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top: This sentence implies (to nontechnical readers) that the same wireless power receiver that charges a cellphone can also receive power from earth way up in a spacecraft. Not clear to nontech readers that this refers to different devices
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[[File:Wireless power system.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|Generic block diagram of a wireless power system]]
[[File:Wireless power system.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|Generic block diagram of a wireless power system]]


"Wireless power transmission" is a collective term that refers to a number of different technologies for transmitting power by means of time-varying [[electromagnetic field]]s.<ref name="Shinohara1" /><ref name="Sun" /> The technologies, listed in the table below, differ in the distance over which they can transmit power efficiently, and in the type of electromagnetic energy they use: time varying [[electric field]]s, [[magnetic field]]s, [[radio wave]]s, [[microwave]]s, or [[infrared]] or visible [[light wave]]s.<ref name="Sun" />
"Wireless power transfer" is a collective term that refers to a number of different technologies for the transmission of electrical energy.<ref name="Shinohara1" /><ref name="Sun" /> The technologies are listed in the table below. They differ widely in the distance over which they can transmit power efficiently and in the type of field energy they use: a time-varying [[magnetic field]], a time-varying [[electric field]], a rotating magnetic field, a [[Surface plasmon|bound-mode EM surface wave]], or electromagnetic radiation in the form of [[radio wave]]s, [[microwave]]s, [[infrared|infrared radiation]] or visible [[light wave|light]].<ref name="Sun" />


In general a wireless power system consists of a "transmitter" device connected to a source of power such as [[mains power]] lines, which converts the power to a time-varying electromagnetic field, and one or more "receiver" devices which receive the power and convert it back to DC or AC electric power which is consumed by a load.<ref name="Shinohara1" /><ref name="Sun" /> In the transmitter the input power is converted to an oscillating [[electromagnetic field]] by some type of "[[antenna (radio)|antenna]]" device. The word "antenna" is used loosely here; it may be a coil of wire which generates a [[magnetic field]], a metal plate which generates an [[electric field]], an [[antenna (radio)|antenna]] which radiates radio waves, or a [[laser]] which generates light. A similar antenna or coupling device in the receiver converts the oscillating fields to an electric current. An important parameter which determines the type of waves is the [[frequency]] '''''f''''' in [[hertz (unit)|hertz]] of the oscillations. The frequency determines the [[wavelength]] '''λ'''&nbsp;=&nbsp;'''''c/f''''' of the waves which carry the energy across the gap, where '''''c''''' is the [[velocity of light]].
A typical wireless power system consists of a source of electrical energy, such as an [[Mains power|AC power]] system, connected to a "transmitter" that converts the power to electrical field energy and one or more "receivers" that interact with the transmitted field energy and convert it back to electrical power that is consumed by an electrical load.<ref name="Shinohara1" /><ref name="Sun" /> On the transmitter side the input power is processed and then converted to field energy by an [[interface]] component, which may be a coil of wire that produces a [[magnetic field]], terminal electrodes that produce an [[electric field]], a [[permanent magnet]] that produces a magnetic field, an [[antenna (radio)|antenna]] that radiates radio waves, or a [[laser]] that emits light. A similar or complimentary interface component on the receiver side converts the field energy back to electrical power.


An important parameter that determines the type of wave is the [[frequency]] '''''f''''' in [[hertz (unit)|hertz]] of the oscillations. The frequency determines the [[wavelength]] '''λ'''&nbsp;=&nbsp;'''''c/f''''' of the waves which carry the energy across the gap, where '''''c''''' is the [[velocity of light]]. Two additional parameters instrumental in determining the type of wave are the time-variation of the wave (given by its angular frequency ω) and the spatial variation of the wave (given by its wave vector kx). Purely transverse [[Electromagnetic radiation|electromagnetic space wave]]s, with synchronized electric and magnetic fields perpendicular to the direction of propagation, can only exist for ω > ωp (the plasma frequency). ωp is the resonant frequency of free electrons in the conductor or conductors in response to an electrical excitation. For ω < ωp, the wave-vector becomes [[imaginary number|imaginary]], giving an exponentially decaying surface wave instead of a propagating space wave. The field intensity of the surface wave is at a maximum at the earth-atmosphere interface and exponentially decays away from the surface. Both of these electromagnetic waves can be mathematically described by solving Maxwell's equations at a metal-dielectric interface.<ref name="Corum_1987_AI">Corum, K. L., J. F. Corum, J. F. X. Daum, “Spherical Transmission Lines and Global Propagation, An Analysis of Tesla's Experimentally Determined Propagation Model," p. 24, Appendix I. "Plasmons, Longitudinal Waves, and the World as an Electron Gas," 1987.</ref><ref>White, Justin, [http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2007/ap272/white1/ ‘‘Surface Plasmon Polaritons’’], March 19, 2007 (Submitted as coursework for AP272, Stanford University, Winter 2007).</ref><ref>Polman, Albert, “Surface plasmon polaritons,“Nanophotonics lecture series, Class 2, Utrecht University, 2010-2011.</ref><ref>Greffet, Jean-Jacques, "Introduction to Surface Plasmon Theory," Institut d’Optique Graduate School, ca. 2009.</ref>
Wireless power uses much of the same fields and waves as [[wireless communication]] devices like [[radio]],<ref name="Shinohara2" >[https://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP27 Shinohara 2014 ''Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves'', p. 27]</ref><ref name="Sazonov" /> another familiar technology which involves power transmitted without wires by electromagnetic fields, used in [[cellphone]]s, [[radio broadcasting|radio]] and [[television broadcasting]], and [[WiFi]]. In [[radio communication]] the goal is the transmission of information, so the amount of power reaching the receiver is unimportant as long as it is enough that the [[signal to noise ratio]] is high enough that the information can be received intelligibly.<ref name="Shinohara2" /><ref name="Sazonov" /> In wireless communication technologies generally only tiny amounts of power reach the receiver. By contrast, in wireless power, the amount of power received is the important thing, so the [[efficiency]] (fraction of transmitted power that is received) is the more significant parameter. For this reason wireless power technologies are more limited by distance than wireless communication technologies.


