HK1232677B - A method and an apparatus for transferring electrical power - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for transmitting electrical power

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for delivering electrical power to one or more electrical loads. The electrical load or loads may be, for example, any electrical or electronic device that can be powered to operate itself and/or charge its internal battery. Typical examples of such electrical/electronic devices include mobile phones, tablet computers, televisions, and lighting systems (e.g., LEDs).

Background Art

A commonly used technical solution for transmitting electrical power to a load currently involves the use of an AC/DC converter, which converts alternating current (AC), such as that generated by a general power distribution network, into direct current (DC), capable of supplying an electrical charge. The load to be charged can be connected directly to the AC/DC converter, for example, via conventional connecting cables. For greater practicality, the connection between the load to be charged and the AC/DC converter can be achieved through a mechanical system of electrical contacts, taking a suitable form, such as conductive plates connected to the converter and capable of being placed in contact with corresponding electrical contacts connected to the load. This contact system is implemented with an appropriate geometry to ensure that the contacts are always galvanically connected to at least two points of differing electrical potentials while preventing harmful short circuits. Another approach to transmitting electrical power to the load, starting with voltage, can involve the use of a wireless energy transmission system based on, for example, inductive or capacitive coupling between the transmitting and receiving systems, with the user device being separate and independent of the supply/charging device.

Typically, in the field of systems based on inductive coupling, a transmitting antenna is used, for example a coiled or helical transmitting antenna, which is placed on the user equipment to be powered. In this way, electrical and electronic equipment of various natures can be supplied even without a galvanic connection between the primary and secondary circuits.

On the other hand, for systems based on capacitive coupling, the transmitting armature is required to have a conductive area, for example, isolated from the environment by a dielectric material. This conductive area faces the receiving armature, thereby forming at least two capacitors. Electrical power can be transmitted by applying a voltage wave to the capacitor input. Each capacitor supplied with a voltage wave can be considered an impedance. Therefore, by coupling a sufficiently high voltage wave frequency,/or a sufficiently large capacitance, and/or a voltage wave with a sufficiently high voltage, a sufficiently high voltage wave can be advantageously obtained at the capacitor output, which can be used to charge the load.

To implement the second operating scenario of the wireless supply and/or charging device, it is advantageous to mount the first armature of each capacitor on the user device to be supplied (e.g., a mobile phone, computer, power bank, etc.), and to mount the second armature of each capacitor on a charging device having a suitable supply surface defined thereon. In this manner, by bringing the user device into proximity with the charging device, or bringing the charging device into proximity with the user device, the armatures mounted on the user device and the charging device achieve the aforementioned coupling and transmission of the electrical energy capacity.

As mentioned above, in order to obtain high performance from the capacitive system, it is generally possible to significantly increase the frequency of the voltage applied to the transmitting armature and/or armature region and/or apply a voltage wave of sufficiently high amplitude to the armature.

Because the area of the armature is typically limited by the geometry of the user device and the charging surface of the charging device, and because significantly increased voltage amplitudes can raise safety concerns and increase the size and cost of the system (e.g., due to the transformers required to operate at high voltages), the best way to achieve high performance in a capacitive system is to significantly increase the frequency of the voltage wave applied to the transmitting armature.

A particularly advantageous approach to achieving this result involves the use of circuits implemented in an overall resonant topology, where the circuit topology and control system almost completely eliminate dynamic losses in the switches, thereby enabling high switching frequencies and low losses. Wireless circuits that advantageously achieve these goals come from suitable modifications of class E, F, or E/F amplifiers.

An example of such a wireless supply/recharging system is described, for example, in International Patent Application No. WO 2013/150352, filed on October 10, 2013.

Typical problems with short-range wireless supply/recharging systems (both inductive and capacitive types) consist in placing the user device to be supplied/charged in the exact position relative to the charging device.

In the case of inductive systems, this problem can be eliminated by creating a transmitting antenna capable of generating a magnetic induction field over a very large spatial domain (e.g., a large-sized toroidal coil). However, this approach significantly degrades the system's energy efficiency, increases electromagnetic pollution, makes it impossible to control the individual devices powered by the transmitted energy, and prevents the selective transmission of energy within the portion of space covered by the generated magnetic field. These problems can be reduced by using multiple toroidal coils of smaller dimensions, which may be positioned to ensure partial overlap between the generated magnetic fields, but this leads to a significant increase in cost and system size and does not, in any case, eliminate the energy inefficiency characteristic of all inductive systems.

While ensuring maximum energy efficiency, capacitive systems require proper alignment of the user device and the charging device. In fact, within certain limits, capacitive systems tolerate misalignment between the transmitting and receiving armatures; however, it has been shown that beyond these limits, performance degrades significantly.

To at least partially mitigate this drawback, suitable design solutions may be employed for the transmitting and/or receiving armatures. For example, the use of an armature with a radially symmetrical design can ensure proper operation of the capacitive system regardless of the angle between the user device and the charging device. Similarly, the operation of the capacitive supply can be ensured regardless of how the user device is switched in the vertical direction, for example, by using an armature with a one-dimensional or two-dimensional periodic type.

In contrast, the armature design cannot independently transfer electrical power while the receiving armature switches and rotates relative to the transmitting armature, so it is generally impossible to place the device to be charged on the charging device in any way and always ensure that the coupling between the armatures can transfer sufficient energy without excessive losses.

In addition, existing technical solutions cannot place one or more user devices to be charged on both sides of the charging surface in random positions and orientations, while ensuring that the surface only charges the above-mentioned devices, does not activate other objects, and does not emit electromagnetic waves in areas where no objects are placed on the charging surface.

The object of the present invention is therefore to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and in particular to implement a system for wireless transmission of electrical energy by capacitive coupling enabling a charging device to be randomly situated in the vicinity of a charging surface.

Another object of the present invention is to realize a wireless transmission system of energy through capacitive coupling that can charge multiple devices simultaneously.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate or minimize emissions from emission areas that are not situated in the vicinity of the equipment to be supplied.

A further object of the invention is to further increase the frequency of the voltage wave applied to the coupling capacitor, taking full advantage of the power density of the supply surface, thus ensuring lower system costs and scalability, thus being replicable for smaller or larger supply and emission surfaces.

Summary of the Invention

These and other objects are achieved by means of the features recited in the independent claims.The dependent claims describe preferred and/or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention.

In particular, embodiments of the present invention disclose an apparatus for delivering power to an electrical load, comprising:

a pre-processing charging device comprising an assembly of at least three transmitting armatures and a primary circuit capable of connecting each transmitting armature to a voltage generator (independently of each other),

A user device, which is separate from and independent of the charging device, comprising an electric load, at least one pair of receiving armatures, and a secondary circuit capable of connecting the receiving armatures to the electric load, wherein the pair of receiving armatures can face the at least one pair of transmitting armatures of the charging device, thereby realizing at least two different capacitors therein.

an electronic system for monitoring and selecting, connected to the primary circuit of the charging device, the electronic system being configured to identify a first subassembly of the transmitting armature (at least one) and a second subassembly of the transmitting armature (at least one), the first subassembly facing one of the receiving armatures of the user and the second subassembly facing the other receiving armature of the user device, and

An electronic command system is connected to the primary circuit of the charging device, the electronic command system being configured to command the primary circuit to apply a voltage difference that can be periodically varied over time between the transmitting armatures of the first subassembly and the second subassembly.

It is immediately specified that the control system can rely on or be incorporated into the monitoring and selection system.

It is further specified that the monitoring and selection system can also be configured to identify a third sub-assembly of transmitting armatures (even if there is none) that is not facing any receiving armature of the user device. The control system can also be configured to apply a different voltage (possibly zero or constant) to the third sub-assembly.

It is further specified that the monitoring and selection system may also be configured to measure the voltage and/or current and/or power delivered to each user device, and in accordance therewith, the instruction system may be configured to command the primary circuit to apply a voltage difference between the transmitting armatures of the first subassembly and the second subassembly that may vary periodically over time between the transmitting armatures of the first subassembly and the second subassembly, so as to transmit the correct voltage and/or current and/or power to each user device.

With this solution, the transmitting armature essentially defines a supply surface on which the user device can be supported in a number of different positions or orientations, each position and orientation always ensuring that the receiving armature is individually superimposed on at least one of the transmitting armatures, thereby achieving at least two different capacitances. In this way, by identifying the transmitting armature facing the receiving armature and by applying a time-variable voltage difference thereto, the primary circuit applies a voltage wave to the capacitance thus achieved, which is transmitted to the secondary circuit of the user device and, therefore, to the load.

Using a sufficiently large number of transmitting armatures it is further possible to define a surface large enough to be able to accommodate one or more user devices, the receiving armature of each of which is always individually superimposed on at least one separate transmitting armature of the supplier device.

All transmitting armatures not facing any receiving armature may be kept disconnected, thus ensuring that emissions from all parts of the supply surface not supporting user equipment are negligible.

