Power transmission systems and methods

Abstract

The system and associated method transmit power between a DC power source and a variable load. Two power signals are extracted from the DC power source at HF ​​frequencies via two self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, which are switched by two corresponding HF switching signals with a phase difference controlled by a duty cycle and overlap controller. The two HF power signals are mixed in a wired, wireless, or bimodal wireless HF power link system to generate a transferred power signal based on the mixing and phase difference operations. The unfolded output power signal is generated from the transferred power signals by a power signal conversion circuit that communicates with the HF power link system. This system and method allows for the transfer of a phase-locked adjustable DC power signal and an AC power signal to at least one load, with the power signal already present in the load.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 320,590, filed Mar. 16, 2022, and U.S. Application No. 63 / 476,781, filed Dec. 22, 2022, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. The present invention relates to a power transmitter, a receiver, a power transmission system, and a method.

Background Art

[0002] In inductive power transfer (IPT), power is typically transferred between coils of wire by a magnetic field. Alternating current (AC) is driven through the transmitting coil, generating an oscillating magnetic field. The magnetic field passes through the receiving coil, inducing an alternating current in the receiving coil. The induced alternating current can either directly drive a load or be rectified to direct current (DC) applied to drive the load. To achieve high efficiency, the transmitting coil and the receiving coil need to be very close to each other. For example, it is common for the transmitting coil and the receiving coil to be separated by only a fraction of the coil diameter (e.g., within a few centimeters) and for the axes of the coils to be precisely aligned. In some IPT systems, resonant inductive coupling is used. Resonant inductive coupling can improve the efficiency of IPT by using resonant circuits. Resonant inductive coupling can achieve higher efficiency over longer distances than non - resonant inductive coupling. In resonant inductive coupling, power is transferred by a magnetic field between two resonant circuits of a transmitter and a receiver. The two circuits are tuned to resonate at the same resonant frequency.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] In some IPT systems, the magnetic field can generate eddy currents in nearby metals. This can cause a significant temperature increase, potentially creating a fire hazard. While ferrite plates can be used to provide shielding and improve inductive coupling, this may increase the cost of the system. Capacitive power transmission (CPT) utilizes an electric field to transmit power between two electrodes, such as metal plates. Generally, a CPT system uses four metal plates to form a capacitive coupler. Two plates are used as power transmitters, and the other two act as power receivers, resulting in the need for at least two coupling capacitors to provide a power flow loop. An AC voltage is applied to the transmitting plates by the transmitters. The oscillating electric field induces an AC potential in the receiver plates, causing an AC current to flow into the load circuit. Resonance can also be used in conjunction with capacitive coupling to extend the power transmission range. CPT systems can reduce eddy current losses, and the plates used are low-cost, thus lowering system costs. However, a problem with many systems is that high voltages can be applied to the plates. These high voltages can generate strong electric fields, resulting in significant field emissions in the surrounding area. There are also issues related to capacitive or inductive compensation networks in CPT and IPT systems. Currently, both CPT and IPT systems require minimal isolation between the receiver and transmitter. This typically requires large capacitors and inductors in the primary and secondary compensation networks. These large components are difficult to manufacture, and their parasitic resistance can significantly reduce system efficiency. Furthermore, these compensation components do not directly participate in the power transmission process. There is still a demand for wireless power transmitters and receivers with fewer components and / or reduced costs. There is still a need for wireless power transmitters and receivers with reduced reliance on compensation networks. There is still a need for more efficient wireless power transmitters and receivers. There is a need for wireless power transmitters with more flexible requirements regarding alignment and spacing between transmitters. There is still a need for power transmission systems that can transmit power in both forward and reverse directions between loads and power sources, including between DC power sources and AC grids.

[0004] The field of power transmission related to consumer products is becoming increasingly important. In the automotive sector, wire harnesses have become a critical and expensive subsystem of vehicles. The automotive wire harness market is expected to exceed US$77 billion in the next decade. In an era where gasoline fuel efficiency for internal combustion engine vehicles, carbon dioxide emissions for automobiles, and driving range for electric vehicles are paramount, the cost, weight, and power transmission efficiency of these harnesses have become major concerns in automobile design. This concern is perhaps understandable, considering that materials and components account for approximately 57% of automobile manufacturing costs. Battery technology is steadily improving to provide batteries with higher energy density, but at the same time, consumer demand for more auxiliary user electronic devices and electric drive systems integrated into vehicles is also increasing. This is leading to ever-increasing demands on battery, vehicle weight, cost, and power transmission efficiency. In the 1990s, high-voltage battery systems were proposed for the automotive industry, partly with the aim of reducing the weight of wire harnesses. Significant efforts are being made to reduce the amount of expensive copper used in wire harnesses, and there is a movement towards using cheaper aluminum. This trend is also driven by the expectation that it will reduce the weight of a typical car by approximately 401 lbs. This trend towards aluminum has its own problems, partly because aluminum has a resistivity 1.58 times higher than copper. Aluminum is also susceptible to a phenomenon known as creep, which can cause connections to loosen. Furthermore, aluminum also oxidizes, so care must be taken when connecting it. Some parts of the wire harness still require copper, and connections between copper and aluminum cause galvanic potential problems. There is a clear need for an alternative approach to vehicle wire harnesses that reduces the amount of expensive copper, offers voltage flexibility, avoids the problems associated with aluminum, and reduces weight. At the same time, in order to keep pace with the rapid advancements in battery technology driven by the development of electric vehicles, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of power transmission technology. These requirements are not limited to the automotive sector; they are also relevant to fields such as solar energy power transmission, and with some modifications, apply to other household appliances such as computers and television monitors. Power conditioning units, which optimally extract power from various voltage sources, are widely used today, but they generally have limited control capabilities. This prevents the power transmission efficiency from being optimized. The aforementioned examples of the related technology and their associated limitations are illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related technology will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the specification and examining the drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment, a bimodal short-range resonant radio power transmission system is provided, configured to simultaneously perform capacitive and inductive power transmission according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency. The system comprises a transmitter subsystem and a receiver subsystem. The transmitter subsystem comprises a transmitter antenna subsystem and a power signal tuner module. The tuner module is configured to adjust the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signal supplied to the transmitter antenna subsystem by the tuner module. The receiver subsystem comprises a receiver antenna subsystem configured to receive the power of the transmitter antenna subsystem at the transfer mode ratio. The tuner module may be configured to tune the power signal by adjusting the phase difference between the current and voltage of the power signal provided to the transmitter antenna subsystem. The transmitter subsystem may further include a controller and at least one sensor, the controller being configured to receive sensor information from at least one sensor and to automatically provide tuning commands to the tuner module based on the sensor information. The tuner module is then configured to adjust the phase difference between the current and voltage of the power signal provided to the transmitter antenna subsystem in accordance with the tuning commands. At least one sensor may be located on the transmitter subsystem. In other embodiments, at least one sensor may be located on the receiver subsystem, and the controller may be configured to receive sensor information wirelessly. At least one sensor may be one of the power load sensors. A transmit power sensor, an ambient object detector, and a distance detector are arranged to detect the distance between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna. The resonant power signal oscillation frequency can be freely varied within a predetermined frequency band. This predetermined frequency band may be an industrial, scientific, or medical (ISM) frequency band. The system can be detuned to the extent that the resonant power signal oscillation frequency can be varied within opposing limits of the predetermined frequency band. In a further embodiment, a radio method is provided for bimodal transmission of power according to a transfer mode ratio adjustable at a resonant power signal oscillation frequency, the method comprising the steps of providing a transmitter subsystem comprising a power signal tuner module and a transmitter antenna subsystem configured to resonate at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency; providing a receiver subsystem comprising a receiver antenna subsystem configured to resonate at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency, and providing a power signal from the tuner module to the transmitter antenna subsystem at the power signal oscillation resonant frequency; adjusting the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signal from the tuner module to the transmitter antenna subsystem; receiving the power transmitted at the power signal oscillation resonant frequency via the receiver antenna subsystem at the transfer mode ratio; adjusting the transfer mode ratio may include adjusting the phase difference between the current and voltage of the power signal provided to the transmitter antenna subsystem. Providing a transmitter subsystem may further include providing a controller and at least one sensor, and adjusting the phase difference between current and voltage may be done by the tuner module via a command from the controller based on sensor information received by the tuner module. A command from the controller may be automatically issued to the tuner module when the controller receives sensor information. The tuner module can then automatically execute the command from the controller to change the phase difference. This method may further include the step of allowing the resonant power signal oscillation frequency to vary within a predetermined frequency band. The predetermined frequency band may be an industrial, scientific, or medical (ISM) frequency band. Providing a transmitter subsystem may include providing a transmitter subsystem that is detuned to such an extent that the resonant power signal oscillation frequency can vary within opposing limits of the predetermined frequency band.

[0006] In a further embodiment, a bimodal near-field resonant radio power transmission system is provided, configured to perform capacitive and inductive power transmission simultaneously according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio of capacitive power transmission to inductive power transmission at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. The system includes a transmitter subsystem and a receiver subsystem. The transmitter subsystem comprises a transmitter antenna and a power signal tuner module. The power signal tuner module adjusts the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signal supplied to the transmitter antenna. The receiver subsystem comprises a receiver antenna subsystem that receives power from the transmitter antenna at the transfer mode ratio. The system communicates information between the transmitter antenna subsystem and the receiver antenna subsystem via the transmitter antenna and the receiver antenna of the receiver antenna subsystem. The system may further include a modulator for modulating the information into an information-carrying signal and providing that information-carrying signal to the transmitter antenna subsystem. The modulator may be configured to modulate the information-carrying signal to the transmitter antenna subsystem according to the information. The power signal tuner module may include a modulator. The information-carrying signal may have a frequency different from the oscillation frequency of the variable resonant power signal. The modulator may modulate the information-carrying signal by one of frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, or phase modulation. The information-carrying signal may be modulated such that the oscillation frequency of the variable power signal is a harmonic of the frequency of the information-carrying signal. The information-carrying signal may be modulated to a harmonic of the power signal. The signal that is modulated and provided to the transmitter antenna subsystem may be a power signal. A modulator can transfer information from the receiving antenna subsystem to the transmitting antenna subsystem by modulating the reflection characteristics of the receiving antenna and modulating the reflection characteristics of the receiving antenna according to the information. The modulated reflection characteristics of the receiving antenna may be the impedance of the receiving antenna. The system can transfer information from the receiver subsystem to the transmitter subsystem by modulating the reflection of the signal from the transmitter subsystem by the receiver antenna. The receiver subsystem can modulate the reflection characteristics of the receiver antenna. The receiver subsystem can modulate the impedance of the receiver antenna. A power load may be present at the output of the receiver subsystem. In this case, the information may include one or more of the following: the presence of the power load, the charge level of the power load, the power transmission efficiency, the charge rate of the power load, the state of the power load, the presence of a voltage exceeding the power load, the charge capacity of the power load, and the remaining time to charge the power load. The system can communicate digital information between the transmitter subsystem and the receiver subsystem via the transmitter antenna. The system can also communicate analog information between the transmitter subsystem and the receiver subsystem via the transmitter antenna. The receiver subsystem may be configured to transmit power to a subsequent receiver subsystem. The receiver may further include a rectifier with a phase shifter.

[0007] In a further embodiment, a bimodal resonant short-range radio frequency power transmission system is provided, comprising a plurality of power transceiver modules for simultaneously performing capacitive and inductive power transmission via a power signal at a power signal frequency according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio. Each of the plurality of power transceiver modules communicates via wire with a transceiver resonator arranged to exchange power with at least one other power transceiver module of a plurality of powers. A first of a plurality of power transceiver modules may include a power signal tuner module that is tuned to change the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signal supplied to a transceiver resonator that communicates with the first via a power signal tuner module. At least one of the plurality of power transceiver modules may include a modulator configured to modulate information on a radio frequency signal exchanged between an associated transceiver resonator that communicates with at least one of the plurality of power transceiver modules via a wire and a transceiver resonator that communicates with any of the other of the plurality of power transceiver modules via a wire. The modulator may be an amplitude modulator, a frequency modulator, or a phase modulator. The information may include either digital information or analog information, or both. The radio frequency signal modulated by the modulator may be a power signal. The radio frequency signal modulated by the modulator may have a frequency different from the power signal frequency. The radio frequency signal modulated by the modulator may have a frequency that is a harmonic of the power signal frequency. The power signal frequency may be a harmonic of the frequency of the modulated signal. A modulator may be configured to modulate the reflection characteristics of an associated wired transceiver resonator according to information, thereby imposing information on the signal reflected by the wired transceiver resonator. A modulator may be configured to modulate the signal provided to the associated transceiver resonator according to information. A first power signal tuner module among a plurality of power transceiver modules may include a modulator. Each of the power transceiver modules may include a compensation network, which may include a modulator. At least one of the power transceiver modules may include a high-frequency oscillator that provides a signal at a power signal frequency to at least one power transceiver module, which may include a modulator. Each of the multiple power transceiver modules may be reconfigurable between a power transmitter mode and a power receiver mode. Each power transceiver module may include a differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier that can be reconfigured between an amplifier state and a rectifier state corresponding to the power transmitter mode and power receiver mode of the power transceiver module, respectively. The differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier may also be a differential switch-mode self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier. Each power transceiver module may include a controller, and the reconfiguration may be controlled by the controller. Each differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier may include a phase shifter that can be adjusted by the controller to reconfigure the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier between an amplifier state and a rectifier state.

[0008] In receiver mode, if a power load is present at the output of one of several power transceiver modules, the information may include one or more of the following: the presence of the power load, the charge level of the power load, the power transmission efficiency, the charge rate of the power load, the state of the power load, the presence of a voltage exceeding the power load, the charge capacity of the power load, and the remaining time to charge the power load. In a further embodiment, a near-field radio frequency method is provided for transmitting power via a power signal at a power signal frequency, the method comprising a plurality of power transceiver modules, each of which communicates via wire with a transceiver resonator arranged to exchange power with at least one other power transceiver module among the plurality of power transceiver modules; and the operation of a power transmission system that simultaneously performs capacitive and inductive power transmission according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio. The first of the multiple power transceiver modules provided may include a power signal tuner module. Providing a power transmission system may include providing at least one power transceiver module from the multiple power transceiver modules that communicates via wire with the power signal tuner module. Providing associated transceiver resonators and having modulators, and operating the power transmission system may include exchanging radio frequency signals between associated transceiver resonators and transceiver resonators. Wired communication with at least one other module from the multiple transceiver modules and modulation of the exchanged information into radio frequency signals. If a power load is present at the output of one of the multiple power transceiver modules, the information may include, for example, one or more of the following: the presence of the power load, the charge level of the power load, the power transmission efficiency, the charge rate of the power load, the state of the power load, the presence of a voltage exceeding the power load, the charge capacity of the power load, and the remaining time to charge the power load. Information can be modulated on the exchanged radio frequency signal by amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, or phase modulation. Modulating information on the exchanged radio frequency signal may include modulating digital or analog information on the exchanged radio frequency signal. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal being exchanged may include modulating information over a power signal. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal being exchanged may also include modulating information over a signal having a frequency different from the power signal frequency. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal being exchanged may also include modulating information over a signal having a frequency that is a harmonic of the power signal frequency. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal being exchanged may also include modulating information over a signal having the power signal frequency as a harmonic. Modulating information over an exchanged radio frequency signal may include modulating the reflection characteristics of the associated wired transceiver resonator according to the information, thereby imposing the information on the signal reflected by the wired transceiver resonator. Modulating information over an exchanged radio frequency signal may also include modulating the signal supplied to the associated transceiver resonator according to the information.

[0009] This method may include the step of operating a first power signal tuner module among a plurality of power transceiver modules to modulate information onto the exchanged radio frequency signal. Each power transceiver module provided may include a compensation network. The compensation network may include a modulator, which enables the compensation network to operate to modulate information onto the exchanged radio frequency signal. At least one of the power transceiver modules may include a radio frequency oscillator that provides a signal at the power signal frequency to at least one power transceiver module, and the radio frequency oscillator may include a modulator. This causes the information to be modulated onto the exchanged radio frequency signal within the oscillator. Each of the provided power transceiver modules may be reconfigurable between a power transmitter mode and a power receiver mode. The method may further include the step of reconfiguring at least two of the transceiver modules between a power transmission mode and a power reception mode to reverse the direction of power transmission between at least two transceiver modules. Each of the provided power transceiver modules may include a differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier that can be reconfigured between an amplifier state and a rectifier state corresponding to the power transmitter mode and power receiver mode of the power transceiver module, respectively. The method may include the step of reconfiguring the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifiers of at least two transceiver modules between an amplifier state and a rectifier state. Each differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier may include a phase shifter that can be adjusted to reconfigure the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier between an amplifier state and a rectifier state. The method may include adjusting the phase shifter of each of the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifiers of at least two transceiver modules. In a further embodiment, a near-range resonant radio power transmission system is provided, comprising a transmitting subsystem, one or more receiver subsystems, a software lookup table, and software. The transmitting subsystem comprises a plurality of substantially isolated transmitter resonators and a corresponding transmitter module that communicates power signals with each transmitter resonator. Each transmitter module comprises a transmitting controller and a power signal source having a power signal oscillation frequency and a power signal phase, each power signal source being controlled by the corresponding transmitting controller. One or more receiver subsystems each comprise a corresponding receiver resonator. The software lookup table is a software lookup table of individual allowable power signal oscillation frequencies for the power signal sources. The software, once loaded into memory and executed by the controller of one of the transmitter modules, performs the following measurement and selection operations: Measure one of the input impedance of the corresponding transmitter resonator and the test signal power drawn by the corresponding transmitter resonator. Select the frequency of the corresponding power signal source from the lookup table based on the input impedance of the corresponding transmitter resonator and the test signal power drawn by the corresponding transmitter resonator. When executed, the software can perform operations to measure the power level transmitted by the corresponding transmitter resonator while adjusting the phase of the power signal from the corresponding power signal source. The transmitter resonators can be substantially isolated from each other by a grounded shielded grid.

[0010] In a further embodiment, a radio near-field method is provided for transmitting power from a multi-transmitter subsystem to a single-resonant receiver subsystem at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency, the method comprising the steps of providing a multi-transmitter subsystem comprising a plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators, each driven by a corresponding transmitter module that can be independently set to one of a plurality of preset power signal oscillation frequencies within a preset frequency band, the transmitter resonators having a common transmitting surface. A resonant receiver subsystem having a single receiver resonator overlapping with two or more transmitter resonators is positioned near the common transmitting surface. The steps of measuring the input impedance of each transmitter resonator and one of the powers drawn from a test signal by each transmitter resonator; setting the power signals to each of the plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators to one of an off state and an active state based on the corresponding measured resonator input impedance and the power drawn from the test signal by the corresponding transmitter resonator; selecting a power signal oscillation frequency for each active transmitter resonator from a plurality of preset power oscillation frequencies based on the measured input impedance of the active transmitter resonator; and setting the power signals of each active transmitter resonator to the corresponding selected frequency. This method may further include adjusting the phase of the power signal applied to each of the corresponding transmitter resonators to a phase that substantially maximizes power transfer through the transmitter resonators. In a further embodiment, a radio near-field method is provided for transmitting power from a multi-transmitter subsystem to two or more receiver subsystems at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency, the method comprising the step of providing a multi-transmitter subsystem comprising a plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators, each driven by a corresponding transmitter module that can be independently set to one of a plurality of preset power signal oscillation frequencies within a preset frequency band, the transmitter resonators having a common transmitting surface. The method involves arranging two or more resonant receiving subsystems near a common transmitting plane, each containing a single receiver resonator overlapping with two or more transmitter resonators; measuring one of the input impedances of each transmitter resonator and the power drawn from the test signal by each transmitter resonator; setting the power signals to each of a plurality of independent transmitter resonators to one of the off and active states based on one of the corresponding measured resonator input impedances and the power drawn from the test signal by the corresponding transmitter resonator; selecting a power signal oscillation frequency for each active transmitter resonator from a plurality of preset power oscillation frequencies based on the measured input impedance of the active transmitter resonator; and setting the power signal of each active transmitter resonator to the corresponding selected frequency. This method may further include adjusting the phase of the power signal applied to each of the corresponding transmitter resonators to a phase that substantially maximizes power transfer through the transmitter resonator.

[0011] In a further embodiment, a short-range wireless system is provided for transmitting power from a solar cell to a power load, the system comprising a transmitting module that wire-communicates with the solar cell, the transmitting module being configured to convert the power from the solar cell into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency. A transmitter resonator is wire-communicated with the transmitting module and configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency, and a receiver resonator is configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency and is arranged to receive power from the transmitter resonator via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction. The receiver module is wire-communicated with the receiver resonator and configured to receive power from the receiver resonator and to supply the received power to the power load in DC form via wire-communication. The transmitting module may include a power amplifier configured to modulate the power received from the solar cell at an oscillation frequency. The transmitting module may include an oscillator configured to provide the power amplifier with an oscillation frequency. The transmitting module may include a controller and one or more sensors, the controller configured to change the oscillation frequency based on first information from at least one of the one or more sensors. The transmitting module may include a transmitter tuning network configured, under the control of the controller, to change at least the phase of the power supplied by the transmitting module to the transmitter resonator based on second information from at least one of the one or more sensors. The system may include a power adjustment unit electrically connected between the solar cell and the transmission module, configured to adapt the power from the solar cell to a format compatible with the transmission module. The transmission module may include small-signal electronics, and the power adjustment unit may be further configured to supply power to the small-signal electronics. The transmitter resonator may be positioned on the surface of the solar cell facing the active solar radiation receiving surface of the solar cell. The transmitter resonator has a surface area that covers at least a large portion of the range of the active solar radiation receiving surface of the cell. The transmitting resonator may have a planar region smaller than that of the receiving resonator. The receiver resonator may be positioned and configured to receive power from a further transmitting resonator via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction at the resonant frequency. In a further embodiment of a short-range wireless system for transmitting power from an array of solar cells to a power load, the system comprises a first plurality of transmitting modules, each transmitting module wire-communicating with a corresponding solar cell in the array. Each transmitting module is configured to convert the power from the corresponding solar cell into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency. A second plurality of transmitter resonators, each transmitting resonator wire-communicating with a corresponding transmitting module among the first plurality of transmitting modules and configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency. A single receiver resonator configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency and arranged to receive power from the plurality of transmitter resonators via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction, and the receiver module is configured to wire-communicate with the receiver resonator, receive power from the receiver resonator, and provide the received power to a power load in DC form via wire-communication.

[0012] Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may include a power amplifier configured to modulate the power received from a corresponding solar cell at an oscillation frequency. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may include an oscillator configured to provide an oscillation frequency to the corresponding power amplifier. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may further include a controller and one or more sensors, the controller configured to change the oscillation frequency based on first information from at least one of the one or more sensors. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may include a transmitter tuning network configured, under the control of the corresponding controller, to change at least the phase of the power supplied by the transmitting module to the corresponding transmitter resonator based on second information from at least one of the one or more sensors. The system can include a third plurality of power conditioning units, each power conditioning unit among the third plurality of power conditioning units being electrically connected between a corresponding solar cell and a corresponding transmission module and configured to condition the power from the corresponding solar cell. Converting the cell to a format is compatible with the corresponding transmission module. Each transmission module among the first plurality of transmission modules can include a small-signal electronic circuit, and the corresponding power conditioning unit can be further configured to supply power to the small-signal electronic circuit. Each transmitter resonator among the second plurality of transmitter resonators can be disposed on the surface of a corresponding photovoltaic cell facing the active solar radiation receiving surface of the cell. In a further embodiment of a short-range wireless system for transmitting power from a solar cell array to a power load, the system includes a first plurality of transmission modules each configured to communicate wired electrical communication with a corresponding solar cell of the array and convert the power from the corresponding solar cell into an oscillating power signal having an oscillation frequency, a second plurality of transmitter resonators each configured to communicate wired electrical communication with a corresponding one of the first plurality of transmission modules and resonate at the oscillation frequency, a third plurality of receiver resonators configured to resonate at the oscillation frequency and each disposed to receive power from a corresponding one of the second plurality of transmitter resonators, and a fourth plurality of receiver modules configured to communicate wired electrical communication with a corresponding one of the third plurality of receiver resonators, receive power from the corresponding receiver resonator, and render the received power in a DC format to the power load via the wired electrical communication. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may include a power amplifier configured to modulate the power received from a corresponding solar cell at an oscillation frequency. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may include an oscillator configured to provide an oscillation frequency to the corresponding power amplifier. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may further include a controller and one or more sensors, the controller configured to change the oscillation frequency based on first information from at least one of the one or more sensors. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may include a transmitter tuning network configured, under the control of the corresponding controller, to change at least the phase of the power supplied by the transmitting module to the corresponding transmitter resonator based on second information from at least one of the one or more sensors.

[0013] The system may further comprise a fifth plurality of power adjustment units, each of which is electrically connected between a corresponding photocell from a solar cell array and a corresponding transmitting module from a first plurality of transmitting modules, and is configured to adapt the power from the corresponding solar cell to a format compatible with the corresponding transmitting module. Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may comprise a small-signal electronic circuit, and the corresponding power adjustment unit in the fifth plurality of power adjustment units may be further configured to supply power to the small-signal electronic circuit. Each of the second plurality of transmitter resonators may be positioned on a surface facing the active solar radiation receiving surface of the corresponding solar cell in the solar cell array. In a further embodiment, a short-range wireless system for transmitting power from an array of photovoltaic cells to an electrical load is provided. The system includes a first plurality of transmission modules each configured to communicate electrically with a corresponding solar cell of the array and convert the power from the corresponding solar cell into an oscillating power signal having an oscillation frequency, a second plurality of transmitter resonators each configured to communicate electrically with a corresponding one of the first plurality of transmission modules and configured to resonate at the oscillation frequency, a third plurality of receiver resonators configured to resonate at the oscillation frequency and each arranged to receive power from a corresponding one of the second plurality of transmitter resonators, and a fourth plurality of receiver modules each configured to communicate electrically with a corresponding receiver resonator, receive power from the corresponding receiver resonator, and render the received power in a direct current form to the electrical load via the electrical communication. Each transmission module of the first plurality of transmission modules may include a power amplifier configured to modulate the power received from the corresponding solar cell at the oscillation frequency. Each transmission module of the first plurality of transmission modules can include an oscillator configured to provide the oscillation frequency to the corresponding power amplifier. Each transmission module of the first plurality of transmission modules can further include a controller and one or more sensors, and the controller is configured to change the oscillation frequency based on first information from at least one of the one or more sensors. Each transmission module of the first plurality of transmission modules can include a transmitter synchronization network configured to change at least the phase of the power provided to the corresponding transmitter resonator by the transmission module based on second information from at least one of the one or more sensors under the control of the corresponding controller. The system may include a fifth plurality of power adjustment units, each of which is electrically connected between a corresponding photocell from a solar cell array and a corresponding transmitting module from the first plurality of transmitting modules, and is configured to adapt the power from the corresponding solar cell to a format compatible with the corresponding transmitting module.

[0014] Each of the first plurality of transmitting modules may be equipped with a small-signal electronic circuit, and the corresponding power regulating unit of the fifth plurality of power regulating units may be further configured to supply power to the small-signal electronic circuit. Each of the second plurality of transmitting resonators may be positioned on a surface facing the active solar radiation receiving surface of the corresponding solar cell in the array of solar cells. In a further embodiment, a method is provided for transmitting power from a solar cell to a power load. Power is transmitted to a transmitter resonator configured to resonate at an oscillation frequency, communicating via wired telecommunications with a transmitting module. Power is received in a receiver resonator configured to resonate at an oscillation frequency and arranged to receive power from the transmitter resonator via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction, and power is received in a receiver module communicating via wired telecommunications with the receiver resonator. The received power is then supplied to a power load in DC form via wired telecommunications. In a further embodiment of a method for transmitting power from an array of solar cells to a power load, the method includes the steps of: converting power from each of the solar cells in the array into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency in each of a first plurality of corresponding transmission modules; transferring the power in each transmission module to a corresponding transmitter resonator in a second plurality of transmitter resonators, each configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency; receiving the power in a receiver resonator configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency and arranged to receive power from the plurality of transmitter resonators via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction; and receiving the power in a receiver module that wire-communicates with the receiver resonator. The received power is then supplied to a power load in DC form via wire-communication. In a further embodiment of the method for transmitting power from an array of solar cells to a power load, the method includes the step of converting power from each of the solar cells in each of a first plurality of corresponding transmission modules. The cells in the array are converted into oscillating power signals having an oscillating frequency. Power from each transmitting module is transferred to a corresponding transmitting resonator in a second plurality of transmitting resonators, each transmitting resonator configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency. Power is received from each transmitting resonator in a corresponding receiver resonator configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency, each receiver resonator is further configured and arranged to receive power from the transmitting resonator via capacitive coupling and magnetic induction, and power is received from each receiver resonator in a corresponding receiver module that is in wired telecommunications with the receiver resonator; and the received power is supplied to a power load in DC form via wired telecommunications.

