Wireless energy transfer

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.

1 - 73 . (canceled) 
     
     
         74 . A method of wireless power transfer, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   responding to the electromagnetic field with a receiver response comprising consuming power from the electromagnetic field with a receive resonator operating substantially near the resonant frequency in the coupling-mode region;   detecting the receiver response to the electromagnetic field, wherein the receiver response is identifiable by a source as information generated by a receiver; and   adjusting a property of the electromagnetic field responsive to the receiver response.   
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 74 , further comprising consuming power from the electromagnetic field with at least one additional receive resonator operating substantially near the resonant frequency in the coupling-mode region, wherein at least some of the power in the electromagnetic field is consumed by the receive resonator and at least some of the power in the electromagnetic field is consumed by the at least one additional receive resonator. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 74 , further comprising:
 detecting a modified receiver response; and   further adjusting a property of the electromagnetic field responsive to the modified receiver response.   
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 74 , further comprising communicating a presence of the receive resonator operating substantially near the resonant frequency in the coupling-mode region, the communicating occurring between a receiver operably coupled to the receive resonator and a transmitter operably coupled to the source resonator by a wireless channel different from a wireless channel of the source resonator. 
     
     
         78 . A system for wireless power transfer, comprising:
 means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source magnetic resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   means for responding to the electromagnetic field with a receiver response comprising consuming power from the electromagnetic field with a high-Q receive magnetic resonator operating substantially near the resonant frequency in the coupling-mode region;   means for detecting the receiver response to the electromagnetic field, wherein the receiver response is identifiable by a source as information generated by a receiver; and   means for adjusting a property of the electromagnetic field responsive to the receiver response.   
     
     
         79 . The system of  claim 78 , further comprising means for consuming power from the electromagnetic field with at least one additional receive resonator operating substantially near the resonant frequency in the coupling-mode region, wherein at least some of the power in the electromagnetic field is consumed by the receive resonator and at least some of the power in the electromagnetic field is consumed by the at least one additional receive resonator. 
     
     
         80 . The system of  claim 78 , further comprising:
 means for detecting a modified receiver response; and   means for further adjusting a property of the electromagnetic field responsive to the modified receiver response.   
     
     
         81 . The system of  claim 78 , further comprising:
 means in a receiver operably coupled to the receive resonator for communicating a presence of the receive antenna operating substantially near the resonant frequency in the coupling-mode region; and   means in a source operably coupled to the source resonator for receiving the communication;   wherein the communication occurs on a wireless channel different from a wireless channel of the source resonator.   
     
     
         82 . An apparatus for wireless power transfer, comprising:
 an amplifier and a high-Q source resonator to generate an electromagnetic field at a resonance frequency to couple with a high-Q receive resonator; and   a controller operably coupled to the source resonator and the amplifier, configured to adjust power of the electromagnetic field and to detect a receiver response to the electromagnetic field, wherein the receiver response is identifiable by a source as information generated by a receiver.   
     
     
         83 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , further comprising a monitor operably coupled to the controller, detecting changes in received power. 
     
     
         84 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , further comprising a wireless communicator operably coupled to the controller, the wireless communicator for communication with at least one receive device over a wireless channel different from a wireless channel of the source resonator. 
     
     
         85 . An apparatus for wireless power transfer, comprising:
 a high-Q receive resonator configured to couple with a high-Q source resonator operating at a resonant frequency through a coupling-mode region generated by the source resonator; and   a circuit operably coupled to the receive resonator and configured to generate a receiver response, wherein the receiver response is identifiable by a source as information generated by a receiver.   
     
     
         86 . The apparatus of  claim 85 , further comprising:
 a wireless communicator for communicating a presence of the wireless power receiver in the coupling-mode region to a source, wherein the communicating is on a wireless channel different from a wireless channel of the source resonator;   wherein the wireless communicator operates when the wireless power receiver is in the coupling-mode region.   
     
     
         87 . A method of wireless power transfer, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source; and   continuing the generating the electromagnetic field when there is at least one high-Q receiver resonator within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from the electromagnetic field; and   adjusting the electromagnetic field based on information exchange between the resonators within the coupling-mode region.   
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 87 , further comprising communicating a command from the source to the receiver to adjust the electromagnetic field. 
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 87 , further comprising:
 determining when there are a plurality of receivers within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from the electromagnetic field; and   enabling each receiver of the plurality to receive at least a portion of the power available from the source.   
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 87 , further comprising determining when a new receiver has entered the coupling-mode region based on:
 information exchange between the source and the new receiver.   
     
     
         91 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source; and   means for continuing the generating the electromagnetic field when there is at least one high-Q receiver resonator within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from the electromagnetic field; and   means for disabling the generating the electromagnetic field when there are no receivers within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from the electromagnetic field.   
     
     
         92 . The system of  claim 91 , further comprising means for communicating a command from the source to the receiver to adjust the electromagnetic field. 
     