In aspects of the present invention, the receiving armature of the user device can be subdivided into multiple small-sized plates without modifying the operating principle of the device. The size and form of the receiving armature can be different for different user devices and within each individual user device, for each receiving armature, for example, depending on the size of the device and the geometric constraints existing on the device, as well as the power required for the operation of the user device.

In another aspect of the present invention, the transmitting armatures of the feeder device can be arranged in space relative to one another in a relatively regular or irregular manner, adjacent to or distant from one another. For example, the transmitting armatures can be arranged in a single dimension, i.e., aligned to form a single row. Alternatively, the transmitting armatures can be distributed in multiple dimensions, for example, in a matrix configuration, wherein the transmitting armatures are aligned in rows and columns, roughly like the nodes of a matrix or grid. The transmitting armatures can have various dimensions and/or geometries without thereby altering the operating principle of the device. Transmitting armatures of various forms and/or dimensions can exist on the same device. The transmitting armatures can further be distributed on a rigid or flexible support, whether hard or soft, planar or non-planar, and of any shape, thickness, or size. For example, the transmitting armature of the feeder device can be implemented by applying a conductor in the form of a plate, sheet, leaf, or other pattern onto a hard or soft, thick or thin dielectric substrate, or by embedding a conductor between two layers of dielectric material, or by modifying the electrical properties of a non-conductive material to convert it into a localized conductive wire.

As for the secondary circuit of the user device, in aspects of the present invention, it may include at least one electronic inductor connected in series with the receiving armature. The secondary circuit may also include a voltage rectifier connected between the receiving armature and the load, and may include a load regulation circuit (e.g., a DC/DC circuit or another similar circuit).

As for the primary circuit of the supply device, in one aspect of the invention, it may include:

a first electrical conductor and a second electrical conductor electrically connected to a voltage generator so as to be subject to a constant voltage difference (for example, the first electrical conductor may be connected to the voltage generator and the second electrical conductor may be grounded), and

A plurality of electronic switches are provided, each of the electronic switches being capable of selectively electrically connecting each transmitting armature to the first electrical conductor or the second electrical conductor.

Through this technical solution, the electronic command system can be configured to manipulate the electronic switch so that the transmitting armature (at least one) of a receiving armature facing the user equipment can be maintained constantly connected to one of the two conductors, for example, the conductor with the lowest potential (for example, the ground), while the transmitting armature (at least one) of the other receiving armature facing the user equipment can be alternately cyclically connected to the conductor with the highest potential and to the conductor with the lowest potential.

Alternatively, the electronic command system can be configured to operate the electronic switch so that the transmitting armature (at least one) of the first receiving armature facing the user device can be alternately connected in a cyclic manner to the conductor with the highest potential and the conductor with the lowest potential, while the transmitting armature (at least one) of the other receiving armature facing the user device can also be alternately connected in a cyclic manner to the conductor with the highest potential and the conductor with the lowest potential, but in opposite phases (vector sign shifted 180°), or connected in appropriate steps relative to the transmitting armature of the first receiving armature facing the user device.

In this manner, the voltage waves are all applied to the paired capacitances implemented by the transmitting armature and the receiving armature superimposed on each other, thereby being transmitted to a load placed on the user equipment.

Other possible control modes for ensuring that the voltage wave is fully applied to the loads located on the user equipment are all valid alternative manipulation schemes and are substantially similar to those described.

The technical solution actually comprises a switch having the function of generating a voltage wave and the function of selectively activating the transmitting armature.

In an alternative embodiment, the primary power supply circuit may include:

first and second electrical conductors that can be electrically connected to a voltage generator via an inverter system capable of generating a time-varying voltage and applying that voltage to the first conductor while maintaining the second conductor at a constant voltage (e.g., ground), and

A plurality of electronic switches are provided, each of the electronic switches being capable of selectively electrically connecting each transmitting armature to the first electrical conductor or the second electrical conductor.

By adopting a technical solution configured as a variation of the aforementioned technical solution, the electronic command system can be configured to manipulate the electronic switch so that the transmitting armature (at least one) of one of the receiving armatures facing the user equipment can be maintained constantly connected to the second conductor, for example, the conductor with the lowest potential (for example, ground), while the transmitting armature (at least one) of the other receiving armature facing the user equipment can be constantly maintained connected to the first conductor, thereby receiving the voltage wave generated by the inverter system.

In fact, in this second technical solution, the generation of the voltage wave is performed by an inverter system and the switch is used only for the selective activation function of the transmitting armature.

For the switches used in the first two embodiments of the present invention, each of the switches can be made of at least one bipolar transistor, IGBT, MOSFET, MEMS switch, relay or solid-state relay, CMOS coupler or any other type of voltage switching system.

In a third embodiment of the present invention, the primary supply circuit of the supply device may include:

first and second electrical conductors electrically connected to a voltage generator so as to be subject to a constant voltage difference (e.g., the first electrical conductor may be connected to a voltage generator and the second electrical conductor may be grounded), and

A plurality of electronic excitation modules are connected in parallel between the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor and are individually connected to respective transmit armatures, each electronic excitation module including a pair of switches connected in series and including a central node therebetween, the central node being electrically connected to the respective transmit armature.

In practice, each excitation module comprises a high-voltage switch connected to the electrical conductor with the highest potential (e.g. the first electrical conductor) and a low-voltage switch directly connected to the electrical conductor with the lowest potential (e.g. the second electrical conductor), with an electrical connection to the corresponding transmitting armature being made between the high-voltage switch and the low-voltage switch.

Through the third technical solution, the electronic command signal of the device can be configured to operate the switch of the excitation module according to the following strategy.

For the excitation module of the transmitting armature (at least one) connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment, the high-voltage switch is manipulated to keep it fixedly disconnected (always disconnected), and the low-voltage switch is manipulated to be opened and cut off in a high-frequency cycle. In this way, the transmitting armature and the receiving armature facing the transmitting armature excite high-frequency voltage waves.

For the excitation module of at least one transmitting armature connected to another receiving armature facing the user equipment, the low-voltage switch is manipulated to remain permanently off (always off), while the high-voltage switch is manipulated to remain permanently on (always on). Alternatively, the high-voltage switch is manipulated to cycle on and off at a high frequency, and the frequency and phase are appropriate relative to the low-voltage switches of the excitation module of the transmitting armature connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment, for example, synchronized with the low-voltage switches of the excitation modules of the transmitting armatures connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment. In different strategies, the electronic command system of the device can be configured to manipulate the switches of the excitation module in the following manner.

For the excitation module of the transmitting armature (at least one) connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment, the low-voltage switch is manipulated to keep it fixedly disconnected (always disconnected), and the high-voltage switch is manipulated to be opened and cut off in a high-frequency cycle. In this way, the transmitting armature and the receiving armature facing the transmitting armature excite a high-frequency voltage wave.

For the excitation module of (at least one) transmitting armature connected to another receiving armature facing the user equipment, the high voltage switch is manipulated to keep it fixedly off (always off), while the low voltage switch is manipulated to keep it fixedly on (always on), or alternatively, the low voltage switch is manipulated to be cycled on and off at a high frequency, and the frequency and phase are appropriate relative to the high voltage switch of the excitation module of the transmitting armature connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment, for example, synchronized with the high voltage switches of the excitation modules connected to those transmitting armatures facing the first armature.

In a third strategy, the high-voltage switch and the low-voltage switch connected to the transmitting armature (at least one) facing the first receiving armature can be manipulated to be switched on and off at a high frequency, and alternatively, the high-voltage switch and the low-voltage switch connected to the transmitting armature facing another receiving armature can be manipulated to be switched on and off alternately at a high frequency, and the frequency and phase relative to the high-voltage switch of the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature (at least one) facing the first receiving armature facing the user equipment are appropriate, for example, synchronized with the high-voltage switches of the excitation modules connected to those transmitting armatures facing the first armature.

In a fourth strategy, the high-voltage switch and the low-voltage switch connected to the transmitting armature facing the first receiving armature may be manipulated to be turned on and off at a high frequency, while the high-voltage switch and the low-voltage switch connected to the transmitting armature facing the other receiving armature may be fixedly manipulated, for example, the high-voltage switch is fixedly turned on (always on) and the low-voltage switch is fixedly turned off (always off), or, alternatively, the low-voltage switch is fixedly turned on (always on) and the high-voltage switch is fixedly turned off (always off).

In any case, the effective alternative is any operation capable of preventing a short circuit between a conductor at high potential and a conductor at low potential and of generating a voltage wave on the receiving armature capable of charging the load.

In an aspect of the third embodiment, the primary circuit of the charger may include an inductor (referred to as a throttle) connected in series between the voltage generator and the first electrical conductor and possibly a capacitor (referred to as an accumulator) connected between the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor.

However, the energy storage capacitor can be partially or completely eliminated by utilizing, for example, the parasitic capacitance of the switches (eg, MOSFETs) of the excitation module.