[0015] In a further embodiment of the method for transmitting power from an array of solar cells to a power load, the method includes the step of converting the power from each solar cell in the array in each of a first plurality of corresponding transmission modules. The power from each transmitting module is transmitted to one of a second plurality of transmitter resonators, each transmitter resonator configured to resonate at the oscillation frequency, and an oscillating power signal having an oscillation frequency. Power is received from each transmitter resonator in any nearby receiver resonator of a third plurality of receiver resonators configured to resonate at the oscillation frequency, each receiver resonator further comprising capacitive, coupled, and magnetically inductive resonators. The received power is shared among the third plurality of receiver resonators. The power received in DC form from one or more of the third plurality of receiver resonators is supplied to the power load via wired telecommunications through one or more corresponding receiver modules. The method may further include the step of converting the voltage and current of the power from each solar cell to voltages and currents suitable for the corresponding transmission modules before converting the power to an oscillating power signal. A power transmission system is provided for supplying power from a DC power source to a power load, and this system includes a wired high-frequency power amplifier. It is configured to communicate with a power source and convert a DC voltage from the power source into an AC voltage signal having an oscillating frequency. An adjustable-phase radio frequency rectifier is wired electrically in contact with a power load and radio-frequency communicates with a power amplifier, and the rectifier is configured to receive power transmitted from the amplifier. A receiver controller communicates with the rectifier, and the receiver controller is configured to adjust the efficiency of power transmission from the amplifier to the rectifier by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier. The rectifier may be a differential self-synchronizing high-frequency rectifier. The receiver controller may be configured to automatically adjust the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier. The power transmission system may further include a load management system that communicates with the load via a wired connection, and a power signal placed between the load and the rectifier, the load management system being configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the input impedance of the rectifier. The load management system may be configured to automatically adjust the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier. The power transmission system may further include a transmitter controller that communicates with an amplifier, and the transmitter controller is configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the amplifier. The transmitter controller may be configured to automatically adjust the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the amplifier in order to improve the efficiency of power transmission. The power transmission system may further include an oscillator that communicates with an amplifier and a transmitter controller. The transmitter controller may be configured to adjust the oscillation frequency via the oscillator. A power amplifier can communicate directly via wired radio frequency with a phase-adjustable radio frequency rectifier. A power amplifier can communicate wirelessly via short-range radio frequency with a phase-adjustable radio frequency rectifier. A power transmission system may include a transmitter resonator communicating via wired radio frequency with a power amplifier, and a receiver resonator communicating via wired radio frequency with a rectifier. The transmitting and receiving resonators may communicate wirelessly via short-range radio frequency with each other. A power amplifier can communicate with a rectifier using at least one of capacitive short-range radio and inductive short-range radio frequencies. A power amplifier may also communicate with a rectifier using bimodal short-range radio frequency communication.

[0016] The DC power supply may include a rechargeable battery, and the load may include an electric motor. The load may include a computer monitor. The resonant structure of the system may include at least one conductive mechanical load-bearing structural component of the system. The system may further include a power adjustment unit electrically positioned between the power supply and the power transmission system, the power adjustment unit being configured to adjust at least one of the current and voltage from the power supply in order to improve the efficiency of power transmission. A method for power transmission from a DC power source to a power load is further provided, the method comprising the step of providing a power transmission system that wire-communicates with a power source, the power transmission system comprising a high-frequency power amplifier; in high-frequency communication with a wire-electrically connected adjustable-phase high-frequency rectifier between the power load and the power load; power from the DC power source is converted into a high-frequency oscillating power signal in the amplifier; the high-frequency oscillating power signal is converted into a DC power signal in the rectifier; the efficiency of power transmission is adjusted by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier. Providing an adjustable-phase radio frequency rectifier may also include providing a differential self-synchronizing radio frequency rectifier. This method may further include the step of adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the DC equivalent input resistance of the amplifier. Providing a power transmission system may also include providing a load management system with wired communication between the rectifier and the load. Adjusting the DC equivalent input resistance of the amplifier may include adjusting the input impedance of the rectifier by adjusting the load management system. Adjusting the load management system may include automatically adjusting the load management system. This method may further include the step of adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the power amplifier. Providing a power transmission system may include providing a transmitter controller that communicates with the power amplifier to control it. The adjustment of the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the power amplifier may be performed by the transmitter controller. The adjustment of the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the power amplifier may be performed automatically by the transmitter controller. This method may further include the step of adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by changing the oscillation frequency of the power amplifier.

[0017] Providing a power transmission system may include providing a receiver controller that communicates with a rectifier to control the rectifier. Adjustment of the rectifier's current-voltage-phase characteristics may be performed by the receiver controller. Adjustment of the rectifier's current-voltage-phase characteristics may also be performed automatically by the receiver controller. Providing a power transmission system may include providing a power amplifier that communicates directly via wired radio frequency with an adjustable phase radio frequency rectifier. Providing a power transmission system may also include providing a power amplifier that communicates directly via wireless short-range radio frequency with an adjustable phase radio frequency rectifier. Providing a power transmission system may include providing a transmitter resonator that communicates with a power amplifier via wired radio frequency, and a receiver resonator that communicates with a radio frequency rectifier via wired radio frequency. This method may further include operating the transmitter resonator and the receiver resonator in radio short-range radio frequency communication with each other. Providing a power transmission system may include providing a power amplifier in at least one of capacitive short-range radio and inductive short-range radio frequency communication with the rectifier. Providing a power transmission system may include providing a power amplifier in bimodal radio short-range communication with the rectifier. The method involves providing an electrically positioned power adjustment unit between a power source and a power transmission system, and adjusting the power adjustment unit to adjust at least one of the current and voltage from the power source in order to improve the efficiency of power conversion. A method for transmitting power from a DC power source to a power load is further provided, the method comprising the step of providing a power transmission system that communicates with the power source via wired telecommunications, the power transmission system oscillates at an oscillation frequency. Both the power amplifier and the transmitter tuning network are under the control of the transmitter controller. Both the receiver tuning network and the load management system are under the control of the receiver controller, and the load management system communicates with the power load via wired telecommunications. In the power amplifier, power from the power source is converted into an oscillating power signal having an oscillation frequency. Under the control of the transmitter controller, the power signal is transferred from the power amplifier to the load management system via the transmitter tuning network and the receiver tuning network. The power transmission speed is changed by adjusting the oscillation frequency, the input DC equivalent resistance of the power amplifier, the transmitter tuning network, the receiver tuning network, and the load management system, and the power received by the load management system is supplied to the power load in DC form via wired telecommunications. Transferring power signals via transmitter-tuning networks and receiver-tuning networks may include transferring power via wired communication. Transferring power signals via transmitter-tuning networks and receiver-tuning networks may also include transferring power via wireless communication. Transmitting power via wireless communication may also include transmitting power via short-range wireless communication. Transmitting power via short-range wireless communication may also include transmitting power by at least one of capacitive coupling and inductive coupling. Transmitting power from a DC power source may include transmitting power from at least one solar cell. Transmitting power from a DC power source may include transmitting power from at least one solar cell battery. Transmitting power from a DC power source may include transmitting power from a power source with a variable voltage.

[0018] In another embodiment, the electric system is a power transmission system comprising a mechanical load-bearing structure having a conductive first portion, a power load, and at least one high-frequency resonator configured for short-range wireless power transmission, wherein the resonator includes at least a partially conductive first portion. The electric system may further comprise a rechargeable battery, and the power load may comprise an electric motor. The electric system may be an electric vehicle, and the mechanical load-bearing structure may constitute the chassis of the vehicle. The electric system may be a display monitor, and the mechanical load-bearing structure may be at least one of the frame and base of the monitor. The electric system may further include a power supply. The power transmission system includes a high-frequency power amplifier configured to communicate with the power supply via wired electrical communication and convert a DC voltage from the power supply into an AC voltage signal having an oscillating frequency; an adjustable-phase radio frequency rectifier configured to make wired electrical contact with a power load and to communicate with the power amplifier via radio frequency, the rectifier configured to receive power transmitted from the amplifier; a receiver controller communicating with the rectifier, the receiver controller configured to adjust the efficiency of power transmission from the amplifier to the rectifier by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a mechanical load-bearing structure having a conductive first portion, a power supply, a power load, and a power transmission system. The power transmission system includes a high-frequency power amplifier configured to wire-communicate with the power supply and convert a DC voltage from the power supply into an AC voltage signal having an oscillating frequency, a high-frequency rectifier with adjustable phase that wire-electrically contacts the power load and communicates with the power amplifier at a high frequency, a rectifier configured to receive power transmitted from the amplifier, and a receiver controller configured to communicate with the rectifier and adjust the efficiency of power transmission from the amplifier to the rectifier by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier. Here, the conductive first portion is arranged to carry a high-frequency signal from the amplifier or to the rectifier. The device may further comprise a load management system that communicates with the load via a wired connection, and power signaled between the load and a rectifier, the load management system configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the input impedance of the load and the rectifier. The device may further comprise a transmitter controller that communicates with an amplifier, the transmitter controller configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the amplifier. The device may further comprise an oscillator that communicates with the amplifier and the transmitter controller, the transmitter controller configured to adjust the oscillation frequency via the oscillator. The power amplifier can communicate directly with the rectifier via a wired radio frequency through a conductive first part. The power amplifier may also communicate with the rectifier via wireless short-range radio frequency. The power transmission system may include a transmitter resonator that communicates with the power amplifier via a wired radio frequency and a receiver resonator that communicates with the rectifier via a wired radio frequency, and one of the transmitter resonator and the receiver resonator may include a conductive first part. The transmitter resonator and the receiver resonator may communicate with each other via wireless short-range radio frequency. The power amplifier can communicate with the rectifier via at least one of capacitive short-range radio and inductive short-range radio frequencies. The power amplifier may also communicate with the rectifier via bimodal short-range radio frequency. The DC power supply may include a rechargeable battery, and the load may include an electric motor.

[0019] In some embodiments, a sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device comprises a plurality of terminals arranged for electrical communication with a device outside the sealed device, and the sealed device comprises a multi-terminal power switching device having at least one DC terminal. The multi-terminal power switching device comprises terminals, at least one AC terminal, and at least one control terminal, and is adjustable between an amplified state and a rectified state, and is configured to communicate bidirectionally via at least one DC terminal, DC voltage and DC current. In wired data communication with a controller, the steps of bidirectional communication of a high-frequency power signal having amplitude, frequency, and phase via at least one AC terminal, and a phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuit in wired electrical communication with the controller, and at least one control terminal of the power switching device is configured to establish a high-frequency oscillation signal having the frequency and phase of the high-frequency power signal and adjust the power. The rectification condition of the switching device between amplified states is achieved by adjusting the phase of the high-frequency oscillation signal according to the controller's instructions. In some embodiments, the controller may be located inside the sealed interior of the sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device. Multiple terminals in a sealed power transmission circuit device may include terminals for data communication between the controller and external devices inside the sealed enclosure. The high-frequency power signal may have a duty cycle, and the phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuit may be further configured to adjust the duty cycle of the high-frequency power signal by adjusting the duty cycle of the high-frequency oscillation signal. The phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuit may include a radio frequency oscillator for generating a radio frequency oscillation signal based on commands from a controller. A sealed power transmission circuit device may further include a tuning network that communicates via wired electrical communication with a power switching device via at least one AC terminal within a sealed interior that communicates via wired data with a controller, the tuning network adjusting a high-frequency power signal to a tuned high-frequency power signal according to commands from the controller. A bidirectional power transmission circuit device may include a modulator configured to modulate information over a radio frequency power signal. The modulator may include a tuning network. The modulator may be configured to modulate the radio frequency power signal using information provided by the controller. The tuning network may include a harmonic termination network circuit configured to suppress harmonics of a high-frequency oscillating signal in the high-frequency power signal. The harmonic termination network may include one or more inductors and one or more of a first harmonic termination, a second harmonic termination, and a third harmonic termination. A sealed power transmission circuit device may further include an amplitude / frequency / phase detector that is located within a sealed interior that communicates via wired electrical communication with the tuning network and is configured to determine arbitrary amplitude, frequency, and phase. A high-frequency power signal communicated between a tuning network and an external AC load / power supply of a sealed device. The tuning network may further comprise one or more of the following: a compensation network, a matching network, and a filter.

[0020] Phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits may be configured to receive commands from the controller based on measurement data communicated to the controller by the amplitude / frequency / phase detector. The phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits may also be configured to adjust the radio frequency oscillation signal based on feedback signals received directly from the amplitude / frequency / phase detector. The tuning network may include a voltage-current tuner for adjusting the phase difference between the voltage and current of the tuned high-frequency power signal based on measurement data from the amplitude / frequency / phase detector when the power switching device is in an amplified state. A sealed power transmission circuit device includes a power management circuit configured to impedance match the power switching device and the DC power supply / load, within a sealed enclosure for wired electrical communication between the power switching device and an external DC power supply / load, and adjusts the DC power communicated between the power switching device and the DC power supply / load based on feedback signals received directly from the external DC power supply / load and amplitude / frequency / phase detectors. In other embodiments, the sealed power transmission circuit device may further include a power management circuit within a sealed enclosure for wired data communication with a controller and wired electrical communication between the power switching device and an external DC power supply / load. It is configured to impedance match the power switching device and the external DC power supply / load and adjust the DC power communicated between the power switching device and the DC power supply / load based on measurement data transmitted to the controller by the amplitude / frequency / phase detectors. The sealed power transmission circuit device may further include a voltage / current detector positioned within a sealed interior, which communicates wired data with a controller, to determine the DC voltage and DC current passing between the power switching device and the power management circuit. Phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits may be configured to receive commands from the controller based on the measurement data communicated to the controller by the voltage / current detector. In other embodiments, the phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits may be configured to adjust the radio frequency oscillation signal based on feedback signals received directly from the voltage / current detector. The sealed power transmission circuit device may further include a controller, an amplitude / frequency / phase detector, and a voltage / current detector, and a memory that communicates with them via wired data within the sealed enclosure. The memory receives data, stores measurement data from the two detectors, and provides signal data from the two detectors to the controller.

[0021] The sealed power transmission circuit device may further include a power management circuit configured to match the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the power switching device with the external AC power supply / load, and to adjust the AC power communicated between the power switching device and the AC power supply / load based on feedback signals received directly from amplitude / frequency / phase detectors, within a sealed interior that enables wired electrical communication between the power switching device and an external AC power supply / load. The enclosed power transmission circuit device may further include a power management circuit configured to match the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the power switching device with the external AC power supply / load, and to adjust the AC power communicated between the power switching device and the AC power supply / load based on measurement data communicated from the amplitude / frequency / phase detector to the controller, within the enclosed interior which wired data communication is performed between the power switching device and the external AC power supply / load. The sealed power transmission circuit device may further include voltage / current detectors positioned within a sealed interior, which communicates with the controller via wired data, to determine the DC voltage and DC current passing between the power switching device and the power management circuit. In some embodiments, the phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits are configured to receive commands from the controller based on measurement data transmitted to the controller by the voltage / current detector. In some embodiments, the phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits are configured to adjust the radio frequency oscillation signal based on feedback signals received directly from the voltage / current detector. The sealed power transmission circuit device may further include a controller, amplitude / frequency / phase detectors, and voltage / current detectors, and a memory that communicates with them via wired data within the sealed interior. The memory is configured to receive and store measurement data from the two detectors and to provide signal data from the two detectors to the controller. The sealed power transmission circuit device may further include, within its sealed interior, at least one of the following: a Bluetooth communication circuit, a WiFi communication circuit, a Zigbee communication circuit, and a cellular communication technology circuit for communicating information between the controller and an external device. The communication circuit may perform bidirectional wired communication with at least one communication antenna configured to communicate with an external device of the sealed power supply. Transfer circuit device. The antenna for the communication circuit may be located inside the sealed enclosure of the sealed device. A bidirectional power transmission circuit device may include a modulator configured to modulate information into at least one of a high-frequency power signal and a DC voltage. The modulator may include a power switching device. The modulator may be configured to modulate at least one of the high-frequency power signal and the DC voltage using information provided by a controller. The modulator may further include phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment circuits. In some embodiments, all circuit elements of a bidirectional power transmission circuit device may be monolithically integrated within a silicon single-crystal wafer. In some embodiments, at least some of the circuit elements of the device may be integrated using flip-chip technology.

[0022] In one particular embodiment, the electronics of a sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device may be mounted on a single silicon single-crystal wafer along with at least one photocell that functions as a DC power source / load. In a further embodiment, the electronics of a sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device may be mounted on a single silicon single-crystal wafer along with at least one photocell that functions as a DC power source / load and a resonator structure that functions as an AC load / power source on the surface of the silicon single-crystal wafer. Antennas used in Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and Cellular technologies can also be integrated on the same single silicon single-crystal wafer. In another embodiment, a power transmission system is provided for transmitting power between a DC power supply and a variable load. First and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers are configured to extract first and second high-frequency (HF) power signals from the DC power supply at first and second HF frequencies, respectively. An HF power link system is configured to receive and mix the first and second HF power signals to generate a transferred power signal. A power signal conversion circuit communicating with the HF power link system and the variable load is configured to generate an output power signal from the transferred power signal and to supply that output power signal to the variable load. The power transmission system further includes an HF switching signal generator configured to supply first and second switching signals at first and second HF frequencies to first and second rectifiers / amplifiers, respectively, and to establish and control the mutual phase relationship between the first and second switching signals. The power signal conversion circuit includes a switch-mode rectifier configured to receive a power signal transferred from an HF power link system, rectify the transferred power signal, and generate a rectified power signal. The decompression circuit is configured to receive the rectified power signal from the switch-mode rectifier, decompress the rectified power signal, and generate an output power signal. The first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers can be configured to operate in rectification mode, and the switch-mode rectifier can be configured to operate in always-on mode, thereby allowing power to be extracted from the variable power input to the load and transmitted to the DC power supply via a power signal conversion circuit and an HF power link system. An unfolding circuit may be configured to receive a reference signal from a variable load and unfold a rectified power signal synchronized with the signal in the variable load. A power signal conversion circuit, an HF power link system, and multiple pairs of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers may be configured to communicate control information from the rest of the system to an HF switching signal generator. The system may further include one or more controllers configured to communicate data with and control multiple elements of the system. The system may further include an isolated load information circuit configured to communicate information to the HF switching signal generator regarding at least one of the DC level, frequency, and phase of the power signal in the variable load. The load information circuit may include a phase-locked loop. The load information circuit may further include an isolator system which may include an air gap. The HF power link system may include a wireless power link system, which may be a bimodal wireless HF power link system. The HF power link system may also include a wired power link system.

[0023] In the two phase-difference-based implementations, the first and second HF frequencies are the same. The first and second switching signals may have a relative phase difference that can be adjusted by an HF switching signal generator. In the first phase-difference-based implementation, the HF switching signal generator is configured to adjust the relative phase difference between the first and second switching signals based on the DC level of a variable load, thereby generating a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC signal with correspondingly adjusted amplitude. In the second phase-difference-based implementation, the HF switching signal generator modulates the relative phase difference between the first and second switching signals with a phase modulation frequency derived from the frequency of the power signal at the variable load, thereby generating a power signal that is transmitted from the HF power link system as an AC power signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal at the variable load. In a frequency difference-based implementation, the first and second HF frequencies differ by a difference frequency Δf. In this embodiment, the HF switching signal generator is configured to determine the first and second HF frequencies and set the difference frequency Δf to double the frequency of the power signal at the variable load. The HF power link system is configured to generate a transmission power signal at the difference frequency Δf, and the power signal conversion circuit is configured to supply an output power signal to the variable load at the frequency of the power signal at the variable load. In a further embodiment, a method is provided for transmitting power between a DC power source and a variable load, the method comprising: extracting corresponding first and second HF power signals from a DC power source at first and second high-frequency (HF) frequencies via corresponding first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers; receiving and mixing the first and second HF power signals in an HF power link system to generate a transferred power signal; generating an output power signal in a power signal conversion circuit communicating with the HF power link system and a variable load, based at least in part on the transferred power signal; and supplying the output power signal to the variable load. The method may further include the steps of generating first and second switching signals at first and second frequencies, respectively, in an HF switching signal generator that communicates with the first and second rectifiers / amplifiers, and establishing and controlling the mutual phase relationship between the first and second switching signals in the HF switching signal generator. The method may further include the steps of receiving and rectifying the power signal transferred from the HF power link system in a switch-mode rectifier of the power signal conversion circuit, and receiving and unfolding the power signal rectified from the switch-mode rectifier in an unfolding circuit of the power signal conversion circuit. The method may further include the steps of setting the first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers to rectification mode, setting the switch-mode rectifier to always-on mode, extracting power from the variable load, and transferring the extracted power to the DC power supply via the power signal conversion circuit and the HF power link system.

[0024] The method includes the steps of: developing a rectified power signal synchronized with the signal in the variable load based on a reference signal from the variable load; communicating control information from the rest of the system to an HF switching signal generator via a power signal conversion circuit, an HF power link system, and first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers; controlling multiple elements of the system by one or more controllers that communicate data with multiple elements; and communicating information regarding at least one of the DC level, frequency, and phase of the power signal in the variable load to the HF switching signal generator using an isolated load information circuit including a phase-locked loop and an optional isolator system. Power signal transfer in the HF power link system may include wireless, bimodal wireless, or wired power signal transfer. Two methods for transmitting power from a DC power source to a variable load utilize the phase difference between switching signals. In these methods, the first and second switching signals have the same frequency and a phase difference between them that can be adjusted by an HF switching signal generator. The first method of these examples includes adjusting the phase difference between the first and second switching signals based on the DC level of the variable load to generate the power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC signal with correspondingly adjusted amplitude. The second method of these implementations further includes modulating the phase difference between the first and second switching signals with a phase modulation frequency derived from the frequency of the power signal of the variable load to generate the power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as an AC power signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load. A frequency difference-based method further includes the steps of determining the first and second frequencies in each pair of corresponding first and second switching signals, and setting the difference frequency of each pair to twice the frequency of the power signal of the variable load. This method further includes the steps of generating a power signal transmitted at the difference frequency from the HF power link system, and supplying an output power signal to the variable load at the frequency of the power signal in the variable load. The power transmission systems described herein can utilize either a phase difference or a frequency difference between switching signals supplied to a pair of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers to transmit either AC power or DC power from a DC power source to a variable load. This can also be extended to transmit power from a single DC power source to a single variable load via multiple rectifier / amplifier pairs, or to transmit power from multiple DC power sources to a single variable load using multiple rectifier / amplifier pairs. Apparatus and methods for achieving these objectives are described. These apparatuses and methods, in some implementations, also enable the simultaneous transmission of DC and AC power to the load.

[0025] In one embodiment, a solar panel system for generating and transmitting power to an AC load is provided. The system comprises at least one solar cell having a planar photosensitive surface facing a solar cover, arranged on the surface of a first solar cover, a high-frequency power module corresponding to each solar cell, a printed circuit board supported on a flat surface of the printed circuit board opposite the solar cover, a high-frequency power circuit for wired telecommunications, and at least one corresponding solar cell; a conformal encapsulation layer coupled to the first plane of the solar cover and covering at least one solar cell and the corresponding high-frequency power module, and a frame carrying a single aggregator for receiving power from at least one high-frequency power circuit and transmitting power to an AC load at the AC load line frequency. The high-frequency power circuits may be located on a flat surface of a printed circuit board opposite the solar cover. At least one planar printed circuit board may be located adjacent to at least one corresponding photocell. At least one photocell may be arranged in an array. All high-frequency power circuits may be phase-locked to each other. All high-frequency power circuits can be phase-locked to each other to the AC power signal of an AC load via a phase-locked loop. In some embodiments, the aggregator may be configured to receive power from at least one high-frequency power circuit by wireless power transmission. The aggregator may be configured to receive power from at least one high-frequency power circuit by bimodal wireless power transmission. Each of the high-frequency power circuits may include a transmitter resonator configured to receive power from at least one corresponding solar cell. The system may include a receiver resonator configured to receive power from the transmitter resonator. The aggregator may include a low-frequency unfolding circuit, a switch-mode rectifier, and a receiver module configured to receive power from the receiver resonator by wired communication. The receiver resonator may be frame-mounted. The aggregator may be mounted on the receiver resonator. In some embodiments, the aggregator may be configured to receive power from at least one high-frequency power circuit by wired power transmission at low frequency. Each high-frequency power circuit includes a transmitter module configured to receive power from at least one corresponding solar cell, a receiver module that wires with the transmitter module and receives power from the transmitter module at high frequency, and a switch-mode rectifier that generates a low-frequency power signal. The aggregator may include an unfolding circuit that can receive power at low frequency from the high-frequency power circuit and transmit that power to an AC load at the AC load line frequency. The first solar cover surface may include an optically transparent polymer layer. This system may be equipped with a dielectric protective cap on the high-frequency power circuit. The protective cap may be positioned above or below the conformal encapsulation layer. The periphery of the protective cap may be positioned below the conformal encapsulation layer and sealed to the conformal encapsulation layer. A method for manufacturing a solar panel is provided, the method comprising the steps of: arranging at least one solar cell having a photosensitive surface facing the surface of a transparent solar cover on a flat surface of the transparent solar cover; and comprising the steps of: providing a high frequency; a power module comprising a high frequency power circuit on a printed circuit board that wires to the at least one solar cell in order to collect power from the at least one solar cell, wherein the high frequency power circuit is arranged on the plane of the printed circuit board; the board facing the opposite side of the transparent solar cover; arranging a heat-deformable polymer sheet extending across the surface area of ​​the transparent solar cover on the opposite side of the at least one solar cell from the transparent solar cover to form a laminated stack in a plane; transferring the laminated stack to a vacuum oven and vacuuming the inside of the vacuum oven to remove the air between the layers of the laminated stack; heating the laminated stack to the deformation temperature of the heat-deformable polymer sheet; and applying pressure to the stack perpendicular to the plane. The process involves restoring ambient pressure in a vacuum oven, bonding a heat-deformable polymer sheet onto a transparent solar cover, pressing the heat-deformable polymer sheet equiangled onto at least one solar cell and a high-frequency power module to form a packaged solar cell array; and mounting the array of packaged solar cell modules onto a frame. The method may further include the step of placing a transparent thermocrosslinkable polymer sheet on a transparent solar cover before placing at least one solar cell and a high-frequency power module on the transparent solar cover. Placing a thermocrosslinkable polymer sheet may include placing a thermocrosslinkable polymer sheet. The step of placing a thermocrosslinkable polymer sheet may include one or more layers of polyethylene terephthalate, biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate, ethylene vinyl acetate; fluoropolyester; polyvinyl fluoride; polyvinylidene fluoride; polyethylene vinyl acetate; polyethylene naphthalate; ethylene tetrafluoroethylene; fluoroethylene vinyl ether; tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride copolymer; polyamide; polypropylene; polyethylene; polyvinylidene fluoride - sugar palm short fibers.