Radiative wireless power systems use the same propagation mode as [[wireless communication]] systems, like [[radio broadcasting|radio]] and [[television broadcasting|television]] broadcasting, [[cellphone|cellular telephone]] systems, and [[WiFi]]; everyday technologies that involve the transmission of electrical energy without wires by means of electromagnetic radiation.<ref name="Shinohara2" >[https://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP27 Shinohara 2014 ''Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves'', p. 27]</ref><ref name="Sazonov" /> In the case of wireless [[telecommunication]]s the goal is the transmission of information, and the amount of power reaching the receiver is not so important, as long as the [[signal to noise ratio]] is high enough that the data can be received intelligibly.<ref name="Shinohara2" /><ref name="Sazonov" /> With ''most'' present day wireless telecommunications technologies, only a small amount of the transmitted energy reaches the receiver. By contrast, in wireless power the amount of energy received is of greater significance, so the [[efficiency]] (percentage of transmitted energy that is received) is the more important parameter. A large portion of the energy sent out by the transmitter must arrive at the receiver or receivers to make the system economical. For this reason a wireless power technology ''may'' be limited by distance more than wireless telecommunication technologies.
These are the different wireless power technologies:<ref name="Valtchev" /><ref name="Ashley">{{cite web

| last = Ashley
These are the different wireless power technologies:<ref name="Valtchev" /><ref name="Ashley">{{cite web | last = Ashley | first = Steven | title = Wireless recharging: Pulling the plug on electric cars | work = BBC website | publisher = [http://www.bbc.com/ British Broadcasting Corp.] | date = November 20, 2012 | url = http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121120-pulling-the-plug-on-electric-cars | format = | doi = | accessdate = December 10, 2014}}</ref>><ref name="Shinohara1" /><ref name="Sun" /><ref name="Tomar" />
| first = Steven
| title = Wireless recharging: Pulling the plug on electric cars
| work = BBC website
| publisher = [http://www.bbc.com/ British Broadcasting Corp.]
| date = November 20, 2012
| url = http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121120-pulling-the-plug-on-electric-cars
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = December 10, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Sun" /><ref name="Shinohara1" /><ref name="Sun" /><ref name="Tomar" />


{| style="background:#f5f5f5;" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
{| style="background:#f5f5f5;" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
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! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Technology
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Technology
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Range<ref>"short", "medium", and "long range" are defined below</ref>
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Range<ref>"short", "medium", and "long range" are defined below</ref>
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | [[Directivity]]<ref name="Sun" />
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | [[Directivity]]
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Frequency
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Frequency
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Antenna devices
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Antenna devices
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Current and or possible future applications
! scope="col" style="background:#d8d8d8;" | Current and or possible future applications
|-
|-
| Inductive coupling || Short || Low || Hz - MHz || Wire coils || Electric tooth brush and razor battery charging, induction stovetops and industrial heaters.
| Inductive coupling || Short || ~1.76 dBi || Hz - MHz || Wire coils || Electric tooth brush and razor battery charging, induction stovetops and industrial heaters.
|-
|-
| Resonant inductive coupling || Mid- || Low || MHz - GHz || Tuned wire coils, lumped element resonators || Charging portable devices ([[Qi (wireless power standard)|Qi]], [[WiTricity]]), biomedical implants, electric vehicles, powering busses, trains, MAGLEV, [[RFID]], [[smartcard]]s.
| Resonant inductive coupling || Mid- || ~1.76 dBi || MHz - GHz || Tuned wire coils, lumped element resonators || Charging portable devices ([[Qi (wireless power standard)|Qi]], [[WiTricity]]), biomedical implants, electric vehicles, powering busses, trains, MAGLEV, [[RFID]], [[smartcard]]s.
|-
|-
| Capacitive coupling || Short || Low || kHz - MHz || Terminal electrodes || Charging portable devices, power routing in large scale integrated circuits, Smartcards.
| Capacitive coupling || Short || ~1.76 dBi || kHz - MHz || Terminal electrodes || Charging portable devices, power routing in large scale integrated circuits, Smartcards.
|-
|-
| Magnetodynamic<ref name="Ashley" /> || Short || N.A. || Hz || Rotating magnets || Charging electric vehicles.
| Magnetodynamic<ref name="Ashley" /> || Short || N.A. || Hz || Rotating magnets || Charging electric vehicles.
|-
|-
| Bound-mode EM surface wave<ref name="Leyh-Kennan">{{cite conference | first1 = G. E. | last1 = Leyh | first2 = M. D. | last2 = Kennan | title = Efficient wireless transmission of power using resonators with coupled electric fields | conference = NAPS 2008 40th North American Power Symposium, Calgary, September 28-30 2008 | pages = 1-4 | publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers | date = September 28, 2008 | location = | url = http://lod.org/misc/Leyh/Papers/NAPS2008Final.pdf | doi = 0.1109/NAPS.2008.5307364 | id = | isbn = 978-1-4244-4283-6 | accessdate = November 20, 2014}}</ref> || Medium || ~1 dBi || kHz || Distributed element resonators || High signal-to-noise ratio wireless [[telecommunications]], [[energy harvesting]].
| Microwaves || Long || High || GHz || Parabolic dishes, [[phased array]]s, [[rectenna]]s || [[Solar power satellite]], powering drone aircraft.
|-
| Microwave || Long || ~50 dBi || GHz || Parabolic dishes, [[phased array]]s, [[rectenna]]s || [[Solar power satellite]], powering drone aircraft.
|-
|-
| Light waves || Long || High || ≥THz || Lasers, photocells, lenses, telescopes || Powering drone aircraft, powering space elevator climbers.
| Light wave || Long || Collimated || ≥THz || Lasers, photocells, lenses, telescopes || Powering drone aircraft, powering space elevator climbers.
|}
|}


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| accessdate = January 4, 2015}}</ref> Practical ''beam power'' devices require wavelengths in the centimeter region or below, corresponding to frequencies above 1 GHz, in the [[microwave]] range or above.<ref name="Shinohara1" />
| accessdate = January 4, 2015}}</ref> Practical ''beam power'' devices require wavelengths in the centimeter region or below, corresponding to frequencies above 1 GHz, in the [[microwave]] range or above.<ref name="Shinohara1" />


==Near-field or non-radiative techniques==
==Non-radiative techniques==
{{Main|Coupling (electronics)}}
{{Main|Coupling (electronics)}}


===Electromagnetic induction===
The near-field components of electric and magnetic fields die out quickly beyond a distance of about one diameter of the antenna ('''''D''<sub>ant</sub>'''). Outside this distance the field strength and coupling is roughly proportional to ('''''D''<sub>range</sub>'''/'''''D''<sub>ant</sub>''')<sup>−3</sup>.<ref name="Agbinya1" /> Since power is proportional to the square of the field strength, the power transferred decreases with the sixth power of the distance ('''''D''<sub>range</sub>'''/'''''D''<sub>ant</sub>''')<sup>−6</sup>.<ref name="Sazonov" /><ref name="Agbinya2">{{cite journal
There are two forms of energy transfer by [[Classical electromagnetism|electromagnetic induction]]. These are magnetic inductive coupling and capacitive inductive coupling. Magnetic coupling is further classified as inductive coupling and resonant inductive coupling.
| last1 = Agbinya
| first1 = Johnson I.
| title = Investigation of near field inductive communication system models, channels, and experiments
| journal = Progress In Electromagnetics Research B
| volume = 49
| issue =
| pages = 130
| publisher = EMW Publishing
| location =
| date = February 2013
| url = http://www.jpier.org/PIERB/pierb49/06.12120512.pdf
| issn =
| doi =
| id =
| accessdate = January 2, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Schantz" /><ref name="Bolic">{{cite book
| last1 = Bolic
| first1 = Miodrag
| last2 = Simplot-Ryl
| first2 = David
| last3 = Stojmenovic
| first3 = Ivan
| title = RFID Systems: Research Trends and Challenges
| publisher = John Wiley & Sons
| date = 2010
| location =
| pages = 29
| language =
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VansInOpixEC&pg=PA29
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0470975660
}}</ref> or 60 dB per decade. In other words, doubling the distance between transmitter and receiver causes the power received to decrease by a factor of 2<sup>6</sup> = 64.