In an additional aspect of this third embodiment, each excitation module may include an inductor connected between the center node and the corresponding transmitting armature.

In this way, the inductance in series with the armature of the secondary circuit can be partially eliminated, for example, thereby reducing the size of the user equipment without conceptually changing the transmitting device.

In an additional aspect of this third embodiment, each excitation module may include a capacitor connected between the center node and the second terminal of the primary circuit.

In this way, it is also possible to partially or completely eliminate the energy storage capacitor. The presence of these reactive elements, which prevent short circuits between the high-voltage and low-voltage conductors, even in the event of transients (during which both the high-voltage and low-voltage switches of each excitation module are closed), means that the command system is configured to implement the following strategy.

For the excitation module of the transmitting armature (at least one) connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment, the high-voltage switch is manipulated to keep it fixedly connected (always on), and the low-voltage switch is manipulated to be opened and cut off in a high-frequency cycle. In this way, the transmitting armature and the receiving armature facing the transmitting armature are excited with a high-frequency voltage wave.

For the excitation module of the transmitting armature (at least one) connected to the other (second) receiving armature facing the user equipment, the high voltage switch is operated to keep it fixedly open (always open), while the low voltage switch 310 is operated to keep it fixedly closed (always on).

Alternatively, again for the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature (at least one) facing the second receiving armature, the low-voltage switch can be synchronized with respect to the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature facing the first receiving armature or operated with a switching and/or frequency that in any case causes the current to circulate on the load.

In a different strategy, the electronic command system of the device can be configured to operate the switches of the excitation module in the following manner.

As for the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature (at least one) facing the first receiving armature, the high-voltage switch and the low-voltage switch can be synchronously operated to be opened and cut off in a high-frequency cycle (simultaneously connected or disconnected), in this way, the transmitting armature and the receiving armature facing the transmitting armature excite a high-frequency voltage wave.

With regard to the excitation modules connected to the transmitting armature (at least one) facing the second receiving armature, the high voltage switches and the low voltage switches can be operated in anti-phase (vector sign shifted by 180°) relative to those of the excitation modules connected to the transmitting armature facing the first receiving armature.

In other words, if the high-voltage switch of the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature facing the first receiving armature is turned on, the high-voltage switch of the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature facing the other receiving armature is turned off, and if the low-voltage switch of the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature facing the first receiving armature is turned on, the low-voltage switch of the excitation module facing the other armature is turned off, and vice versa.

The steering system can be modified in any case with respect to the alternative shown, when in any case any operation is effective to ensure that a potential difference is set between the receiving armatures so as to charge the load.

In all the above cases, with respect to an excitation module connected to a transmitting armature not facing any receiving armature, the high voltage switch can be kept fixed open (always open) while the low voltage switch can be kept on or open, thereby connecting the corresponding transmitting armature to a low potential conductor (e.g. ground) or leaving it floating.

Regarding the paired switches in all of the above cases, they can be manufactured as any combination of paired bipolar transistors or IGBTs of the pnp or npn type (for example, only npn type, or pnp type transistors, or pnp transistors and npn transistors), and can also be implemented using any combination of MOSFETs (only p-MOS, CMOS pairs consisting of n-MOS and p-MOS), as well as relays, solid-state relays, MEMS switches, or any other switches.

For example, each excitation module may be advantageously implemented using p-MOS as a high voltage switch and n-MOS as a low voltage switch.

This structure constitutes a CMOS pair that can be easily manipulated, is low-cost, and is easy to integrate, even in a single chip with current semiconductor technology, thus realizing a device capable of managing particularly extended emitting armature surfaces at very low cost.

The assembly of reactive electronic components (transmitting armature, receiving armature, and possible capacitors and inductors, including parasitic elements of the switches and the circuitry itself) of this third embodiment (in all its variants) can be tuned to resonate at or near the operating frequency of at least one switch of each excitation module. Furthermore, by appropriately sizing these electronic components, the entire circuit of the transmitting device, consisting of the primary and secondary circuits coupled to the transmitting and receiving armatures, can be compared to a resonant amplifier circuit, such as a Class E, F, or E/F amplifier. In this manner, the losses in this circuit can be very low, practically zero, because the resonant circuit (e.g., Class E, F, or E/F) is tuned to eliminate or at least minimize all losses, resulting in performance significantly better than any non-resonant inductive or capacitive system.

Furthermore, with the large number of small armatures that can be achieved and the consequent low current across the individual switches of each excitation module, the operating frequency can easily be significantly increased relative to a system consisting of only two large armatures (operated by switches that control the full power delivery to the load), because switches suitable for controlling small currents generally have negligible parasitics (e.g. low parasitic gate capacitance for MOSFETs) and are therefore more suitable for reaching very high frequencies than switches suitable for controlling large currents.

In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the primary circuit of the supply device may include:

first and second electrical conductors electrically connected to a voltage generator so as to be subject to a constant voltage difference (e.g., the first electrical conductor may be connected to the voltage generator and the second electrical conductor may be grounded), and

A plurality of electronic excitation modules are connected in parallel between the first and second electrical conductors and are individually connected to each transmitting armature, each electronic excitation module including a pair of switches connected in series and including a central node therebetween, the central node being electrically connected to a corresponding transmitting armature.

In fact, this embodiment is similar to the previous one, the only difference being that it replaces one of the two switches (preferably a high voltage switch) of each excitation module with a suitable inductor.

Through this third technical solution, the electronic command signal of the device can be configured to operate the switch of the excitation module in the following manner.

For the excitation module of the transmitting armature (at least one) connected to the first receiving armature facing the user equipment, a single switch is operated to cycle on and off at a high frequency.

For the excitation module of at least one transmitting armature connected to another receiving armature facing the user device, a unique switch is operated so as to be cycled on and off at a high frequency, synchronously but in anti-phase (vector sign shifted 180 degrees) with respect to the switches of the excitation modules of the first subset, relative to the excitation modules connected to the transmitting armature facing the first receiving armature.

In this way, the armatures of the first group excite a periodic voltage wave, while the armatures of the second group excite the same voltage wave, but shifted by half a cycle (vector sign 180°). This operation makes it possible to generate a maximum potential difference between the first and second groups of transmitting armatures, making it possible to collect energy downstream in the receiving armature that can be used to charge the load.

For example, by varying the switching and/or the frequency and/or the form of manipulation of the excitation, it is possible to modify the manipulation of the system so as to ensure in any case that energy is received that is beneficial for charging the load downstream of the receiving armature.

For an exciter module connected to a transmitting television that is not facing any receiving armature, the only switch can be left fixed open (always open).

Also in this fourth embodiment, the primary circuit of the charger may comprise an inductor (called a throttle) connected in series between the voltage generator and the first electrical conductor, and possibly a capacitor (called an accumulator) connected between the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor.

However, the energy storage capacitor can be partially or completely eliminated by utilizing, for example, the parasitic capacitance of the switches of the excitation module.

This throttling inductance can also be partially or completely eliminated by appropriately sizing the inductance of each excitation module and utilizing the parasitic inductance of the switches and circuits.

The elimination of the throttling inductance ensures, for example, that the disconnected transmitting armature setting maintains a constant voltage, thus generating no electromagnetic pollution or losses and never interacting with the surrounding environment.

In further aspects of this fourth embodiment, each excitation module may include an inductor connected between the central node and the corresponding transmitting armature and/or a capacitor connected between the central node and the second terminal of the primary circuit.

As for the switches in any excitation module, they can be pnp or npn type bipolar transistors or IGBTs, or can be MOSFETs (n-MOS, p-MOS), MEMS switches, relays, solid-state relays, or any other switches.

In the aforementioned circumstances, the components of the reactive electronic components (transmitting armature, receiving armature, and possible inductor) of this fourth embodiment can be tuned to resonate at the same or similar operating frequency as the switch 340 of each excitation module 300. Furthermore, by appropriately sizing these electronic components, the entire circuit of the transmitting device, consisting of the primary and secondary circuits coupled to the transmitting and receiving armatures, can be compared to a resonant amplifier circuit, such as a Class E, F, or E/F amplifier. In this manner, the losses in this circuit can be very low, practically zero, because the resonant circuit (e.g., Class E, F, or E/F amplifier) is tuned to eliminate or at least minimize all losses, resulting in performance significantly better than that of any non-resonant inductive or capacitive system.

Furthermore, with the large number of small armatures that can be achieved and the consequent low current across the individual switches of each excitation module, the operating frequency can easily be significantly increased relative to a system consisting of only two large armatures (operated by switches that control the full power delivery to the load), because switches suitable for controlling small currents generally have negligible parasitics (e.g. low parasitic gate capacitance for MOSFETs) and are therefore more suitable for reaching very high frequencies than switches suitable for controlling large currents.