     
         93 . The system of  claim 91 , further comprising:
 means for determining when there are a plurality of receivers within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from the electromagnetic field; and   means for enabling each receiver of the plurality to receive at least a portion of the power available from the source.   
     
     
         94 . The system of  claim 91 , further comprising means for determining when a new receiver has entered the coupling-mode region based on:
 information exchange between the source and the new receiver.   
     
     
         95 . A wireless power transmitter, comprising:
 a high-Q source resonator for generating a near field within a coupling-mode region for coupling to a high-Q receive resonator;   an amplifier for applying an RF signal to the source resonator;   a controller operably coupled to the source resonator, wherein the controller:   determines control information for the plurality of receive devices disposed within the coupling-mode region; and   communicates the control information to each of the plurality of receive devices.   
     
     
         96 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 95 , further comprising a wireless communicator operably coupled to the source, the wireless communicator for communication with the plurality of receive devices over a wireless channel different from a wireless channel of the source resonator, wherein the communicator communicates control signals through the wireless channel. 
     
     
         97 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 95 , further comprising a controller, the controller for:
 enabling the drive signal to the source resonator to generate the near field coupling mode region; and   continuing the enabling when there is at least one receiver within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from the near field; and   disabling the drive signal to the source resonator when there are no receivers within the coupling-mode region designated to accept power from near field.   
     
     
         98 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 97 , wherein the controller is further for:
 generating a command from the source to the receiver by performing an adjustment of the generated near field.   
     
     
         99 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 98 , further comprising:
 a sensing circuit, the sensing circuit for detecting changes in power consumption and generating a response signal to the controller responsive to the changes in power consumption.   
     
     
         100 . A wireless power receiver, comprising:
 a high-Q receive resonator configured for coupling with a high-Q source resonator through a near field r generated by the source resonator to generate an RF signal;   a circuit operably coupled to the receive resonator and configured for operating the wireless power receiver in a first power reception state consuming a first power amount from the near field and a second power reception state consuming a second power amount from the near field; and   a controller operably coupled to the circuit, the controller for generating a response on the receive receiver by controlling the circuit to enter the either the first power reception state or the second power reception state.   
     
     
         101 . The wireless power receiver of  claim 100 , further comprising a rectifier operably coupled to the receive resonator, the rectifier for converting the RF signal to a DC signal for supplying power to a receive device. 
     
     
         102 . A wireless power receiver, comprising:
 a high-Q receive resonator for coupling with a high-Q source resonator through a electromagnetic near-field generated by the source resonator to generate an RF signal; and   a circuit for tuning the receive resonator to receive different amounts of power from the source resonator.   
     
     
         103 . The wireless power receiver of  claim 102 , further comprising a rectifier operably coupled to the receive resonator and for converting the RF signal to a DC signal for supplying power to a receive device. 
     
     
         104 . The wireless power receiver of  claim 102 , further comprising a communication module for exchanging information with the source resonator. 
     
     
         105 . A wireless power receiver, comprising:
 a high-Q receive resonator for coupling with a high-Q source resonator through an electromagnetic near-field generated by the source resonator to generate an RF signal;   a rectifier operably coupled to the receive resonator and for converting the RF signal to a DC signal for supplying power to a receive device; and   a communication module for exchanging information with the source resonator.   
     
     
         106 . The wireless power receiver of  claim 105 , further comprising a circuit for tuning the receive resonator to receive different amounts of power from the source resonator. 
     
     
         107 . A wireless power transmitter, comprising:
 a high-Q source resonator for generating a magnetic near-field for coupling to a high-Q receive resonator;   a power circuit with an adjustable RF drive signal for driving the source resonator; and   a sensing circuit for adjusting the amplitude of the RF drive signal.   
     
     
         108 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 107 , further comprising adjusting the RF drive signal to the source resonator. 
     
     
         109 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 107 , further comprising a high-Q wireless power receiver disposed within a coupling-mode region of the near-field, the wireless power receiver comprising:
 the receive resonator for coupling with the source resonator through the magnetic near-field generated by the source resonator to generate a received RF signal;   a rectifier operably coupled to the receive resonator and for converting the received RF signal to a DC signal for supplying power to a receive device; and   a communication module for exchanging information with the source resonator.   
     
     
         110 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 107 , further comprising a wireless power receiver disposed within a coupling-mode region of the near-field, the wireless power receiver comprising;
 the receive resonator for coupling with the source resonator through the magnetic near-field generated by the source resonator to generate a received RF signal; and   a circuit for tuning the receive resonator to receive different amounts of power from the source resonator.   
     
     
         111 . A method of wireless power transfer, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near-field of the source resonator;   disposing a high-Q receive resonator within the coupling-mode region, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency;   extracting energy from a coupling of the receive resonator to the near-field of the source resonator; and   signaling from the receive resonator to the source resonator by:   modulating a signal level.   
     
     
         112 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein:
 the modulated signal level comprises a power signal.   
     
     
         113 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein:
 the modulated signal level comprises a voltage signal.   
     
     
         114 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein:
 the modulated signal level comprises a current signal.   
     