===Inductive coupling===
====Magnetic Inductive coupling====
{{Main|Inductive coupling|Resonant inductive coupling}}
{{Main|Inductive coupling|Electrodynamic induction|Resonant inductive coupling}}
[[File:Wireless power system - inductive coupling.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Generic block diagram of an wireless power system that works by inductive coupling. ]]


[[File:Wireless power system - inductive coupling.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Simplified diagram of a wireless power system that works by magnetic inductive coupling. ]]
The [[electrodynamic induction]] wireless transmission technique relies on the use of a magnetic field generated by an electric current to induce a current in a second conductor. This effect occurs in the electromagnetic [[Near and far field|near field]], with the secondary in close proximity to the primary. As the distance from the primary is increased, more and more of the primary's magnetic field misses the secondary. Even over a relatively short range the inductive coupling is grossly inefficient, wasting much of the transmitted energy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ecoupled.com/pdf/eCoupled_Understanding_Wireless_Power.pdf |title=Understanding Wireless Power |author=Dave Baarman and Joshua Schwannecke |date=2009-12-00}}</ref>


=====Inductive coupling=====
This action of an electrical [[transformer]] is the simplest form of wireless power transmission. The [[primary coil]] and [[secondary coil]] of a transformer are not directly connected; each coil is part of a separate circuit. Energy transfer takes place through a process known as [[mutual induction]]. Principal functions are stepping the primary voltage either up or down and electrical isolation. Mobile phone and [[electric toothbrush]] [[battery charger]]s, are examples of how this principle is used. [[Induction cooker]]s use this method. The main drawback to this basic form of wireless transmission is short range. The receiver must be directly adjacent to the transmitter or induction unit in order to efficiently couple with it.
The [[inductive coupling|direct inductive coupling]] technique relies on the use of a magnetic field produced by an electric current in a wire coil, called the primary, to induce a current in a second coil in close proximity, called the secondary. This action of an electrical [[transformer]] is the simplest form of wireless power transmission. The [[primary coil]] and [[secondary coil]] of a transformer are not directly connected; each coil is part of a separate circuit. Energy transfer takes place through a process known as [[mutual induction]]. The principal functions are stepping the primary voltage either up or down and electrical isolation. As the spacing between the primary and secondary is increased, more and more of the primary's magnetic field misses the secondary. Even over a relatively short distance, direct inductive coupling is grossly inefficient, wasting much of the transmitted energy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ecoupled.com/pdf/eCoupled_Understanding_Wireless_Power.pdf | title=Understanding Wireless Power | author=Dave Baarman and Joshua Schwannecke | date=2009-12-00}}</ref> The main drawback to this basic form of wireless transmission is its extremely short range. The receiver coil must be concentric with or ''directly'' adjacent to the transmitter coil or induction unit in order to efficiently couple with it. Applications of the induction technique includes [[electric toothbrush]] and [[electric razor]] chargers, [[Induction cooker|induction stove tops]] and industrial [[induction heater]]s.


=====Resonant inductive coupling=====
Common uses of resonance-enhanced electrodynamic induction<ref>{{cite paper|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6711078 |title=A New Resonator for High Efficiency Wireless Power Transfer |work=Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium (APSURSI), 2013 IEEE}}</ref> are charging the batteries of portable devices such as laptop computers and cell phones, [[Implant (medicine)|medical implants]] and [[electric car|electric vehicles]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13174387 |title=Wireless charging, Adaptor die, Mar 5th 2009 |work=The Economist |date=7 November 2008 |accessdate=4 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/09/ces-wireless-power-tech-sciences-cx_tb_0109power.html |title=Wireless technologies are starting to power devices, 01.09.09, 06:25&nbsp;pm EST |work=Forbes |date= 9 January 2009|accessdate=4 June 2009 |first=Taylor |last=Buley}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cmp/eetimes_altenergy_20100621/ |title=Alternative Energy, From the unsustainable...to the unlimited |publisher=EETimes.com| date= 21 June 2010}}</ref> A localized charging technique<ref>Patent Application PCT/CN2008/0728855</ref> selects the appropriate transmitting coil in a multilayer winding array structure.<ref>Patent US7164255</ref> Resonance is used in both the wireless charging pad (the transmitter circuit) and the receiver module (embedded in the load) to maximize energy transfer efficiency. Battery-powered devices fitted with a special receiver module can then be charged simply by placing them on a wireless charging pad. It has been adopted as part of the [[Qi (inductive power standard)|Qi wireless charging standard]].
The [[resonant inductive coupling]] or [[electrodynamic induction]] technique also relies on the use of a magnetic field produced by an electric current in a primary coil to induce a current in a secondary coil. When resonant coupling is used, both the transmitter and receiver coils are tuned to a common resonant frequency by the addition of parallel [[capacitor]]s, forming a pair of LC circuits. The application of resonance increases the transmission range. Performance can be further improved by modifying the drive current from a sinusoidal to a non-sinusoidal transient waveform.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=Q_ltAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Elementary+Lectures+on+Electric+Discharges,+Waves,+and+Impulses%22&printsec=frontcover |title=Steinmetz, Dr. Charles Proteus, Elementary Lectures on Electric Discharges, Waves, and Impulses, and Other Transients, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1914 |publisher=Google Books |date=29 August 2008 |accessdate=4 June 2009|author1=Steinmetz, Charles Proteus}}</ref> In this way significant power can be transmitted between two mutually-attuned LC circuits having a relatively low [[coefficient of coupling]].