Furthermore, even relative to the other aforementioned embodiments, this fourth embodiment is particularly advantageous in simplifying operation and further improving performance, since the only switch present in each excitation module is related to a lower potential (e.g., ground), and can therefore be operated with an extremely high-performance and economical drive.

In an aspect common to all of the above embodiments, the primary circuit for operating the transmitting armature may be implemented by a separate electronic card, which may be connected to the transmitting armature by wiring.

Alternatively, the primary circuit may be implemented using, for example, one or more superimposed conductive layers (multilayers), partially or completely distributed directly on a sub-layer of the applied transmitting armature, each superimposed conductive layer specifically serving to implement suitable conductive paths, possibly separated by insulating layers and suitably connected to each other by inter-layer conductive paths, enabling any of the conceptual layouts described above to be implemented.

For example, a multilayer printed circuit can be implemented with rigid or flexible, hard or soft dielectric sub-layers, wherein the transmitting armature is implemented on a first conductive layer, and wherein electronic components are mounted and/or designed on a last conductive layer and connected to the transmitting armature (e.g., through vias between the conductive layers).

In this way a relatively small charging pad is obtained, which is relatively thin and can possibly be cut into any shape without impairing operation, is very robust with respect to local damage, and has a relatively low cost.

In a further aspect of the invention, it is further possible to realize the passive elements of the primary circuit (such as inductors, capacitors, any resistors) and active electronic components (for example MOSFETS, other transistors or other components) directly on a thin layer, for example by means of TFT technology (thin film transistors), which has been available for some time in the form of flat-panel screens or OFETs (organic field effect transistors).

In a further aspect common to all of the above-described embodiments of the invention, the electronic monitoring and selection system may be configured to perform the step of monitoring each transmitting armature of the charging device.

The monitoring step may comprise supplying a predetermined electronic test signal to each transmitting armature and measuring a circuit parameter (e.g., impedance of an element or part of the circuit, voltage at one or more points, current in one or more elements, or another physical and/or electronic property of the transmitting circuit), the value of which is known before the transmitting armature faces the receiving armature or faces nothing, or the operating condition can be predicted based on the state.

By comparing the measured values with the known values of the monitored parameters, the monitoring and selection system is able to identify the specific condition of each individual transmitting armature.

This monitoring step can be performed simultaneously or sequentially on all transmitting armatures of the charging device in a single diagnostic program, which can be repeated continuously and periodically or when significant events occur.

Alternatively, the monitoring step may be performed for each transmitting armature independently of the other transmitting armatures, in a continuous mode, in a periodic mode and/or when a significant event occurs.

Alternatively, the monitoring step may be performed without a test signal and using the monitoring properties directly during normal system operation of the system, thereby determining the state of each armature in real time and modifying its operation accordingly.

As previously described, the monitoring system can determine the power delivered to each load and therefore provide the control system with a traceability system that is useful in controlling the power delivered to the loads.

The control system can, for example, regulate the power delivered to the load by activating a greater or lesser number of transmitting armatures for each receiving armature, and/or the system can change the frequency and/or phase and/or shape of the steering signal for some of the transmitting armatures, thereby modifying the electrical power delivered to the load in this way.

Finally, another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for transferring power to an electric charge, comprising:

a pre-installed charging device comprising an assembly of at least three transmitting armatures and a primary circuit capable of connecting each transmitting armature to a voltage generator independently of the other transmitting armatures,

A user device is provided, which is separate from and independent of the charging device, and includes an electric load, at least one pair of receiving armatures, and a secondary circuit capable of connecting the receiving armatures to the electric load, wherein the pair of receiving armatures can face the at least one pair of transmitting armatures of the charging device, thereby realizing at least two different capacitances therein.

identifying a first subassembly of a transmitting armature (at least one) of an armature facing a receiving armature of a user device, and thereby identifying a second subassembly of a transmitting armature of another receiving armature of a user device, and

The primary circuit is commanded to apply a voltage difference between the transmitting armatures of the first and second subassemblies that is periodically variable over time.

This power transfer method employs the same concepts as the previously described arrangement and exhibits much the same advantages.

It will therefore be understood that all aspects and features of the invention described in conjunction with the apparatus may also be applied to the power transfer method. In particular, all operations performed by the electronic monitoring and selection system and by the electronic control system are considered steps of the method of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be understood on reading the following description given by way of non-limiting example, supplemented by the diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless supply device according to the present invention.

2, 3 and 4 are top views of the emitting surface of the device of FIG. 1 in three alternative embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the device of FIG. 1 in a first specific embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the device of FIG. 1 in a second specific embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the device of FIG. 1 in a third specific embodiment.

FIG8 is a variation of the circuit diagram of FIG7 .

FIG. 9 is a variation of the circuit diagram of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of the device of FIG. 1 in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a variation of the circuit diagram of FIG. 10 .

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of a multilayer printed circuit implementing a charging device for use in the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG13 is a side view of FIG12 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

1 , the present invention relates to an apparatus 100 for wirelessly transmitting electrical power from a charging device 105 to one or more user devices 110 , each user device 110 being physically separate and independent from the charging device 105 and including an electrical load 115 to be charged.

The user device 110 may be, for example, a phone, a computer, a keyboard, a mouse, a tablet computer, a television, a lighting system, an implantable biomedical system, or any other electrical and electronic device that requires power and/or recharging of its internal battery.

Charging device 105 can be made into a stand-alone object, such as provided with a dedicated housing, or can be incorporated into or applied to a pre-existing structure, such as a desk, table, wall, dashboard, storage compartment, floor, and other structures, as will be more fully described below.

Specifically, the charging device 105 includes an assembly of transmitting armatures 120, which can be configured, for example, as plates, blades, leaves, or another conductive element. The number of transmitting armatures 120 must be at least three, but preferably, the number of transmitting armatures 120 is significantly greater. The transmitting armatures 120 are arranged laterally, for example, coplanarly, relative to one another, thereby defining an emitting surface 125 within the charging device 105 as a whole. The emitting surface 125 can have any desired shape and size.

In the drawings, for clarity, the transmitting armature 120 is shown spaced apart from the transmitting surface 125. In practice, it is preferred (though not required) that the transmitting armature 120 be substantially flush with the transmitting surface 125, which may be covered by a thin layer of preferably dielectric material.

The transmitting armatures 120 can be arranged in space in a relatively regular or irregular manner, adjacent to or spaced apart from one another. For example, the transmitting armatures can be arranged in a single-dimensional distribution (see FIG. 2 ), i.e., aligned to form a single row, or can be arranged in a multi-dimensional distribution, for example, in a matrix configuration (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 ), wherein the transmitting armatures 120 can be aligned in rows and columns, roughly like the nodes of a matrix.

As shown in the referenced figures, the transmitting armature 120 can have a variety of sizes and/or geometries. In particular, the shape and/or size of the transmitting armature 120 can vary between various models of charging devices 105 and within the same model of charging device 105.

The transmitting armature 120 can further be distributed on a support member that is rigid or flexible, soft or hard, planar or non-planar, and has any shape, thickness, or size. For example, the transmitting armature 120 of the feeder device can be implemented by applying a conductive sheet to a thick or thin dielectric substrate, or by embedding a conductive sheet between two layers of dielectric material, or by modifying the electrical properties of a non-conductive material so that it becomes partially conductive.

1 , the charging device 105 further comprises at least one voltage generator 130 and an assembly of primary circuits, schematically indicated by reference numeral 135 , capable of connecting each transmitting armature 120 to the voltage generator 130 independently of the other transmitting armatures.

It should be immediately understood that in this specification, voltage generator 130 is understood to be any electronic device capable of generating a potential difference (voltage) that remains substantially constant over time. Thus, it may be a device that generates a constant voltage directly at its head, such as a battery, but it may also be a rectifier capable of converting alternating current (e.g., from a standard domestic power distribution network) into direct current, or it may be a DC/DC converter capable of converting the initial direct current into a suitable voltage capable of supplying primary circuit 135.

The user device 110 in turn comprises at least one pair of receiving armatures 140 and 141 and a secondary circuit, indicated as a whole by 145 , capable of connecting the receiving armatures 140 and 141 to the electrical load 115 .

In some possible embodiments, the secondary circuit 145 of the user device 110 may include a voltage rectifier 155 connected between the receiving armatures 140 and 141 and the load 115, and may include a load regulation circuit (e.g., a DC/DC circuit or another similar circuit).

The receiving armatures 140 and 141 may also be realized as plates, sheets, leaves or another type of conductor element.Each receiving armature 140 and 141 may possibly be made of a plurality of plates of smaller size that are suitably connected to each other.

The receiving armatures 140 and 141 can be arranged laterally, for example, coplanarly, with respect to each other, thereby defining a receiving surface 160 in the charging device 110 that is complementary in shape to the emitting surface 125 of the charging device 105.

In the drawings, for the sake of clarity, the receiving armatures 140 and 141 are shown spaced apart from the emitting surface 125. In practice, the receiving armatures 140 and 141 are preferably close to the emitting surface 125, which may be covered by a dielectric layer of preferably thin thickness.