     
         115 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near-field of the source resonator;   means for receiving the resonant frequency within the coupling-mode region with a high-Q receive resonator, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency;   means for extracting energy from a coupling of the receive resonator to the near-field of the source resonator; and   means for signaling from the receive resonator to the source resonator by:   modulating a signal level.   
     
     
         116 . The system of  claim 115 , wherein:
 the modulated signal level comprises a power signal.   
     
     
         117 . The system of  claim 115 , wherein:
 the modulated signal level comprises a voltage signal.   
     
     
         118 . The system of  claim 115 , wherein:
 the modulated signal level comprises a current signal.   
     
     
         119 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a transmitting device comprising at least one of an equipment and a household appliance for use in a wireless transfer system; the transmitting device, comprising:   a high-Q source resonator to wirelessly transfer power to a high-Q receive resonator by generating a magnetic near field at a resonant frequency within a coupling-mode region;   an adjustable RF drive signal to drive the source resonator;   a monitor for detecting information about a receiver device within the coupling-mode region and generating a monitor signal; and   a feedback circuit operably coupled to the monitor and adjustable RF drive signal, the controller for adjusting a power of the RF drive signal responsive to the monitor signal.   
     
     
         120 . The apparatus of  claim 119 , wherein:
 the monitor is further for detecting a human; and, if necessary, adjusting a resonator property to account for the presence of the human.   
     
     
         121 . The apparatus of  claim 119 , wherein the feedback circuit is further configured to remove power from the drive signal when the monitor signal indicates the absence of any receiver devices in the coupling-mode region. 
     
     
         122 . The apparatus of  claim 119 , wherein the household appliance comprises an electronic device and the source resonator is disposed on or in a back of the electronic device. 
     
     
         123 . The apparatus of  claim 122 , wherein the source resonator comprises a multi-turn loop. 
     
     
         124 . The apparatus of  claim 119 , wherein the household appliance comprises a computer and the source resonator is disposed in a periphery around a display of the computer. 
     
     
         125 . A method, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   detecting an information signal indicative of the presence of a high-Q receive resonator in the coupling-mode region;   adjusting a drive signal of the source resonator responsive to the presence of the receive resonator; and   receiving power from the coupling-mode region with the receive resonator disposed within the coupling-mode region.   
     
     
         126 . The method of  claim 122 , further comprising:
 detecting a human presence within the electromagnetic field;   adjusting the drive signal of the source resonator responsive to the human presence to a safe level or lower.   
     
     
         127 . The method of  claim 125 , further comprising stopping the generating the electromagnetic field when the detecting the presence indicates the absence of any receiver devices in the coupling-mode region. 
     
     
         128 . A method, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   repeating the electromagnetic field to create a repeated coupling-mode region different from the coupling-mode region with a repeater resonator;   detecting a presence of a receive resonator in the coupling-mode region;   adjusting a power output of the source resonator responsive to the presence of the receive resonator; and   receiving power from the repeated coupling-mode region with the receive resonator disposed within the repeated coupling-mode region, and wherein at least two of the source resonator, the repeater resonator and the receive resonator are high-Q resonators.   
     
     
         129 . The method of  claim 128 , further comprising:
 detecting a human presence within the electromagnetic field;   adjusting the power output of the source resonator responsive to the human presence to a safe level or lower.   
     
     
         130 . The method of  claim 127 , further comprising stopping the generating the electromagnetic field when the detecting the presence indicates the absence of any receiver devices in the coupling-mode region. 
     
     
         131 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   means for detecting a presence of a high-Q receive resonator in the coupling-mode region;   means for adjusting a power output of the source resonator responsive to the presence of the receive resonator; and   means for receiving power from the coupling-mode region with the receive resonator disposed within the coupling-mode region.   
     
     
         132 . The system of  claim 131 , further comprising:
 means for detecting a human presence within a electromagnetic field;   means for adjusting the power output of the source resonator responsive to the human presence to a safe level or lower.   
     
     
         133 . The system of  claim 131 , wherein the means for generating the electromagnetic field stops the generating when the detecting the presence indicates the absence of any receiver devices in the coupling-mode region. 
     
     
         134 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   means for repeating the electromagnetic field to create a repeated coupling-mode region different from the coupling-mode region with a repeater resonator;   means for detecting a presence of a receive resonator in the coupling-mode region;   means for adjusting a power output of the source resonator responsive to the presence of the receive resonator; and   means for receiving power from the repeated coupling-mode region with the receive resonator disposed within the repeated coupling-mode region, wherein at least two of the source resonator, the repeater resonator and the receive resonator are high-Q resonators.   
     
     
         135 . The system of  claim 134 , further comprising:
 means for detecting a human presence within the electromagnetic field;   means for adjusting the power output of the source resonator responsive to the human presence to a safe level or lower.   
     
     
         136 . The system of  claim 134 , wherein the means for generating the electromagnetic field stops the generating when the detecting the presence indicates the absence of any receiver devices in the coupling-mode region.