A common use of this technique<ref>{{cite paper|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6711078 |title=A New Resonator for High Efficiency Wireless Power Transfer |work=Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium (APSURSI), 2013 IEEE}}</ref> is the charging of battery powered mobile or handheld devices, such as [[digital music player]]s, [[cellphone|smart phone]]s, tablets, and laptop computers without being tethered to an [[AC adapter|plug-in AC/DC adapter]] battery charger.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13174387 |title=Wireless charging, Adaptor die, Mar 5th 2009 |work=The Economist |date=7 November 2008 |accessdate=4 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/09/ces-wireless-power-tech-sciences-cx_tb_0109power.html |title=Wireless technologies are starting to power devices, 01.09.09, 06:25& pm EST |work=Forbes |date= 9 January 2009|accessdate=4 June 2009 |first=Taylor |last=Buley}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cmp/eetimes_altenergy_20100621/ |title=Alternative Energy, From the unsustainable...to the unlimited |publisher=EETimes.com| date= 21 June 2010}}</ref> A localized charging technique<ref>Patent Application PCT/CN2008/0728855</ref> selects the appropriate transmitting coil in a multilayer winding array structure.<ref>Patent US7164255</ref> Resonance is used in both the wireless charging pad (the transmitter circuit) and the receiver module (embedded in the load) to maximize energy transfer efficiency. Battery-powered devices fitted with a special receiver module can then be charged simply by placing them on a wireless charging pad. Resonant inductive coupling has been adopted as part of the [[Qi (inductive power standard)|Qi wireless charging standard]]. Some additional applications are [[RFID]] tag and reader systems, [[smartcard]] and scanner systems, charging systems for [[Implant (medicine)|implantable]] battery-powered medical devices like [[cardiac pacemaker]]s, the stationary charging of battery-powered [[electric vehicles]] such as [[electric car]]s, and the powering of trains and rail cars.<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129534.900-wireless-charging-for-electric-vehicles-hits-the-road.html New Scientist:Wireless charging for electric vehicles hits the road]</ref><ref name="Valtchev" /> This technology is also used for powering passive devices with very low energy requirements, such as RFID tags and [[contactless smartcard]]s. Instead of relying on each of many thousands or millions of RFID tags or smartcards to contain a working battery, the method can provide power as needed, as the device is being scanned.
This technology is also used for powering devices with very low energy requirements, such as RFID patches and [[contactless smartcard]]s. Instead of relying on each of the many thousands or millions of RFID patches or smartcards to contain a working battery, electrodynamic induction can provide power only when the devices are needed.


===Capacitive coupling===
====Capacitive coupling====
{{Main|Capacitive coupling}}
{{Main|Capacitive coupling}}


[[Electrostatic induction]] or [[capacitive coupling]] is the passage of electrical energy through a [[dielectric]]. Capacitors involve electron transfer between two conductive plates via a dielectric, such as air or a polymer, that is normally not a good conductor. A high-voltage, high-frequency [[alternating current]] can pass through air even if the plates are large and separated by a distance sufficient to place a third object between the two plates. Thus, a [[gas discharge tube]] or [[fluorescent tube]] held in the air space between two charged plates can be illuminated because some of the electrons flowing through the dielectric will flow into the tube.
[[Electrostatic induction]] or [[capacitive coupling]] is the passage of electric field energy through a [[dielectric]]. The action of a capacitor involves the transfer of energy between two conductive plates through a [[dielectric]] by means of an [[electric field]]. If a time-varying voltage is applied across the leads of a capacitor, a [[displacement current]] can flow. When a high-voltage, high-frequency [[alternating current]] is applied to two metal plates separated by a distance, a [[cold cathode]] [[gas discharge tube|gas discharge]] or [[fluorescent tube|fluorescent]] tube positioned in proximity of the two charged surfaces can be illuminated because the [[Electric field|electrostatic field]] energy ionizes the gas in the tube creating [[plasma]]. One low power application of this technology is energy transfer between substrate layers on large-scale integrated circuit devices.


===Magnetodynamic coupling===
===Magnetodynamic coupling===
Any [[Magnet|permanent magnet]] which is exposed to an external [[magnetic field]] will be subject to a [[Force between magnets|force]] which, as well as moving the permanent magnet, acts to align the magnetic field in the permanent magnet with the field of the external force. This is described by the equation for force on a [[dipole]] as [[magnetic torque]]. If the allowed motion of the permanent magnet is restricted, such as a magnet restricted to motion along an axis and magnetized along that axis, then a degree of motion and rotation will be allowed within limits. If the external magnetic field is time-varying then the permanent magnet will move within its allowed range of motion. In the example of a magnet restricted to a single axis, producing an alternating magnetic field along this axis will cause the permanent magnet to travel backward and forward on the axis. If a coil is placed near this permanent magnet, the change in [[magnetic flux]] will induce an [[electromotive force]] in the coil according to [[Faraday's law of induction]], to which a load may be connected in order to cause current flow, using the same principle as an [[alternator]]. The external field in a magnetically-coupled system may also be the field produced by a permanent magnet. Here the field produced by this magnet is approximated as a [[magnetic dipole]] with some [[magnetization]], m, aligned in a given direction. For the second magnet which is allowed to move freely, there will be a force of attraction and a force acting to rotate the magnet.
Any [[Magnet|permanent magnet]] that is exposed to an external [[magnetic field]] will be subject to a [[Force between magnets|force]] which, as well as moving the permanent magnet, acts to align the magnetic field in the permanent magnet with the field of the external force. This is described by the equation for force on a [[dipole]] as [[magnetic torque]]. If the allowed motion of the permanent magnet is restricted, such as a magnet restricted to motion along an axis and magnetized along that axis, then a degree of motion and rotation will be allowed within limits. If the external magnetic field is time-varying then the permanent magnet will move within its allowed range of motion. In the example of a magnet restricted to a single axis, producing an alternating magnetic field along this axis will cause the permanent magnet to travel backward and forward on the axis. If a coil is placed near this permanent magnet, the change in [[magnetic flux]] will induce an [[electromotive force]] in the coil according to [[Faraday's law of induction]], to which a load may be connected in order to cause current flow, using the same principle as an [[alternator]]. The external field in a magnetically-coupled system may also be the field produced by a permanent magnet. Here the field produced by this magnet is approximated as a [[magnetic dipole]] with some [[magnetization]], m, aligned in a given direction. For the second magnet, which is allowed to move freely, there will be a force of attraction and a force acting to rotate the magnet.


In the case of two magnets which are restricted to rotate around parallel axes, when the first magnet is rotated a [[torque]] will be produced on the second magnet causing it to align with the first magnet. This can be described similarly to a system of [[gears]], where the magnets are essentially two meshed gears with a 1:1 ratio. As the first magnet continues to rotate, the second magnet will also rotate synchronously. In this kind of a system, the power used to rotate the first magnet can be extracted as electrical energy through the coils surrounding the second magnet. The amount of power transferred across the gap between magnets is a function of the torque, which is a function of [[magnetic moment]], and the rotating frequency of the magnets. In this way, electrical power may be transferred across an air gap at high efficiency, equivalent to or greater than that of a resonant inductively coupled system, and has been demonstrated previously at the kW scale over short distances <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121120-pulling-the-plug-on-electric-cars |title=Wireless recharging: Pulling the plug on electric cars |publisher=bbc.co.uk |date=20 Nov 2012 |accessdate=17 Nov 2014}}</ref>
In the case of two magnets which are restricted to rotate around parallel axes, when the first magnet is rotated a [[torque]] will be produced on the second magnet causing it to align with the first magnet. This can be described similarly to a system of [[gears]], where the magnets are essentially two meshed gears with a 1:1 ratio. As the first magnet continues to rotate, the second magnet will also rotate synchronously. In this kind of a system, the power used to rotate the first magnet can be extracted as electrical energy through the coils surrounding the second magnet. The amount of power transferred across the gap between magnets is a function of the torque, which is a function of [[magnetic moment]], and the rotating frequency of the magnets. In this way, electrical power may be transferred across an air gap at high efficiency, equivalent to or greater than that of a resonant inductively coupled system, and has been demonstrated previously at the kW scale over short distances <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121120-pulling-the-plug-on-electric-cars |title=Wireless recharging: Pulling the plug on electric cars |publisher=bbc.co.uk |date=20 Nov 2012 |accessdate=17 Nov 2014}}</ref>