For different user devices 110, within each individual user device 110, and for each receiving armature 110, the size and/or form of the receiving armatures 140 and 141 may be different depending on the size of the device and the geometric constraints existing on the device and the power required for the user device to operate.

Importantly, the shape, size, and arrangement of the receiving armatures 140 and 141 on the user device 110 and the number, shape, size, and arrangement of the transmitting armatures 120 on the charging device 105 must be such that, by resting the receiving surface 160 of the user device 100 on or near the transmitting surface 125 of the charging device 105, the paired receiving armatures 140 and 142 of the user device 110 face the at least one pair of transmitting armatures 120 of the charging device 105 for a plurality of positions and/or orientations of the user device 110 relative to the charging device 105, and preferably for any position and/or orientation of the user device 110.

In the drawings, for the sake of clarity only, the emitting surface 125 and the receiving surface are shown spaced apart from each other. In practice, the emitting surface 125 and the receiving surface are preferably in contact with each other or in any case close to each other.

In this manner, in all of the aforementioned positions and/or orientations of the user device 100, each receiving armature 140 and 141 implements a capacitor 165 and 166, respectively, through the respective subassemblies of the transmitting armature 120 (at least one) facing the receiving armature 140 and 141. Thus, the paired capacitors 165 and 166 form an impedance that enables a wireless connection between the primary circuit 135 of the charging device 105 and the secondary circuit 145 of the user device 110.

Therefore, the device 100 includes an electronic system for monitoring and selection, which is schematically indicated by the reference numeral 170, for example, a system based on a microprocessor, programmable logic, wired logic, integrated circuit or another circuit, which system may have appropriate analog or digital signal conditioning circuits, which is connected to the primary circuit 13 of the charging device 105 and is configured to identify a first subassembly of the transmitting armature 120 facing the receiving armature 140 and a second subassembly of the transmitting armature 120 facing another receiving armature 141 of the user device 110, and may be used to identify a third subassembly of the transmitting armature 120 of any receiving armature 140 and 141 not facing the user device 110.

The monitoring and selection system 170 may also be configured to measure the voltage and/or current and/or power delivered to each user device 110 .

The device 100 finally includes an electronic command system, which is schematically indicated by the reference numeral 175. The command system 175 can also be based on a microprocessor, programmable logic, wired logic, an integrated circuit, or another circuit, and can be made as a system separate from the monitoring and selection system 170 (as shown in FIG1 ) or can be integrated into a single electronic control system that also integrates the monitoring and selection system 170.

In any case, the command system 175 is connected to the primary circuit 135 of the charging device 105 and is configured to command the primary circuit 135 to apply a voltage difference that can be periodically varied over time between the transmitting armatures 120 of the first and second subassemblies identified by the monitoring and selection system 170.

By applying a time-varying voltage difference to the transmitting armature 120 facing the receiving armatures 140 and 142 , the primary circuit 135 applies a voltage wave to the capacitances 165 and 166 thus realized, which is transmitted to the secondary circuit 145 of the user device 110 and thus to the load 115 .

By varying the number of activated transmitting armatures 120 and/or the frequency and/or form of the control signal to each transmitting armature 120 , the command system 175 can effectively adjust the voltage and/or current and/or power delivered to each load 115 .

At the same time, all transmitting armatures 120 that are not facing any receiving armature may remain disconnected, thus ensuring negligible emission from all parts of the transmitting surface 125 that are not supporting the user device 110 .

Using a sufficiently large number of transmitting armatures 120 may actually define a sufficiently large transmitting surface 125 to also accommodate other user devices 110 (as shown in the figures), which may be charged simultaneously in the first mode and in the same mode as previously described.

Starting from a generic device, the device 100 can be applied in various embodiments, the main differences being in the layout of the primary circuit 135 of the charging device 105 and, therefore, in the mode in which the instruction system 175 commands the primary circuit 135 of the charging device 105 to realize a voltage wave and to apply this voltage wave to the transmitting armature 120.

5 , the first embodiment may, for example, include a primary circuit 135 having a first electrical conductor 200 directly connected to the positive terminal of the voltage generator 130 and a second electrical conductor 205 connected to the negative terminal of the voltage generator 130. In this manner, the voltage generator applies a voltage difference between the first electrical conductor 200 and the second electrical conductor 205, the voltage difference being substantially constant, greater at the first electrical conductor 200, and less at the second electrical conductor 205.

Also in this particular embodiment, the second electrical conductor 205 is ground, so that at least the negative clamp of the voltage generator 130 is grounded. However, it is possible that in other embodiments, the second conductor 205 may have a different electrical potential.

The primary circuit 135 may also include a plurality of electronic excitation modules 210, the number of which is equal to the number of transmitting armatures 120. Each transmitting armature 120 is connected to only one of these switches 210, which are capable of individually selectively electrically connecting the corresponding transmitting armature 120 to the first electrical conductor 200 or the second electrical conductor 205 (ground in this case). The switch may be, for example, a bipolar transistor, an IGBT, a MOSFET, a MEMS switch, a relay or solid-state relay, a CMOS coupler, or any other type of voltage interruption system.

Through this simple circuit layout, in order to supply the load 115 of each user device 110, the electronic command system 175 can be configured to operate the electronic switch 210 so that the transmitting armature 120 of the first subassembly, that is, those transmitting armatures (at least one) facing the receiving armature 140, maintains a constant connection to one of the two conductors 200 or 205, for example, the second conductor (in this embodiment, the ground), while the transmitting armature 120 of the second subassembly, that is, those transmitting armatures (at least one) facing the other receiving armature 141, can be alternately cyclically connected to the first conductor 200 with the highest potential and the second conductor 205 with the lowest potential (or vice versa).

Alternatively, the electronic command system can be configured to operate the electronic switch 210 so that the transmitting armatures 120 of the first subassembly, i.e., those (at least one) transmitting armatures facing the receiving armature 140, maintain a cyclic connection to the first conductor 200 with a higher potential and to the second conductor 205 with a lower potential, while the transmitting armatures 120 of the second subassembly, i.e., those (at least one) transmitting armatures facing the other receiving armature 141, can be analogously replaced with a cyclic connection but connected to the first conductor 200 with the highest potential and the second conductor 205 with the lowest potential, in opposite phase relative to the transmitting armature 120 facing the receiving armature 140 (vector sign shifted by 180°).

In this manner, the voltage waves are all applied to the paired capacitors 165 and 166 implemented by the transmitting armature 120 and the receiving armatures 140 and 141 stacked on each other, and are thus transmitted to the load 115 placed on the user device 110.

Figure 6 shows a second embodiment of the device 100, in which the primary circuit 135 of the second embodiment is generally similar to the previous primary circuit. The only difference relative to the previous primary circuit is that it includes an inverter system (generally represented by 215), which is configured to convert the direct current output from the voltage generator 130 into a voltage wave, which is applied to the first electronic end 200.

For example, the inverter system 215 may comprise an electrical branch having two switches (e.g. transistors) 220 arranged in series with one another, one end node of the electrical branch being connected to the positive terminal of the voltage generator 130 , the opposite end node being connected to the negative terminal of the voltage generator (in this case ground), and a central node being connected between the two switches 200 to the first electrical conductor 200 .

In this manner, by appropriately manipulating the two switches 200 , the inverter system 215 is able to apply a voltage wave to the first conductor 200 while maintaining the second conductor 205 at a constant reference voltage (ground in this embodiment).

With this variant, a voltage wave is thus generated upstream of the switch which has only an excitation function or does not have a transmitting armature.

Therefore, in order to charge the load 115 of each user device 110, the electronic command system 175 can be simply configured to operate the switch 210 so that the transmitting armature 120 of the first subassembly, that is, those transmitting armatures (at least one) facing the receiving armature 140, remains constantly connected to the second conductor 205 (in this embodiment, ground), while the transmitting armature 120 of the second subassembly, that is, those transmitting armatures (at least one) facing the other receiving armature 141, remains constantly connected to the first conductor 200 so as to receive the voltage wave generated by the inverter system 215.

In a third embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 7, the primary circuit 135 of the charging device 105 may include, as in the first embodiment, a first electrical conductor directly connected to the positive clamp of the voltage generator 130 and a second electrical conductor 205 connected to the negative clamp of the voltage generator 130, so that the voltage generator 130 applies a substantially constant voltage difference between the first electrical conductor 200 and the second electrical conductor 205, which voltage difference is larger at the first conductor 200 and smaller at the second conductor 205.

Also, in this particular embodiment, the second electrical conductor 205 is ground, such that at least the negative terminal of the voltage generator 130 is grounded. However, it is possible that in other embodiments, the second conductor 205 may have a different electrical potential.

The primary circuit 135 also includes a plurality of electronic excitation modules 300, the number of which is equal to the number of transmitting armatures 120. Each transmitting armature 120 is connected to only one of the excitation modules 300, which are connected in parallel between the first and second electrical conductors 200, 205.