[0026] Mounting a packaged array of photovoltaic modules to a frame may include mounting the packaged array of photovoltaic modules to a frame that supports a receiver resonator and an aggregator configured to receive power signals from a high-frequency power circuit via the receiver resonator. Mounting a packaged array of photovoltaic modules to a frame may include mounting the packaged array of photovoltaic modules to a frame that supports an aggregator configured to receive power signals from a high-frequency power circuit via a wire. Without considering the packaging of the solar power modules, a solar panel system can be described as a system for generating and transmitting power to an AC load. A high-frequency power module corresponding to each solar cell communicates via wired telecommunications with at least one corresponding solar cell. The frame carries a single aggregator, which is configured to receive power from at least one high-frequency power module and transmit power to an AC load at the AC load line frequency. All at least one high-frequency power module can be phase-locked to each other for AC power signals. The AC load is controlled via a phase-locked loop. Each of the at least one high-frequency power modules includes an HF switching signal generator that can phase-lock to the power signal of the AC load having the AC load line frequency, and first and second high-frequency switch-mode power rectifiers / amplifiers supplied from power supplied from the corresponding at least one solar cell, corresponding to first and second high-frequency power signals whose frequencies differ by an amount equal to twice the AC load line frequency. The aggregator of the solar panel system may include an unfolding circuit configured to receive transmitted power supplied from each of the at least one solar cell at a frequency twice the AC load line frequency. In some embodiments, the aggregator of the solar panel system is configured to receive power from at least one high-frequency power module via wireless power transmission. In some embodiments, the aggregator of the solar panel system is arranged to receive power from at least one high-frequency power module by bimodal radio power transmission. In these embodiments, each high-frequency power module comprises a transmitter resonator that wires to a transmitter module arranged to receive power from the corresponding at least one solar cell. The photovoltaic system also comprises a single receiver resonator arranged to receive power by bimodal power transmission from a transmitter resonator corresponding to at least one solar cell. The aggregator comprises a low-frequency unfolding circuit, a switch-mode rectifier, and a receiver module arranged to receive power from a receiver resonator by wired communication. The receiver resonator is frame-mounted, and the aggregator may be mounted to the receiver resonator. In another embodiment, the aggregator of the solar panel system is configured to receive power from at least one high-frequency power module by low-frequency wired power transmission. Each high-frequency power module includes a transmitter module configured to receive power from at least one corresponding solar cell, a receiver module that communicates with the transmitter module via a wire and receives power from the transmitter module at high frequency, and a switch-mode rectifier that generates a low-frequency power signal. The aggregator includes a deployment circuit that can receive power at low frequency from the high-frequency power module and transmit that power to an AC load at the AC load line frequency. In another embodiment, each high-frequency power module comprises a transmitter module positioned to receive power from at least one corresponding solar cell, a receiver module that communicates via a wire with the transmitter module and receives power from the transmitter module at a high frequency, and a switch-mode rectifier that generates a low-frequency power signal. An unfolding circuit unfolds the low-frequency signal from the switch-mode rectifier. In this embodiment, the aggregator may simply be a device that collects all unfolding signals at the AC load line frequency from each of the unfolding circuits associated with each of the corresponding photocells. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0027] Exemplary embodiments are shown in the reference drawings. The embodiments and figures disclosed herein are intended to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless power transmission system according to one exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C show antennas that may be used in various exemplary embodiments, either alone or in combination with other disclosed elements. [Figure 3] Figures 3A and 3B show side views of antennas that may be used in various exemplary embodiments, either alone or in combination with other disclosed elements. [Figure 4]Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D show side views of exemplary resonators that may be used in various exemplary embodiments, either alone or in combination with other disclosed elements. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary resonator that may be used in various exemplary embodiments, either alone or in combination with other disclosed elements. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the primary side of a wireless power transmission system according to one exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the secondary side of a wireless power transmission system according to one exemplary embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary power amplifier that may be used in various exemplary embodiments, either alone or in combination with other disclosed elements. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary self-synchronous rectifier that may be used in various exemplary embodiments, either alone or in combination with other disclosed elements. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows a more detailed schematic diagram of a V / I tuner according to Figure 6, used to adjust the power signal to the transmitter resonator, as an example. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows a flowchart of a short-range resonant wireless method, according to one exemplary embodiment, which transmits power bimodally according to a transfer mode ratio adjustable by the resonant power signal oscillation frequency. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a multi-transmitter short-range resonant wireless power transmission system for transmitting power to a single receiver subsystem. [Figure 13] Figures 13A and 13B show a multi-transmitter short-range resonant wireless power transmission system for transmitting power to a single receiver subsystem. [Figure 14] Figure 14 shows a multi-transmitter short-range resonant wireless power transmission system for transmitting power to two or more receiver subsystems. [Figure 15]Figure 15 shows a flowchart of a wireless near-field method for transmitting power from multiple transmitter subsystems to a single resonant receiver subsystem at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. [Figure 16] Figure 16 shows a flowchart of another wireless near-field method for transmitting power from a multiplexed transmitter subsystem to a single resonant receiver subsystem at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. [Figure 17] Figure 17 shows a flowchart of a wireless near-field method for transmitting power from a multiplex transmitter subsystem to multiple resonant receiver subsystems at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. [Figure 18] Figure 18 shows a flowchart of another wireless near-field method for transmitting power from a multiplexer subsystem to multiple resonant receiver subsystems at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. [Figure 19] Figure 19A shows a near-field resonant wireless power transmission system for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell to a power load. Figure 19B shows a power transmission system for transmitting power from a solar cell to a power load. [Figure 20] Figures 20A and 20B show a front and rear view of a solar cell array configured for use in a many-to-one configuration with the near-field resonant wireless power transmission system shown in Figure 19A. [Figure 21] Figures 21A and 21B show a front and rear view of a solar cell array configured for use with the near-field resonant wireless power transmission system of Figure 19A in a one-to-one configuration. [Figure 22] Figures 22A and 22B show a front and rear view of a solar cell array configured for use in a row-based configuration with the near-field resonant wireless power transmission system shown in Figure 19A. [Figure 23] Figure 23 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell to a power load. [Figure 24] Figure 24 shows a flowchart illustrating another method for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell array to a power load. [Figure 25]Figure 25 shows a flowchart illustrating another method for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell array to a power load. [Figure 26] Figure 26 shows a flowchart illustrating another method for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell array to a power load. [Figure 27] Figure 27A shows a partial diagram of an electric vehicle using one embodiment of the power transmission system. Figure 27B shows another partial diagram of an electric vehicle using one embodiment of the power transmission system. [Figure 28] Figure 28A shows a computer monitor using one embodiment of the power transmission system. Figure 28B shows a computer monitor using another embodiment of the power transmission system. [Figure 29] Figure 29 shows a flowchart illustrating the method of transmitting power from a DC power source to a power load. [Figure 30] Figure 30 shows a flowchart illustrating a further method for transmitting power from a DC power source to a power load. [Figure 31] Figure 31 shows a flowchart illustrating the method of transmitting power between transmitting and receiving modules in a bimodal resonant short-range radio frequency power transmission system. [Figure 32] Figure 32 shows a schematic diagram of a bidirectional power transmission circuit. [Figure 33] Figure 33 shows the implementation of a bidirectional power transmission circuit device. [Figure 34] Figure 34A shows the implementation of a bidirectional power transmission circuit device mounted on the same silicon wafer as the solar cell. Figure 34B shows a composite device of Figure 34A with a resonator on the surface of the silicon wafer. [Figure 35] Figure 35A shows a near-field resonant wireless power transmission system for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell to an AC power load. Figure 35B shows a power transmission system for transmitting power from a solar cell to an AC power load. [Figure 36] Figure 36 shows a schematic diagram of a bidirectional power transmission circuit. [Figure 37]Figure 37A shows a schematic diagram of a bidirectional power transmission system for transmitting power between a DC power source and an AC power load using the frequency difference between two high-frequency signals. Figure 37B shows a schematic diagram of a bidirectional power transmission system for transmitting power between a DC power source and a variable power load that may be AC ​​or DC using the phase difference between two high-frequency signals. Figure 37C shows a schematic diagram of a bidirectional power transmission system for transmitting power between a DC power source and a variable power load that may be AC ​​or DC using the phase difference between two high-frequency signals and multiple pairs of rectifiers / amplifiers. Figure 37D shows a schematic diagram of a bidirectional power transmission system for transmitting power between multiple DC power sources and variable power loads that may be AC ​​or DC using the phase difference between two high-frequency signals and multiple pairs of multiple HF switching signal generators and rectifiers / amplifiers. [Figure 38] Figure 38 shows the rectified power signal in half-wave train form and the result of unfolding the power signal. [Figure 39] Figure 39 shows a flowchart of a method for transmitting power between a DC power source and a variable power load, which may be AC ​​or DC. [Figure 40] Figure 40A shows an exploded rear view of a solar module for wireless power transmission, comprising solar cells and a high-frequency power module. Figure 40B shows an exploded rear view of a solar module for wired power transmission, comprising solar cells and a high-frequency power module. [Figure 41] Figure 41A shows a power transmission system for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell to a variable power load that may be AC ​​or DC. Figure 41B shows a power transmission system for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell to a variable power load that may be AC ​​or DC. Figure 41C shows a power transmission system for wirelessly transmitting power from a solar cell to a variable power load that may be AC ​​or DC. [Figure 42]Figure 42A is a schematic exploded rear view of a solar panel for wireless power transmission based on an array of solar modules, before conformally applying the encapsulation layer. Figure 42B is a schematic exploded rear view of a solar panel for wired power transmission based on an array of solar modules, before conformally applying the encapsulation layer. [Figure 43] Figure 43A shows a schematic side view of a photovoltaic module sealed under a conformal encapsulation layer. Figure 43B shows a schematic side view of a further implementation of the photovoltaic module sealed under a conformal encapsulation layer. [Figure 44] Figure 44 is a schematic exploded rear view of a solar panel for wireless power transmission based on an array of photovoltaic modules, including protective caps, before conformally applying the encapsulation layer. [Figure 45] Figure 45 shows a flowchart illustrating the process of manufacturing a solar panel. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Throughout the following description, certain details are provided to provide a complete understanding to those skilled in the art. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this disclosure, well-known elements may not be illustrated or described in detail. Therefore, descriptions and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. One aspect of the present disclosure provides a wireless power transmission system comprising a transmitter (also referred to as the primary side) and a receiver (also referred to as the secondary side). Another aspect provides a wireless power transmitter that can be used as part of another wireless power transmission system. Another aspect provides a wireless power receiver that can be used as part of another wireless power transmission system. Transmitters according to some embodiments may comprise a resonator configured to transmit power by inductive power transmission and / or capacitive power transmission. Similarly, receivers according to some embodiments may comprise a resonator configured to receive power by inductive power transmission and / or capacitive power transmission. Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless power transmission (WPT) system 10 comprising a primary side 12 and a secondary side 14. The primary side 12 is sometimes called the transmitter, and the secondary side 14 is sometimes called the receiver. The primary side 12 comprises a transmitting module 20 and a transmitter resonator 30, and the secondary side 14 comprises a receiving module 40 and a receiver resonator 50. The transmitter module 20 receives power as input, including, for example, direct current (DC) power. Although not shown, the transmitter module 20 may include, for example, an inverter, a transmitter compensation network, and / or other components as further described herein. The transmitter module 20 supplies power as output to the transmitter resonator 30, including, for example, alternating current (AC) power. The transmitter resonator 30 may receive power as input from the transmitter module 20 and output a magnetic field 31A (e.g., a time-varying magnetic field) and / or an electric field 31B (e.g., a time-varying magnetic field). In some embodiments, the transmitter resonator 30 outputs a magnetic field 31A for the purpose of IPT. In some embodiments, the transmitter resonator 30 outputs an electric field 31B for the purpose of CPT. In some embodiments, the resonator 30 outputs a magnetic field 31A and an electric field 31B simultaneously for the purpose of simultaneous power transmission through CPT and IPT. In some embodiments, the resonator 30 can switch between outputting an electric field 31B for the purpose of CPT, outputting a magnetic field 31A for the purpose of IPT, and outputting a magnetic field 31A and an electric field 31B simultaneously for the purpose of simultaneous power transmission through CPT and IPT. The adjective term "bimodal" is used herein to describe a system configured to perform capacitive and inductive signal transfer simultaneously. In the presence of the magnetic field 31A, a current may be induced in the receiver resonator 50 for the purpose of IPT. In the presence of the electric field 31B, an alternating potential may be induced in the receiver resonator 50 (or one or more of its antennas). When a current is induced in the receiver resonator 50 by the magnetic field 31A, that current can be output to the receiver module 40. Similarly, when an alternating potential is induced in the receiver resonator 50 by the electric field 31B, a current can be output to the receiver module 40. The current is allowed to flow into the receiver module 40 by the receiver resonator 50.

[0029] The receiver module 40 can receive power (e.g., AC power) from the receiver resonator 50 as input and output power (e.g., DC power) to a load. The load may be the charge of an energy storage device such as a battery or a supercapacitor. In non-limiting examples, the load may include or be an element of an electric bicycle, automobile, boat, etc., which are part of a shared bicycle fleet. Although not shown, the receiver module 40 may comprise, for example, a rectifier, a receiver compensation network, and / or other components further described herein. The WPT system 10 can be configured to adjust the ratio ("transfer mode ratio") between the power transferred from the transmitter module 20 to the receiver module 40 via the CPT and the power transferred from the transmitter module 20 to the receiver module 40 via the IPT to suit various applications. For example, the transfer mode ratio can be adjusted to increase the proportion of power supplied by the CPT when the distance between the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50 increases. The proportion of power supplied by the IPT can be increased when a living organism (e.g., a human or animal) is near the WPT system 10. The proportion of power supplied by the CPT can be increased when an object (e.g., a metallic object) is near the WPT system 10. The proportion of power supplied by the CPT can be increased when the alignment between the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50 deteriorates. These can also be arbitrated in any combination. In some embodiments, the transfer mode ratio can be adjusted according to maximum power point tracking techniques, such as “observe and perturb,” but not limited to those sometimes employed in wind turbines and solar panels (e.g., “Adustable Load With Tracking Loop to Improve RF Efficiency Under Variable RF Input Power Conditions,” S. Dehghani, S. Abbasian, and T. Johnson, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 64, No. 2, pp. 343-352, February 2016). In some embodiments, the transfer mode ratio may be adjusted according to a machine learning algorithm. For example, in some embodiments, if the WPT system 10 determines that the WPT efficiency is undesirably low, the WPT system 10 may increase the proportion of power supplied by the CPT (or IPT). If the WPT efficiency is negatively affected by the increased reliance on the CPT (or IPT), the WPT system 10 may decrease its reliance on the CPT (or IPT). This process can be repeated until the desired / maximum WPT efficiency is achieved. Each of the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50 may be equipped with multiple antennas 80 arranged in various configurations. Antenna 80 may be any suitable antenna having high self-inductance and high self-capacitance that can generate both a magnetic field 31A and an electric field 31B (separately and / or simultaneously) for CPT and IPT purposes. Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C show non-limiting examples of antennas 80, 180, and 280. For the purposes of this specification, “high self-inductance” means self-inductance that is large enough to allow the antenna to generate a suitable magnetic field for IPT purposes. Similarly, for the purposes of this specification, “high self-capacitance” means self-capacitance that is large enough to allow the antenna to generate an electric field suitable for CPT purposes.

[0030] Figure 2A shows an antenna 80 according to several embodiments. The antenna 80 can include any suitable conductive material. For example, the antenna 80 can include copper, gold, silver, aluminum, other suitable materials, or combinations thereof. As can be seen from Figure 2A, the antenna 80 comprises an elongated element 80A having a rectangular (e.g., square) cross-section, which is bent or formed into a coil shape of a substantially planar rectangle (in the XY plane), as shown below. Adjacent packaging of the elongated element 80A is separated by a gap 80B. The gap 80B is shown to be substantially constant along the length of the elongated element 80, but this is not mandatory. To increase the self-inductance of antenna 80, the size of gap 80B may be reduced. To increase the self-capacitance of antenna 80, the number of bends (e.g., bend 82A) of the elongated element 80A may be increased, and the number of corners and edges (e.g., edge 82B) of the elongated element 80A may be increased. The length of the elongated element 80A may be increased, and / or the thickness 80C of the elongated element 80A may be increased. Figure 2B shows another non-limiting example of antenna 180 according to several embodiments. Antenna 180 is substantially similar to the first antenna 80, except that, as shown, the elongated elements 180A are bent or formed into a substantially planar zigzag shape with right angles, rather than being bent or formed into a substantially planar rectangular coil shape. Similar to antenna 80, adjacent zigzags or zags of the elongated elements 180A are separated by gaps 180B. The gaps 180B are shown to be substantially constant along the length of the elongated elements 180, but this is not mandatory. To increase the self-inductance of antenna 180, the size of gap 180B can be reduced. To increase the self-capacitance of antenna 180, the number of bends (e.g., bend 182A) of the elongated element 180A may be increased, the number of corners and edges (e.g., edge 182B) of the elongated element 180A may be increased, and / or the thickness 180C of the elongated element 180A may be increased. Figure 2C shows another non-limiting example of antenna 280 according to several embodiments. Antenna 280 is substantially similar to the first antenna 80, except that the elongated element 280A is bent or formed into a substantially planar circle (in the XY plane) with a hub element 280A, instead of being bent or formed into the shape of a substantially planar rectangular coil. From there, sector elements 280C extend radially outward. Adjacent sector elements 280C are separated from each other by gaps 280B. To increase the self-inductance of antenna 280, the size of gap 280B can be reduced. To increase the self-capacitance of antenna 280, the number of sectors 280C may be increased, the number of corners and edges (e.g., edge 282A) of hub 280A and / or sector 280C may be increased, and / or the thickness 280C of the elongated antenna 280C may be increased. Hubs 280A and / or sectors 280C can be increased.

[0031] Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C show exemplary, non-limiting embodiments of antennas 80, 180, and 280, but it should be understood that many other shapes and configurations of suitable antenna 80 may be employed in the resonators described herein. Non-limiting examples of modifications that can be made to the illustrated antennas include changing the cross-sectional shape of the elongated elements 80A, 180A to something other than rectangular (e.g., triangular, circular, hexagonal, etc.), making the 90° bends 82A, 182A non-90° or rounded, or changing the XY plane shape of the first transmitter antenna 80 to something other than rectangular or circular. It may also be a pattern without repeating bends or corners. Antennas 80, 180, and 280 are described and illustrated herein as relatively flat or planar (e.g., with substantially no change in thickness in the Z direction), but this is not mandatory. In some embodiments, antennas 80, 180, and 280 may have a conical concave or conical cone shape, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. For example, the antennas herein may have a conical spiral shape (not shown). In some embodiments, antenna 80 may have a rectangular conical spiral shape such that the inner winding of antenna 80 is spaced apart in the Z direction from the outer winding of antenna 80. Such a conical shape may allow the resonator to be used over a wider range of resonant frequencies. In other embodiments, the thickness of the first transmitter antenna in the Z direction may vary in other ways. Antennas 80, 180, and 280 may be arranged in a configuration similar to that of a plate in a CPT WPT system, for example. For example, in a two-antenna WPT system according to some embodiments, the transmitter resonator 30 may include a first transmitter antenna 32 arranged parallel to the first receiver antenna 52 of the receiver resonator 50, as shown in Figure 4A. For the purpose of CPT, the mutual capacitance between the two antennas 32 and 52 provides a path for current to flow forward to the receiver side, and a conductive path (e.g., ground) allows current to flow backward to the transmitter side. For the purpose of IPT, by passing current through the first transmitter antenna 32, a magnetic field 31A is generated that induces current in the first receiver antenna 52. For the purpose of CPT, a voltage may be applied to the first transmitter antenna 32. A potential difference is generated between the first transmitter antenna 32 and the first receiver antenna 52, thereby generating an electric field 31B.

[0032] The first transmitter antenna 32 may comprise any suitable antenna having high self-capacitance and high self-inductance, capable of generating both a magnetic field 31A and an electric field 31B (separately and / or simultaneously). For example, the first transmitter antenna may comprise one of antennas 80, 180, 280, or any other antenna described herein. The first receiver antenna 52 may comprise any suitable antenna having high self-capacitance and high self-inductance, in which a current can be induced by a magnetic field 31A and which can have a potential difference by an electric field 31B (separately and / or simultaneously). In some embodiments, the first receiver antenna 52 may be substantially the same as the first transmitter antenna 32 (for example, the first receiver antenna 52 may have the same characteristics as any of the antennas described or illustrated herein or otherwise). In some embodiments, the antennas 32, 52 may be different from each other (for example, the first transmitter antenna 32 may constitute antenna 80 and the first receiver antenna 52 may constitute antenna 180). In some embodiments, in order to improve the coupling between the first transmitter antenna 32 and the first receiver antenna 52, the XY plane area of ​​the first transmitter antenna 32 is smaller than the XY plane area of ​​the first receiver antenna 52. Figure 4B shows another example of the configuration of antennas 80, 180, and 280. In some embodiments, Figure 4B shows a WPT system in which four antennas are stacked (or four antennas are vertically arranged). Each of the transmitter resonator 130 and receiver resonator 150 comprises two antennas. One antenna of the transmitter resonator 30 and one antenna of the receiver resonator 150 work together to provide a power forward path, and the other antenna of the transmitter resonator 130 and the other antenna of the receiver resonator 150 work together to provide a power return path. For the purpose of IPT, a magnetic field is generated that can induce current in the first and second receiver antennas 152 and 154 by passing current through the transmitter antennas 132 and 134. For the purpose of CPT, a potential difference is applied between the first antenna 132 and the second antenna 134 to generate an electric field (31B shown in Figure 1), which can induce a potential across the first receiver and the second receiver antennas 152 and 154. As shown in Figure 4B, the transmitter resonator 130 comprises a first transmitter antenna 132 and a second transmitter antenna 134 separated in the Z direction by a spacer 138. The first transmitter antenna 132 may comprise any suitable antenna having high self-inductance and high self-capacitance that can generate both a magnetic field 31A and an electric field 31B (separately and / or simultaneously). For example, the first transmitter antenna may comprise one of antennas 80, 180, 280, or any other antenna described herein.

[0033] The spacer 138 may contain any suitable material. For example, the spacer 138 may contain air, a dielectric material, ferrite, or any combination thereof. The spacer 138 may have a dielectric constant selected to vary the electric field 31A and / or a permeability constant selected to vary the magnetic field 31B. The spacer 138 may contain a high dielectric constant material to increase the capacitance of the transmitter resonator 130. The thickness and planar area of ​​the spacer 138 may depend on the thickness and / or planar area of ​​the first and second transmitter antennas 132, 134. In some embodiments, electrical insulation may be desirable, and a low dielectric constant material can be used for the spacer 138 (e.g., for shielding). The second transmitter antenna 134 may comprise any suitable antenna having high self-inductance and high self-capacitance, capable of generating both a magnetic field 31A and an electric field 31B (separately and / or simultaneously). In some embodiments, the second transmitter antenna 134 may be substantially similar to the first transmitter antenna 132 (for example, the second transmitter antenna 134 may have the same characteristics as any of the antennas described or illustrated herein or otherwise). In some embodiments, the first and second transmitter antennas 132, 134 and the first and second receiver antennas 152, 154 may be different from each other (for example, the first and second transmitter antennas 132, 134 may be similar to antenna 80, while the first and second receiver antennas 152, 154 may be similar to antenna 180). In some embodiments, the XY plane region of the second transmitter antenna 134 may be a different size from the XY plane region of the first transmitter antenna 132. In some embodiments, the XY plane region of the second transmitter antenna 134 may be smaller than the XY plane region. The region of the first transmitter antenna 132 is adjusted to ensure coupling between each pair of antennas. In some embodiments, the XY plane region of the second transmitter antenna 134 may be larger than the XY plane region of the first transmitter antenna 132. In some embodiments, the second transmitter antenna 134 is substantially complementary to the first antenna 132 in size and / or shape such that the first transmitter antenna 132 does not substantially overlap with the second transmitter antenna 134 in the Z direction. Figure 5 shows a schematic XZ planar section of a portion of the transmitter resonator 130, where the first transmitter antenna 132 and the second transmitter antenna 134 are substantially the same shape as the first transmitter antenna 180 in Figure 2B. As can be seen from the figure, the elongated elements 132A-1, 132A-2, and 132A-3 of the first transmitter antenna 132 overlap in the Z direction with the gaps 134B-1, 134B-2, and 134B-3 of the second transmitter antenna 134 (for example, a line oriented in the Z direction passing through the elongated element 132A-1 of the first antenna 132 passes through the gap 134B-1 of the second antenna 134). The elongated elements 134A of the second transmitter antenna 134, specifically portions 134A-1, 134A-2, and 134A-3, overlap in the Z-direction with the gaps 132B-1, 132B-2, and 132B-3 of the first transmitter antenna 132 (for example, a line oriented in the Z-direction passing through portion 134A-1 of the second elongated element 134A passes through the gap 132B-1 of the second antenna 134). The complementary shapes of the first transmitter antenna 132 and the second transmitter antenna 134 can reduce the parasitic energy loss experienced by the transmitter resonator 130. In some embodiments, the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134 do not have to be perfectly complementary, but may have one or more complementary portions.

[0034] The receiver resonator 150 comprises a first receiver antenna 152 and a second receiver antenna 154 separated in the Z direction by a spacer 158. The first receiver antenna 152 may be substantially similar to any of antennas 80, 180, 280, or any other described herein. The second receiver antenna 154 may also be substantially similar to antennas 80, 180, 280, or any other antenna described herein. Similar to the first and second transmitter antennas 132, 134, the first and second receiver antennas 152, 154 may be complementary (or partially complementary) in size and / or shape. In some embodiments, to adjust the self-inductance or self-capacitance, the XY plane regions of the first and second receiver antennas 152, 154 are different from the XY plane regions of the first and second transmitter antennas, as shown in Figure 4B. For example, as shown in Figure 2A, in some embodiments, the XY plane regions of the first and second receiver antennas 152, 154 are larger than the XY plane regions of the second transmitter antennas 132, 134. Such an XY plane region difference can improve the ability of the receiver resonator 150 to capture more magnetic fields 31A and / or electric fields 31B. Spacer 158 can include any suitable spacer. Spacer 158 may contain the same or similar material as spacer 138, or a different material from spacer 138. Compared to spacer 158, spacer 138 may have a smaller Z-direction dimension to achieve the desired self-capacitance and / or self-inductance. This can effectively change the coupling coefficient of the link between the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 and the impedance of the primary side 12. Different compensation networks may be used on both the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 to adapt to such changes in coupling coefficient and impedance. Compared to the parallel structure of four antennas shown in Figure 4C, the stacked configuration in Figure 4B is far more compact in the XY plane. Furthermore, this configuration is robust to angular misalignment because all antennas can be centered. Specifically, if the antennas are circular, angular rotation does not affect the coupling capacitance. However, compared to the parallel structure of four antennas shown in Figure 4C, the transconductance of the stacked configuration in Figure 4B may be lower due to the increased cross-coupling capacitance. Figure 4C shows another example of antenna configurations 80, 180, and 280. In some embodiments, Figure 4C shows a four-antenna parallel (or four-antenna horizontal) WPT system. Each of the transmitter resonator 230 and receiver resonator 250 comprises two antennas. One antenna of the transmitter resonator 230 and one antenna of the receiver resonator 250 work together to provide a forward path for power, while the other antenna of the transmitter resonator 230 and the other antenna of the receiver resonator 250 work together to provide a return path for power.

[0035] For the purpose of IPT, current is passed through the transmitter antennas 232 and 234 to generate a magnetic field that may induce current in the first and second receiver antennas 252 and 254. For the purpose of CPT, a potential difference is generated between the first antenna 232 and the second antenna 234, generating an electric field 31B, which can induce a potential between the first receiver antenna 252 and the second receiver antenna 254. Compared to the transmitter resonator 130 and receiver resonator 150 shown in Figure 4B, the transmitter resonator 230 and receiver resonator 250, which have a horizontal antenna configuration, may be desirable in applications where the Z-axis dimension of the resonator is limited. The transmitter resonator 230 comprises a first transmitter antenna 232 and a second transmitter antenna 234 separated in the X direction by a spacer 238. By separating the first and second transmitter antennas 232 and 234 in the X direction, parasitic energy losses can be reduced. The first and second transmitter antennas 232 and 234 may be substantially the same as the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134, and the spacer 238 may be substantially the same as the spacer 138. Similar to the transmitter resonator 130, the first transmitter antenna 232 may have a larger XY plane area than the second transmitter antenna, improving the forward path for power transmission. The spacer 238 may contain any suitable material. For example, the spacer 238 may contain air, a dielectric material, ferrite, or a combination thereof. The spacer 238 may have a dielectric constant selected to vary the electric field 31A and / or a permeability constant selected to vary the magnetic field 31B. The spacer 238 may contain a high dielectric constant material to increase the capacitance of the transmitter resonator 230. The thickness and planar area of ​​the spacer 238 may depend on the thickness and / or planar area of ​​the first and second transmitter antennas 232, 234. In some embodiments, electrical insulation may be desirable, and a low dielectric constant material may be used for the spacer 238 (e.g., for shielding). The receiver resonator 250 comprises a first receiving antenna 252 and a second receiving antenna 254 separated in the X direction by a spacer 258. By separating the first and second receiving antennas 252 and 254 in the X direction, parasitic energy loss can be reduced. The first and second receiving antennas 252 and 254 may be substantially the same as the first and second receiving antennas 152 and 154, and the spacer 258 may be substantially the same as the spacer 138. Similar to the receiver resonator 150, the first receiving antenna 252 may have a larger XY plane area than the XY plane area of ​​the second receiving antenna 254. Spacer 258 can include any suitable spacer. Spacer 258 may contain the same or similar material as spacer 238, or a different material from spacer 238. Compared to spacer 258, spacer 238 may have a smaller Z-direction dimension to achieve the desired self-capacitance and / or self-inductance. This can effectively change the coupling coefficient of the link between the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 and the impedance of the primary side 12. Different compensation networks may be used on both the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 to adapt to such changes in coupling coefficient and impedance.

