures numerous key components and/or applications simultaneously to assess its feasibility and/or scope. The presently disclosed invention offers flexibility, speed, and dependability to assess broad design components and utility application through an SoS approach.
Moreover, a beneficial usage for the presently disclosed invention is to build models and integrate the flow of those models to better assess wireless power operations/scenarios based on inputting real systems-of-systems (SoS) data/characteristic components into the model. This approach increases the operational assessment accuracy closer to anticipated real-world performance. Alternative uses transform the usage from a complete theoretical assessment tool set to an operational tool set with real distributed sensors and platforms plugged into the wireless power operational energy software system layer for a common operating picture (COP) station (for both military commanders as well as commercial applications). The COP can help plan out distributed sensors and platforms from a wireless power prospective and allows operating command and control functions for recharging via the wireless power link. In addition, industry can use the tool to help rapidly assess and create new product lines that have a wireless power component as part of the design. Analyzing numerous parts simultaneously in an SoS approach allows designers to optimize the vast trade space with greater simplicity and speed.
In some aspects, the presently disclosed invention may be implemented using an application programming interface (API), which will allow the user to write (or use) their own short segments of code to transfer the data as needed to any number of software packages. This will help users to automate some of the more tedious aspects of this entire process and cut down on time required to use the tool. In addition, the presently disclosed invention may include implementation of a streamlined flow process where multiple inputs (from measured or simulated data) flow through the tool fluently to perform required calculations and provide users a clear visual of the flow and results.
Additionally, it is noted that presently disclosed invention greatly advances the art including advancing the approach of U.S. Pat. No. 10,574,097 by incorporating additional levels of sophistication to included advanced circuit and antenna modeling and simulation tools, and measured data. Moreover, the disclosed invention enhances analysis of Wireless Power technologies and applications through an SoS engineering and operational design scenario approach.
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein and as defined in the following claims.
The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/351,955, filed Jun. 14, 2022, and entitled “WIRELESS POWER (WP) SYSTEM-OF-SYSTEM (SOS) APPARATUS INCLUDING ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION,” the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention described herein includes contributions by one or more employees of the Department of the Navy made in performance of official duties and may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the United States Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon. This invention (Navy Case 210094U502) is assigned to the United States Government and is available for licensing for commercial purposes. Licensing and technical inquiries may be directed to the Technology Transfer Office, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, email: Crane_T2@navy.mil.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63351955 | Jun 2022 | US |