In particular, each excitation module 300 comprises an electrical branch with one end node connected to the first conductor 200 and the opposite end node connected to the second conductor 205 (in this case, ground). This branch comprises a pair of switches connected in series between the two end nodes: a high-voltage switch 305 connected directly to the first conductor 200 (applying a higher voltage), and a low-voltage switch 310 connected directly to the second conductor 205 (in this case, ground). Between these two switches 305 and 310, the electrical branch presents a central node connected to the corresponding transmitting armature 120.

Switches 305 and 310 can be any combination of bipolar transistors (pnp or npn transistors only) or IGBTs (e.g., npn-only, pnp-only, or both pnp and npn transistors). They can also be any combination of MOSFETs (p-MOS only, CMOS pairs consisting of n-MOS and p-MOS), relays, solid-state relays, MEMS switches, or any other switches. This embodiment allows each excitation module 300 to be advantageously implemented using p-MOS as the high-voltage switch 305 and n-MOS as the low-voltage switch 310. This structure forms a readily manipulable CMOS pair, is low-cost, and easily integrated, even on a single chip using existing semiconductor technologies.

With this circuit arrangement, in order to charge the load 115 of each user device 110 , the electronic instruction system 175 of this variation of the third embodiment may be configured to operate the switches 305 and 310 of the excitation module 300 in the following manner.

For the excitation module 300 connected to the transmitting armature 120 (at least one) of the first subassembly facing the receiving armature 140, the high-voltage switch 305 is operated to remain permanently disconnected (always disconnected), while the low-voltage switch 310 is operated to be cyclically opened and closed at a high frequency, so that a high-frequency voltage wave is excited in the transmitting armature 120 and the receiving armature 140 facing the transmitting armature 120.

For the excitation module 300 connected to (at least one of) the transmitting armatures 120 facing another receiving armature 141, the low voltage switch 310 is manipulated to remain fixedly disconnected (always disconnected), while the high voltage switch 305 is manipulated to remain fixedly connected (always connected), or alternatively, the high voltage switch 305 is manipulated to be cyclically opened and closed at a high frequency, and the frequency and phase are appropriate relative to the low voltage switches of the excitation modules of the transmitting armatures 120 connected to the first receiving armature 140 facing the user equipment, for example, synchronized with the low voltage switches of the excitation modules of those transmitting armatures facing the first receiving armature 140.

In a different strategy, the electronic command system 175 of the device is configured to operate the switches 305 and 310 of the excitation module in the following manner.

For the excitation module 300 connected to the (at least one) transmitting armature 120 facing the receiving armature 140, the low voltage switch 310 is operated to be fixedly opened (always opened), and the high voltage switch 305 is operated to be opened and closed in a high-frequency cycle. In this way, the transmitting armature 120 and the receiving armature 140 facing the transmitting armature are excited with a high-frequency voltage wave.

For the excitation module 300 connected to (at least one) transmitting armature 120 facing another receiving armature 141, the high voltage switch 305 is manipulated to remain fixedly off (always off), while the low voltage switch 310 is manipulated to remain on (always on), or, alternatively, the low voltage switch 310 is manipulated to be cycled on and off at a high frequency, and the frequency and phase are appropriate relative to the high voltage switch 305 of the excitation module 300 of the transmitting armature 120 connected to the first receiving armature 140 facing the user equipment, for example, synchronized with those transmitting armatures facing the receiving armature 140.

In a third strategy, the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 connected to the transmitting armature 120 facing the first receiving armature 140 can be manipulated to be switched on and off at a high frequency, and alternatively, the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 connected to the transmitting armature 120 facing the other receiving armature 141 can be manipulated to be switched on and off alternately at a high frequency, and the frequency and phase relative to the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 connected to the transmitting armature 120 facing the first receiving armature 140 are appropriate, for example, synchronized with the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 connected to those transmitting armatures 120 facing the first armature 140.

In a fourth strategy, the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 connected to the transmitting armature 120 facing the first receiving armature 140 may be manipulated to be turned on and off at a high frequency, while the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 connected to the transmitting armature 120 facing the other receiving armature 141 may be fixedly manipulated, for example, the high voltage switch 305 is fixedly turned on (always on) and the low voltage switch 310 is fixedly turned off (always off), or, alternatively, the low voltage switch 310 is fixedly turned on (always on) and the high voltage switch 305 is fixedly turned off (always off).

In a variation of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 , the secondary circuit 145 of the user device 110 may include at least one inductor 150 connected in series with each of the receiving armatures 140 and 141 .

The primary circuit 135 of the charger may further include a throttling inductor 315 connected in series between the voltage generator 130 and the first electrical conductor 300 , i.e., in series with the excitation module 300 , and the primary circuit 135 may include an energy storage capacitor 320 connected between the first electrical conductor 200 and the second electrical conductor 205 .

However, the energy storage capacitor 320 may be partially or completely eliminated by utilizing, for example, the parasitic capacitance of the switches 305 and 310 of the excitation module 300 .

With this circuit arrangement, in order to charge the load 115 of each user device 110 , the electronic command signal 175 of this variation of the third embodiment may be configured to operate the switches 305 and 310 of the excitation module 300 in the following manner.

For the excitation module 300 connected to the transmitting armature 120 (at least one) of the first subassembly facing the receiving armature 140, the high-voltage switch 305 is manipulated to remain fixedly connected (always on), while the low-voltage switch 310 is manipulated to be cyclically opened and closed at a high frequency, in this way, the transmitting armature 120 and the receiving armature 140 facing the transmitting armature are excited with a high-frequency voltage wave.

For the excitation modules 300 connected to the transmitting armatures 120 of the second subassembly, i.e., those transmitting armatures facing the other receiving armature 141, the high-voltage switch 305 is manipulated to be kept fixedly OFF (always OFF), while the low-voltage switch 310 is manipulated to be kept fixedly ON (always ON), thereby connecting the relevant transmitting armatures 120 to the second conductor 205 having a lower potential (ground in this embodiment).

Alternatively, the low voltage switch 310 of the excitation module 300 connected to the transmitting armature 120 of the second subassembly can be manipulated to switch on and off at a high frequency and in phase with the low voltage switch 305 of the excitation module connected to the transmitting armature 120 of the first subassembly, and the switching and/or frequency can cause current to circulate through the load in any case.

In a different strategy, the electronic instruction system 175 of the device may be configured in the following manner.

For the excitation module 300 connected to the transmitting armatures 120 of the first subassembly, i.e., those transmitting armatures (at least one) facing the receiving armature 140, the high voltage switch 305 and the low voltage switch 310 can be operated to be cycled on or off in phase with each other (on or off at the same time) at a high frequency.

For the excitation modules 300 connected to the transmitting armatures 120 of the second subassembly, i.e., those transmitting armatures facing the other receiving armature 141, the high-voltage switches 305 and the low-voltage switches 210 are also both in the control phase, cyclically turned on or off at a high frequency, and are in the same phase as each other (turned on or off at the same time) but in opposite phases (i.e., the vector signs are changed by 180°) with respect to the switches 305 and 310 of the excitation modules 300 connected to the transmitting armatures 120 of the first subassembly.

By this method, each transmitting armature 120 of the first and second subassemblies acts as an outflow and return path of the current. In contrast, the high frequency switch 305 operates at a high voltage, resulting in a complicated drive system of the switch.

In all of the above cases, the excitation module 300 is connected to the transmitting armature 120 of any receiving armature 140 and 141 that is not facing any user equipment 110, the high voltage switch 305 can be kept fixedly open (always open), while the low voltage switch can be kept on or open, thereby connecting the corresponding transmitting armature 120 to the second conductor 120 with a lower potential (e.g., ground) or making it float.

In another variation of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 , each excitation module 300 may include an inductor 325 connected between the central node and the two switches 305 and 310 connected in series and each transmitting armature 120 .

In this way, the inductor 150 in series with the receiving armature 140 of the user equipment 110 may be partially or completely eliminated, for example, thereby reducing the size of the user equipment.

Each excitation module 300 may also include a capacitor 330 connected between the center node of the series connection and the two switches 305 and 310 and the second terminal 205 of the primary circuit 135 (ground in this embodiment).

In this way, the energy storage capacitor 320 can also be partially or completely eliminated without conceptually changing the transmitting device 100 .

The components of the reactive electronics of this third embodiment (in all its variants) can be adjusted to resonate at the same or similar pilot frequency as at least one of the switches 305 or 310 of each excitation module 300. Furthermore, by appropriately sizing these electronic components, the entire circuit of the transmitter, consisting of the primary circuit 135 and the secondary circuit 145 coupled to the transmitting armature 120 and the receiving armatures 140 and 141, can be compared to a resonant circuit, such as a class E, F, E/F, or similar amplifier.