[0036] In some embodiments, the XY plane area of ​​spacer 258 may differ from that of spacer 238 in order to vary the self-inductance or self-capacitance of the transmitter resonator 230 or the receiver resonator 250. For example, compared to spacer 258, spacer 238 may have a smaller XY plane area, as shown in the figure. Figure 4D shows another example of the antenna configurations 80, 180, and 280. In some embodiments, Figure 4D shows a 6-antenna WPT system that combines the stacked configuration of Figure 4B with the parallel configuration of Figure 4C. Each of the transmitter resonator 130 and receiver resonator 150 comprises three antennas. One of the first and second transmitter antennas 332, 334 and one of the first and second receiver antennas 352, 354 together provide a forward path for power, while the other of the first and second transmitter antennas 332, 334 and the other of the first and second transmitter antennas together provide a return path for power. The third transmitter and receiver antennas 336, 356 function as auxiliary antennas to increase the equivalent self-capacitance and function as field shields. In some embodiments, the third transmitter antenna 336 and receiver antenna 356 are passive (e.g., no potential difference is applied between the third transmitter antenna 336 and receiver antenna 356, and / or no current flows through the third transmitter antenna 336 and receiver antenna 356). For the purpose of IPT, a magnetic field is generated that can induce a current in the first receiver antennas 352, 354, and 356 by passing a current through one or more of the transmitter antennas 332, 334, and 336. For the purpose of CPT, a voltage can be applied to the first transmitter antenna 332, the second transmitter antenna 334, and / or the third transmitter antenna 336 to create a potential difference between them and generate an electric field 31B. The transmitter resonator 330 comprises a first transmitting antenna 332 and a second transmitting antenna 334 separated in the X direction by a spacer 338, and a third transmitting antenna 336 separated from the first and second transmitting antennas and spacer 338 by a second spacer 339. The third transmitter antenna 336 may provide an electric field shield to reduce undesirable electric field leakage from the transmitter resonator 330. The third transmitter antenna 336 may include a ferrite sheet or surface that provides a magnetic field shield to reduce undesirable magnetic field leakage from the transmitter resonator 330. Alternatively, shaping of the electric or magnetic field may also be possible by modifying the spacer 339.

[0037] The first, second, and third transmitter antennas 332, 334, and 336 may be substantially the same as any of the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134. The spacers 338 and 339 may be substantially the same as spacer 138. Similar to the transmitter resonator 130, the first transmitter antenna 332 may have a larger XY plane area than the second transmitter antenna 334. Transmitter antenna 336 may have a larger XY plane area than any of the first and second transmitter antennas 334 and 332. Spacers 338, 339 may contain any suitable material. For example, spacers 338, 339 may contain air, dielectric material, ferrite, or a combination thereof. Spacers 338, 339 may have a dielectric constant selected to vary the electric field 31A and / or a permeability constant selected to vary the magnetic field 31B. Spacers 338, 339 may contain a high dielectric constant material to increase the capacitance of the transmitter resonator 230. The thickness and planar area of ​​spacers 338, 339 may depend on the thickness and / or planar area of ​​the first, second, and third transmitter antennas 332, 332. In some embodiments, electrical insulation is desirable, and low dielectric constant materials can be used for spacers 338, 339 (e.g., for shielding). The receiver resonator 350 comprises a first receiving antenna 352 and a second receiving antenna 354 separated in the X direction by a spacer 358, and a third receiving antenna 356 separated from the first and second receiving antennas and spacer 358 by a second spacer 359. The receiver antenna 356 can provide electric field shielding to reduce undesirable leakage of the electric field from the receiver resonator 350. The third receiver antenna 356 may include a ferrite sheet or surface that provides magnetic field shielding to reduce undesirable leakage of the magnetic field from the transmitter. Shielding or shaping of the electric or magnetic field may also be possible by modifying the spacer 359. The first and second and third receiver antennas 352, 354, 356 may be substantially similar to any of the first and second receiver antennas 152, 154. Similar to the receiver resonator 150, the first receiver antenna 352 may have a larger XY plane. The third receiving antenna 356 may have a larger XY plane area than either of the first or second receiving antennas 354 or 352. Spacers 358 and 359 can include any suitable spacers. Spacers 358 and 359 may contain the same or similar material as spacers 338 and 339, or a different material than spacers 338 and 339. Compared to spacers 358 and 359, spacers 338 and 339 may have smaller dimensions in the Z direction to achieve the desired capacitance and / or self-inductance. This can effectively change the coupling coefficient of the link between the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 and the impedance of the primary side 12. Different compensation networks may be used on both the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 to adapt to such changes in coupling coefficient and impedance.

[0038] In some embodiments, the XY plane area of ​​spacer 358 may differ from that of spacer 338 in order to vary the self-inductance or self-capacitance of the transmitter resonator 330 or the receiver resonator 350. Compared to spacer 358, spacer 338 may have a smaller X-direction dimension. In some embodiments, the Z-direction dimension of spacer 359 may differ from that of spacer 339 in order to vary the self-inductance or self-capacitance of the transmitter resonator 330 or the receiver resonator 350. Spacer 339 may have a smaller Z-direction dimension. This can effectively change the coupling coefficient of the link between the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 and the impedance of the primary side 12. Different compensation networks may be used on both the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 to adapt to such changes in coupling coefficient and impedance. In some embodiments, a magnetic shield can be provided around one or more of the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50. For example, ferrite can be used as the magnetic shield to reduce undesirable eddy currents in nearby metallic objects. Ferrite (or another suitable material) may also be used to insulate the transmitter resonator 30 and / or the receiver resonator 50 from surrounding metallic objects, and thus may help increase the self-inductance of the antenna and / or the mutual inductance of the resonators. Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the primary side 12 comprising a transmitter module 20 and a transmitter resonator 30 according to several embodiments. The transmitter resonator 30 may be a transmitter resonator 30, 130, 230, 330, or any other described herein. The transmitter module 20 includes a controller 22. The controller 22 is configured to receive various inputs from sensors 24 (e.g., load detector 24A, transmitter power sensor 24B, surrounding object detector 24C and / or distance detector 24D) and to output control signals to various components 26 (e.g., oscillator 26A, power amplifier 26B, filter network 26C, matching network 26D, compensation network 26E and V7I tuner 26F). The load detector 24A is configured to detect the presence of a load 70 (shown in Figure 7) connected to the secondary side 14. The load 70 may be, for example, an electric vehicle such as an electric bicycle or electric car, or the battery of another suitable item requiring a power input. The load detector 24A may be implemented using physical sensors (e.g., optical sensors, pressure sensors, infrared sensors, or proximity sensors, but not limited to these) and appropriate software or firmware. For example, in some embodiments, power (e.g., current and voltage) is measured at point 24E, for example, to determine the power drawn by the transmitter resonator 30 (e.g., measured by the transmitter power sensor 24B). If the amount of power drawn by the transmitter resonator 30 increases above a baseline, the load detector 24A may signal to the controller 22 that a load 70 is present.

[0039] In other embodiments, the load detector 24A may be configured to measure the input impedance of the transmitter resonator 30 experienced at point 24E by the transmitter module 20. To drive the load 70, the input impedance of the transmitter resonator 30 changes. This impedance change is provided by the load detector. The signal of Figure 24A to the controller 22 is used by the transmitter controller 22 to determine whether a cooperating receiver is present near the transmitter resonator 30. The controller 22 can not only detect the presence or absence of a receiver close to the transmitter resonator 30, but can also identify the type of receiver, including, but not limited to, various models of mobile phones and digital tablets. The transmitter power sensor 24B can measure power at point 24E (e.g., measure current and voltage) to determine how much power is being drawn by the transmitter resonator 30. Such information can be used, for example, by the load detector 24A, or to determine whether there is a desirable efficient coupling between the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50. The ambient object detector (SOD) 24C is configured to determine whether an object (e.g., a living organism such as a human or animal, or an inanimate object such as a piece of metal) is in proximity to the transmitter resonator 30. The SOD 24C may be implemented via a physical sensor (e.g., but not limited to optical sensors, pressure sensors, infrared sensors, proximity sensors, RADAR, or LIDAR) or appropriate software or firmware. For example, if the power drawn by the transmitter resonator 30 (measured by the transmitter power sensor 24B) drops during IPT, the SOD software may determine that a piece of metal (or any conductor) is in proximity to the transmitter resonator 30 or the receiver resonator 50. The SOD and 50 can provide a signal to the controller 22 indicating such presence. In some embodiments, the controller 22 may increase the percentage of power supplied to the transmitter module 20 by the CPT when a metallic object is detected near the transmitter resonator 30 or the receiver resonator 50. If no organisms that would be detected by SOD24C are present, the controller 22 may be configured to increase the power supply to the transmitter resonator 30 (for example, to a level higher than the regulatory level when organisms are present) or to be located near the transmitter. If organisms are detected by SOD24C, the controller 22 may be configured to reduce the power supply to the transmitter resonator 30 to below the regulatory level. The distance detector 24D is configured to determine the distance between the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50. The distance detector 24D may be implemented via a physical sensor (e.g., an optical sensor, ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, proximity sensor, radar, or lidar, but not limited to these) or appropriate software or firmware. For example, the distance detector 24D may be configured to determine the distance between the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50 based on changes in the transmit power measured by the transmit power sensor 24B. In one embodiment, one or more temperature sensors can monitor the temperature of the transmitter resonator 30 or the receiver resonator 50. If the temperature exceeds a predetermined limit, the controller 22 can reduce the proportion of power supplied to the transmitter module 20 by the IPT. This reduces the overall power supply to the transmitter resonator 30 or cuts off the power supply to the transmitter resonator 30 to prevent fire hazards or thermal runaway.

[0040] The oscillator 26A may be configured to control the frequency band and / or bandwidth and / or duty cycle (phase) (e.g., 5% to 50%) of the current supplied to the transmitter resonator 30 in response to the signal from the controller 22. The power amplifier 26B may be used to convert DC power to AC power. The power amplifier 26B may be used to adjust the power supplied to the transmitter resonator 30 in response to a signal from the controller 22. In some embodiments, the controller 22 may send a signal to the power amplifier 26B to adjust its reflection coefficient. In some embodiments, the controller 22 may send a signal to the power amplifier 26B to turn it off (or sleep) if the load detector 24A does not detect a load, or to turn it on if the load detector 24A detects a load. The power amplifier 26B may comprise a switch-mode power amplifier (single-ended mode or differential configuration) that can receive a square (sine) wave from the oscillator 26A and generate a sine wave of a desired specific frequency that can drive the transmitter resonator 30. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary power amplifier 26B that can be used in the transmitter 30. The power amplifier 26B may also be a differential switch-mode amplifier. The power amplifier 26B has three inputs, namely two input signals that drive active devices (transistors) 127C, 127D at frequencies set to resonant frequencies, and a DC voltage 127E of a power supply used to control the output power and operating area of ​​the active devices. Different load terminations are used to improve performance (e.g., output power, power conversion efficiency) and reduce unnecessary harmonic levels. In some embodiments, a third harmonic termination 127F is placed in a series branch to shape the voltage waveform at the drain node 127G. A second harmonic termination 127H is placed in a parallel branch to shape the voltage waveform at the drain node 127G. A first harmonic termination 1271 is placed in a series branch to form the voltage waveform at the drain node 127G. The effect of the third harmonic termination may be considered with the second and first harmonic terminations 127H, 1271. The effect of the second harmonic termination may be considered with the first harmonic termination. In the differential configuration of the power amplifier 26B, an AC load 127J (which receives the output power) is placed in series. The charging rate of the AC load 127J may be a function of the transmitter resonator 30, the receiver resonator 50, and / or their arrangement and position. The power amplifier 26B may be configured to generate sufficient power in the transmitter resonator 30 so that an E-field, an H-field, or any combination of an E-field and an H-field can be generated by the transmitter resonator 30 and captured by the receiver resonator 50. Amplifier 26B can be equipped with two phase shifters 127L in a differential configuration (however, only one phase shifter in a single-ended configuration). Phase shifters 127L adjust the appropriate phase difference between the AC signal overload 127J and the gate signals of transistors 127C and 127D. The phase difference between the gate signals and the AC signal overload 127J can change the performance of the power amplifier, including power conversion efficiency and the operating region of the transistors. It can also change the output impedance of transistors 127C and 127D and / or the optimal AC load 127J of power amplifier 26B.

[0041] Amplifier 26B can have two level shifters 127K in a differential configuration (however, only one level shifter in a single-ended configuration). The level shifters 127K can adjust the appropriate amplitude of the gate signals of transistors 127C and 127D. The amplitude level of the gate signals can change the performance of the amplifier (such as power conversion efficiency and the operating range of the transistors). Amplifier 26B may be reconfigurable to function as a rectifier, and in some embodiments, as a self-synchronous rectifier. As part of such reconfiguration, the integrated phase shifter 127L and integrated level shifter 127K (see Figure 8) may be adjusted so that amplifier 26B functions as a rectifier based on the inherent amplification and switching capabilities of transistors 127C and 127D. This reconfigurability of amplifier 26B between amplifier and rectifier operation allows the transmitter module 20 to be reconfigured controllably between transmitter mode and receiver mode, respectively. Reconfiguration can be performed under command from controller 22. When amplifier 26B is reconfigured from amplifier to rectifier, the AC load 127J changes to AC power supply 127J. Similarly, when amplifier 26B is reconfigured from amplifier to rectifier, the DC power supply 127E is reconfigured to a DC load. The application of transmitter module 20 in receiver mode will be discussed below, after the secondary side 14 and its receiver module have been described (both are shown in more detail in Figure 7). The filter network 26C can adjust the frequency response, such as bandwidth, cutoff frequency, 3dB frequency, and gain, provided to the transmitter resonator 30 in response to the signal from the controller 22. It adjusts the power waveform of the transmitter module 20 to improve the efficiency of the transmitter module 20. The matching network 26D may be configured to adjust the impedance so that the output of the power amplifier 26B matches the transmitter resonator 30. The compensation network 26E may be provided to drive the transmitter resonator 30 at a desired resonant frequency (e.g., the resonant frequency of the receiver resonator), thereby increasing the mutual flux, reducing heat generation, and improving power transmission efficiency. The compensation network 26E may comprise one or more capacitors for increasing capacitance and one or more inductors for increasing inductance. The compensation network 26E may be configured to increase capacitance (and / or decrease inductance) and increase inductance (and / or decrease capacitance) as desired. When the transfer mode ratio is 100% CPT, the compensation network 26E may function similarly to any known CPT compensation network (e.g., the compensation network 26E may function to increase inductance). Similarly, when the transfer mode ratio is 100% IPT, the compensation network 26E may function similarly to any known IPT compensation network (e.g., the compensation network 26E may function to increase capacitance). However, when the transfer mode is partially CPT and partially IPT, the capacitance of the transmitter resonator 30 naturally compensates for the inductance of the transmitter resonator 30, and the inductance of the transmitter resonator 30 naturally compensates for the capacitance, so less compensation may be required. For example, in approximately 50% IPT and 50% CPT (e.g., a transfer mode ratio equal to 1), a compensation network may not be required at all, or its use may be substantially limited, thereby improving the efficiency of the WPT system 10.

[0042] As another example, between approximately 40-60% IPT and 40-60% CPT, a compensation network may not be necessary at all, or its use may be substantially limited, thereby improving the efficiency of the WPT system 10. Therefore, the compensation network 26E can have fewer or smaller inductors and / or capacitors compared to CPT WPT systems and / or pure IPT WPT systems that require significant compensation. In some embodiments, if the capacitance of the transmitter resonator 30 is sufficiently low, additional compensation can be provided via the compensation network 26E. Similarly, if the inductance of the transmitter resonator 30 is sufficiently low, additional compensation can be provided via the compensation network 26E. The controller 22 can signal to the compensation network 26E how much and what kind of compensation is needed, based, for example, the transfer mode ratio, the distance between the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50, the amount of power drawn by the transmitter resonator 30, the power transmission efficiency, etc. In some embodiments, the magnitude of compensation by the compensation network 26E (e.g., an increase in capacitance or an increase in inductance) is proportional to the absolute difference between the transfer mode ratio and 1. For example, when the transfer mode ratio is greater than 1, the compensation network 26E functions to increase the inductance, and the amount of increase in inductance may increase as the transfer mode ratio increases beyond 1. Similarly, when the transfer mode ratio is less than 1, the compensation network 26E functions to increase the capacitance, and the amount of increase in capacitance may increase as the transfer mode ratio decreases further below 1. In some embodiments, the compensation network 26E may be configured to modulate the signal provided to the transmitter resonator 30 with information, thereby functioning as a source transmit modulator. Information for modulating the signal provided to the transmitter resonator 30 can be provided to the compensation network 26E by the controller 22. This information may include control data addressed to the controller 42 of the receiver module 40 via the receiver resonator 50. The controller 42 will be described in more detail. In other embodiments, the power amplifier 26B may function as a source transmit modulator. In yet another embodiment, the oscillator 26A may function as a source transmit modulator. The modulation used by the selected source transmit modulator may be amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, or phase modulation. The information may be modulated on the signal provided to the transmitter resonator 30 in digital or analog form. The information may be modulated on the resonant frequency of the power signal provided to the transmitter resonator 30 by the source transmit modulator. In other embodiments, the information may be modulated on a frequency different from the power transmission frequency. In other embodiments, the information may be modulated on harmonics of the resonant frequency of the power signal provided to the transmitter resonator 30. In yet another embodiment, the resonant frequency of the power signal provided to the transmitter resonator 30 may be a harmonic of the signal on which the information is modulated. The V / I tuner 26F, as will be described in more detail below, may be configured to transmit an information signal to the transmitter resonator 30 and to be transparent with respect to the information transmitted thereby. The information transmitted in the manner described herein may include, but is not limited to, the operating mode of the module 20, the number and type of receivers 40, ambient object sensor information, and load status monitoring information, including, for example, battery charge status, load voltage, and load current.

[0043] An embodiment of the V / I tuner 26F is shown in detail in Figure 10. The input signal to the V / I tuner 26F received from the matched network 26E (Figure 6) is split by a splitter 262 to have two mutually asymmetric paths 261A and 261B of the input signal. The first phase shifter 264A and the second phase shifter 264B generate a phase difference between the input voltage and input current of the transmitter resonator 30 (Figure 6). The first phase shifter 264A is controlled by the controller 22 (see Figure 6) via the first phase shifter control line 263A, and the second phase shifter 264B is controlled by the controller 22 (see Figure 6) via the second phase shifter control line 263B. The first and second active switches 266A and 266B receive signals from the first and second phase shifters 264A and 264B, respectively, and are controlled by the controller 22 via the first and second active switch control lines 265A and 265B, respectively. The first and second active switches 266A and 266B function to adjust the imaginary part of the signals received from the first and second phase shifters 264A and 264B, respectively. Passive signal shaping networks 268A and 268B receive the adjusted signals from the first and second active switches 266A and 266B, respectively. The passive signal shaping networks 268A and 268B function to fine-tune the signals received from the first and second active switches 266A and 266B, respectively, and in some embodiments, they function to reduce harmonics in those signals before passing them to the coupler 269. Two mutually asymmetric paths 261A and 261B are coupled by a coupler 269 and supplied to the transmitter resonator 30. The first and second phase shifters 264A and 264B may be coupled as a single phase shifter receiving the input signal to the V / I tuner 26F, and the coupled phase shifter may have two separate outputs that function for the active switches 266A and 266B. The V / I tuner 26F adjusts the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the phase difference between the input current and input voltage to the transmitter resonator 30 in response to a signal from the controller 22. The real part of the impedance observed by the transmitter module 20 is adjusted by phase shifters 264A and 264B, and its imaginary part can be adjusted by switches 266A and 266B. For example, a 90-degree phase shift every 3 milliseconds and every 10 milliseconds may result in 30% magnetic power transmission and 70% power transmission. The V / I tuner 26F may be configured to adjust the current flowing through each transmitter antenna (e.g., the first and second transmitter antennas 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, or the third transmitter antenna 336) and the potential applied to each transmitter antenna (e.g., the first and second transmitter antennas 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, or the third transmitter antenna 336).

[0044] If current passes through both the first and second transmitting antennas 132 and 134, they will each generate a magnetic field 31A for the purpose of IPT. If the current sent to the second transmitting antenna 134 is less than the current sent to the first transmitting antenna 132, a potential difference is generated between the first and second transmitting antennas 132 and 134, and an electric field 3IB is generated for the purpose of CPT. The current sent to the second antenna 134 can be modulated to modulate between CPT and IPT (for example, if less current can pass through the second antenna 134, less IPT will occur, and if more current can pass through the second antenna, more CPT will occur). For example, if it is desirable to transmit power via IPT, the I / V tuner 26F may be configured to act as a short circuit connecting the first and second transmitting antennas to each other, thereby forming a series LC resonator that allows current to flow. Conversely, if it is desirable to transmit power by CPT, the I / V tuner 26F can be configured to function as an open circuit that dumps current, thereby generating a potential difference between the first and second transmitter antennas. This controls whether the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134 are effectively connected in series or in parallel. Alternatively, if the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134 are connected in parallel, the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134 can be made to float to generate an electric field 31B for CPT purposes without substantially generating a magnetic field 31A. To change the transfer mode ratio (e.g., modulating between CPT and IPT), the I / V tuner 26F may be configured (by a multiplexer of the I / V tuner 26F, for example) to operate alternately in (1) or (2). (1) is that CPT is generated by floating the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134, and (2) is that the current flowing through the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134 causes IPT. The alternation can be implemented in milliseconds or at frequencies from 10 Hz to 10 kHz. If more time is allocated to the floating of the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134, the transfer mode ratio will be more biased towards CPT, and if more time is allocated to the drive current passing through the first and second transmitter antennas 132 and 134, the transfer mode will be more biased towards IPT. In some embodiments, element 26 may be a separate element within the transmitter module 20, while in other embodiments, one or more of the elements 26 may be part of an integrated circuit design.

[0045] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a load 70 and secondary side 14 (shown in Figure 1) comprising a receiver resonator 50 and a receiver module 40, according to several embodiments. The receiver resonator 50 may comprise any of receiver resonators 50, 150, 250, 350, or any other described herein. The receiver resonator 50 may be configured to capture power at frequencies set by the oscillation signal in the transmitter module 20, for example, between 1 MHz and 1 GHz, but not limited to these frequencies. In some embodiments, the frequencies set by the oscillation signal in the transmitter module 20 are approximately 1 MHz to approximately 100 MHz, approximately 1 MHz to approximately 200 MHz, approximately 1 MHz to approximately 300 MHz, approximately 1 MHz to approximately 400 MHz, and approximately 1 MHz.MHz ~ approx. 500MHz, approx. 1MHz ~ approx. 600MHz, approx. 1MHz ~ approx. 700MHz MHz, approximately 1MHz to approximately 800MHz, approximately 1MHz to approximately 900MHz, approximately 1MHz to approximately 1GHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 200MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 300MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 400MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 500MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 500MHz 600MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 700MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 800MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 900MHz, approximately 100MHz to approximately 1GHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 300MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 400MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 500MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 600MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 700MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 800MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 900MHz, approximately 200MHz to approximately 1GHz, approximately 300MHz to Approximately 400MHz, approximately 300MHz to approximately 500MHz, approximately 300MHz to approximately 600MHz, approximately 300MHz to approximately 700MHz, approximately 300MHz to approximately 800MHz, approximately 300MHz to approximately 900MHz, approximately 300MHz to approximately 1GHz, approximately 400MHz to approximately 500MHz, approximately 400MHz to approximately 600MHz, approximately 400MHz to approximately 700MHz, approximately 400MHz to approximately 800MHz, approximately 400MHz to approximately 900MHz, approximately 400MHz to approximately 1GHz, approximately 500MHz ~600MHz, 500MHz~700MHz, 500MHz~800MHz, 500MHz~900MHz, 500MHz~1GHz, 600MHz~700MHz, 600MHz~800MHz, 600MHz~900MHz, 600MHz~1GHz, 700MHz~800MHz, 700MHz~900MHz, 700MHz~1GHz, 800MHz~900MHz, 800MHz~1GHz, or 900MHz~1GHz. In some embodiments, the frequencies set by the oscillation signal in the transmitter module 20 are approximately 1MHz, 100MHz, 200MHz, 300MHz, 400MHz, 500MHz, 600MHz, 700MHz, and 800MHz. MHz, approximately 900MHz, or approximately 1GHz.In some embodiments, the frequency set by the oscillation signal in the transmitter module 20 is at least about 1 MHz, about 100 MHz, about 200 MHz, about 300 MHz, about 400 MHz, about 500 MHz, about 600 MHz, about 700 MHz, about 800 MHz, or about 900 MHz. In some embodiments, the frequency is set by the oscillation signal. The transmitter module 20 is at most about 100 MHz, about 200 MHz, about 300 MHz, about 400 MHz, about 500 MHz, about 600 MHz, about 700 MHz, about 800 MHz, about 900 MHz, or about 1 GHz. For some applications, frequencies in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency bands may be preferred. For the purposes of this disclosure, the ISM bands should be understood to be 6.765 MHz to 6.795 MHz, 13.553 MHz to 13.567 MHz, 26.957 MHz to 27.283 MHz, 40.66 MHz to 40.70 MHz, 83.996 MHz to 84.004 MHz, 167.992 MHz to 168.008 MHz, 433.05 MHz to 434.79 MHz, and 886 MHz to 906 MHz. For other applications, frequencies in officially reserved application bands may be preferred, for example, but not limited to, police communications or military bands. The receiver resonator 50 may be configured to capture power from a magnetic field 31A or an electric field 31B, or any combination of these two fields, at its frequency.

[0046] The receiver module 40 includes a controller 42. The controller 42 is configured to output control signals from various inputs from sensors 44 (e.g., receiver power sensor 44A and load detector 44B) to various elements 46 (e.g., compensation network 46A, matching network 46B, rectifier 46D, filter 46C, and load manager 46E). The receiver power sensor 44A can measure power at point 44C (for example, by measuring current and voltage) to determine how much power is being received by the receiver resonator 50. The load detector 44B is configured to detect the presence of a load 70. The load detector 44B may be implemented as a physical sensor (e.g., a light sensor, pressure sensor, infrared sensor, or proximity sensor, but not limited to these) directly or via appropriate software or firmware. For example, in some embodiments, current and voltage are measured by the load detector 44B at point 44D, for example, to determine the power being received by the load 50. If the amount of power measured at point 44D increases above a baseline, the load detector 44B may signal to the controller 42 that a load 70 is present. The compensation network 46A may be configured to maintain a desired resonant frequency of the receiver resonator 50 in response to a signal from the controller 42, thereby improving the efficiency of power transmission from the transmitter resonator 30 to the receiver resonator 50. It may function substantially similarly to the compensation network 26E of the transmitter module 20. The matching network 26D can be configured to adjust the input impedance of the rectifier 46D to match the desired impedance of the resonator 30, thereby achieving maximum power transmission. The rectifier 46D may be configured to convert the AC power received by the receiver antenna 50 into DC power and supply it to the load 70. The filter 46C may be configured to shape the waveform of the power output from the rectifier 46D according to the signal from the controller 42 in order to improve the overall power efficiency of the receiving module 40. The load manager 46E may be configured to extract maximum power from the rectifier 46D by adjusting its input impedance (e.g., the output impedance of the rectifier 46D) to provide the load 70 with appropriate voltage and current.