===Bound-mode EM surface wave===
{{See also|World Wireless System}}
The wireless transmission of electrical energy is by a [[Surface wave|bound-mode EM surface wave]] between [[electrode|ground terminal electrode]]s with an [[Ampère's circuital law|equivalent time-varying electrical displacement]] associated with paired air terminal electrodes. This technique depends upon the electrical conductivity of Earth, that is to say, the spherical conducting terrestrial transmission line.<ref name="Corum_1996-1">Corum, K. L. and J. F. Corum, "Nikola Tesla and the Diameter of the Earth: A Discussion of One of the Many Modes of Operation of the Wardenclyffe Tower," 1996.</ref> Energy transmission is achieved by charging and discharging the air terminal electrode of a grounded resonance transformer [[Helical resonator|electrical oscillator]] transmitter, generating an alternating electric field. This electric field energy can couple with the air terminal electrode of a similarly designed grounded resonance transformer electrical energy receiver tuned to the same frequency. Electrical energy is transferred between the transmitter and receiver by electrical conduction between the ground terminal electrodes when this coupling is established.<ref>Wei, Xuezhe; Wang, Zhenshi; Dai, Haifeng. 2014. [http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/7/7/4316 "A Critical Review of Wireless Power Transfer via Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonances."] Energies 7, no. 7: 4316-4341.{{quote| ''A high-frequency and high-voltage driver source excites the resonant transmitter to generate an alternating electric field which can couple with the resonant receiver. Energy will be delivered as soon as this coupling relation is set up.''}}</ref> This form of wireless transmission, in which alternating current electricity passes through the earth with an equivalent electrical displacement through the air above it, was demonstrated in 2008 over distances up to 12 meters,<ref name="Leyh-Kennan" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080417025118/http://www.naps2008.net/ 2008 North American Power Symposium.]</ref> achieving power transmission efficiencies superior to the resonant electrical induction method.<ref>[http://www2.lns.mit.edu/fisherp/83.pdf "Wireless Power Transfer via Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonances,"] André Kurs, Aristeidis Karalis, Robert Moffatt, J. D. Joannopoulos, Peter Fisher, and Marin Soljacic, Science 6 July 2007: 83-86. Published online 7 June 2007</ref>


==Far-field or radiative techniques==
==Far-field or radiative techniques==
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In 1862 [[James Clerk Maxwell]] synthesized previous observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory, deriving [[Maxwell's equations]]. This set of [[partial differential equation]]s forms the basis for modern electromagnetics including the wireless transmission of electrical energy.<ref name="Shinohara">[http://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP11 Shinohara (2014) ''Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves'', p. 11]</ref><ref name="Tomar">{{cite journal | last1 = Tomar | first1 = Anuradha | last2 = Gupta | first2 = Sunil | title = Wireless power Transmission: Applications and Components | journal = International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | pages = | publisher = | location = | date = July 2012 | url = http://www.academia.edu/5561926/Wireless_power_Transmission_Applications_and_Components | issn = 2278-0181 | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 9, 2014}}</ref> In 1884 [[John Henry Poynting]] developed equations for the flow of power in an electromagnetic field, [[Poynting's theorem]] and the [[Poynting vector]], which are used in the analysis of wireless power systems.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /> In 1888 [[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz]] experimentally confirmed the existence of electromagnetic radiation. Hertz’s ''apparatus for generating electromagnetic waves'' was a [[VHF]] or [[UHF]] ''radio wave'' [[spark gap transmitter]].
In 1862 [[James Clerk Maxwell]] synthesized previous observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory, deriving [[Maxwell's equations]]. This set of [[partial differential equation]]s forms the basis for modern electromagnetics including the wireless transmission of electrical energy.<ref name="Shinohara">[http://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP11 Shinohara (2014) ''Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves'', p. 11]</ref><ref name="Tomar">{{cite journal | last1 = Tomar | first1 = Anuradha | last2 = Gupta | first2 = Sunil | title = Wireless power Transmission: Applications and Components | journal = International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | pages = | publisher = | location = | date = July 2012 | url = http://www.academia.edu/5561926/Wireless_power_Transmission_Applications_and_Components | issn = 2278-0181 | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 9, 2014}}</ref> In 1884 [[John Henry Poynting]] developed equations for the flow of power in an electromagnetic field, [[Poynting's theorem]] and the [[Poynting vector]], which are used in the analysis of wireless power systems.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /> In 1888 [[Heinrich Rudolf Hertz]] experimentally confirmed the existence of electromagnetic radiation. Hertz’s ''apparatus for generating electromagnetic waves'' was a [[VHF]] or [[UHF]] ''radio wave'' [[spark gap transmitter]].