In this way, the losses of the above circuits can be very low, in fact almost zero, because the resonant circuit (e.g., E, F, E/F type, etc.) is adjusted to eliminate all losses or at least minimize all losses, so the performance is much better than that of any inductive system.

In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG10 , the primary circuit 130 of the charging device 105 , as in the previous embodiment, includes a first electrical conductor 200 and a second electrical conductor 205 , wherein the first electrical conductor 200 is directly connected to the positive electrode clamp of the voltage generator 130 , and the second electrical conductor 205 is connected to the negative electrode clamp of the voltage generator 130 , so that the voltage generator 130 applies a substantially constant voltage difference between the first electrical conductor 200 and the second electrical conductor 205 , and the voltage difference is larger at the first electrical conductor 200 and smaller at the second electrical conductor 205 .

Also in this embodiment, the second electrical conductor is ground, so that at least the negative clamp of the voltage generator 130 is grounded. However, in other embodiments, it is possible that the second conductor 205 may have a different electrical potential.

The primary circuit 135 also includes a plurality of electronic excitation modules 300, the number of which is equal to the number of transmitting armatures 120. Each transmitting armature 120 is connected to only one excitation module 300, which are connected in parallel between the first and second electrical conductors 200, 205.

Each excitation module 300 includes an electrical branch with one end node connected to the first conductor 200 and an opposite end node connected to the second conductor 205 (in this case, ground). This branch includes an inductor 335 and a switch 340 connected in series between the two end nodes. The inductor 335 is directly connected to the first conductor 200 (to which a larger voltage is applied), while the switch 340 is directly connected to the second conductor 205 (in this case, ground). A central node is included between the inductor 335 and the switch 340, which is electrically connected to the corresponding transmitting armature 120.

The switch 340 of each excitation module 300 may be a pnp or npn bipolar transistor or an IGBT, or may be a MOSFET (n-MOS, p-MOS), a MEMS switch, a relay, a solid-state relay, or any other switch.

Also in this embodiment, the secondary circuit 145 of the user device 110 may include at least one inductor 150 connected in series with each receiving armature 140 , 141 .

Also in this embodiment, the primary circuit 130 may include a throttling inductor 315 and may include an energy storage capacitor 320, wherein the throttling inductor 315 is connected in series between the voltage generator 130 and the first electrical conductor 200, that is, in series with the excitation module 300, and the energy storage capacitor 320 may be connected between the first electrical conductor 200 and the second electrical conductor 205.

However, the energy storage capacitor 320 can be partially or completely eliminated by, for example, utilizing the parasitic capacitance of the switch 340 of the excitation module 300 .

By appropriately dimensioning the inductance of each excitation module, the throttling inductance 315 can also be partially or completely eliminated.

The elimination of the throttling inductor 315 ensures, for example, that the disconnected transmitting armature 120 maintains a constant voltage setting and therefore never generates electromagnetic pollution or losses and does not interact with the surrounding environment.

In fact, the fourth embodiment is substantially similar to the third embodiment, with the only difference being that the high voltage switch 305 is replaced by a suitable inductor 335 in the fourth embodiment.

Through this technical solution, in order to charge the load 115 of each user device 110, the electronic command signal 175 of the apparatus 100 can be configured to operate the switch 340 of the excitation module 300 in the following manner.

For the excitation modules 300 connected to the transmitting armature 120 of the first subassembly, ie, those facing the transmitting armature 120 of the receiving armature 140, the unique switch 340 is operated to cycle on and off at a high frequency.

For the excitation modules 300 connected to the transmitting armature 120 of the second subassembly, that is, those excitation modules 300 facing the transmitting armature 120 (at least one) of the other receiving armature 141, a single switch 340 is operated so as to be cycled on and off at a high frequency, which is synchronized with but opposite in phase (vector sign changed by 180°) relative to the switches 340 of the excitation modules 300 of the first subassembly.

In this manner, the transmitting armature 120 of the first subassembly excites a periodic voltage wave, while the transmitting armature of the second subassembly excites the same voltage wave, but shifted by half a cycle (vector 180°). This operation enables a constant maximum potential difference between the transmitting armatures 120 of the first and second subassemblies, enabling the collection of energy downstream of the receiving armatures 140 and 141 that is useful for charging the load 115. However, other operational schemes are possible by varying the frequency, phase, and shape of the excitation signal of the switch 340; all effective schemes should be able to collect energy that is useful for charging the load 115 downstream of the receiving armatures 140 and 141.

At the same time, changes in the number of transmitting armatures 120 and changes in the frequency, phase and shape of the excitation signal of the switch 340 can be appropriately utilized to control the voltage and/or current and/or power delivered to the load 115.

For the excitation module 300 connected to the transmitting armature 120 of any receiving armature 140 or 141 that is not facing any user equipment 110 , the only switch 340 may remain fixedly open (always open).

As shown in FIG. 10 , each excitation module 300 may further include a capacitor 345 connected between a central node of the electrical branch between the inductor 335 and the switch 340 and the second terminal 205 (ground in this embodiment) of the primary circuit 135 .

In this way, the energy storage capacitor 320 can also be partially or completely eliminated without conceptually changing the transmitting device 100 .

11 shows a variant of the fourth embodiment, which differs from the previously described embodiment only in that each excitation module 300 further comprises an inductor 350 connected between a central node of the electrical branch and the associated transmitting armature 120 , the central node being between the inductor 335 and the switch 340 .

In this manner, the inductor 150 in series with the receiving armatures 140 and 141 of the user equipment 110 may be partially or completely eliminated, for example, thereby reducing the size of the user equipment 110 .

Based on the foregoing, the components of the reactive electronic components (transmitting armature, receiving armature, and possible inductor) of this fourth embodiment can be adjusted to resonate at the same or similar pilot frequency as the switch 340 of each excitation module 300. Furthermore, by appropriately sizing these electronic components, the entire circuit consisting of the primary circuit 130 and the secondary circuit 145 coupled to the transmitting armature 120 and the receiving armatures 140 and 141 can be compared to a resonant circuit, such as an amplifier of class E, F, or E/F.

In a common aspect of the above embodiments, the primary circuit 135 operating the transmitting armature 120 may be implemented by a dedicated electronic card, which may be connected to the transmitting armature via wiring.

Alternatively, the primary circuit can be partially or completely distributed directly, for example, on a sub-layer of the transmitting armature 120, for example, using one or more superimposed conductive layers (multilayers), each conductive layer dedicated to realizing a suitable conductive path, enabling any of the conceptual layouts described above.

For example, a multilayer printed circuit can be implemented with rigid or flexible, hard or soft dielectric sublayers, wherein the transmitting armature is implemented on a first conductive layer, and wherein electronic components are mounted and/or designed on a last conductive layer and connected to the transmitting armature through vias.

In particular, the system can minimize or eliminate discrete inductors and capacitors by implementing them directly on the boards that make up the transmit system.

An embodiment of this type of solution is shown in Figures 12 and 13 , in which the transmitting armature 120 is applied on a dielectric layer 500 and ultimately isolated from the surrounding environment by another dielectric layer located above the armature itself. A conductive layer 505 is applied beneath dielectric layer 500, connected to, for example, ground, followed by another dielectric layer 510, and finally another dielectric layer 515 connected to the voltage generator 130. The passive electronic components of the primary circuit 135 (e.g., capacitors, inductors, resistors (if present), etc.) can be mounted on the final conductive layer 515, while the traces and locations of the active electronic components (e.g., transistors, switches, generally indicated by 525) are ultimately connected to ground and to the transmitting armature 120 via vias 520 running between the various layers. However, it is naturally possible to modify the number and arrangement of layers as desired without changing the system.

In this way, a relatively small charging pad is obtained, of low thickness, which can potentially be cut into any shape without impairing its functionality, which is very robust with respect to local damage and of relatively low cost.

Thus, the pad can be applied with low cost and easily scalable technology, for example, to essentially any existing tabletop, or to the inside of furniture, walls, cars and many other places, which can transform the pad into a wireless supply and recharging system.

In another aspect of the invention, it is also possible to realize the passive elements of the primary circuit (such as inductors, capacitors, any resistors) and active electronic components (for example MOSFETS, other transistors or switches) directly on a thin layer, for example by means of TFT technology (thin film transistors), which has been available for some time in the form of flat-panel screens or OFETs (organic field effect transistors).

TFT technology can be used to produce thin layers where all elements required to operate each emitting armature can be realized in very large quantities directly on a single sublayer (eg, a composite layer).

These thin layers can therefore be applied directly to the multilayer component of FIG. 12 , thereby further improving the properties mainly in terms of thickness reduction, cost involved and simplification of operation.

In fact, thanks to TFT technology, it is possible to operate the switches associated with the single emitting armatures 120 of the matrix by division into rows and columns, just like a flat screen, thus significantly reducing the complexity of the control card.