[0047] In some embodiments, the load manager 46E or another component may be configured to communicate (wirelessly or wired) with an external device (e.g., load 70) to provide appropriate information for data analysis. Such information may include, but is not limited to, the presence of load 70, the charge level of load 70, the charging rate of load 70, the state of load 70, the current voltage, capacity, and / or remaining time to charge load 70. The load manager 46E may use such information (or relay such information to controller 42 or controller 22) to adjust the transfer mode ratio to achieve, for example, optimal energy transfer between the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14. The manager 46E may also provide such information to the user via a display. Such a display may be integrated into one or more of the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14, or it may be accessible via software on a mobile device, such as an app on a mobile phone or tablet, wirelessly (or wired) with the load manager 46E, controller 22, or controller 42. In some embodiments, component 46 is a separate element within the receiver module 40, while in other embodiments, one or more of the components 46 are part of an integrated circuit design. In some embodiments, the primary side 12 may comprise a plurality of transmitter resonators 30, and / or the secondary side 14 may comprise a plurality of receiver resonators 50. In such embodiments, each of the transmitter resonators 30 and / or the receiver resonators 50 may be controlled in a similar manner. In other embodiments, each of the transmitter resonators 30 and / or the receiver resonators 50 may be controlled individually. For example, in some embodiments, the primary side 12 may rely more heavily on transmitter resonators 30 that have less interference (e.g., from nearby metallic objects), are not near living organisms, or transmit power more efficiently, and / or similarly, the secondary side 14 may rely more heavily on receiver resonators 50 that have less interference (e.g., from nearby metallic objects), are not near living organisms, or receive power more efficiently. Such control may be provided or facilitated, for example, by the transmitter module 20 and the receiver module 40, and / or communication between them. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a rectifier 46D having an integrated phase shifter. In some embodiments, the rectifier 46D includes a discrete phase shifter. The rectifier 46D may be a switch-mode self-synchronous rectifier (single-ended mode or differential configuration) that can be configured to receive a sinusoidal wave (e.g., AC power) from the receiver resonator 50 at a specific resonator frequency. The rectifier 46D may be a differential switch-mode self-synchronous rectifier. The rectifier 46D may capture sufficient power from the receiver resonator 50 so that the E field, the H field, or any combination of the E field and the Id field can be captured by the receiver resonator 50.

[0048] The rectifier 46D has an input 147A (e.g., AC power) that drives an active element 147B (e.g., a transistor) at a frequency set to the resonant frequency, and an output 147D (e.g., DC voltage) across a DC load (used to control output power, input impedance, and operating range of the active device). In this design, various load terminations are used to improve performance (such as output power and power conversion efficiency). A third harmonic termination 147D is placed in a series branch to form the voltage waveform at the drain node 147E. A second harmonic termination 147F is placed in a parallel branch to shape the voltage waveform at the drain node 147E. A first harmonic termination 147G is placed in a series branch to form the voltage waveform at the drain node 147E. The effect of the third harmonic termination may be considered in the second and first harmonic terminations. The effect of the second harmonic termination may be considered in the first harmonic termination. In a differential configuration, the AC power supply 147A is connected in series. The AC power supply 147A may be a function of the power received by the receiver resonator 50, and the alignment and position of the receiver resonator 50 relative to the transmitter resonator 30. The DC load 147C may be a single-ended load. The rectifier 46D can have two phase shifters 147H in a differential configuration (however, only one phase shifter in a single-ended configuration). Phase shifters 147H adjust the appropriate phase difference between the AC power supply and the gate signal of transistor 147B. The phase difference between the gate signal and the AC power supply 147A can change the performance of the self-synchronous rectifier (e.g., power conversion efficiency and the operating range of the transistor). It can also change the input impedance of the self-synchronous rectifier 46D and / or the optimal DC load 147C for the rectifier 46D. The rectifier 46D can have two level shifters 1471 in a differential configuration (however, only one level shifter in a single-ended configuration). The level shifter 1471 can adjust the appropriate amplitude of the gate signal of transistor 147B. The amplitude level of the gate signal can affect the performance of the self-synchronous rectifier (such as power conversion efficiency and the operating range of the transistor). The rectifier 46D may be reconfigurable to function as an amplifier. As part of such reconfiguration, the integrated phase shifter 147H and integrated level shifter 147I (see Figure 9) can be adjusted so that the rectifier 46D can function as an amplifier based on the inherent amplification and switching capabilities of transistor 147B. This reconfigurability of the rectifier 46D between rectifier and amplifier operation allows the receiver module 40 to be controllably reconfigured between receiver mode and transmitter mode, respectively. Reconfiguration may be performed based on commands from the controller 42. When the rectifier 46D is reconfigured from rectifier to amplifier, the AC power supply 147A changes to an AC load 147A. Similarly, when the rectifier 46D is reconfigured from rectifier to amplifier, the DC load 147C is reconfigured to a DC power supply.

[0049] In some embodiments, when the receiver module 40 is in transmitter mode, the compensation network 46A may be configured to modulate the signal provided to the resonator 50 with information, thereby functioning as a source-transmit modulator. The information for modulating the signal provided to the resonator 50 may be provided to the compensation network 46A by the controller 42. The information may include control data addressed to the controller 22 of the transmitter module 20 via the resonator 30. In some embodiments, when the receiver module 40 is in transmitter mode and the rectifier 46D is configured as an amplifier, the amplifier 46D can function as a modulator for module 40. The modulation used can be any of amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, phase modulation, or a combination thereof. The information may be modulated on the signal provided to the transmitter resonator 50 in digital or analog form. The information may be modulated on the resonant frequency of the power signal provided to the transmitter resonator 50 by the source-transmit modulator. In other embodiments, the information may be modulated on a frequency different from the power transmission frequency. In other embodiments, the information may be modulated on harmonics of the resonant frequency of the power signal provided to the transmitter resonator 50. In yet another embodiment, the resonant frequency of the power signal provided to the transmitter resonator 50 may be a harmonic of the signal on which the information is modulated. The information transmitted in the manner described herein may include, for example, but is not limited to, the presence of load 70, the charge level of load 70, the power transmission efficiency, the charge rate of load 70, the state of load 70, the current voltage, the charge capacity, and the remaining time to charge load 70. Having explained above how both modules 20 and 40 can be reconfigured between operating in transmitter and receiver modes, and how signals from both modules 20 and 40 can be modulated, it is clear that system 10 in Figure 1 can do the following: System 10 in Figure 1 can function as a full-duplex transceiver system for transmitting information in both directions through resonators 30 and 50. System 10 in Figure 1 can further have secondary sides similar to the following: If additional secondary sides are present, the above configuration allows for communication of information between various secondary sides. In some embodiments, the primary side 12 and the secondary side 14 can communicate via Bluetooth (e.g., 2.4 GHz) or a signal frequency similar to that of GPS (e.g., 10 GHz). In some embodiments, there may be additional units that can collect data separately and exchange data between the primary side 12 and / or the secondary side 14. In some embodiments, WiFi may be used to upload data from the primary side 12 and / or the secondary side 14 to an online portal (e.g., a website or mobile application associated with the primary side 12 and / or the secondary side 14). In some embodiments, it may be desirable to transmit power between two receiver modules 40 (e.g., peer-to-peer power transmission). For example, if the battery of a first electric bicycle equipped with a first receiver is dead or low, and a second electric bicycle equipped with a second receiver and with at least partially charged battery is nearby, it may be desirable to transfer power from the second electric bicycle—from one bicycle to the first electric bicycle. Such a situation may occur, for example, when there is no transmitter nearby. The ability to reconfigure at least one of the two involved receiver modules 40 into a transmitter module makes such peer-to-peer power transmission possible.

[0050] Generally, this enables the transfer of power between multiple secondary sides 14. In other embodiments, it may be necessary at some point to transmit power in the reverse direction, i.e., from the load side to the power supply side in Figures 1, 6, and 7. By reconfiguring modules 20 and 40 between transmitter and receiver modes, “reverse” power transmission from module 40 to module 20 becomes possible. Thus, the system enables bidirectional power transmission. Given the fact that devices 26B and 46D in Figures 8 and 9 can be reconfigured to function as amplifiers or rectifiers, respectively, these devices can be collectively referred to as a “differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier.” Given the bidirectional nature of power transmission, both the transmitter resonator 30 and the receiver resonator 50 may be referred to as a “transmitter-receiver resonator,” and both modules 20 and 40 may be referred to as a “power transceiver module.” Such a configuration is useful in electric vehicles where kinetic energy is needed, which must be converted during braking and therefore transferred to the battery. Other systems, conditions, and configurations to which such modified power transmission directions apply include, but are not limited to, a number of mobile phones with varying levels of battery charge that can at least partially recharge each other using this configuration. In more common cases, if neither the transmitting nor receiving system has a permanent energy source such as grid power, bidirectional functionality can be used to transfer energy in either direction. In a further embodiment described with respect to Figure 31, a near-field radio frequency method is provided for transmitting power via a power signal at a power signal frequency

[2200] , the method comprising providing a bimodal power signal

[2210] . A resonant near-field high-frequency power transmission system comprising a plurality of transceiver modules, each of the plurality of transceiver modules communicating via wire with a transceiver resonator. At least one of the plurality of transceiver modules is arranged to exchange power with the other modules. The power transmission system is operated to perform capacitive and inductive power transmission simultaneously according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio. Providing a power transmission system

[2210] may include providing a first module among a plurality of power transmission / reception modules having a power signal tuner module, and operating the power transmission system

[2420] may include changing the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signal tuner module. Providing a power transmission system

[2210] may include providing at least one power transmission module having a modulator that communicates via wire with an associated transceiver resonator among a plurality of power transmission modules. Operating a power transmission system

[2220] may also include the power transmission system exchanging radio frequency signals between the associated transceiver resonator and a transceiver resonator that communicates via wire with at least one other module among the plurality of transceiver modules, and modulating the exchanged radio frequency signals. When a power load is present at the output of one of several power transceiver modules, the information modulated on the exchanged signals may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the presence of a power load, the charge level, etc.

[0051] Information can be modulated on the exchanged radio frequency signal by amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, or phase modulation. Modulating information on the exchanged radio frequency signal may include modulating digital or analog information on the exchanged radio frequency signal. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal to be exchanged may include modulating information over a power signal. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal to be exchanged may include modulating information over a signal having a frequency different from the power signal frequency. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal to be exchanged may include modulating information over a signal having a frequency that is a harmonic of the power signal frequency. Modulating information over a radio frequency signal to be exchanged may include modulating information over a signal having the power signal frequency as a harmonic. Modulating information over an exchanged radio frequency signal may include modulating the reflection characteristics of the associated wired transceiver resonator according to the information, thereby imposing the information on the signal reflected by the wired transceiver resonator. Modulating information over an exchanged radio frequency signal may also include modulating the signal supplied to the associated transceiver resonator according to the information. Method

[2200] may include the step of operating a first power signal tuner module among a plurality of power transceiver modules to modulate information over a radio frequency signal to be exchanged. Each of the power transceiver modules provided may include a compensation network, the compensation network may include a modulator, and the compensation network may be operated to modulate information over a radio frequency signal to be exchanged. At least one of the power transceiver modules may include a radio frequency oscillator that provides a signal at a power signal frequency to at least one power transceiver module, the radio frequency oscillator may include a modulator, so that information is modulated over a radio frequency signal exchanged within the oscillator. Each of the provided power transceiver modules may be reconfigurable between a power transmitter mode and a power receiver mode. The method may further include the step of reconfiguring at least two of the transceiver modules between a power transmission mode and a power reception mode to reverse the direction of power transmission between at least two transceiver modules. Each of the provided power transceiver modules may include a differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier that can be reconfigured between an amplifier state and a rectifier state corresponding to the power transmitter mode and power receiver mode of the power transceiver module, respectively. The method may then include reconfiguring the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifiers of at least two transceiver modules between the amplifier state and the rectifier state. Each differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier may include a phase shifter that can be adjusted to reconfigure the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifier between the amplifier state and the rectifier state. The method may include adjusting the phase shifter of each of the differential self-synchronizing high-frequency power amplifier / rectifiers of at least two transceiver modules.

[0052] A WPT system 10 including transmitters and / or receivers described herein may be applied to electric vehicles, electric boats, electric airplanes, electric trucks, electric bicycles, and electric scooters. One exemplary, non-limiting application is a shared bicycle fleet provided with various docking stations equipped with one or more transmitters (e.g., primary side 12) and receivers (e.g., secondary side 14), where batteries (as load 70) can be charged at the docking stations. In some applications, even if not specifically designed to operate with the power transmission systems described herein, the primary side 12 or secondary side 14 may be configured to transmit power with other systems not described herein, and the transmission mode ratio from CPT to ZPT can be adjusted to provide compatibility with other CPT systems and / or IPT systems. Many exemplary embodiments and designs have been discussed above, and those skilled in the art will recognize their specific modifications, substitutions, additions, and subcombinations. Therefore, the appended claims and claims introduced herein are intended to be construed as including all such modifications, substitutions, additions, and subcombinations in accordance with the broadest interpretation of this entire specification. In the first embodiment, each of the systems described above and shown in Figures 1-10 forms a bimodal short-range resonant radio power transmission system 10 configured to simultaneously perform capacitive and inductive power transmission according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency. This system 10 comprises a transmitter subsystem 12 and a receiver subsystem 14. The transmitter subsystem 12 comprises transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, 336 and a power signal tuner module 26F. The tuner module 26F is configured to adjust the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signal supplied to the transmitter antenna subsystem by the tuner module 26F. The receiver subsystem 14 includes receiver antenna subsystems 52, 152, 252, 352, 154, 254, 354, and 356 configured to receive power from transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, and 336 in a transfer mode ratio. The tuner module 26F may be configured to adjust the power signal by adjusting the phase difference between the current and voltage of the power signal supplied to the transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, and 334. 336. The transmitter subsystem 12 may further include a controller 22 and at least one sensor 24, the controller 22 receiving sensor information from at least one sensor 24 and automatically providing a tuning command to the tuner module 26F based on the sensor information. The tuner module 26F is then configured to adjust the phase difference between the current and voltage of the power signal supplied to the transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, and 336 in accordance with the tuning command.

[0053] System 10 resonates at a freely variable resonant frequency within a predetermined band, based on the degree of coupling between the transmitter subsystem 12 and the receiver subsystem 14. The predetermined band may be, for example, a formally designated and specified band, though not limited to, a reserved industrial, scientific, or medical (ISM) band, or a user-only band. The quality factor (Q) of System 10 can be reduced to such an extent that the power signal oscillation frequency can vary within the opposing limits of the predetermined frequency band. As the Q value decreases, System 10 can use any of many different resonant frequencies within the predetermined frequency band during the power transmission process. The coupling between the transmitter subsystem 12 and the receiver subsystem 14, and the absorption of associated power by the resonant receiver subsystem 14, ensure that little electromagnetic radiation is emitted into the far-field region during the operation of System 10. The configurations described herein with reference to Figures 1-10, along with the preceding frequency aspect, make System 10 a bimodal near-field resonant radio power transmission system. It should be noted that in the wireless power transmission system 10, power is transmitted from the primary subsystem to the secondary subsystem not via electromagnetic radiation, but via capacitive coupling, inductive coupling, or both. Further embodiments described with reference to the aforementioned drawings and the flowchart in Figure 11 provide a short-range wireless method

[1000] for bimodal power transmission according to a transfer mode ratio adjustable with a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. The method provides a transmitter subsystem 12 comprising a power signal tuner module 26F and transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, 336 configured to resonate at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency

[1010] , a receiver subsystem 14 comprising receiver antenna subsystems 52, 152, 252, 352, 154, 254, 354, 356 configured to resonate at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency

[1020] , and a power signal from the tuner module 26F to the transmitter subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, 336

[1030] , and from the tuner module 26F to the transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, This includes adjusting the transfer mode ratio by adjusting the power signals to 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, and 336

[1040] , and receiving the power transmitted in receiver subsystem 14 at the resonant power signal oscillation frequency via receiver antenna subsystems 52, 152, 252, 352, 154, 254, 354, and 356 at the transfer mode ratio

[1050] . Adjusting the transfer mode ratio

[1040] may include adjusting the phase difference between the current and voltage of the power signals provided to transmitter antenna subsystems 32, 132, 232, 332, 134, 234, 334, and 336.

[0054] Providing the transmitter subsystem 12

[1010] may further include providing a controller 22 and at least one sensor 24, and adjusting the phase difference between current and voltage may be performed by the tuner module 26F via a controller command based on sensor information received by the controller 22 from at least one sensor 24. The controller command may be automatically issued to the tuner module 26F when the controller 22 receives the sensor information. The tuner module 26F may also automatically execute commands from the controller 22 to change the phase difference. Method

[1000] may further include step

[1060] , which allows the resonant power signal oscillation frequency to vary within a predetermined frequency band. The predetermined frequency band may be an industrial, scientific, or medical (ISM) frequency band. Providing a transmitter subsystem may include providing a transmitter subsystem that is detuned to such an extent that the resonant power signal oscillation frequency can vary within opposing limits of the predetermined frequency band. In further embodiments described with reference to Figures 12, 13A, and 13B, and with reference to Figures 1-10, the multi-transmitter bimodal short-range resonant radio power transmission system 10' is configured for simultaneous capacitive power transmission; inductive power transmission according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency. System 10' comprises a multi-transmitter subsystem 12' having a plurality of transmitter resonators 30A'-301', each transmitter resonator driven by a corresponding dedicated transmitter module 20A'-201', and each transmitter resonator and its corresponding transmitter module (e.g., 30E', ​​and 20E') may conform to the description given above and with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of system 10' in which the transmitter resonators 30A'-30I' are shown in a row as nine, but their formal spatial positions are not shown. One embodiment of the spatial layout of the multi-transmitter subsystem 12' is shown in Figures 13A and 13B and will be described below. In system 10', the resonant receiver subsystem 14 may be the same as or substantially the same as the resonant receiver system described above and referenced by Figures 1-10. In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the resonant receiver subsystem 14 can be implemented in, for example, a mobile phone or a digital "tablet," but is not limited thereto. For clarity, the resonant receiver subsystem 14 is shown by a dashed line in Figure 13A. In one embodiment, each of the operating transmitter resonators 30A'-30F and each of the corresponding transmitter modules 20A'-20F can function in the same or substantially the same way as the transmitter resonator 30 and transmitter module 20 described above and shown in Figures 1-10. One embodiment of the spatial layout of the multi-transmitter subsystem 12' is shown in Figures 13A and 13B. Figure 13B is a diagram of the multi-transmitter subsystem 12' in the opposite orientation to that of Figure 13A. In exemplary embodiments of system 10' shown in Figures 12, 13A, and 13B, the multi-transmitter subsystem 12' comprises nine pairs of transmitter resonators 30A'~30F and corresponding transmitter modules 20A'~201' arranged in a square array. Transmitter modules 20A'~201' are hidden by a grounded base plate 35' in Figure 13A, but may be visible in Figure 13B. In more general embodiments, other numbers of pairs of resonators and transmitter modules can be used, and the resonator array does not have to be square or rectangular. As a non-limiting example, the resonator array may have a hexagonal arrangement. In some embodiments, the array is preferably close-packed within the constraint that it has a grounded shielded grid separating and bounding the transmitter resonators 30A'~30I'. The grounded shielded grid 33' restricts the array of transmitter resonators 30A' to 30I' laterally. The grounded shield grid 33' is positioned at a constant distance 37' from each of the transmitter resonators 30A'~30I' to ensure consistent electric field behavior and associated capacitance between the transmitter resonators 30A'~30F' and the grounded shield grid 33'. The term “shielding distance” is used herein to describe this distance between the resonators 30A'~30I' and the grounded shield grid 33'.

[0055] In one embodiment, the grounded shield grid 33' ensures that the electric fields of the transmitter resonators 30A'~30F are completely spatially isolated and thus spatially independent. The transmitter resonators 30A'~30F may have magnetic fields selected to decouple from each other by spatial orientation. In another embodiment, the grounded shield grid 33' may be formed or coated with a high-conductivity ferrite material to decouple the magnetic fields generated by the transmitter resonators 30A'~301'. As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, the transmitter resonators 30A' to 30I' and their corresponding transmitter modules 20A' to 20F can be mounted substantially in a straight line with their respective resonators. In other embodiments, there may be no fixed spatial relationship between the transmitter resonators and their corresponding transmitter modules. The array of transmitter resonators 30A' to 30I' shares a common transmitting surface defined by the collective upper surfaces of the transmitter resonators 30A' to 30I'. For aesthetic and protective reasons, the array of transmitter resonators 30A' to 301' may be covered with a dielectric plate, which is not shown in Figure 13A. The dielectric plate separates the receiver subsystem 14 from the transmitter resonators 30A' to 301'. Figures 12 and 13A schematically show one embodiment of the resonant receiver subsystem 14 overlapping with a subset of several transmitter resonators 30A' to 301'. As shown in Figures 12 and 13A, the overlapping transmitter resonators are indicated as 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H'. In Figure 13A, the resonant receiver subsystem 14 is shown as dashed rectangles above the mutually adjacent transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H'. A controller in any of the transmitter modules 20A' to 201' can determine the presence or absence of a resonant receiver subsystem 14 adjacent to or overlapping with the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A' to 30F, and based on these detections, the controller can turn on or off the power signal to the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A' to 301'. If the power amplifiers of transmitter modules 20A'~20I' are supplying power signals to transmitter resonators 30A'~30F so that they transmit power, the controller of transmitter module 20A' will determine that there are no resonant receivers within that frequency range for 20B', 20C', 20F', and 201'. In the range close to transmitter resonators 30A', 30B', 30C', 30F', and 30F, these controllers may turn off the power signals to transmitter resonators 30A', 30B', 30C', 30F', and 30F. If the power amplifiers of transmitter modules 20A'~20F are not supplying power signals to transmitter resonators 30A'~30F, the controllers of transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' can determine the presence of a resonant receiver. Subsystem 14 is in close proximity to and overlapping with resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30E', ​​30D', and 30E'. Turning on 30G' and 30H' turns on the transmittable power that is provided to transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' by transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20FF. This configuration ensures that only transmitter resonators in close proximity to the resonant receiver subsystem 14 draw power and transmit power to the resonant receiver subsystem 14. The input impedance of the transmitter resonators 30A' to 30F can be used to detect the presence or absence of a resonant receiver subsystem 14 adjacent to the transmitter resonator. The input impedance of the transmitter resonator changes depending on the presence or absence of a resonant receiver subsystem 14 near the transmitter resonator. As described above with reference to Figure 6, the effect of a particular resonant receiver subsystem 14 is not only clear enough to detect the presence or absence of a receiver, but also has characteristics that allow the type of receiver to be identified by its effect. Influence on the transmitter resonator input impedance. In some embodiments, the size of the receiver resonator has a significant effect on the input impedance of the transmitter resonators 30A' to 30T.

[0056] In one embodiment of system 10', as shown in Figures 12 and 13B, transmitter module 20E' is a transmitter module associated with one of four transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' that are superimposed by a resonator. The detailed structure of each of the transmitter modules 20A' to 20I' is shown in Figures 2, 6 and 8. This process is initiated by the power amplifier 26B of the transmitter modules 20A' to 20I' not supplying power signals to the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A' to 30F. Focusing here on the transmitter module 20E', its load detector 24A in this embodiment is configured to measure the input impedance of the transmitter resonator 30E'. The load detector 24A provides the input impedance measurement result to the controller 22. A default input impedance measurement is stored in a register in the controller 22, representing the input impedance of the transmitter resonator 30E' when no resonant receiver subsystem is present near the transmitter resonator 30E'. As shown in Figure 12, when the resonant receiver subsystem 14 is placed close to the transmitter resonator 30E', ​​a new and different input impedance measurement is obtained by the load detector 24A, and the result is supplied to the controller 22 by the load detector 24A. The controller 22 compares the new input impedance measurement, referred to herein as the "first input transmitter resonator impedance change" or "primary transmitter resonator input impedance change," with the default impedance measurement stored in the register. Based on this first input impedance change, the controller 22 determines whether a receiver resonator, for example, the resonator of the resonant receiver subsystem 14, is present near the transmitter resonator 30E'. To determine the presence or absence of a receiver resonator adjacent to the transmitter resonator 30E', ​​the controller 22 can pre-program a minimum input impedance change that must be exceeded before considering the presence of a receiver resonator. If the controller 22 determines that a receiver resonator, for example the resonator of the resonant receiver subsystem 14, is located near the transmitter resonator 30E', ​​the controller 22 instructs the power amplifier to switch to the "on" state. This supplies power to the transmitter resonator 30E', ​​which is then transferred to the resonant receiver subsystem 14. If the controller 22 determines that a receiver resonator, for example the resonator of the resonant receiver subsystem 14, is not located near the transmitter resonator 30E', ​​the controller 22 then instructs the power amplifier to switch to the "off" state. This prevents power from being supplied to the transmitter resonator 30E', ​​and prevents power from being transferred to the resonant receiver subsystem 14. The same process is performed independently for each transmitter module 20A'~20I' with respect to its corresponding transmitter resonator 30A'~30A'. As a result, the power amplifiers of transmitter modules 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' that overlap with the resonant receiver subsystem 14 are turned on, and the power amplifiers of transmitter modules 30A', 30B', 30C', 30F', and 30P are turned on. Modules 14 that do not overlap with the resonant receiver subsystem are turned off.

[0057] It should be noted that receiver resonators of different sizes exhibit significantly different impedances at point 24A relative to the load detector 24A of the transmitter module 20. The impedance difference measured when a given receiver resonator partially overlaps with a transmitter resonator is greater when it partially overlaps than when it completely overlaps. This also coincides with the fact that the impedance of the transmitter resonator does not change as dramatically as the impedance difference due to the size of the receiver resonator. This allows the controller 22 of any transmitter module 20A'~20I' to distinguish between small and large receiver resonators adjacent to the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A'~30P. According to one embodiment, the setting of the frequency and phase of power signals between transmitter resonators (e.g., 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30EP) that are overlapped by a resonant receiver subsystem, for example, a resonant receiver subsystem 14, is described. Here, in order to transmit power most efficiently from the combination of power-receiving transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H', the power signals in resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' are of the same frequency and in phase with respect to each other. As described above with reference to Figures 1 to 10, considering that the frequencies of the power signals in transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' may differ within the allowable bandwidth, the requirements in this embodiment in Figures 1 to 10 are as follows: Figures 12, 13A, and 13B relate to the frequencies of the power signals in transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30G'. 30H' is adjusted to be identical and its phase locked so that the power signals from the transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' are perfectly synchronized and in phase. In one embodiment, to ensure that the controllers 22 of the overlapping transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' all set the corresponding oscillators 26A to the same frequency, the controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20A' to 20F are all provided with the same frequency table selected within any permitted band, such as the ISM band. Within that ISM band, a number of discrete frequencies are selected to be included in the frequency table. Thus, the number of frequencies grouped in the table within that ISM band is finite and limited, and the frequencies grouped in the table are spaced far enough apart that the different controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' can determine the power signal frequency from the outset, despite the aforementioned impedance differences. Despite these small variations in impedance, all controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' select the following power signals: Each of these oscillators 26A and power amplifiers 26B uses the same discrete frequency from the frequencies allowed within the bandwidth.

[0058] In one embodiment, the following procedure is employed and programmed into the software to ensure that the resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' all have not only the same power signal frequency but also the same phase. This procedure is performed on each controller 22 of the transmitter modules 20A' to 201'. Statistically, the first of the independent controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' first turns on its corresponding oscillator 26A and power amplifier 26B, supplying power to the resonant receiver subsystem 14 via its transmitter resonator. Transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20E', 20D', 20E', 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' measure the input impedance of their corresponding transmitter resonators and detect small second-order changes in their impedance due to the function of the first transmitter resonator by the corresponding load detector 24A. In fact, the second controller 22 recognizes the reflection of impedance from the first transmitter resonator through the interaction between the first transmitter resonator and the resonant receiver subsystem 14. The second controller 22 is programmed to conclude, based on the change in secondary impedance, that another controller will first turn on the oscillator 26A and power amplifier 26B. After making this inference, the second controller 22 turns on the oscillator 26A and power amplifier 26B and changes the phase of the power signal while measuring the power transmitted by the corresponding transmitter resonator using the transmit power sensor 24B. Next, the second controller 22 changes the phase of its oscillator to search for the phase at which maximum power transmission occurs and sets the oscillator phase to that value. The oscillator phase determined in this way ensures that the phase of the power signal transferred by the second transmitter resonator is equal to the phase of the power signal transferred by the first transmitter resonator to the resonant receiver subsystem 14. The oscillator phase is based on substantially maximizing power transmission rather than perfectly equalizing the phase of the power signal. In another embodiment, proximity detection of the resonant receiver subsystem 14 is based on the test signal power drawn through the transmitters 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H', again based on the fact that the transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' overlap by the resonant receiver subsystem 14. In this embodiment, a low-amplitude power signal is initially maintained by oscillators and power amplifiers corresponding to all transmitter resonators 30A'~30T. Next, the controllers 22 of all transmitter modules 20A'~20T sense the power drawn through the corresponding transmitter resonators 30 using the corresponding transmitter power sensors 24B. The controllers 22 of transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' sense that power is being drawn through the corresponding transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' using the corresponding transmitter power sensors 24B. Based on the detection of the drawn-in test signal power, the controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' turn on the full power of the corresponding power amplifiers 26B. The term “first test signal power draw” is used herein to describe this power drawn from the test signal through the transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H'. The test power signals of the power amplifiers 26B of the transmitter modules 30A', 30B', 30C', 30F', and 30I' that are not overlapped by the resonant receiver subsystem 14 can be turned off after a suitable test period.

