Wireless energy transfer

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for use in wireless energy transfer, which includes a first resonator structure configured to transfer energy non-radiatively with a second resonator structure over a distance greater than a characteristic size of the second resonator structure. The non-radiative energy transfer is mediated by a coupling of a resonant field evanescent tail of the first resonator structure and a resonant field evanescent tail of the second resonator structure.

1 - 73 . (canceled) 
     
     
         74 . A wireless charging receive high-Q magnetic resonator, comprising:
 a first loop of an energy receiving conductor forming a loop resonator to resonate at a wireless charging frequency, the wireless charging receive resonator further coupling with an electronic device and for providing wirelessly received power from another high-Q magnetic resonator to the electronic device.   
     
     
         75 . The resonator of  claim 74 , further comprising at least another loop of said energy receiving conductor electrically coupled to the first loop to form a multi-loop resonator. 
     
     
         76 . The resonator of  claim 74 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator circumscribes a majority portion of a major plane of the housing of the electronic device. 
     
     
         77 . The resonator of  claim 74 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator further substantially circumscribes an area of a battery of the electronic device. 
     
     
         78 . The resonator of  claim 74 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator substantially circumscribes an area designated for an internal circuit board of the electronic device. 
     
     
         79 . The resonator of  claim 74 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator comprises a multi-turn loop conductor for integrating with the housing of the electronic device. 
     
     
         80 . The resonator of  claim 79 , wherein the multi-turn loop resonator circumscribes a majority portion of the majority surface of the electronic device. 
     
     
         81 . The resonator of  claim 74 , wherein the wireless charging resonator comprises reactive components for resonating at a wireless charging frequency and wherein a portion of the reactive components can be switchably varied to change the resonance. 
     
     
         82 . An apparatus, comprising:
 an electronic circuit in a housing for performing an electronic function of a device; and   a wireless charging receiver circuit coupled to the electronic circuit for providing wirelessly received power from a high-Q magnetic resonator to the electronic circuit, including:   a wireless charging receive high-Q magnetic resonator for resonating at a wireless charging frequency, the wireless charging receive resonator integrated with the device.   
     
     
         83 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator comprises a multi-turn loop. 
     
     
         84 . The apparatus of  claim 83 , wherein the multi-turn loop resonator comprises a quantity of turns based on the diameter of the loop. 
     
     
         85 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator circumscribes a majority portion of a major plane of the device. 
     
     
         86 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator substantially circumscribes a designated area of the device. 
     
     
         87 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator substantially circumscribes an internal circuit board of the device. 
     
     
         88 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the wireless charging receive resonator comprises a multi-turn conducting loop coupled to the housing of the device. 
     
     
         89 . The apparatus of  claim 88 , wherein the multi-turn conducting loop circumscribes a majority portion of the majority surface of the device. 
     
     
         90 . The apparatus of  claim 82 , wherein the wireless charging resonator comprises reactive components for resonating at a wireless charging frequency and wherein a portion of the reactive components can be switchably varied to change the resonance. 
     
     
         91 . A wireless device, comprising:
 a housing;   electronic circuit operational according to operational power, the electronic circuit further enclosed within a housing; and   wireless charging circuitry for providing the operation power, the wireless charging circuitry comprising:   a multi-turn loop high-Q magnetic resonator for resonating in a near-field coupling mode region of a resonating high-Q source resonator and to generate the operational power therefrom, the multi-turn loop resonator positioned in the housing.   
     
     
         92 . The wireless device of  claim 91 , wherein the multi-turn loop resonator is oriented on the housing to substantially circumscribe a location for a battery of the wireless device. 
     
     
         93 . The wireless device of  claim 91 , wherein the multi-turn loop resonator is oriented on the housing to substantially circumscribe a circuit board of the electronic circuit of the wireless device. 
     
     
         94 . A wireless power-receive circuit for receiving power from a high-Q source resonator, comprising:
 a high-Q receive resonator for coupling with a magnetic near field at a resonant frequency;   a capacitance element in the receive resonator and comprising a capacitance value and an equivalent series resistance value;   a resistance element operably coupled in series with the capacitance element; and   a load operably coupled to the receive resonator and for drawing power from the magnetic near field when the wireless power-receive circuit oscillates substantially near the resonant frequency.   
     
     
         95 . A wireless power-transmit circuit, comprising:
 a high-Q source magnetic resonator for generating a magnetic near field at a resonant frequency;   a capacitance element in the the source resonator and comprising a capacitance value and an equivalent series resistance value;   a resistance element operably coupled in series with the capacitance element; and   a signal generator for applying a signal power to the wireless power-transmit circuit such that the wireless power-transmit circuit oscillates substantially near the resonant frequency.   
     
     
         96 . A wireless power-repeater circuit, comprising:
 a repeater resonator for coupling with a magnetic near field in a coupling-mode region at a resonant frequency and generating a repeated coupling-mode region different from the coupling-mode region;   a capacitance element in the repeater resonator and comprising a capacitance value and an equivalent series resistance value.   a resistance element operably coupled in seriess with the capacitance element   
     
     
         97 . A method, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator; and   receiving power from the coupling-mode region with a high-Q receive resonator disposed within the coupling-mode region, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency.   
     