===Tesla's experiments===
===Tesla’s experiments===
[[File:TeslaWirelessPower1891.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Tesla demonstrating wireless power transmission in a lecture at [[Columbia College]], New York, in 1891. The two metal sheets are connected to his [[Tesla coil]] oscillator, which applies a high [[radio frequency]] oscillating voltage. The oscillating electric field between the sheets [[ionize]]s the low pressure gas in the two long [[Geissler tube]]s he is holding, causing them to glow by [[fluorescence]], similar to [[neon light]]s. ]]
[[File:TeslaWirelessPower1891.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Tesla demonstrates wireless energy transmission in a lecture at [[Columbia College]], New York, in 1891. The two metal sheets are connected to a resonance transformer Tesla coil oscillator that supplies high [[radio frequency|frequency]], high potential alternating current. The oscillating electric field between the sheets [[ionize]]s the low pressure gas in two [[Geissler tube]]s, causing them to glow.]]
[[Nikola Tesla]] may have done more to popularize the idea of wireless transmission than any other person of the 20th century.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="LeeZhongHui">{{cite conference | first1 = C.K. | last1 = Lee | first2 = W.X. | last2 = Zhong | first3 = S.Y.R. | last3 = Hui | title = Recent Progress in Mid-Range Wireless Power Transfer | conference = The 4th Annual IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE 2012) | pages = 3819-3821 | publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers | date = September 5, 2012 | location = Raleigh, North Carolina | url = http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/189863/1/Content.pdf?accept=1 | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref> He began with the development of a [[radio frequency]] resonant transformer, known as the [[Tesla coil]] in 1891.<ref name="Tesla_1891">{{cite web|url=http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1891-05-20.htm |title=Experiments with Alternating Currents of Very High Frequency and Their Application to Methods of Artificial Illumination, [[AIEE]], Columbia College, N.Y., May 20, 1891 |date=20 June 1891}}</ref><ref name="Tesla1891">Tesla, Nikola (May 20, 1891) [http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1891-05-20.htm ''Experiments with Alternate Currents of Very High Frequency and Their Application to Methods of Artificial Illumination''], lecture before the American Inst. of Electrical Engineers, Columbia College, New York. Reprinted as a {{cite book | title = book of the same name by | publisher = Wildside Press | date = 2006 | location = | pages = | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=94eH3rULPy4C | doi = | id = | isbn = 0809501627 }}</ref> Between 1891 and 1899 he demonstrated wireless energy transmission both publicly during lectures in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, London, and Paris, and privately at his Manhattan laboratories by means of [[electrodynamic induction]], [[electrostatic induction]], [[electromagnetic radiation]] or [[radio wave]]s, and the [[Surface plasmon|bound-mode EM surface wave]].<ref name="Tesla_1892">{{cite web|url=http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1892-02-03.htm |title=Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency, IEE Address,' London, February 1892 |date=1892-02-00}}</ref><ref name="Tesla_1893">{{cite web|url=http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1893-02-24.htm |title=On Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena, 'Franklin Institute,' Philadelphia, February 1893, and National Electric Light Association, St. Louis, March 1893 |date=1893-03-00}}</ref><ref>"Nikola Tesla, 1856 – 1943". IEEE History Center, IEEE, 2003. Lecture-demonstration. St. Louis.</ref><ref name="LeeZhongHui" /><ref>"Electricity at the Columbian Exposition" By John Patrick Barrett. 1894. Page 168–169.</ref><ref name="Tesla_1898">High Frequency Oscillators for Electrotherapeutic and Other Purposes (delivered before the American Electro-Therapeutic Association, Buffalo, September 13, 1898).</ref><ref name="Cooper_1916">Cooper, Drury W., internal document of the law firm Kerr, Page & Cooper, New York City, 1916</ref><ref name="Anderson_1992">{{cite book | last1 = Anderson | first1 = Leland | title = Nikola Tesla on His Work with Alternating Currents and Their Application to Wireless Telegraphy, Telephony, and Transmission of Power: An Extended Interview | publisher = Sun Publishing | date = 1992 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=KRg9HWakBmQC | isbn = 1893817016 }}</ref><ref>O'Neill, John J., Prodigal Genius The Life of Nikola Tesla, Ives Washburn Inc., 1944, 1964, page 144</ref><ref>Cheney, Margaret, ''Tesla Man Out of Time'', Prentice-Hall, 1981, 1983, page 68.</ref><ref>Carlson, W. Bernard, Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age, Princeton University Press - 2013</ref><ref name="Shinohara" /> In demonstrations before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers<ref name="Tesla1891" /> and at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago he lit light bulbs from across a stage. He found the transmission-reception distance could be increased by tuning the receiver to [[resonance|resonate]] with the transmitter.<ref name="Wheeler">{{cite journal | last = Wheeler | first = L. P. | title = Tesla's contribution to high frequency | journal = Electrical Engineering | volume = 62 | issue = 8 | pages = 355-357 | publisher = IEEE | location = | date = August 1943 | url = http://libgen.org/scimag/get.php?doi=10.1109/ee.1943.6435874 | issn = 0095-9197 | doi = 10.1109/EE.1943.6435874 | id = | accessdate = }}</ref>