[0059] Similar to the impedance-based embodiments described above, the controller 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' may require a threshold power pull in order to consider the resonant receiver subsystem 14 to be located near their corresponding transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H'. In one embodiment, to ensure that the controllers 22 of the overlapping transmitter resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' all set the corresponding oscillators 26A to the same frequency, the controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20A' to 20T are all provided with the same frequency table selected within any permitted band, such as the ISM band. Within that ISM band, a number of discrete frequencies are selected to be included in the frequency table. Thus, the number of frequencies grouped in the table within that ISM band is finite and limited, and the frequencies grouped in the table are spaced far enough apart that the different controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' can determine the power signal frequency from the outset. The power consumption of the test signal was described above. Despite these small fluctuations in power pull values, all controllers 22 in transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' select the same discrete frequency from the band's allowable frequencies for the power signals of their respective oscillators 26A and power amplifiers 26B. In one embodiment, the following procedure is employed and programmed into the software to ensure that the resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' all have not only the same power signal frequency but also the same phase. This procedure is performed on each controller 22 of the transmitter modules 20A' to 201'. Statistically, the first of the independent controllers 22 of the transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' first turns on its corresponding oscillator 26A and power amplifier 26B, supplying power to the resonant receiver subsystem 14 via its transmitter resonator. Transmitter modules 20D', 20E', 20E', 20D', 20E', 20D', 20E', 20G', and 20H' measure the power consumption of their corresponding transmitter resonators and detect small secondary changes in power consumption due to the function of the first transmitter resonator by the corresponding transmitter power sensor 24B. In fact, the second controller 22 recognizes the impedance reflection of the first transmitter resonator through the interaction between the first transmitter resonator and the resonant receiving subsystem 14. The second controller 22 is programmed to conclude, based on a quadratic change in power consumption, that another controller has turned on the oscillator 26A and power amplifier 26B. After making this inference, the second controller 22 turns on the oscillator 26A and power amplifier 26B and changes the phase of the power signal while measuring the power transmitted by the corresponding transmitter resonator using the transmit power sensor 24B. Next, the second controller 22 searches for the phase at which maximum power transfer occurs and sets the oscillator to that phase. The oscillator phase thus set ensures that the phase of the power signal transmitted to the resonant receiving subsystem 14 by the second transmitter resonator is equal to the phase of the power signal transmitted to the resonant receiving subsystem 14 by the first transmitter resonator. The setting of the oscillator phase is based on substantially maximizing power transmission rather than perfectly equalizing the power signal phases.

[0060] In one embodiment, if two different resonant receiver subsystems are adjacent to a multi-transmitter subsystem 12' and overlap with different resonators or combinations of transmitter resonators 30A'~301', there is no prior reason or requirement that the two different transmitter resonators, or two different groups of transmitter resonators overlapping by two resonant receiver systems, operate at the same frequency or phase. The grounded shielded grid 33' ensures this multidirectional independence by isolating all of the individual transmitter resonators 30A'~30T from one another. However, transmitter resonators overlapping with one particular resonant receiver subsystem require the corresponding power signal amplifier to be actively synchronized by the controller, as described above. This may result in two different transmitter resonators, or two different groups of resonators, operating at two specific different lock-in frequencies within the band, with all signals within a particular group being in phase with each other. The above describes how two transmitter resonators can be programmed to operate to transmit power to the same receiver resonator in order to ensure that the two transmitter resonators transmit power signals in phase, thereby ensuring maximum power transmission. A different situation arises when two adjacent transmitter resonators, for example 30A' and 30B' in Figure 14, are transmitting to two substantially similar corresponding receiver subsystems 14A and 14B. Both transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' have leakage magnetic fields, and their magnetic field lines extend, for example, from transmitter resonator 30A' to receiver subsystem 14B' and from transmitter resonator 30B' to receiver subsystem 14A. In general, system 10' does not have any specific physical structure to prevent, for example, the field of transmitter resonator 30A' from interacting with the receiver resonator of receiver subsystem 14B. In one embodiment, when both transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' function as the same large receiver resonator overlapping with transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' (as shown in Figure 13A), the fringe field is not inherently problematic because both transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' carry the same frequency power signal in the same phase. In the situation shown in Figure 14, the requirement is that the fringing field of a particular transmitter resonator (e.g., 30A') interacting with a receiver subsystem (e.g., 14B intended to receive power from an adjacent transmitter resonator 30B') does not allow power to be parasitically ingested from transmitter resonator 30A'. One way to achieve this goal is to drive the two adjacent transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' with a 180° phase difference from each other, so that the overlapping fringe fields from transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' are largely canceled out from each other. Since either transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' will experience the other as a parasitic transmitter resonator 30A' or 30B' if the phase of the power signal is not shifted by 180 degrees, the controller 22 for each transmitter resonator 30A' and 30B' can increment the phase of the signal from their respective corresponding oscillators while measuring the power transmitted by the corresponding transmitter. Resonators 30A' and 30B' use the corresponding transmitter power sensor 24B. The controller 22 can then find the tuned oscillator phase that provides the maximum transmit power through the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' and set the oscillator phase to its corresponding phase.

[0061] As described above, whether of similar or different sizes, the frequency and phase arrangement for each resonant receiver system ensures that both resonant receiver systems receive the maximum transmission power. In a typical embodiment, there are numerous transmitter resonators, and several different resonant receiver subsystems can receive power, each resonant receiver subsystem receiving power from a separate group of corresponding transmitter resonators at a frequency and phase selected by the corresponding controller. Adjacent transmitter resonators transmitting power to different receiving subsystems may operate with a 180° phase shift as a result of maximizing the power transmission of each adjacent transmitter resonator. The process of maximizing power transmission adjusts the phase of the oscillators. Because the impedances of various transmitter modules are complex, with slight variations in resistance, inductance, and capacitance, the phase angles of different oscillators at the point of maximum power transmission may not be exactly equal (or differ by exactly 180°). The signals within the transmitter resonators are actually equal (or differ by exactly 180°). Within the system 10' comprising a single circuit with an air gap between the primary and secondary sides, any power transmission measured or maximized in the transmitter resonator, for example at point 24E in Figure 6, based on measurements by the transmitter power sensor 24B; similarly, it is possible to measure or maximize power in the secondary circuit at point 44C in Figure 7, for example, based on measurements by the receiver power sensor 44A. The measured values ​​may also be provided to the controller 42 of the receiver module 40 by the transmitter power sensor 24B, and the controller 42 of the receiver module 40 communicates the measured values ​​to the controller 22 of the transmitter module 20 by one of the means already described above. The concept of a multi-transmitter short-range resonant radio power transmission system was described above with reference to system 10' configured to perform capacitive and inductive power transmission simultaneously according to an adjustable transfer mode ratio in a variable resonance, and the oscillation frequency of the power signal. In a more general embodiment, the multi-transmitter short-range resonant radio power transmission system does not necessarily have to be a bimodal system, and may be a purely capacitive or purely inductive power transmission system. In a further embodiment shown in the flowchart of Figure 15, a wireless near-field method

[1100] for transmitting power from a multiple transmitter subsystem 12' to a single resonant receiver at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency is shown. The method

[1100] includes providing a multiple transmitter subsystem 12' comprising a plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators 30A to 301''

[1110] , each of which is driven by a corresponding transmitter module 20A' to 201', each transmitter module 20A' to 201' can be independently set to one of a plurality of preset power signal oscillation frequencies within a preset frequency band, and all transmitter resonators 30A' to 30F have a common transmitting surface. Method

[1100] also includes the steps of positioning a resonant receiving subsystem 14 having a single receiver resonator 50 that overlaps with two or more transmitter resonators (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A) near a common transmitting plane

[1120] , measuring the input impedance of each of the transmitter resonators 30A' to 301'

[1130] , and setting the power signals to each of the plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators 30A' to 30F to either an off state or an active state based on the corresponding measured resonator input impedances

[1140] . Method

[1100] may further include the step

[1150] of selecting a power signal based on the measured input impedance of each of the active transmitter resonators (resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A). Select the corresponding transmitter resonator (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' in Figure 13A from a set of multiple preset power signal oscillation frequencies).

[0062] Method

[1100] may further include the step

[1160] of setting the power signals of each active transmitter resonator (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30FF in Figure 13A) to the corresponding selected frequency. The process may further include the step

[1170] of adjusting the phase of the power signal applied to each corresponding transmitter resonator (resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A) to the phase in which power is supplied. The transmission 13A) through the transmitter resonators (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H' in Figure) is substantially maximum. In a further embodiment shown in the flowchart of Figure 16, a wireless near-field method

[1200] for transmitting power from a multiple transmitter subsystem 12' to a single resonant receiver at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency is shown. The method

[1200] includes providing a multiple transmitter subsystem 12' comprising a plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators 30A to 301''

[1120] , each of which is driven by a corresponding transmitter module 20A' to 201', each transmitter module 20A' to 201' can be independently set to one of a plurality of preset power signal oscillation frequencies within a preset frequency band, and all transmitter resonators 30A' to 30F have a common transmitting surface. Method

[1100] also includes the steps of positioning a resonant receiving subsystem 14 having a single receiver resonator 50 that overlaps with two or more transmitter resonators (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A) near a common transmitting plane

[1120] , measuring the power drawn from a test signal by each of the transmitter resonators 30A' to 301'

[1230] , and setting the power signals to each of the plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators 30A' to 301' to either an off state or an active state based on the corresponding measured resonator test power

[1140] . Method

[1200] may further include the step

[1250] of selecting a power based on the measured test power drawn by each of the active transmitter resonators (resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A). The signal oscillation frequencies of the corresponding transmitter resonators (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H) are selected from a set of preset power signal oscillation frequencies (Figure 13A). Method

[1200] may further include the step

[1260] of setting the power signals of each active transmitter resonator (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A) to the corresponding selected frequency. Method

[1200] may further include the step

[1270] of adjusting the phase of the power signal applied to each corresponding transmitter resonator (resonators 30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30H in Figure 13A) to the phase in which power is supplied. Transmission through the transmitter resonators (30D', 30E', ​​30G', and 30OH in Figure 13A) is substantially maximum.

[0063] In a further embodiment shown in the flowchart of Figure 17, a radio near-field method

[1300] is provided for transmitting power at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency from a multi-transmitter subsystem 12' to two or more receiver subsystems 14A, 14B (Figure 14). The method

[1300] includes the step

[1310] of providing a multi-transmitter subsystem 12' comprising a plurality of mutually independent transmitters, each of which is driven by a corresponding transmitter module 20A'~201' (see Figure 13B), each transmitter module 20A'~201' can be independently set to one of a plurality of preset power signal oscillation frequencies within a preset frequency band, and all transmitter resonators 30A'~301 have a common transmitting surface. Method

[1300] also includes the steps of arranging two or more resonant receiving subsystems 14A, 14B near a common transmitting plane, each having a single receiver resonator that overlaps with one or more transmitter resonators (transmitter resonators 30A', 30B' in Figure 14)

[1320] ; measuring the respective input impedances of the transmitter resonators 30A', 30B' (1330); and setting the power signals to each of the plurality of mutually independent transmitter resonators 30A'~301' to either an off state or an active state based on the corresponding measured resonator input impedances

[1340] . Method

[1300] may further include the step

[1350] of selecting the power signal oscillation frequency of the corresponding transmitter resonator based on the measured input impedance of each of the active transmitter resonators (resonators 30A' and 30B' in Figure 14). The transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' are selected from a set of predetermined power signal oscillation frequencies. Method

[1300] may further include the step

[1360] of setting the power signals of each active transmitter resonator 30A', 30B' to the corresponding selected frequency. Method

[1300] may further include the step

[1370] of adjusting the phase of the power signals applied to each of the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' to the phase through which power is transmitted via the transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B'. Figure 14) is substantially maximum. In a further embodiment shown in the flowchart of Figure 18, a radio near-field method

[1400] is provided for transmitting power at a variable resonant power signal oscillation frequency from a multi-transmitter subsystem 12' to two or more receiver subsystems 14A, 14B (Figure 14). The method

[1400] includes the step

[1410] of providing a multi-transmitter subsystem 12' comprising a plurality of independent transmitters, each of which is driven by a corresponding transmitter module 20A'~201' (see Figure 13B), each transmitter module 20A'~201' can be independently set to one of a plurality of preset power signal oscillation frequencies within a preset frequency band, and all transmitter resonators 30A'~301 have a common transmitting surface. Method

[1400] also includes the steps of arranging two or more resonant receiver subsystems 14A, 14B in close proximity to a common transmitting plane

[1420] and each comprising a single receiver resonator overlapping one or more transmitter resonators (transmitter resonators 30A', 30B' in Figure 13). The steps also include measuring the power drawn from a test signal by each of the transmitter resonators 30A'~30B'

[1430] and setting the power signals to each of the multiple mutually independent transmitter resonators 30A'~30T to either an off state or an active state

[1440] based on the corresponding measured resonator test power consumption.

[0064] Method

[1400] may further include the step

[1450] of selecting the power signal oscillation frequency of the corresponding transmitter resonator based on the measured input impedance of each of the active transmitter resonators (resonators 30A' and 30B' in Figure 14). The transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' are selected from a set of predetermined power signal oscillation frequencies. Method

[1400] may further include the step

[1460] of setting the power signals of each active transmitter resonator 30A', 30B' to the corresponding selected frequency. Method

[1400] may further include the step

[1470] of adjusting the phase of the power signals applied to each of the corresponding transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B' to the phase through which power is transmitted via the transmitter resonators 30A' and 30B'. (Figure 14) is substantially maximum. Further embodiments based on the systems of Figures 1-10 and 12-14, as illustrated by reference to Figures 20A and 20B, 21A and 21B, and 22A and 22B, show a near-field resonant wireless power transmission system 10'' for wirelessly transmitting power, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 19A, connecting a photovoltaic solar cell 420 to a power load 70''. The labels in Figure 19A use an accented numbering system to highlight similarities with Figures 13A and 13B, and also with Figures 6 and 7. This numbering scheme ensures that DC power is supplied from the solar cell 420 to the transmitter module 20 via the power regulating unit (PCU) 430. The PCU 430 not only converts the DC voltage and DC current to levels that can be further transmitted by the power amplifier 26B, but also provides appropriately regulated levels of voltage and current to drive the remaining system components, including the small-signal electronic components within the transmitter module 20. The load on the solar cell 420 is varied to adapt to the fluctuating power supplied by the solar cell 420 and the fluctuating output impedance supplied to the PCU 430 by the solar cell 420. This allows the PCU 430 to absorb power from the solar cell 420 at the maximum possible rate. The temperature remains constant throughout the day despite the fluctuations in power from the solar cell 420. As already mentioned above, oscillator 26A” can be used to modulate power amplifier 26B” at a frequency suitable for wireless power transmission. Power amplifier 26B” may have the same design as amplifier 26B shown in Figure 8, and DC power is supplied from PCU430 instead of as DC voltage 127E. In an alternative embodiment, power amplifier 26B” may be appropriately equipped with circuitry to maintain power amplifier 26B”; as is well known in the field of wireless systems, this itself is an oscillator, thereby eliminating the need for oscillator 26A”. Power can be transmitted to the transmitter resonator 30” via the transmitter tuning network 28” in Figure 19A, which is an integration of the signal conditioning and tuning components 26C, 26D, 26E, and 26F in Figure 6. All these components of the transmitter module 20” which may have a surface area that may be at least a large portion of the active solar radiation receiving surface of the solar cell are under the control of controller 22”, just as the corresponding components of the transmitter module 20 in Figure 6 are under the control of controller 22”. For clarity, not all components of the transmitter module are under the control of controller 22”. The sensors and detectors 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D in Figure 6 may also be present in the transmitter module 20 in an equivalent form and connected to the controller 22, and can perform the same roles already described in relation to Figure 6.

[0065] Power can be transmitted wirelessly from the transmitting module 20" to the receiving module 40" via the transmitter resonator 30" and the receiver resonator 50"." The power can then be transferred from the receiver module 40" to the DC load 70"." Power transmission between the transmitter resonator 30" and the receiver resonator 50" can be carried out by short-range wireless transmission as described above with reference to Figures 6 to 10. The short-range wireless power transmission shown in Figure 19A is not limited to this. It can be bimodal and purely capacitive or purely inductive. The receiver module 40'' may have the same components as the receiver 40 in Figure 7. For clarity, a reduced set of these components is shown in Figure 19A. Sensors 44A and detectors 44B in Figure 7 are not shown as equivalents. The receiver tuning network 48'' in Figure 19A may be a compensation network 46A, a matching network integration 46B, a rectifier 46D, and a filter 46C. Power is transmitted from the receiver tuning network 28'' to the load manager 46E'', both of which may be under the control of the receiver controller 42''. As shown in detail in Figure 7, the input impedance of the rectifier 46D depends directly on the load on the device's output. During operation, the near-field resonant wireless power transmission system 10'' can function similarly to the near-field resonant wireless power transmission system 10 in Figures 1 and 6 to 10, but the following applies: The voltage VDD of each power amplifier 26B'' is replaced with a power signal from the power regulating unit (PCU) 430, which receives power from an associated power source, which in this embodiment is a solar cell 420. In another embodiment, the power adjustment unit 430 is omitted from the system shown in Figure 19A, and instead, the power transmission system 10'' can be configured or operated to also function as a power adjustment system. This can be achieved by configuring a controller 22'', which is used in software to adjust the input DC equivalent resistance of the power amplifier 26B based on the power level measured by the power sensor 24B in Figure 6, for example, but not limited to this. The term “input DC equivalent resistance” is used here. The ratio of DC voltage to DC current at the DC terminal of the power amplifier 26B is such that the controller 22'' will make adjustments based on the power measurement, but it is expected that the maximum power point of the transmitted power will be achieved when the input impedance is reduced. The output impedance of the power amplifier 26B'' matches the output impedance of the solar cell 420. In this embodiment, the system 10'' functions as what is known in the industry as a “maximum power point tracker,” ensuring that the power is always constant, transferred at a rate suitable for the power-consuming load, rather than the rate that would be obtained if the power supply were not adjusted. In another embodiment, the controller 22” may be configured to measure the output impedance of the power supply, in this embodiment the solar cell 420, and then adjust the input impedance of the power amplifier 26B” based on the measured output impedance of the solar cell 420.

[0066] In addition to adjusting the input impedance of the power amplifier 26B”, the controller 22” can also adjust one or more of the settings of the transmitter tuning network 28” and the frequency of the oscillator 26A”. Furthermore, the transmitter controller 22” can perform the adjustments already described above based on measurements by the load detector 24A, which is shown in Figure 6, illustrating the circuits of the transmitter modules 20 and 20” in more detail. The load detector 24A senses the effect of a load of 70'' at point 24E in Figure 6. The receiver controller 42" also includes a receiver power sensor 44A and a load detector 44B (both shown in Figure 7). Considering the power regulation function of System 10'', it will be understood that there is no prior reason that the power transmission function of the system should be limited to short-range radio transmission across an air gap, as shown in Figure 19A. Therefore, in another embodiment, a power regulation unit 410 based on the elements of System 10'' in Figure 19A is shown in Figure 19B. The transmitter tuning network 28'' communicates directly with the receiver tuning network 48'' via a suitable non-air-gap connection 60''. This communication is carried out via radio frequency power signals that constitute the power within and transmitted by the system. Using suitable reactance components in a known configuration, any DC voltage and current levels of the transmitter module 20'' can be isolated from such levels of the receiver module 40'' and the receiver. The resonator 50'' is absent in this embodiment and is unnecessary due to the direct communication connection between the transmitter tuning network 28'' and the receiver tuning network 48''. The function of the power transmission systems in Figures 19A and 19B as power conditioning systems can be better understood by considering Figure 19B. In Figure 19B, the power conditioning concept is simplified by the absence of the transmitter resonator 30" and the receiver resonator 50", although these also apply when these resonators are present (as in Figure 19A). The systems in Figures 19A and 19B have four independent control parameters that can be adjusted in operation to regulate the power transmitted to the receiver module 40", and thus to the load 70". Typical commercial power conditioning units are commonly known as "boost converters" because they raise the output voltage higher than the supply voltage. These devices have only two control parameters. A first independent control parameter that can be adjusted during operation to adjust the power transmitted to the receiver module 40" and, consequently, to the load 70" is the oscillation frequency of the power amplifier 26B", which is adjustable by the controller 22A within the oscillator 26A. A second independent control parameter that can be adjusted during operation to regulate the power transmitted to receiver module 40'' and, consequently, load 70'' is the output load of the rectifier 46D of receiver module 40''. Its output load directly determines the input impedance of rectifier 46D and, consequently, receiver module 40''. This is the load on transmitter module 20'' and directly determines the input DC equivalent resistance of power amplifier 26B''. The operation of the output load of rectifier 46D is performed under the control of receiver controller 42'' via the load management system 46E'' of receiver module 40'' (see Figure 19A). While this second independent control parameter is a characteristic of the receiver module, the control point for manipulating this parameter is essentially the load management system 46E'' of receiver module 40''. The third and fourth independent control parameters, which can be adjusted during operation to regulate the power transmitted to the receiver module 40'' and, consequently, the load 70'', are the characteristics of the rectifier 46D of the receiver module 40'' (see Figure 7) and the characteristics of the power amplifier 26B'' (Figure 19A). While essentially similar, these characteristics are completely independent of each other. Both the rectifier 46D and the power amplifier 26B'' constitute multi-terminal amplification devices and depend on the modulation of the current flowing between two terminals through the multi-terminal device by a voltage signal applied to the third terminal of each device. The transistors used in the rectifier 46D and the power amplifier 26B, respectively, are transistors. This allows for a phase difference between the voltage and current signals generated by or within the device. This voltage-current phase difference can be adjusted by the applied voltage. The rectifier 46D may be an adjustable phase high-frequency rectifier in which the voltage-current-phase difference can be adjusted via the receiver controller 42''. In the case of the power amplifier 26B'', the voltage-current-phase difference can be adjusted via the transmitter controller 22''. It is beneficial for the rectifier 46D to be a differential self-synchronizing radio frequency rectifier, and the rectifier 46D may be a differential switch-mode self-synchronizing radio frequency rectifier.

[0067] Examples in Figures 19A and 19B are based on power transmission from a solar cell, or extended to a solar cell array, where the power supplied by the solar cell 420 can vary significantly, down to zero, depending on sunlight. There are many other power sources that have the problem of fluctuating output in terms of both power and the voltage produced. These include power generation turbines, wind turbines, and various batteries and storage batteries. The power output of wind turbines varies greatly, and the power depletion curves of various batteries can range widely. Given the efficiency of power transmission in the system, either of these systems 10" and 410 could be configured to receive power from a commercially available battery with a slow open-circuit voltage decay curve, for example, but not limited to. The load management system 46E may be configured to change the input DC equivalent resistance of the power amplifier 26B, as described above. Also, controllers 22 and 42 may be configured to provide the required voltage level to the load 70 until the power being transmitted can no longer maintain that voltage. Figure 19A and its accompanying captions deal with the short-range wireless transmission of power from a single solar cell 420 to a single load 70”, typically a battery. In actual implementations of larger solar power systems, arrays of cells are used. Typically, multiple transmitter subsystems and usually a single receiver are used, so as to employ a power transmission scheme similar to that described with reference to Figures 12, 13A, and 13B. This subsystem has one short-range wireless power transmission subsystem for each solar cell 420, thereby resulting in, for example, 60 short-range wireless power transmission subsystems 16. Each transmission subsystem 16 comprises a transmitter resonator 30”, a transmitting module 20”, and a power regulator. Unit 430 is as described with reference to Figure 19A. To avoid clutter, the transmitting subsystems 16 are not labeled in Figure 19A, but are shown and labeled in Figures 20B, 21B, and 22B, as will be further described below. In one embodiment, cell-level power management is possible by coupling each individual solar cell of a solar panel, which consists of multiple solar cells, to a power transmission and management system. By managing power at the individual cell level, power collection can be optimized for each cell, resulting in improved efficiency for the entire solar panel system. In such embodiments, the impact of individual cell failures or poor connections between cells is mitigated. Power collection at the individual cell level allows for maximum power collection even under less-than-ideal conditions, such as when rain, shade, or debris covers part of the solar panel. To avoid clutter, only one short-range wireless power transmission subsystem 16 is labeled in Figure 20B. In Figures 20A and 20B, the transmitter resonator 30'' of each transmission subsystem 16 may be located on the back of the corresponding solar cell 420. In Figure 20A, the flat area of ​​the solar cell viewed from the front of the panel is the semiconductor device itself that receives active solar radiation and converts energy, and is correspondingly labeled 420, while in Figure 20B, the flat area of ​​the device viewed from the back represents the transmitter resonator, and is correspondingly labeled 30''. The transmitter resonator 30'' may have a surface area that can be at least a large portion of the range of the active solar radiation receiving surface of the solar cell 420. The transmitter module 20" and its respective power adjustment unit 430, the short-range radio power transmission subsystem 16, are integrated in Figure 20B and labeled as 450. To avoid clutter, the integrated component 450 is not labeled in Figure 20B. These are shown in Figure 19A, but are shown and labeled as units in Figures 20B, 21B, and 22B, as will be further described below. A single receiver resonator 50" can be mounted on the frame 460 of the solar panel 400. A single receiver module 40" can be mounted directly on the back of the receiver resonator 50". During operation, the near-field resonant wireless power transmission system 10'' can function similarly to the near-field resonant wireless power transmission systems 10'' in Figures 12, 13A, and 13B, except that the voltage VDD applied to each of the power amplifiers 26B is replaced by a power signal from the power regulating unit (PCU) 430, which receives power from the associated solar cell 420.

[0068] In another embodiment of the system shown in Figures 20A and 20B, the frame 460 can be configured to be a receiver resonator suitable for receiving power from all transmitter resonators 30”, and the receiver module 40”, can be placed on the frame 460. In this embodiment, the plate within the frame may not be a resonator but a simple flat sheet of non-conductive material. In another implementation, the solar panels 400' shown in the front and rear views of Figures 21A and 21B, respectively, allow each near-field radio power transmitting subsystem to transmit power to one near-field radio power receiving subsystem. Frame 460 is shown as being filled with an opaque plate 470, although plate 470 may not be part of the near-field electrical or magnetic circuitry. For clarity, the transmitting side uses the same component numbering as in Figures 20A and 20B. The receiving side uses the numbering in Figure 19A. Again, to avoid clutter, the receiving devices are labeled only once. During operation, the solar panel arrangement 400' in Figures 21A and 21B may have individual transmitter modules 20'' linked by wiring (not shown) to be in phase, thereby minimizing power loss during transmission. In other embodiments, the transmitter modules 20'' are independent and can function as described in Figures 14, 17, and 18. In yet another embodiment, as shown in the front and rear views of Figures 22A and 22B, respectively, as a solar panel arrangement 400”, an array of 25 solar cells arranged in 5 rows is shown. On the back of each solar cell 420 is a unit 450 which includes a transmitter resonator 30 and a corresponding transmitter module 20 and power adjustment unit 430. Between the top and bottom of the array and between each pair of solar cells are receiver resonators 50 positioned in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the solar cells 420, each receiver resonator 50 communicating via wired telecommunications with its corresponding receiver module 40. As with the previous embodiment of the solar panel, and as with the embodiments shown in Figures 20A and 20B, and Figures 21A and 21B, the solar panel arrangement 400'' is labeled in some cases. The embodiment also has a frame 460. For clarity, the frame 460 is not shown in Figures 22A and 22B. During operation, the transmitting resonator 30'' of the solar cells 420 in a row of system 400'' transmits power to both its upper and lower receiving resonators 50''. However, in this embodiment, there is an additional mechanism. Various nearest receiver resonators 50'' resonantly couple and share the collected power among themselves. Thus, the power collected by all receiver resonators 50'' of the array can be utilized through any one or more of the various receiver modules 40''. In some embodiments, the power collected by all receiver modules 40'' may be utilized, for example, only through the lowest receiver module 40''. Any one of the receiver modules 40'' on any resonator 50'' can function as a receiver module that collects power from a row of solar cells 420, and at the same time, it can also function as a transmitter module that transmits the collected power to another resonator via its associated resonator 50'', placing the resonators nearly 50 inches apart. This operation can be repeated downwards in the array to transfer power to the lowest receiving module 40''.

