Dynamically Reconfigurable Adaptive Wireless Energy Transfer and Harvesting

电力传输的原理最早是由赫兹和特斯拉提出的。如今，无线电源传输（WPT）技术可以切断最后一根电源线，让用户能够以真正的空间自由度为设备充电，就像通过空气传输数据一样简单。随着无线设备（即笔记本电脑、智能手机和可穿戴设备）使用的爆炸式增长，实时获取电力的需求不再是奢侈品，而是必需品，并推动了对WPT技术的需求。这个跨学科的研究项目旨在通过实时提供电力和其他方式无法访问的区域来解决自适应WPT和能量收集的需求。感应谐振和远程RF无线功率传输以及新一代集成自适应RF功率采集器都将得到解决。这是第一次，两种相互竞争的功率传输/收集技术，中程感应和远程RF，将被结合起来，形成一个可重新配置和自适应的WPT系统。使用有源超材料和可重新配置的磁集中器将通过抵消范围和位置变化时磁场强度和RF功率的损失来优化功率传输效率（PTE）。此外，所提出的新型功率采集器将具有感应和RF功率接收能力，具有双功能谐振线圈/低增益天线阵列以形成感应波束成形以及基于超材料的RF能量集中器和超级透镜。中频感应谐振WPT的应用包括下一代零排放电动汽车（EV）技术、心脏起搏器等医疗植入物、非侵入性手术设备、电动工具、笔记本电脑、智能手机、无人机等。远程RF WPT真正承诺通过无电池、自供电的无线传感器网络将空间自由度释放到5米到100米的范围内，应用可能包括物联网（IoT）、MMID和RFID、智能家居、实时定位系统（RTLS）、无人机、航空航天和空间应用。最后，电力采集器在智能家居、联网车辆、物联网、医疗传感器、遥测等领域得到应用。

The principle of power transmission was first introduced by Hertz and Tesla. Today, Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology offers to cut the last cord and allow users to charge devices with true spatial freedom and as easily as data is transmitted through the air. With the explosion in the use of wireless devices, i.e. laptops, smartphones and wearables, the need for accessing power in real-time is no longer a luxury but rather a necessity and is fueling the need for WPT technology. This interdisciplinary research program seeks to address the need for adaptive WPT and energy harvesting by providing power on-the-go in real-time and to areas where it would be otherwise inaccessible. Both inductive resonant and long-range RF wireless power transfer will be addressed as well as a new generation of integrated adaptive RF power harvesters. For the first time, two competing power transmission/harvesting technologies, mid-range inductive and long range RF, will be combined to form a single reconfigurable and adaptive WPT system. The use of active metamaterials and reconfigurable magnetic concentrators will optimize Power Transmission Efficiency (PTE) by offsetting losses in magnetic field strength and RF power as range and location vary. In addition, the proposed novel power harvesters will feature both inductive and RF power reception capabilities with dual function resonant coil/low-gain antenna arrays to form inductive beamforming as well as metamaterial based RF energy concentrators and superlenses. Applications for mid-range inductive resonant WPT include next-generation zero-emission electric vehicle (EV) technology, medical implants such as pacemakers, non-invasive surgical devices, power tools, laptops, smartphones, UAVs and more. Long-range RF WPT truly promises to unlock spatial freedom to ranges from 5 meters to 100 meters with battery-less, self-powered wireless sensor networks and applications potentially include the Internet of Things (IoT), MMIDs and RFIDs, smart homes, Real-Time Localization Systems (RTLS), UAVs, aerospace and space applications where power is unavailable. Finally, power harvesters find applications in smart homes, connected vehicles, IoTs, medical sensors, telemetry and much more.