In 1899 Tesla shifted his wireless transmission research to Colorado Springs, Colorado to work out data for the construction of [[Wardenclyffe tower|Wardenclyffe]], a large commercial plant to be built on Long Island, New York. The facility was designed for trans-Atlantic wireless telecommunications based upon ''disturbed charge of ground and air method'' engineering<ref>5 June 1899, [http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/coloradonotes/coloradonotes.htm ‘‘Nikola Tesla&nbsp; Colorado Springs Notes&nbsp; 1899–1900’’, Nolit, 1978]</ref> and the related patents. <ref name="US_Patent_645576">U.S. Patent No. 645,576, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US645576 SYSTEM OF TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY]'', filed September 2, 1897; granted March 20, 1900</ref><ref name="US_Patent_649621">U.S. Patent No. 649,621, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US649621 APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY]'', filed September 2, 1897; granted May 15, 1900</ref><ref name="US_Patent_723188">U.S. Patent No. 723,188, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US723188 METHOD OF SIGNALING]'', filed July 16, 1900; granted March 17, 1903</ref><ref name="US_Patent_725605">U.S. Patent No. 725,605, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US725605 SYSTEM OF SIGNALING]'', filed July 16, 1900; granted April 14, 1903</ref><ref name="US_Patent_787412"> U.S. Patent No. 787,412, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US787412 ART OF TRANSMITTING ELECTRICAL ENERGY THROUGH THE NATURAL MEDIUMS], filed May 16, 1900, granted April 18, 1905.</ref><ref name="C_Patent_142352">ART OF TRANSMITTING ELECTRICAL ENERGY THROUGH THE NATURAL MEDIUMS, Apr. 17, 1906, Canadian Patent No. 142,352, Aug. 13, 1912.</ref><ref name “US_Patent_1119732"> U.S. Patent No. 1,119,732, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US1119732 APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING ELECTRICAL ENERGY, filed January 18, 1902, granted December 1, 1914.</ref><ref name="Tesla1904">{{cite journal | last = Tesla | first = Nikola | title = The Transmission of Electric Energy Without Wires | journal = Electrical World and Engineer | volume = 43 | issue = | pages = 23760-23761 | publisher = McGraw Publishing Co. | location = | date = March 5, 1904 | url = http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1904-03-05.htm | issn = | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 19, 2014}}, reprinted in ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qPI5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA30 Scientific American Supplement, Munn and Co., Vol. 57, No. 1483, June 4, 1904, p. 23760-23761]</ref>
Serbian-American inventor [[Nikola Tesla]] performed the first experiments in wireless power transmission at the turn of the 20th century,<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="LeeZhongHui">{{cite conference
{{quote | The plant in Colorado was merely designed in the same sense as a naval constructor designs first a small model to ascertain all the quantities before he embarks on the construction of a big vessel.<ref name="Anderson_1992" />}}
| first1 = C.K.
In one demonstration at the [[Colorado Springs Experimental Station]], three incandescent lamps were lit by [[resonant inductive coupling]] at a distance of about {{convert|100|feet|m}}.<ref name="Cheney_1981">{{cite book | last1 = Cheney | first1 = Margaret | last2 = Uth | first2 = Robert | last3 = Glenn | first3 = Jim | title = Tesla, Master of Lightning | publisher = Barnes & Noble Publishing | date = 1999 | location = | pages = | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=3W6_h6XG6VAC&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn = 0760710058 }}</ref><ref>1 January 1899, [http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/coloradonotes/coloradonotes.htm ‘‘Nikola Tesla&nbsp; Colorado Springs Notes&nbsp; 1899–1900’’, Nolit, 1978]</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Tesla | first = Nikola | title = The Problem of Increasing Human Energy | journal = Century Magazine | volume = | issue = | pages = | publisher = The Century Co. | location = New York | date = June 1900 | url = http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1900-06-00.htm | issn = | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 20, 2014}} {{quote | Figure 7, "''EXPERIMENT TO ILLUSTRATE AN INDUCTIVE EFFECT OF AN ELECTRICAL OSCILLATOR OF GREAT POWER - The photograph shows three ordinary incandescent lamps lighted to full candle-power by currents induced in a local loop consisting of a single wire forming a square of fifty feet each side, which includes the lamps, and which is at a distance of one hundred feet from the primary circuit energized by the oscillator. The loop likewise includes an electrical condenser, and is exactly attuned to the vibrations of the oscillator, which is worked at less than five percent of its total capacity.''}}</ref> Coupling between [[resonant circuit]]s by electric or magnetic fields is now a familiar technology used throughout electronics. Resonant inductive coupling is once again of interest for short-range wireless power transmission.<ref name="LeeZhongHui" /> As mentioned above it is a "[[Near and far field|near-field]]" effect,<ref name="LeeZhongHui" />, so, as Tesla discovered in 1899, it is not suitable for the transmission of electrical energy over long distances. While in Colorado he wrote, "the inferiority of the induction method would appear immense as compared with the disturbed charge of ground and air method."<ref>5 June 1899, [http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/coloradonotes/coloradonotes.htm ‘‘Nikola Tesla&nbsp; Colorado Springs Notes&nbsp; 1899–1900’’, Nolit, 1978]</ref>
| last1 = Lee
| first2 = W.X.
| last2 = Zhong
| first3 = S.Y.R.
| last3 = Hui
| title = Recent Progress in Mid-Range Wireless Power Transfer
| conference = The 4th Annual IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE 2012)
| pages = 3819–3821
| publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
| date = September 5, 2012
| location = Raleigh, North Carolina
| url = http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/189863/1/Content.pdf?accept=1
| doi =
| id =
| accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref> and may have done more to popularize the idea than any other individual. In the period 1891 to 1904 he experimented with spark-excited [[radio frequency]] resonant transformers, now called [[Tesla coil]]s, which generated high AC voltages on elevated capacitive terminals.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="LeeZhongHui" /><ref name="Tesla1891" >Tesla, Nikola (May 20, 1891) [http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1891-05-20.htm ''Experiments with Alternate Currents of Very High Frequency and Their Application to Methods of Artificial Illumination''], lecture before the American Inst. of Electrical Engineers, Columbia College, New York. Reprinted as a {{cite book
| title = book of the same name by
| publisher = Wildside Press
| date = 2006
| location =
| pages =
| language =
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=94eH3rULPy4C
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0809501627
}}</ref> With these he was able to transmit power for short distances without wires. In demonstrations before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers<ref name="Tesla1891" /> and at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago he lit light bulbs from across a stage.<ref name="LeeZhongHui" /> He found he could increase the distance by using a receiving [[LC circuit]] tuned to [[resonance]] with the transmitter's [[LC circuit]].<ref name="Wheeler">{{cite journal
| last = Wheeler
| first = L. P.
| title = Tesla's contribution to high frequency
| journal = Electrical Engineering
| volume = 62
| issue = 8
| pages = 355–357
| publisher = IEEE
| location =
| date = August 1943
| url = http://libgen.org/scimag/get.php?doi=10.1109/ee.1943.6435874
| issn = 0095-9197
| doi = 10.1109/EE.1943.6435874
| id =
| accessdate = }}</ref> At his Colorado Springs laboratory during 1899-1900, by using voltages of the order of 20 megavolts generated by an enormous coil, he was able to light three incandescent lamps by [[resonant inductive coupling]] at a distance of about {{convert|100|feet|m}}.<ref name="Cheney" /><ref name="Tesla1900">Tesla was notoriously secretive about the distance he could transmit power. One of his few disclosures of details was in {{cite journal
| last = Tesla
| first = Nikola
| title = The Problem of Increasing Human Energy
| journal = Century Magazine
| volume =
| issue =
| pages =
| publisher = The Century Co.
| location = New York
| date = June 1900
| url = http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1900-06-00.htm
| issn =
| doi =
| id =
| accessdate = November 20, 2014}} fig. 7. The caption reads: "''EXPERIMENT TO ILLUSTRATE AN INDUCTIVE EFFECT OF AN ELECTRICAL OSCILLATOR OF GREAT POWER - The photograph shows three ordinary incandescent lamps lighted to full candle-power by currents induced in a local loop consisting of a single wire forming a square of fifty feet each side, which includes the lamps, and which is at a distance of one hundred feet from the primary circuit energized by the oscillator. The loop likewise includes an electrical condenser, and is exactly attuned to the vibrations of the oscillator, which is worked at less than five percent of its total capacity.''"</ref> Coupling between [[resonant circuit]]s by electric or magnetic fields is now a familiar technology used throughout electronics, and is currently of interest again as a means of short-range wireless power transmission.<ref name="LeeZhongHui" /><ref name="Leyh">{{cite conference
| first1 = G. E.
| last1 = Leyh
| first2 = M. D.
| last2 = Kennan
| title = Efficient wireless transmission of power using resonators with coupled electric fields
| conference = NAPS 2008 40th North American Power Symposium, Calgary, September 28–30, 2008
| pages = 1–4
| publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
| date = September 28, 2008
| location =
| url = <!--http://lod.org/misc/Leyh/Papers/--> http://lod.org/misc/Leyh/Papers/NAPS2008Final.pdf
| doi = 10.1109/NAPS.2008.5307364
| id =
| isbn = 978-1-4244-4283-6
| accessdate = November 20, 2014}}</ref> As mentioned above it is a "[[Near and far field|near-field]]" effect,<ref name="LeeZhongHui" /> so it is not able to transmit power over long distances.