[0069] In another embodiment of the system in Figures 22A and 22B, a frame similar to the frame 460 in Figures 20A and 20B, surrounding the plane of the solar cell array in Figures 22A and 22B, may be a receiver resonator carrying a receiver. It is connected to module 40'' and can receive power from various resonators 50''. In this way, the total power generated by all solar cells 420 in the array can be received by the resonator frame 460 and used for further electrical transmission via receiver module 40''. Power collection at the individual solar cell level can be achieved through wired connections. However, using wireless transmission systems with solar panels can reduce wiring and lower manufacturing costs. In a further embodiment illustrated with reference to the flowchart in Figure 23, a method is provided for transmitting power from a photocell 420 to a power load 70''

[1500] , the method comprising the steps of: converting power from the photocell 420 into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency in a transmitting module 20''

[1510] ; and transmitting power to a transmitter resonator 30'' configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency and communicate via wired electrical communication with the transmitting module 20'' (1520). The method includes the steps of receiving power in a receiver resonator 50" configured to resonate at the oscillation frequency and arranged to receive power from a transmitter resonator 30" via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction (1530), receiving power in a receiver module 40" which is in wired telecommunications with the receiver resonator 50" (1540), and supplying the power received via wired telecommunications to a power load 70" in DC form (1550). The method may further include the step of converting the voltage and current of the power from the solar cell 420 to a voltage and current suitable for the solar cell 420. The power is connected to the transmitter module 20" before being converted into an oscillating power signal. In a further embodiment of the method described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 19A and 24, a method is provided for transmitting power from an array of solar cells 420 to a power load 70''

[1600] . The method includes the step

[1610] of converting power from each of the solar cells 420 in the array in each of a first plurality of corresponding transmission modules 20'' into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency. The power from each transmission module 20'' is transferred to a corresponding transmitter resonator 30'' of a second plurality of transmitter resonators 30'', each configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency

[1620] , and the power is received at a receiver resonator

[1630] . 50'' is configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency and is arranged to receive power from at least one of the plurality of transmitter resonators 30''. Capacitive coupling and magnetic induction, power is received in the receiver module 40'' via wired telecommunication with the receiver resonator 50''

[1640] , and the received power is supplied in DC to the power load 70''

[1650] . This method may further include the step of converting the voltage and current of the power from each solar cell 420 to voltage and current suitable for the corresponding transmission module 20'' before converting the power to an oscillating power signal. Receiving power in the receiver resonator 50'' may include receiving power in receiver resonators arranged around the plane of the array of photocells 400. In a further embodiment of the method described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 19A and 25, a method is provided for transmitting power from an array of solar cells 420 to a power load 70''

[1700] . This method includes converting power from each of the solar cells 420 in each of a first plurality of corresponding transmitting modules 20''

[1710] . The array 400'' is converted into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency. This method also includes the step of transferring power from each transmitting module 20'' to a corresponding transmitter resonator 30'' in a second plurality of transmitter resonators 30''

[1720] . This method also includes the step of receiving power from each transmitter resonator 30'' in a corresponding receiver resonator 50'' configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency

[1730] , each receiver resonator 50'' is further configured and arranged to receive power from the transmitter resonators 30'' via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction. The method also includes the steps of supplying power to the resonator 30" and receiving power from each receiver resonator 50" in the corresponding receiver module 40" which is in wired telecommunications with the receiver resonator 50"

[1740] , and rendering the power in DC form by wired telecommunications to the power load 70"

[1750] . The method may further include converting the voltage and current from each solar cell 420 into voltage and current suitable for the corresponding transmitting module 20, and then converting the power into an oscillating electrical signal.

[0070] Further embodiments, as illustrated with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 19A and 26, provide a method for transmitting power from an array of solar cells 420'' to a power load 70'' (Figure 19A)

[1800] . The method comprises the steps of: converting power from each of the solar cells in the array 400'' into an oscillating power signal having an oscillating frequency in each of a first plurality of corresponding transmission modules 20'' (1810); transferring power from each transmission module 20'' to a transmitter resonator 30'' in a second plurality of transmitter resonators 30'' (each transmitter resonator 30'' is configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency); and transferring power to any nearby receiver resonator 50'' in a third plurality of receiver resonators 50'' configured to resonate at the oscillating frequency. The method further includes the steps of receiving power from each transmitter resonator 30'' within the receiver resonator 50'' via at least one of capacitive coupling and magnetic induction; sharing the received power among the third plurality of receiver resonators 50''

[1840] ; and rendering the power received from one or more of the third plurality of receiver resonators 50'' in DC form to a power load 70'' via one or more corresponding receiver modules 40'' via wired telecommunications

[1850] . The method further includes the step of converting the voltage and current of the power from each solar cell 420 to voltage and current that are compatible with the corresponding transmission module 20'' before converting the power to an oscillating power signal.

[0071] Figure 27A shows a typical portion 500 of an extended short-range wireless power distribution system in an electric vehicle with a conductive chassis 510. In this embodiment of the general system 10'' in Figure 19A, the power source is a rechargeable battery 520 rather than a solar cell 420 as in Figure 19A, and the load 70'' is an electric motor 530 rather than a battery. The system shown in Figure 14A may optionally include a power adjustment unit 430 as shown in Figure 19A. In other embodiments, transmitter modules may function together to provide power adjustment, as described above with reference to Figure 19B. The system shown in Figure 27A and described in more detail below can operate by capacitive power transmission, inductive power transmission, or bimodal power transmission. Referring to Figures 4B and 19A, the transmitter resonator 30" comprises a dielectric element 138 sandwiched between conductive antennas 132 and 134. Referring to Figures 4B and 19A, the receiver resonator 50" comprises a dielectric element 158 ​​sandwiched between conductive antennas 152 and 154. Module 20" is shown mounted directly to antenna 132, which also functions as a frame. The transmitter module 20" may be electrically connected between the battery 520 and the transmitter resonator 30". The receiver module 40" is shown mounted directly to the electric motor 530. The receiver module 40" may be electrically connected between the receiver resonator 50" and the motor 530. Figure 27B shows a typical portion 500' of an extended short-range wireless power distribution system in an electric vehicle with a conductive chassis 510. In this embodiment of the general system 10'' in Figure 19A, the power source is again a rechargeable battery 520 instead of a solar cell 420, as in Figure 27A, and the load 70'' is an electric motor 530 instead of a battery. The system shown in Figure 27B may optionally include a power adjustment unit 430 as in Figure 19A. In other embodiments, the transmitter module 20'' and the receiver module 40'' can function together to provide power adjustment, as described above with reference to Figure 19B. The system shown in Figure 27B and described in more detail below can operate by capacitive power transmission, inductive power transmission, or bimodal power transmission. Referring to Figures 4B and 19A, the transmitter resonator 30" comprises a dielectric element 138 sandwiched between conductive antennas 132 and 134. Referring to Figures 4B and 19A, the receiver resonator 50''" comprises a dielectric element 158 ​​and conductive antennas 152 and 154. In this embodiment, the resonator 50''' in Figure 27A is not present. Transmitter Module The transmitter module 20" is shown mounted directly to the antenna 132 and also functions as a frame or holder for the battery 520. The transmitter module 20" may be electrically connected between the battery 520 and the transmitter resonator 30". The receiver module 40" is shown mounted directly to the electric motor 530. In this embodiment, the receiver module 40" may be electrically connected between the motor 530 and the chassis 510. In this configuration, sufficient coupling exists between the chassis 510 and the antenna 152 for power transmission, resulting in appropriate high efficiency. This allows the conductive mechanical components of the system, i.e., components that have load-bearing structural functions within the system, to form part of the resonant structure of the power transmission system. The embodiments shown in Figures 27A and 27B focus particularly on the power supplied to an electric motor 530 that drives one of the vehicle's wheels, but a similar configuration can be implemented for any electrical subsystem on the vehicle, using multiple appropriately fitted receiver modules 40" all powered by transmitter modules 20"." The configurations in Figures 27A and 27B for power transmission from the battery to the vehicle's electrical subsystem largely avoid the highly complex automotive wire harnesses that would create difficulties during vehicle manufacturing and result in significant manufacturing costs. The embodiments in Figures 27A and 27B, along with their extension to other electrical subsystems of the vehicle, can be described as an "extended short-range wireless power distribution system." This configuration can extend beyond the other wheels of an electric vehicle to other vehicle accessories, including but not limited to headlights and interior lights, dashboard displays, instruments, digital electronics, navigation systems, and warning systems. Furthermore, the application is not limited to electric vehicles; it can also be applied to hybrid and internal combustion vehicles to distribute power as needed. Similarly, it can be applied to other vehicles employing electrical systems that require power. Examples include, but are not limited to, electric bicycles, non-electric bicycles, aircraft, boats, and other vehicles that use on-board power supplies. The battery or power supply does not need to be mounted on the vehicle. The principles described in Figures 1 to 11, 19A-19B, and 27A-27B also apply to stationary systems and vehicle systems that require power from a geostationary satellite source. For example, this could include fixed rails for powering a moving vehicle.

[0072] Figure 28A shows another embodiment of the general system 10'' in Figure 19A in a power supply system 600 for supplying power to a computer monitor 610 positioned on a desk tabletop 620 via power from a suitable power source. The primary side 12 is shown in Figure 1, and in more detail in Figure 6. In system 600, the transmitter module 20'' and transmitter resonator 30'' shown in the figure are used. In the arrangement of system 600, the receiver resonator 50'' in Figure 19A forms the base of the monitor 610. The receiver module 40'' in Figure 19A may be incorporated into the base of the monitor 610. Alternatively, the receiver module 40'' in Figure 19A may be incorporated inside the monitor 610 itself. Referring to Figure 4B, the antenna 152 forms the bottom of the base of the monitor 610 and is isolated from the antenna 154 by a dielectric 158. The housing and structural frame 630 of the monitor 610 are at least partially conductive and can function as a single continuous conductor for supplying power signals from the antenna 154 to the monitor's circuitry via the receiver module 40'' (see Figure 19A). 610 represents the load resonator 70'' in Figure 19A. Other electrical connectors from the antenna 152 to the monitor 610's circuitry extend from the antenna 152 to the base of the monitor 610. In other embodiments, the housing and structural frame 630 of the monitor 610 may be non-conductive. A polymer and a separate conductor extend from antenna 154 to the circuit of monitor 610, which represents the load resonator 70'' in Figure 19A. As shown in another embodiment of the power supply system 600' for supplying power to the computer monitor 610 in Figure 28B, the base of the monitor 610 may comprise only the antenna 152 and the dielectric 158. In this embodiment, the metallic conductive portion of the monitor, the housing or frame 630, functions as the antenna instead of the antenna 154, and the housing or frame 630 has sufficient coupling with the antenna 152 under the dielectric 158, providing sufficiently efficient power transfer. The receiver module 40” in Figure 19A may be incorporated into the base of the monitor 610, or the receiver module 40” in Figure 19A may be incorporated inside the monitor 610 itself. The housing and structural frame 630 of the monitor 610 may function as a single continuous conductor for supplying power signals to the circuit of the monitor 610 representing the load resonator 70” in Figure 19A via the receiver module 40”. System 600 may optionally include a power adjustment unit 430, as shown in Figure 19A. In some embodiments, the transmitter module 20” and the receiver module 40” can work together to provide power adjustment, as described with reference to Figure 19A, while using short-range wireless power transmission. The short-range wireless power transmission system in Figure 28A eliminates the need for cumbersome power cables to supply power to the monitor 610, using the system's mechanical structural elements as integrated electrical / electronic components in the power transmission configuration.

[0073] A method

[2000] for transmitting power from a DC power supply 420 to a power load 70” is provided, as described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 29 and the systems in Figures 19A and 19B. The method includes the step (2010) of providing a power transmission system that wires and telecommunicates with the power supply. The system includes an oscillator 26A' capable of oscillating at an oscillating frequency, a power amplifier 26B” and a transmitter tuning network 28” both under the control of a transmitter controller 22”, a receiver tuning network 48” and a load management system 46E both under the control of a receiver controller 42”, both wires and telecommunicates with the power supply 42”. The method also includes the step (2020) of converting power from the power supply 420 into an oscillating power signal having the oscillating frequency in the power amplifier 26B”. The method also includes the step (2030) of transferring the power signal from the power amplifier 26B” to the load management system 46E” via the transmitter tuning network 28” and the receiver tuning network 48” under the control of the transmitter controller 22”. This method also includes the step (2040) of adjusting at least one of the oscillation frequency, the input DC equivalent resistance of the power amplifier 26B”, the transmitter tuning network 28”, the receiver tuning network 48”, and the load management system 46E”, to change the power transfer rate. This method also includes the step (2050) of rendering the power received by the load management system 46E in DC form to the power load 70 via wired telecommunications. Transferring power signals via the transmitter tuning network 28” and the receiver tuning network 48” may include transferring power by wired communication or wireless communication. Transmitting power by wireless communication may include transmitting power by short-range wireless communication. Transmitting power by short-range wireless communication may include transmitting power by at least one of capacitive coupling and inductive coupling. Transmitting power from the DC power supply 420 may include transmitting power from at least one solar cell 420. Transmitting power from the DC power supply may include transmitting power from at least one battery. Transmitting power from the DC power supply may include transmitting power from a power supply with a variable voltage. In another embodiment that takes into account the systems of Figures 19A and 19B in more detail and is illustrated with reference to the flowchart in Figure 30, a method is provided for transmitting power from a DC power supply 420 to a power load 70'' {2100}. This method includes the step {2110} of providing a power transmission system 10'', 410 that wire-telecommunicates with the power supply 420. The system includes a high-frequency power amplifier 26B'' that wire-telecommunicates with a high-frequency rectifier 46D (see Figure 7) on a transistor board that is wire-electrically connected to the power load 70''. This method also includes the step (2120) of converting power from the DC power supply 420 to a high-frequency oscillating power signal in the amplifier 26B'', the step (2130) of converting the high-frequency oscillating power signal to a DC power signal in the rectifier 46D, and the step (2140) of adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D. Providing a phase-adjustable radio frequency rectifier may include providing a differential self-synchronizing radio frequency rectifier 46D.

[0074] Method

[2100] may further include adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the DC equivalent input resistance of amplifier 26B''. Step

[2110] of providing a power transmission system 10'' may include a step of providing load management. System 46E'' provides wired communication between rectifier 46D and load 70''. Adjusting the DC equivalent input resistance of amplifier 26B'' may include adjusting the input impedance of rectifier 46D by adjusting the load management system 46E''. Adjusting the load management system 46E'' may include automatically adjusting the load management system 46E''. Method

[2100] may further include the step of adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage phase characteristics of the power amplifier 26B''. The power transmission system 10'', 410 may also include the step of providing a transmitter controller 22'' that communicates with the power amplifier 26B'' in order to control the power amplifier 26B''. The adjustment of the current-voltage phase characteristics of the power amplifier 26B'' may be performed by the transmitter controller 22''. The adjustment of the current-voltage phase characteristics of the power amplifier 26B'' may be performed automatically by the transmitter controller 22''. Method

[2100] may further include the step of adjusting the efficiency of power transmission by changing the oscillation frequency of the power amplifier 26B''. Providing a power transmission system 10”, 410 may include providing a receiver controller 42”, which communicates with the rectifier 46D in order to control the rectifier 46D. Adjustment of the current-voltage phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D may be performed by the receiver controller 42”. Adjustment of the current-voltage phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D may be performed automatically by the receiver controller 42”. Providing a power transmission system 10”, 410

[2110] may also include providing a power amplifier 26B” that communicates directly via wired high-frequency communication with an adjustable phase high-frequency rectifier 46D (via connection 60” in Figure 19B). Providing a power transmission system 10”, 410

[2110] may also include providing a power amplifier 26B” that communicates wireless short-range high-frequency communication with an adjustable phase high-frequency rectifier 46D. Providing a power transmission system 10”, 410

[2110] may include providing a transmitter resonator 30”, which communicates with a power amplifier 26B'' via wired high-frequency communication, and a receiver resonator 50”, which communicates with a high-frequency rectifier 46D via wired high-frequency communication. Method

[2100] may further include operating the transmitter resonator 30”, and the receiver resonator 50”, to communicate with each other via wired short-range high-frequency communication. Providing a power transmission system 10”, 410

[2110] may also include providing a power amplifier 26B”, which communicates with a rectifier 46D via at least one of capacitive short-range wireless communication and inductive short-range radio frequency communication. Providing a power transmission system 10”, 410

[2110] may also include providing a power amplifier 26B”, which communicates with a rectifier 46D via bimodal radio short-range communication.

[0075] Method

[2100] may further include the steps of providing a power adjustment unit 430 electrically positioned between a power supply 420 and a power transmission system 10'', and adjusting the power adjustment unit 430 to adjust at least one of current and power. The voltage from the power supply 420 is adjusted to improve the efficiency of power transmission. Referring to Figure 7, based on a more detailed examination of the systems in Figures 19A and 19B, a generalized power transmission system 10'', 410'', for supplying power from a DC power supply 420 to a power load is shown. 70'', and comprises a high-frequency power amplifier 26B'', which is wired to the power supply 420 and configured as follows: A DC voltage from power supply 420 is converted into an AC voltage signal having an oscillating frequency. A variable-phase high-frequency rectifier is electrically connected to a power load 70" via a wired connection and communicates wirelessly with the power amplifier. The rectifier is configured to receive power transferred from the power amplifier 26B". A receiver controller 42" communicates with the rectifier 46D, and the receiver controller is configured to adjust the efficiency of power transmission from the power amplifier 26B" to the rectifier 46D by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D. The receiver controller 42" may be configured to automatically adjust the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D. The rectifier may be a differential self-synchronous high-frequency rectifier. The power transmission systems 10'' and 410'' communicate via wire with the load 70'' and may further comprise a load management system 46E'' power signal-wise positioned between the load 70'' and the rectifier 46D. The load management system 46E'' is configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the input impedance of the rectifier 46D and may be configured to automatically adjust the input impedance of the rectifier 46D. The power transmission systems 10”, 410 may further include a transmitter controller 22”, which communicates with an amplifier 26B”, and the transmitter controller 22”, is configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage phase characteristics of the amplifier 26B”,. The transmitter controller 22”, may be configured to automatically adjust the current-voltage phase characteristics of the amplifier 26B”, in order to improve the efficiency of power transmission. The power transmission systems 10" and 410 may further include an oscillator 26A" that communicates with an amplifier 26B" and a transmitter controller 22". The transmitter controller 22" may be configured to adjust the oscillation frequency via the oscillator 26A". The power amplifier 26B'' can communicate directly via wired radio frequency with the adjustable phase radio frequency rectifier 46D (via connection 60'' in Figure 19B). The power amplifier 26B'' can communicate wirelessly via short-range radio frequency with the phase-adjustable high-frequency rectifier 46D. Power transmission systems 10'', 410 may include a transmitter resonator 30'' that communicates via wired radio frequency with the power amplifier 26B''. The transmitter resonator 30'' and the receiver resonator 50'' communicate via wired radio frequency with the rectifier 46D. The power amplifiers 26B'' may communicate wirelessly via short-range radio frequency with each other, and may communicate with the rectifier 46D in at least one of capacitive short-range radio frequency communication and inductive short-range radio frequency communication. The power amplifier 26B'' can communicate bimodal short-range radio frequency with the rectifier 46D.

[0076] The power transmission system may further include a power adjustment unit 430 electrically positioned between the power supply 420 and the power amplifier 26B'', the power adjustment unit 430 being configured to adjust at least one of the current and voltage from the power supply 420 to improve the efficiency of power transmission. In another embodiment described with reference to Figures 19A, 19B, 27A and 27B, and 28A and 28B, the electric system comprises: a power load and a power transmission system 10”, 410 comprising at least one high-frequency resonator 30”, 50”, configured for short-range wireless power transmission, the resonator comprising at least a partially conductive first portion. The power transmission system further comprises a rechargeable battery 520, and the power load may comprise an electric motor 530. The electric system may be an electric vehicle 500, 500', and the mechanical load bearing structure may comprise the vehicle chassis 510, and the electric system may also be a display monitor 610, and the mechanical load bearing structure may comprise at least one of the frame 630 and the base of the monitor. The electric system may further include a power supply. The power transmission system may include a high-frequency power amplifier 26B'' configured to communicate with the power supply via wired electrical communication and convert the DC voltage from the power supply into an AC voltage signal having an oscillating frequency, and a phase-adjustable high-frequency rectifier 46D. The rectifier 46D is wired electrically connected to a power load 70'' and is configured to communicate with the power amplifier 26B'' via radio frequency communication and to receive power transmitted from the amplifier 26B''. The receiver controller 42'' is configured to adjust the efficiency of power transmission from the amplifier 26B'' to the rectifier 46D by adjusting the current-voltage phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D. In another embodiment, as shown in Figures 19A and 19B, 27A and 27B, 28A and 28B, the apparatus includes the following: A power transmission system 10”, 410 comprises a power supply, power loads 70”, 530”, 610, a high-frequency power amplifier 26B”, configured to wire-communicate with the power supply and convert a DC voltage from the power supply into a voltage, and an adjustable-phase radio frequency rectifier 46D which is wire-electrically connected to the power load 70'', and communicates with the power amplifier via radio frequency, receiving an AC voltage signal having an oscillation frequency 26B'', and the rectifier 46D is configured to receive power transferred from amplifier 26B'',. A receiver controller 42'', communicates with the rectifier 46D and is configured to adjust the efficiency of power transmission from amplifier 26B'', to the rectifier 46D by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the rectifier 46D, and a conductive first portion is arranged to carry radio frequency signals from at least one of amplifier 26B'', and the rectifier 46D. The device may further include a load management system 46E" which communicates via wire with a load 70" and is power-signally positioned between the load 70" and the rectifier 46D, and the load management system 46E" is configured to improve the efficiency of the rectifier 46D. Power transmission is performed by adjusting the input impedance of the rectifier 46D. The device may further include a transmitter controller 22' which communicates with an amplifier 26B'', and the transmitter controller 22' is configured to improve the efficiency of power transmission by adjusting the current-voltage-phase characteristics of the amplifier 26B''. The device may further include an oscillator 26A" which communicates with the amplifier 26B'' and the transmitter controller 22', and the transmitter controller 22' is configured to adjust the oscillation frequency via the oscillator 26A''.

[0077] The power amplifier 26B" can communicate directly with the rectifier 46D via a conductive first portion. The power amplifier 26B" can communicate with the rectifier 46D via wireless short-range radio frequency communication. The power transmission systems 10" and 410 include a transmitter resonator 30" that communicates with the power amplifier 26B" via a wired radio frequency, and the rectifier 46D, transmitter resonator 30" and receiver resonator 50'' may include a conductive first portion. The transmitter resonator 30" and receiver resonator 50" can communicate with each other via wireless short-range radio frequency communication. The power amplifier 26B" may communicate with the rectifier 46D using at least one of capacitive short-range radio and inductive short-range radio frequency communication. The power amplifier 26B" may communicate with the rectifier 46D using bimodal short-range radio frequency communication. The DC power supply may include a rechargeable battery 520, and the load may include an electric motor 530. Further embodiments are schematically shown in Figure 30. Further embodiments will be described based on Figure 32. Figures 6, 6; 7, 7; 8 and 9 are shown. Referring to Figure 9, a sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device 800 is provided, which has a plurality of terminals arranged for electrical communication with devices outside the sealed device 800, and the sealed device 800 comprises a multi-terminal power switching (MPS) device 810 having: at least one DC terminal, at least one AC terminal, and at least one control terminal, the MPS device 810 is adjustable between an amplified state and a rectified state and is configured as follows: the step of bidirectional communication of DC voltage and DC current via at least one DC terminal, and the step of bidirectional communication via at least one AC terminal: A high-frequency power signal having amplitude, frequency, and phase. Phase, Frequency, Duty Cycle Adjustment (PFDCA) circuit 820 communicates with the controller 880 via wired data communication. The PFDCA circuit 820 communicates with the MPS device 810 via wired telecommunications through at least one control terminal, and is configured to establish at least one control terminal of the MPS device 810, having the frequency and phase of a high-frequency power signal, and adjusts the MPS device 810 during amplification states. The rectification conditions of the high-frequency oscillation signal are adjusted by adjusting the phase of the high-frequency oscillation signal under the direction of the controller 880. The PFDCA circuit 820 may further be configured to establish the duty cycle of the radio frequency oscillation signal. The PFDCA circuit 820 may include a radio frequency oscillator for generating a radio frequency oscillation signal based on instructions from the controller 880. The term "multi-terminal power switching device" is used here to describe a device having at least three terminals, which can switch or modulate the current flowing between at least two terminals of the device based on a signal applied to at least the third terminal of the device. Suitable MPS devices 810 include, but are not limited to, mechanical relay switches, solid-state switches, electro-optic switches (also called optoswitches), thyristors, waveguide switches, transistors (including, for example, MOSFETs, MESFETs, III-V semiconductors, and BJT devices), and power tube devices (such as triodes and pentodes).

[0078] In some embodiments, the circuit is sealed with a polymer coating or mold to create a sealed or sealed device. In some embodiments, the sealing device protects components located inside the device. In some embodiments, the sealing of the device provides electrical insulation to prevent electrostatic discharge, short circuits, or other harmful discharges that could damage the components of the device. In some embodiments, sealing the device protects the internal components from oxidation. In some embodiments, the sealing can form a waterproof barrier or a water vapor barrier. In some embodiments, the sealing facilitates electrical connection to the device by providing access to one or more terminals on the outside of the sealed device. The sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may further include a tuning network 830 that communicates via wired electrical means with the MPS device 810 via at least one AC terminal, within a sealed interior that communicates via wired data with the controller 880, the tuning network 830 being configured to adjust the high-frequency power signal to a tuned high-frequency power signal from the tuning network 830 under a command from the controller 880 when the MPS device 810 is in an amplified state. The tuning network 830 may include a harmonic termination network circuit of the type shown in Figures 8 and 9, which is arranged to suppress harmonics of the high-frequency oscillating signal in the high-frequency power signal. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the harmonic termination network may include one or more inductors and one or more first harmonic terminations 1271, 147G; second harmonic terminations 127H, 147F; and third harmonic terminations 127F, 147D. The sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may include an amplitude / frequency / phase detector (AFPD) 840, which is located within a sealed interior that communicates via wired data with the controller 880, and is configured to communicate via wired electrical communication with a tuning network and to determine the amplitude, frequency, and phase of a radio frequency power signal communicated between the tuning network and an external AC load / power supply of the sealed device. For this purpose, the AFPD 840 measures the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the signal at the output of the tuning network 830 derived from the device 800, as shown in Figure 32. The PFDCA circuit 820 is configured to receive commands from the controller 880 based on the measurement data communicated to the controller 880 by the AFPD 840. In another embodiment not shown in Figure 32, the PFDCA circuit 820 is configured to adjust the radio frequency oscillation signal and / or at least one of DC current and DC voltage based on a feedback signal received directly from the AFPD 840. The tuning network 830 may include a voltage-current tuner for adjusting the phase difference between the voltage and current of the tuned radio frequency signal based on measurement data from the AFPD 840 when the power switching device is in an amplified state. A suitable voltage-current tuner will be described in detail with reference to Figure 2. The voltage-current tuner of the tuning network 830 is applied to the signal directed to the signal connection derived from the device 800, as shown in Figure 6. Thus, it functions as a tuner when power is transmitted downward through Figure 32. The voltage-current tuner may be transparent to power transmitted in the opposite upward direction through the device 800 in Figure 32. As shown in Figure 32, the power transmission circuit device 800 is bidirectional. In some implementations, the tuning network 830 may communicate the tuned radio frequency power signal with an AC load / power supply 900, which may be a transmitter resonator 30 and 30'', as described with reference to Figure 6 and Figures 19A, 27A, and 27B. When the AC load / power supply 900 is such a bimodal transmitter resonator, the voltage-current tuner may function to adjust the ratio of the electric and magnetic fields as described with respect to Figure 6.