     
         98 . A method, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   repeating the electromagnetic field to create a repeated coupling-mode region different from the coupling-mode region with a repeater resonator; and   receiving power from the repeated coupling-mode region with a receive resonator disposed within the coupling-mode region, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency;   wherein at least one of the receive resonator and the repeater resonator is a high-Q resonator.   
     
     
         99 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 a means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator; and   a means for receiving power from the coupling-mode region with a high-Q receive resonator disposed within the coupling-mode region, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency.   
     
     
         100 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 a means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   a means for repeating the electromagnetic field to create a repeated coupling-mode region different from the coupling-mode region with a repeater resonator; and   a means for receiving power from the repeated coupling-mode region with a receive resonator disposed within the repeated coupling-mode region, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency;   wherein at least one of the repeater resonator and the receive resonator is a high-Q resonator.   
     
     
         101 . A wireless power receiver, comprising:
 a high-Q receive resonator for coupling with a high-Q source resonator through a magnetic near field generated by the source resonator to generate an RF signal;   a monitor operably coupled to the receive resonator to to generate monitor signals indicative of the coupling;   a feedback circuit to generate control signals responsive to the monitor signals; and   a variable capacitor network operably coupled to the control signals, the variable capacitor network to modify a resonance characteristic of the receive resonator and the variable capacitor network by modifying a capacitance of the variable capacitor network responsive to the control signals.   
     
     
         102 . The wireless power receiver of  claim 101 , wherein the variable capacitor network comprises a known network configuration 
     
     
         103 . The wireless power receiver of  claim 101 , wherein each variable capacitor of the plurality comprises at least one commercially available voltage-controlled capacitor. 
     
     
         104 . A wireless power transmitter, comprising:
 a high-Q source resonator for generating a magnetic near field for coupling to a high-Q receive resonator;   a monitor operably coupled to the source resonator to generate monitor signals indicative of the coupling;   a feedback circuit to generate control signals responsive said monitor signals; and   a variable capacitor network operably coupled to the control signals, the variable capacitor network to modify a resonance characteristic of the source resonator and the variable capacitor network by modifying a capacitance of the variable capacitor network responsive to the control signals.   
     
     
         105 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 104 , wherein the variable capacitor network comprises a known network configuration. 
     
     
         106 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 104 , wherein each variable capacitor of the plurality comprises at least one commercially available voltage-controlled capacitor. 
     
     
         107 . A wireless power transmitter, comprising:
 a high-Q source resonator for generating a magnetic near field for coupling to a high-Q receive resonator;   a drive circuit for applying an RF signal to the source resonator;   a monitor that generates a load indication signal;   a feedback circuit operably coupled to the load indication signal and to generate control signals responsive to the load indication signal; and   a variable capacitor network, the variable capacitor network to modify a resonance characteristic of the source resonator and the variable capacitor network by modifying a capacitance of the variable capacitor network responsive to the load indication signal.   
     
     
         108 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 107 , wherein the variable capacitor network comprises a known network configuration. 
     
     
         109 . The wireless power transmitter of  claim 107 , wherein each variable capacitor of the plurality comprises at least one commercially available voltage-controlled capacitor. 
     
     
         110 . A method, comprising:
 generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   disposing a high-Q receive resonator within the coupling-mode region, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency; and   adaptively tuning a tunable resonator selected from the group consisting of the source resonator and the receive resonator by:   monitoring a mismatch at the tunable resonator; and   modifying a resonance characteristic of the tunable resonator by adjusting a capacitance of a variable capacitor network operably coupled to the tunable resonator.   
     
     
         111 . The method of  claim 110 , wherein the transmit resonator comprises a first tunable resonator and the receive resonator comprises a second tunable resonator and the acts of monitoring the mismatch and modifying the resonance characteristic are applied to the transmit resonator and the receive resonator. 
     
     
         112 . The method of  claim 110 , wherein adjusting the capacitance of the variable capacitor network comprises selectively enabling a plurality of switched capacitors responsive to the monitor signal, wherein the plurality of switched capacitors are operably coupled to form the variable capacitor network. 
     
     
         113 . The method of  claim 110 , wherein adjusting the capacitance of the variable capacitor network comprises biasing voltage controlled capacitors. 
     
     
         114 . A wireless power transfer system, comprising:
 means for generating an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency of a high-Q source resonator to create a coupling-mode region within a near field of the source resonator;   means for receiving the resonant frequency within the coupling-mode region with a high-Q receive resonator, wherein the receive resonator resonates substantially near the resonant frequency; and   means for adaptively tuning a tunable resonator selected from the group consisting of the transmit resonator and the receive resonator using:   a monitor circuit; and   feedback means for modifying a resonance characteristic of the tunable resonator by adjusting the capacitance of a variable capacitor network operably coupled to the tunable resonator.   
     
     
         115 . The system of  claim 114 , wherein:
 the source resonator comprises a first tunable resonator with the monitor circuit and the feedback means; and   the receive resonator comprises a second tunable resonator with monitor circuit and the feedback means.   
     
     
         116 . The system of  claim 114 , wherein the adjusting the capacitance of the variable capacitor network comprises selectively enabling a plurality of switched capacitors responsive to the monitor signal, wherein the plurality of switched capacitors are operably coupled to form the variable capacitor network. 
     
     
         117 . The system of  claim 114 , wherein adjusting the capacitance of the variable capacitor network comprises adjusting voltage-controlled capacitors.