Alternatively, it is possible to make each control system autonomous. By equipping the control system with an autonomous control system, a single transmitting armature 120 can determine its state (open for a first armature, closed for a second armature) based on input from measurements of properties (electrical and other) of the individual armatures, without requiring any system or external control card. These measurements, such as impedance, voltage, current, or specific signals transmitted between the armatures, are used to determine a valid and appropriate intra-armature communication protocol designed to inform each individual armature of the overall state of the system, or the state that a portion of it or an individual armature will be in. This communication can be established between the transmitting armature and the receiving armature by injecting and reading a pilot signal, or the receiving armature can indicate its presence via a pilot signal independently read by the individual transmitting armature.

It is noteworthy that the wireless energy power transmitter board implemented in this configuration is very economical, and the frequency achieved and therefore the power transmitted can be very high so as to successfully wirelessly charge many user devices 110 such as computers, keyboards, mice, tablets, phones, MP3 readers, televisions, stereo systems, lighting systems, etc. at the same time.

In another aspect common to all of the above-described embodiments of the present invention, in order to identify whether the transmitting armature 120 of the charging device is facing the receiving armature 140, the receiving armature 141, or to identify whether the transmitting armature 120 of the charging device is not facing any object or a different object, the electronic monitoring and selection system can be caused to perform preliminary steps of monitoring.

Generally, the monitoring step may include supplying a predetermined electronic test signal to each transmitting armature 120, thereby measuring a circuit parameter (e.g., impedance among another physical and/or electrical property of the transmitting armature 120), wherein the value is known before the transmitting armature 120 faces the receiving armature 140 or 141 or does not face anything.

Comparing the measured values with the values of known monitoring parameters, the monitoring and selection system is able to identify the specific state of each individual transmitting armature 120.

For example, the monitoring step may include supplying a predetermined electrical operating signal to each transmitting armature 120 and measuring the voltage across the transmitting armature 120 or the current in a branch of the circuit. During the monitoring step, the voltage supplied to the transmitting armature 120 is different from the operating voltage during charging of the load 120, for example, to eliminate any source of electromagnetic pollution or to enable monitoring to be performed more quickly.

If the transmitting armature 120 faces the receiving armature 140 or 141, through the impedance of the receiving armatures 140 and 141 and the specific tuning of the circuit (which are known parameters), the measured voltage or current should have a predetermined characteristic waveform, which is very different from the waveform that should be generated if the transmitting armature 120 is not facing anything or is facing another object.

As a result, depending on whether the measured waveform matches one of the above-mentioned characteristic waveforms, the monitoring stage can determine whether the transmitting armature 120 is facing the receiving armature 140 or 141, a different object or whether the transmitting armature 120 is facing no object.

If it is determined that the transmitting armature 120 is facing the receiving armature, the monitoring step can distinguish whether the receiving armature is armature 140 or armature 141, for example, by measuring how the pilot signal applied to the transmitting armature 120 affects the nearby transmitting armature 120 due to the presence of the receiving armature 140 or 141.

This monitoring step may be performed simultaneously or sequentially on all transmitting armatures 120 of the charging device in a single diagnostic procedure. This monitoring step may be performed continuously or periodically or upon the occurrence of significant events.

Alternatively, the monitoring step may be performed for each transmitting armature independently of one another, in a continuous mode, in a periodic mode and/or upon the occurrence of significant events.

As previously mentioned, the selection and command of the transmitting armatures 120 can be performed by an electronic control system capable of reading the number of projections and operating appropriately all the switches of the primary circuit 135, or it can be performed by multiple electronic control systems (for example, one electronic control system for each group of armatures, or even one or more electronic control systems for each armature), in this way preventing wiring and making each transmitting armature 120 autonomous, making the system robust and very versatile (for example, able to be cut in any form and therefore easily applied to any surface).

In this final case, a communication system between the transmitting armature 120 (which would otherwise be independent) and a receiving armature, possibly through passive interaction (useful for sharing data between various control systems), or a communication system between a receiving armature (which actively or passively indicates its presence) and a transmitting armature (which is informed of its proximity to a first and a second receiving armature). Regardless of the communication protocol, it is possible to exchange data between control systems using a signal injected into the transmitting armature 120, which can be useful for determining whether nearby armatures are active, synchronizing armatures, properly activating a single armature, etc. Alternatively, a signal generated by appropriate circuitry on the device to be charged and connected to the receiving armature can be used.

It is obvious that a person skilled in the art may make various modifications to the technical application nature of the device described and its variants without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (12)

1. A device (100) for transmitting power to an electrical load (115), comprising: A charging device (105) includes: an assembly of at least three transmitting armatures (120), and a primary circuit (135) capable of independently connecting each transmitting armature (120) to a voltage generator (130). User equipment (110), which is separate from and independent of the charging device (105), includes an electrical load (115), at least one pair of receiving armatures (140, 141), and a secondary circuit (145) capable of connecting the receiving armatures (140, 141) to the electrical load (115). The pair of receiving armatures is oriented toward at least one pair of transmitting armatures (120) of the charging device (105), thereby realizing at least two different capacitors (120). 65, 166), an electronic system (170) for monitoring and selection, connected to the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105), the electronic system (170) being configured to identify a first sub-component of the transmitting armature (120) and a second sub-component of the transmitting armature (120), the first sub-component facing one armature (140) of the receiving armature of the user equipment (110), and the second sub-component facing another receiving armature (141) of the user equipment (110), and An electronic command system (175) connected to the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) is configured to command the primary circuit to apply a voltage difference that varies periodically over time between the first sub-component and the second sub-component of the transmitting armature (120). 2. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the secondary circuit (145) includes at least one inductor (150) connected in series with the receiving armature (140, 141). 3. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the secondary circuit (145) includes a voltage rectifier (155) connected between the receiving armature (140, 141) and the load (115). 4. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) comprises: A first electrical conductor and a second electrical conductor (200, 205) are electrically connected to the voltage generator (130) to withstand a constant voltage difference, and Multiple electronic switches (210), each of which enables each transmitting armature (120) to be selectively electrically connected to the first electrical conductor or the second electrical conductor (200, 205). 5. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) comprises: A first electrical conductor and a second electrical conductor (200, 205) are electrically connected to the voltage generator (130) via an inverter system (215). The inverter system (215) is capable of generating a time-varying voltage and applying it to the first electrical conductor (200), while maintaining a constant voltage on the second electrical conductor (205). Multiple electronic switches (210), each of which is capable of selectively connecting a corresponding transmitting armature (120) to the first electrical conductor or the second electrical conductor (200, 205). 6. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) comprises: The first and second electrical conductors (200, 205) are electrically connected to the voltage generator (130) in such a way that the first and second electrical conductors are subjected to a constant voltage difference. Multiple electronic excitation modules (300) are connected in parallel between the first and second electrical conductors (200, 205) and individually connected to a corresponding transmitting armature (120). Each electronic excitation module includes a pair of switches (305, 310) connected in series and containing a central node therebetween, which is electrically connected to the corresponding transmitting armature (120). 7. The apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) comprises: The first and second electrical conductors (200, 205) are electrically connected to the voltage generator (130) in such a way that they withstand a constant voltage difference. Multiple electronic excitation modules (300) are connected in parallel between the first and second electrical conductors (200, 205) and individually connected to a corresponding transmitting armature (120). Each electronic excitation module includes an inductor (335) and a switch (340) connected in series and includes a central node therebetween, which is electrically connected to the corresponding transmitting armature (120). 8. The apparatus (100) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) includes an inductor (315) connected in series between the voltage generator (130) and the first electrical conductor (200). 9. The apparatus (100) according to claim 8, wherein the primary circuit (135) of the charging device (105) includes a capacitor (320) connected between the first electrical conductor (200) and the second electrical conductor (205). 10. The apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that each excitation module (300) includes an inductor (325, 350) connected between the central node and the corresponding armature (120). 11. The apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that each excitation module (300) includes a capacitor (330, 345) connected between the central node and the second terminal (205) of the primary circuit (135). 12. A method for transmitting power to an electrical load (115), comprising the following steps: A pre-installed charging device (105) includes components of at least three transmitting armatures (120) and a primary circuit (135) capable of independently connecting each transmitting armature (120) to a voltage generator (130). A pre-installed user equipment (110) is separate from and independent of the charging device (105). The user equipment (110) includes the electrical load (115), at least one pair of receiving armatures (140, 141), and a secondary circuit (145). The secondary circuit (145) is capable of connecting the receiving armatures (140, 141) to the electrical load (115). The pair of receiving armatures (140, 141) is capable of facing at least one pair of transmitting armatures (120) of the charging device (105), thereby realizing at least two different capacitors (165, 166). Identify a first sub-component of the transmitting armature (120) of one of the receiving armatures (140) facing the user equipment (105), and thereby identify a second sub-component of the transmitting armature (120) of the other receiving armatures (141) facing the user equipment (110), and The primary circuit (135) is instructed to apply a voltage difference that can vary periodically over time between the first sub-component and the second sub-component of the transmitting armature (120).