[0079] The enclosed power transmission circuit device 800 may further include wired data communication with a controller 880 inside the enclosure, and wired electrical communication between the MPS 810 and a DC power supply / load 700 outside the enclosed device 800. A management (PM) circuit 860 is positioned to match the impedance between the MPS 810 and the external DC power supply / load 700 and to adjust the DC power communicated between the MPS 810 and the external DC power supply / load 700. The MPS 810 and the DC power supply / load 700 are based on measurement data communicated to the controller by the AFPD 840. In other embodiments not shown in Figure 32, the PM circuit 860 may be configured to adjust the DC power communicated between the MPS 810 and the DC power supply / load 700 based on feedback signals received directly from the AFPD 840 and / or VID 850. It should be noted again that DC power can be transmitted bidirectionally between the MPS810 and the DC power supply / load 700 via the PM circuit 860. Also note here that the rules for the use of DC power are maintained. The DC power supply / load 700 is described as a “source / load”, and the external AC load / source 900 that communicates AC power with the tuning network is described as a “load / source”, with this point being emphasized. That is, when the DC power supply / load 700 is functioning as a DC power supply, the AC load / power supply 900 is functioning as a load whose power is converted to AC power, and vice versa. In Figure 1, arrows drawn parallel to and close to the connectors indicate the connectors. The arrows in Figure 32 indicate the path and direction of power flow through device 800 when the MPS810 is in either the amplification or rectification state. When the MPS810 is in the amplification state, the power flow is downward through Figure 32. When the MPS810 is in the rectification state, the power flow is upward through Figure 32. . The sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may further include a voltage / current detector (VID) 850 positioned within a sealed interior, which communicates via wired data with the controller 880, to determine the DC voltage and DC current passing between the MPS 810 and the MPS 810. When the MPS 810 is in the amplification state, the power transmission circuit device 800 may be adjusted based on the measurements of the VID 850. This causes the device 800 to provide the DC power supply / load 700 with an equivalent DC load that enables maximum power extraction from the DC power supply / load 700. This adjusts the DC voltage at at least one DC terminal of the MPS device 810. When the MPS 810 is in the rectification state, the power transmission circuit device 800 may be adjusted based on the measurements of the VID 850 so that the device 800 presents an equivalent DC power impedance to the DC power supply / load 700, enabling maximum power transmission from the device 800 to the DC power supply. This adjusts the DC voltage in the wired connection between the device 800 and the DC power supply / load 700. The sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may further include a memory 870 within the sealed interior that communicates via wired data with the controller 880, AFPD 840, and VID 850, the memory 870 being configured to receive and store data. It transmits signal data from the two detectors 840 and 850 and provides signal data from the two detectors 840 and 850 to the controller. The memory 870 may be able to store the complete state of the device 800 for a series of consecutive moments. The tuning network may further comprise one or more of the following: a compensation network, a matching network, and a filter. The compensation network 26E, matching network 26D, and filter 26C in Figure 6 are suitable for this purpose, but the options are not limited to the devices in Figure 6.

[0080] The sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may include a controller 880 inside the sealed enclosure. In other embodiments, the sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may employ an external controller with appropriate input / output equipment to communicate data with the various circuits incorporated inside. The sealed interior of the device 800 and appropriate software or firmware can be programmed into the controller to perform all of the control procedures described above. The sealed power transmission circuit device 800 may further comprise at least one communication circuit 890 that operates using one or more of the following technologies: Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and cellular, for bidirectional communication of information between the controller 880 and external devices of the sealed power transmission. At least one communication circuit 890 can communicate bidirectionally with one or more suitable antennas 894. The 894 may be located inside the sealed interior of the device 800, but it is generally more efficient for them to be located outside the device 800. One or more external devices may be other power transmission circuit devices, for example, other devices 800, or one or more other devices. In other embodiments, such as as described in Figure 1, the devices may form part of a collective power transmission system. The PFDCA circuit may be configured to adjust the duty cycle of the radio frequency oscillation signal based on measurements by the AFPD 840 and VID 850. In some embodiments, information regarding the measurements may be transferred to the controller 880, which is then sent to the PFDCA circuit 820, which adjusts the duty cycle of the radio frequency oscillation signal based on the received information. In other embodiments, although not shown in Figure 32, a feedback signal may be passed directly from the AFPD 840 and VID 850 to the PFDCA circuit 820, which adjusts the duty cycle of the radio frequency oscillation signal based on the received feedback signal. By changing the duty cycle of the radio frequency oscillation signal, the PFDCA circuit 820 can adjust the direction of the power flow through the device 800. When power flows from the DC power supply / load 700 through the device 800 to the AC load / power supply 900, the PFDCA circuit 820 can adjust the direction of the power flow through the device 800. Circuit 820 can, by means of this, adjust the DC power supplied to device 800 by power supply / load 700 and the AC power supplied from device 800 to AC load / power supply. When power flows from AC load / power supply 900 through device 800 to DC power supply / load 700, PFDCA circuit 820 can, by means of this, adjust the AC power supplied to device 800 by AC load / power supply 900 and the power supplied by C load / power supply 900. Connect device 800 to DC source / load 700. The controller 880 may have bidirectional wired communication with an external device and circuit 898 (labeled Ext. in Figure 32) located outside the sealed interior of the device 800. This wired communication may be, for example, to exchange data or to supply the controller 880 with a system clock synchronization signal for the system in which the device 800 is incorporated.

[0081] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the sensors and detectors 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D can be usefully positioned outside the sealed interior of the device 800. The bidirectional power transmission circuit device 800 can also be usefully used to transmit and / or receive information via the power channel through the device 800 by the mechanism already described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The power channel physically extends from the wired connection between the DC power supply / load 700 and the PM circuit 860, through the PM circuit 860, VID 850, MPS device 810, and tuning network 830 to the AC load / power supply 900. Along the physical power channel, the PM circuit 860, MPS device 810, and tuning network 830 are all under the control of the controller. The controller 880 controls the MPS device 810 via the PFDCA circuit 820. The controller can modulate the radio frequency power signal within the tuning network 830 and / or within the MPS device 810 itself. The controller may also be configured to induce modulation of the DC voltage between the PM circuit 860 and the DC power supply / load 700. This makes it possible to modulate information over the radio frequency power signal, the tuned radio frequency power signal, and / or the radio frequency power signal. Such other devices may include further bidirectional power transmission circuit devices 800. The information may be modulated on a radio frequency power signal; a tuned high frequency power signal and / or the aforementioned DC voltage in digital or analog form. In other embodiments, the information may be modulated to a frequency different from the power transmission frequency. In other embodiments, the information may be modulated to harmonics of the frequency of the power signal. In yet another embodiment, the frequency of the radio frequency power signal may be a harmonic of the frequency of the signal on which the information is modulated. The above description has already explained how subsystems of the tuning network 830 may be used as suitable modulators. Having described above how device 800 can be reconfigured between transmitter mode and rectifier mode, and how the power channel can be modulated, it is clear that device 800 can function as a full-duplex transceiver system that transmits information bidirectionally. When two devices 800 are used in modules 20 and 40 of Figure 1, system 10 of Figure 1 may further have secondary sides similar to the secondary side 14 of Figure 1. If additional secondary sides 14 are present, the above configuration allows for communication of information between the various secondary sides 14, thereby enabling communication of information with the primary side. In the transmitter module 20" and receiver module 40" used in the systems of Figures 19A and 19B, the same full-duplex transmit / receive configuration is possible by using device 800 of Figure 32. The same applies to the systems shown in Figures 20A to 22B and Figures 27A to 28B.

[0082] The information transmitted in the manner described herein may include, but is not limited to, the operating mode of the MPS device 810, the number and type of further devices 810, ambient object sensor information, and load condition monitoring information such as battery charge status, load voltage, and load current. The electronic circuitry of the sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device 800 can be implemented using a variety of device manufacturing techniques, including, but not limited to, a number of discrete devices on a suitable circuit board, or as a hybrid circuit from which the device is manufactured. Different individual segments of semiconductor material can be bonded or mounted on a suitable substrate material as a flip-chip configuration of one or more discrete devices bonded actively face-down onto a silicon-based circuit, or as a single monolithic integrated circuit device. Figure 33 shows a flip-chip arrangement of the bidirectional power transmission circuit device 800 of Figure 32. Device 810 in Figure 32 comprises a multi-terminal power switching (MPS) device 810 that is mounted in a separate semiconductor crystal and then flip-chip mounted via solder bumps on pads 808. The MPS device 810 may be manufactured as a discrete high-power device, for example, a wide-bandgap semiconductor crystal, but is not limited to this. Pads 808 are formed on a silicon wafer 801, which also includes the balance of the subsystem of device 800 in Figure 8. The two pads 806 are for connecting to devices 700 and 900 shown in Figure 32. Pad 802 is for connecting the controller 880 and the communication circuit 890 to external devices and antennas of the device 800. In one particular embodiment, as shown in Figure 18, the electronics of the sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device 800 may be mounted within a single silicon single-crystal wafer 812 together with at least one photocell 814 which functions as a DC source / load 700 in Figure 32. In a further embodiment, further illustrated with reference to Figure 34B, the electronics of a sealed bidirectional power transmission circuit device 800 are mounted within a single silicon single-crystal wafer 812, as described above, with at least one solar cell 814 acting as a DC source / load 700 in Figure 32, and a resonator structure 180', described in relation to Figure 2B and also described in more detail from Figures 2A to 5, acting as an AC load / source 900 on the surface of the silicon single-crystal wafer 812. An antenna 894 for Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and cellular technologies may also be integrated on the same single silicon single-crystal wafer. The antenna 894 is not shown in Figure 34B. As shown in Figures 34A and 34B, a connection 818 connects the resonator 180' to the tuning network 830 of the device 800. The resonator 180' may function as a heat sink or heat radiator for heat generated within the device 800 or heat absorbed by the solar cell 814. For this purpose, the resonator 180' can also utilize air, which acts as both a dielectric and a cooling fluid.

[0083] In other embodiments, the DC load 70'' in Figures 19A and 19B may be replaced by an AC load 70'''' in both cases, as shown in Figures 35A and 35B. The remainder of Systems 10'' and 410 in Figures 35A and 35B may be the same as Systems 10'' and 410 in Figures 19A and 19B. The oscillator 26A'' in Figures 19A and 19B may be set to the frequency and phase required by the AC load 70'' in Figures 19A and 19B. In other embodiments, the transmitter controller 22'' may be programmed to set the oscillator 26A'' to the frequency and phase required by the AC load 70''''. In yet another embodiment of the systems in Figures 35A and 35B, the AC load 70''' may be a power grid configured to supply power to the systems in Figures 35A and 35B. In such a power grid supply configuration, it is important to control the frequency, phase, and voltage levels of the signals supplied to the power grid 70''' involved by the systems in Figures 35A and 35B. For this purpose, information regarding the required frequency, phase, and voltage levels of the power grid can be sent back to the transmitter controller 22'' using the information feedback mechanism already described above. This information may be in digital or analog format. In some embodiments of the wired system in Figure 35B, additional signal lines (not shown to avoid clutter) can be brought from the AC power grid 70'' to the transmitter controller 22'' or directly to the oscillator 26A''. This allows the transmitter module 20'' to directly track the AC load 70'' in terms of frequency and phase, thereby influencing the output signal of the system in Figure 1. Figure 35B shows the constraints required by the power grid 70''. These constraints may include modulation of the output signal of the load management system 46E'' to satisfy the requirements of the power grid 70''. The modulation may include modulation of the output signal of the load management system 46E'' to satisfy the requirements of the power grid 70'', specifically in terms of phase and voltage levels for transmitting power to the power grid 70''. Figure 36 shows one embodiment of the system in Figure 32. The AC load / power supply 900 in Figure 32 is an AC power grid 900'. In this embodiment, as with the systems in Figures 35A and 35B, information regarding the required frequency, phase, and voltage levels of the power grid can be sent back to the controller 880. This allows the controller 880 to adjust the signal via a phase, frequency, and duty cycle adjustment (PFDCA) circuit 820 to meet the power transmission requirements imposed by the power grid 900'. This is done at the control terminal of the MPS device 810. These requirements may include modulation of the output signal of the tuning network 830 to meet the requirements of the power grid 70'''. The modulation may be a frequency equal to the power grid frequency, and a phase and voltage level that powers the power grid 70''''. The system in Figure 36 is inherently bidirectional, but this configuration allows it to function as a means of transmitting power to an AC power grid.

[0084] Now, returning to Figures 20A and 20B, 21A and 21B, and 22A and 22B, each solar cell 420 may be provided with a sensor for determining the operating state of the solar cell 420. The operating state may include, but is not limited to, power level, voltage level, current level, temperature, and other performance parameters. This information regarding the operating state may be transmitted to the receiver module 40” via the transmitter module 20” associated with the solar cell 420. The operating state of the transmitter module 20” may also be sensed and transmitted. Referring to Figures 33 and 34A and 34B, appropriate sensors may also sense the performance parameters of sealed modules. The transmission of load information via the MPS device 810 has already been described. Information regarding the performance parameters of devices 800 and 810 may also be transmitted through the system. Figures 37A and 37B illustrate two configurable bidirectional power transmission systems for transmitting power from a DC power source, according to several embodiments. Figures 37C and 37D show several different embodiments of the configurable bidirectional power transmission system for transmitting power between a DC power source and a variable load. The variable load may be an AC load (in both Figures 37A and 37B), a DC load (Figure 37B), or a load carrying a mixture of AC and DC power (Figure 37B). Figure 37A shows a system 950 for transmitting power between a DC power supply 1028 and an AC load 1070, which is useful for transmitting power from a DC power supply to an AC power grid operating at a typical line frequency of about 50 or about 60 Hz. System 950 can also be configured to transmit power in the opposite direction. Similar to Figures 19A, 19B, 35A, and 35B, system 950 in Figure 37A is based on the controlled function of self-synchronous radio frequency rectifier / amplifiers 1025A and 1025B, which are reconfigurable between amplifier mode and rectifier mode. Devices 1025A and 1025B may be the same as or similar to the self-synchronous radio frequency rectifier / amplifier 26B shown in Figures 6 and 8 and the rectifier 46D shown in Figures 7 and 9. Devices 1025A and 1025B may comprise switch-mode self-synchronous radio frequency rectifier / amplifiers.

[0085] In the first embodiment, a central controller 1080 is used. The controller 1080 may include protection circuits for the system. In other embodiments, a distributed controller may be used for the same purpose. When power is transmitted from the DC power supply / load 1028, devices 1025A and 1025B are placed in amplified mode, and their switching operation is driven by a switching signal provided by an HF switching signal generator 1024. The HF switching signal generator 1024 provides a frequency. The switching signal driving devices 1025A and 1025B controls the switching duty cycle of devices 1025A and 1025B, and the switching patterns of devices 1025A and 1025B have controlled mutual phase and pulse width relationships. In the systems shown in Figures 37A and 37B, the HF switching signal generator 1024 supplies one switching signal to each of devices 1025A and 1025B. In more general systems, as described later with respect to Figures 3...

Claims

1. First and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers configured to extract first and second high-frequency (HF) power signals from a DC power supply at first and second frequencies, respectively, An HF power link system configured to receive and mix the first and second HF power signals to generate a transferred power signal, A power transmission system for transmitting power between a DC power source and a variable load, comprising the HF power link system and a power signal conversion circuit configured to communicate with the variable load, generate an output power signal based at least partially on the transmitted power signal, and supply the output power signal to the variable load.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an HF switching signal generator configured to supply first and second switching signals to the first and second rectifiers / amplifiers at first and second frequencies, respectively, and to establish and control the mutual phase relationship between the first and second switching signals.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the power signal conversion circuit includes a switch-mode rectifier configured to receive the power signal transferred from the HF power link system and rectify the transferred power signal to generate a rectified power signal, and a decompression circuit configured to receive the rectified power signal from the switch-mode rectifier and decompress the rectified power signal to generate an output power signal.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers are configured to operate in rectification mode, and the switch-mode rectifier is configured to operate in always-on mode, thereby extracting power from the variable load and transferring it to a DC power supply via the power signal conversion circuit and the HF power link system.

5. The first frequency and the second frequency are the same frequency. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the first and second switching signals have a relative phase difference that can be adjusted by the HF switching signal generator.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the HF switching signal generator is configured to adjust the relative phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal based on the DC level in the variable load, thereby generating the power transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC signal with adjusted amplitude.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the HF switching signal generator is configured to modulate the mutual phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal at a phase modulation frequency derived at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load, at least in part on a modulation function, and generates a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as an AC power signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein the first and second frequencies differ by only the difference frequency.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the HF switching signal generator is configured to determine the first and second frequencies and set the difference frequency to twice the frequency of the power signal in the variable load.

10. The HF power link system is configured to generate power signals transmitted at differential frequencies, and The power signal conversion circuit is configured to supply an output power signal to the variable load at the frequency of the power signal in the variable load, according to claim 8.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the HF power link system includes a wireless power link.

12. The wireless HF power link system is the system according to claim 11, which includes a bimodal wireless HF power link system.

13. The HF power link system is the system according to claim 1, which includes a wired HF power link.

14. The steps include: extracting corresponding first and second HF power signals from a DC power supply at first and second high-frequency (HF) frequencies via corresponding first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers; In an HF power link system, the steps include receiving and mixing the first and second HF power signals to generate a transferred power signal, In a power signal conversion circuit that communicates with the HF power link system and a variable load, the steps include generating an output power signal based at least partially on the transferred power signal, A method for transmitting power between a DC power supply and a variable load, comprising the step of supplying an output power signal to the variable load.

15. In an HF switching signal generator that communicates with the first and second rectifiers / amplifiers, the steps include generating first and second switching signals at first and second frequencies, respectively, The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of establishing and controlling the mutual phase relationship between the first switching signal and the second switching signal in an HF switching signal generator.

16. In the switch-mode rectifier of the power signal conversion circuit, the steps include receiving and rectifying the power signal transferred from the HF power link system. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of receiving and unfolding a power signal rectified from the switch-mode rectifier in the unfolding circuit of the power signal conversion circuit.

17. The steps of setting the first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers to rectification mode, The steps include setting the switch-mode rectifier to a permanently on mode and The steps of extracting power from the variable load and The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of transferring the extracted power to the DC power supply via the power signal conversion circuit and the HF power link system.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the transfer of the power signal in the HF power link system includes the wireless transfer of the power signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the transfer of the power signal at high frequency in the HF power link system includes the transfer of the power signal bimodally and wirelessly.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the transfer of the power signal in the HF power link system includes the transfer of the power signal via a wired connection.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first and second frequencies of the first and second switching signals are the same frequency, and the first and second switching signals have a relative phase difference that can be adjusted by an HF switching signal generator.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of adjusting the relative phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal based on the DC level of the variable load to generate the power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC signal with correspondingly adjusted amplitude.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of modulating the mutual phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal, at least in part on a modulation function, with a phase modulation frequency derived at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load, to generate a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as an AC power signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load.

24. The steps include determining the first and second frequencies of the corresponding first and second switching signals, The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of setting the difference frequency to be equal to twice the frequency of the power signal in the variable load.

25. The steps include generating a power signal transmitted at the differential frequency from the HF power link system and The method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of supplying an output power signal to the variable load at the frequency of the power signal in the variable load.

26. Each is configured to extract corresponding pairs of first and second HF power signals from one of at least one DC power supplies, and the corresponding pairs of first and second HF power signals include at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers having corresponding pairs of first and second frequencies, An HF power link system configured to receive the first HF power signal and mix it with the corresponding pair of second HF power signals of the first and second HF power signals to generate a transfer power signal, It includes the HF power link system and a power signal conversion circuit that communicates with the variable load, The power signal conversion circuit is configured to generate an output power signal based at least partially on the transferred power signal and to supply the output power signal to the variable load. A power transmission system that transmits power between at least one direct current (DC) power source and a variable load.

27. The system further includes one or more HF switching signal generators configured to output one or more pairs of first and second switching signals, Each of the first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers is configured to receive one corresponding pair of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals, the corresponding pair of first and second switching signals includes a corresponding pair of first and second frequencies, Each of the one or more HF switching signal generators is configured to supply at least one pair of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals to a corresponding pair of at least one pair of first and second self-synchronizing high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, and to establish and control the mutual phase relationship between the first and second switching signals in the corresponding pair of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals. The system according to claim 26.

28. The aforementioned at least one DC power supply includes a single DC power supply, All pairs of at least one pair of the first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers communicate with a single DC power supply. The system according to claim 27, wherein the one or more HF switching signal generators include a single HF switching signal generator.

29. The aforementioned at least one DC power supply includes a plurality of DC power supplies, The first and second pairs of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers include a plurality of pairs of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, each pair communicating with a corresponding one of a plurality of DC power supplies, and The system according to claim 27, wherein the one or more HF switching signal generators include a plurality of HF switching signal generators, each of the plurality of HF switching signal generators is configured to provide one pair of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals to one of a plurality of pairs of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers.

30. All of the first switching signals in one or more pairs of the first and second switching signals have the same frequency. The system according to claim 27, wherein all of the first HF power signals corresponding to one or more pairs of the first and second power signals have the same frequency.

31. The system according to claim 26, wherein the power signal conversion circuit includes a switch-mode rectifier configured to receive the power signal transferred from the HF power link system and rectify the transferred power signal to generate a rectified power signal, and a decompression circuit configured to receive the rectified power signal from the switch-mode rectifier and decompress the rectified power signal to generate an output power signal.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein in each pair of at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, the first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers are configured to operate in rectification mode, and the switch-mode rectifier is configured to operate in always-on mode, thereby extracting power from the variable load to at least one DC power supply via the power signal conversion circuit and the HF power link system.

33. The HF power link system includes a wireless power link system, as described in claim 26.

34. The wireless HF power link system includes a bimodal wireless HF power link system, according to claim 33.

35. The HF power link system includes a wired power link system, as described in claim 26.

36. The system according to claim 27, wherein the first and second frequencies are the same within each pair of first and second frequencies, and the first and second switching signals within each pair of first and second switching signals have a relative phase difference between them that can be adjusted by one or more corresponding HF switching signal generators.

37. The system according to claim 36, wherein at least one of the one or more HF switching signal generators is configured to adjust the relative phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal in at least one corresponding switching signal pair based on the DC voltage level of the variable load, thereby generating a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC signal whose amplitude is adjusted accordingly.

38. The system according to claim 36, wherein all of the one or more HF switching signal generators are configured to modulate the mutual phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal in each switching signal pair at a phase modulation frequency derived from the frequency of the power signal in the variable load, at least in part on a modulation function, thereby generating a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as an AC power signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal in the variable load.

39. The system according to claim 36, wherein all of the one or more HF switching signal generators are configured to modulate, at least partially, the phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal in at least one of the plurality of switching signals with a phase modulation frequency derived from the frequency of the power signal in the variable load, based at least partially on a modulation function, thereby generating a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC power signal having a portion of the signal modulated with the frequency of the power signal in the variable load.

40. The system according to claim 36, wherein all of the first switching signals of one or more pairs of the first and second switching signals have the same phase, and all of the corresponding first HF power signals of the one or more pairs of HF power signals have the same phase.

41. The system according to claim 27, wherein the first and second frequencies in each frequency pair differ by only the difference frequency.

42. The system according to claim 41, wherein each of the one or more HF switching signal generators is configured to determine the first and second frequencies in each pair and to set the difference frequency in each pair to twice the frequency of the power signal of the variable load.

43. The system according to claim 41, wherein the HF power link system is configured to generate a power signal transmitted at a difference frequency, and the power signal conversion circuit is configured to supply an output power signal to the variable load at the frequency of the power signal in the variable load.

44. Steps include: extracting a corresponding pair of first and second high-frequency (HF) power signals from one of at least one DC power supplies using at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, wherein the corresponding pair of first and second high-frequency (HF) power signals have the corresponding pair of first and second frequencies; The steps include receiving the corresponding pair of first and second HF power signals by an HF power link system, In the HF power link system, the steps include: mixing a first HF power signal with the second HF power signal of the corresponding pair of first and second HF power signals to generate a transfer power signal; The steps include generating an output power signal based at least partially on the transferred power signal using the HF power link system and a power signal conversion circuit that communicates with the variable load, Steps to supply the output power signal to the variable load. A method for transmitting power between at least one direct current (DC) power source and a variable load, including the above.

45. The steps include outputting one or more pairs of first and second switching signals from one or more HF switching signal generators, The steps of receiving a corresponding pair of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals by at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, wherein the corresponding pair of first and second switching signals has a corresponding pair of first and second frequencies, The steps of supplying at least one pair of first and second HF switching signals from each of one or more pairs of HF switching signal generators to at least one pair of corresponding first and second self-synchronizing signal high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, The step of establishing and controlling the mutual phase relationship between the first and second switching signals in corresponding pairs of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals using one or more HF switching signal generators. The method according to claim 44, further comprising:

46. The aforementioned at least one DC power supply includes a single DC power supply, The at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers includes a plurality of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, all of which communicate with a single DC power supply. The method according to claim 45, wherein the one or more HF switching signal generators include a single HF switching signal generator.

47. The method according to claim 45, wherein the at least one DC power supply comprises a plurality of DC power supplies, the at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers comprises a plurality of pairs of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers, each pair of the plurality of self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers communicates with a corresponding one of the plurality of DC power supplies, and the one or more HF switching signal generators comprises a plurality of HF switching signal generators, each of the plurality of HF switching signal generators is configured to provide one pair of one or more pairs of first and second switching signals to a corresponding pair of the plurality of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers.

48. The method according to claim 45, wherein all of the first switching signals of a plurality of pairs of first and second switching signals have the same frequency, and all of the corresponding first HF power signals of a plurality of pairs of first and second HF powers have the same frequency.

49. The power signal conversion circuit's switch-mode rectifier receives and rectifies a transfer power signal to an HF power link system, at least partially. In the unfolding circuit of a power signal conversion circuit, the step of receiving the rectified power signal from a switch-mode rectifier, unfolding it, and generating an output power signal is The method according to claim 44, further comprising:

50. The steps of setting at least one pair of first and second self-synchronous high-frequency rectifiers / amplifiers to rectification mode, The steps include setting the switch-mode rectifier to always-on mode, The steps of extracting power from the variable load and The step of transmitting the extracted power to at least one DC power supply via a power signal conversion circuit and an HF power link system is The method according to claim 49, further comprising:

51. The method according to claim 45, wherein the first and second frequencies within each pair of first and second frequencies are the same, and the first and second switching signals within each pair of first and second switching signals have a relative phase difference between them that can be adjusted by one or more corresponding HF switching signal generators.

52. At least one of the one or more HF switching signal generators further includes the step of adjusting the relative phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal in at least one corresponding switching signal pair, at least in part, based on the DC voltage level of the variable load, to generate a power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as a DC signal whose amplitude is adjusted accordingly. The method according to claim 51, wherein the mutual phase difference is adjusted by at least one of the HF switching signal generators.

53. The method further includes the step of modulating the mutual phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal within each pair of switching signals, at least in part, based on a modulation function, with a phase modulation frequency derived at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load, thereby generating the power signal transmitted from the HF power link system as an AC power signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load. The method according to claim 51, wherein the mutual phase difference is adjusted by all of one or more of the HF switching signal generators.

54. The method further includes the step of modulating the phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal in at least one of a plurality of pairs of switching signals, based at least in part on a modulation function, with a phase modulation frequency derived at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load, thereby generating a DC power signal having a portion of the signal modulated at the frequency of the power signal of the variable load transmitted from the HF power link system. The method according to claim 51, wherein the mutual phase difference is adjusted by at least one of the HF switching signal generators.

55. The method according to claim 51, wherein all of the first switching signals of the plurality of pairs of first and second switching signals have the same phase, and all of the corresponding first power signals of the plurality of pairs of HF power signals have the same phase.

56. The method according to claim 45, wherein the first and second frequencies in each pair of first and second frequencies differ by only a difference frequency.

57. The steps include determining the first and second frequencies in each pair of corresponding first and second switching signals, and The step of setting the difference frequency for each pair to twice the frequency of the power signal of the variable load. The method according to claim 56, further comprising:

58. The steps include generating a power signal transmitted at the differential frequency from the HF power link system, The step of supplying an output power signal to the variable load at the frequency of the power signal within the variable load. The method according to claim 56, further comprising:

59. The method according to claim 44, wherein the transfer of the power signal in the HF power link system includes the wireless transfer of the power signal.

60. The method according to claim 59, wherein wirelessly transferring the power signal in the HF power link system includes wirelessly transferring the power signal bimodally.

61. The method according to claim 44, wherein the transfer of the power signal in the HF power link system includes the transfer of the power signal via a wired connection.

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