In 1900 Tesla received the patents SYSTEM OF TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY and APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY.<ref name="US_Patent_645576" /><ref name="US_Patent_649621" /> These two patents describe hypothetical wireless stations with air terminal electrodes raised to more than {{convert|30,000|feet}} elevation, along with the claim that electric field energy can be made to pass over long distances by conduction between ''elevated terminals'' maintained at this altitude. Another claim was that such high elevation of the air terminals is not needed.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Anderson | first1 = Leland | title = Nikola Tesla on His Work with Alternating Currents and Their Application to Wireless Telegraphy, Telephony, and Transmission of Power: An Extended Interview | publisher = Sun Publishing | date = 1992 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=KRg9HWakBmQC | isbn = 1893817016 }}{{quote |''My experiments [on Houston Street] showed that at a height of 5 miles the air was in a condition to transmit the energy in this way, but my experiments in Colorado showed that at a height of 1 mile it is plenty enough rarefied to break down under the stress and conduct the current to the distant points.''<br>
However, Tesla claimed to be able to transmit power on a ''worldwide'' scale, using a method that involved conduction through the Earth and atmosphere.<ref name="Patent645576">US Patent No. 645576, Nikola Tesla, ''[http://www.google.com/patents/US645576 System of transmission of electrical energy]'', filed September 2, 1897; granted March 20, 1900</ref><ref name="Tesla1904">{{cite journal
''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have to say here that when I filed the applications of September 2, 1897, for the transmission of energy in which this method was disclosed, it was already clear to me that I did not need to have terminals at such high elevation, but I never have, above my signature, announced anything that I did not prove first. That is the reason why no statement of mine was ever contradicted, and I do not think it will be, because whenever I publish something I go through it first by experiment, then from experiment I calculate, and when I have the theory and practice meet I announce the results.''<br>
| last = Tesla
''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At that time I was absolutely sure that I could put up a commercial plant, if I could do nothing else but what I had done in my laboratory on Houston Street; but I had already calculated and found that I did not need great heights to apply this method. . . . I have constructed and patented a form of apparatus which, with a moderate elevation of a few hundred feet, can break the air stratum down. . . .''}}</ref> Modern demonstrations of this wireless power transfer method show that incandescent lamps can be lit at medium-range distances.<ref name="Leyh-Kennan">{{cite conference | first1 = G. E. | last1 = Leyh | first2 = M. D. | last2 = Kennan | title = Efficient wireless transmission of power using resonators with coupled electric fields | conference = NAPS 2008 40th North American Power Symposium, Calgary, September 28-30 2008 | pages = 1-4 | publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers | date = September 28, 2008 | location = | url = http://lod.org/misc/Leyh/Papers/NAPS2008Final.pdf | doi = 0.1109/NAPS.2008.5307364 | id = | isbn = 978-1-4244-4283-6 | accessdate = November 20, 2014}}</ref> The transmitted energy can be detected at great distances.<ref>Cooper, Drury W., internal document of the law firm Kerr, Page & Cooper, New York City, 1916.
| first = Nikola
{{quote | '''''Counsel:''' What was the distance of the receiver from the sending station in the Colorado test?''<br>
| title = The Transmission of Electric Energy Without Wires
'''''Tesla:''' Well, these distances were small, for the reason that they were merely intended to give me quantitative data.''<br>
| journal = Electrical World and Engineer
'''''Counsel:''' Could you give the number of miles, approximately?''<br>
| volume = 43
'''''Tesla:''' Oh, 10 miles or so.''}}</ref><ref name="Anderson_1992" />
| issue =
| pages = 23760–23761
| publisher = McGraw Publishing Co.
| location =
| date = March 5, 1904
| url = http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1904-03-05.htm
| issn =
| doi =
| id =
| accessdate = November 19, 2014}}, reprinted in ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qPI5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA30 Scientific American Supplement, Munn and Co., Vol. 57, No. 1483, June 4, 1904, p. 23760-23761]</ref><ref name="Broad">{{Cite news
| last = Broad
| first = William J.
| title = A Battle to Preserve a Visionary’s Bold Failure
| newspaper = New York Times
| location = New York
| pages = D1
| language =
| publisher = The New York Times Co.
| date = May 4, 2009
| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html
| accessdate = November 19, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Carlson3" >[http://books.google.com/books?id=5I5c9j8BEn4C&pg=PA209 Carlson 2013 ''Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age, p. 209-210]</ref> The proposal suggested that receiving stations would consist of terminals suspended in the air at above {{convert|30,000|feet}} in altitude, where the pressure is lower than at sea level.<ref name="Patent645576" /> At this altitude, Tesla claimed, electricity could be sent at high voltages (millions of volts) over long distances.


[[File:Dispersion Relationship.png|thumb|The dispersion curve for surface plasmons. At low frequency, a [[surface plasmon polariton]] approaches a [[surface wave|Zenneck wave]], where the [[dispersion relation|relation between frequency and wavevector]] is the same as in free space.]]
In 1901, Tesla began construction of a large high-voltage coil facility, the [[Wardenclyffe Tower]] at Shoreham, New York, intended as a prototype transmitter for a "[[World Wireless System]]" that was to transmit power worldwide, but he lost funding by 1904 and the facility was never completed.<ref name="Broad" /><ref name="Carlson2" >[http://books.google.com/books?id=5I5c9j8BEn4C&pg=PA302 Carlson 2013 ''Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age, Ch. 14 & 15, p. 302-367]</ref> Although Tesla claimed his ideas were proven, he had a history of failing to confirm his ideas by experiment,<ref name="Hawkins">{{cite journal
Tesla’s theory of operation states, the periodic charging and discharging of a resonance transformer transmitter's air terminal electrode periodically alters Earth's electrostatic charge.
| last = Hawkins
{{quote | Starting from two facts that the earth is a conductor insulated in space, and that a body cannot be charged without causing an equivalent displacement of electricity in the earth, I undertook to construct a machine suited for creating as large a displacement as possible of the earth's electricity.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Anderson | first1 = Leland | title = Nikola Tesla on His Work with Alternating Currents and Their Application to Wireless Telegraphy, Telephony, and Transmission of Power: An Extended Interview | publisher = Sun Publishing | date = 1992 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=KRg9HWakBmQC | isbn = 1893817016 }}</ref><ref name="Feynman_1964">[[The Feynman Lectures on Physics#Volume II. Mainly electromagnetism and matter|The Feynman Lectures on Physics]], R.P. Feynman, R.B. Leighton, M. Sands, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1964, Vol. 2, chapter 9.</ref>}}
| first = Lawrence A.
This redistribution of charge results in the passage of electric current through the ground along with an accompanying guided [[Surface plasmon|surface wave]].<ref>Marincic, Aleksandar, [http://www.teslamemorialsociety.org/info/Research%20of%20Nikola%20Tesla%20in%20Long%20Island%20Laboratory.htm "Research of Nikola Tesla in Long Island Laboratory,"] Energy and Development at the International Scientific Conference in Honor of the 130th Anniversary of the Birth of Nikola Tesla, The Tesla Journal, Numbers 6 & 7, pp. 25-28, Tesla Memorial Society, 1990.</ref> Tesla believed that with sufficient transmitter power output, Earth’s electrostatic potential can disturbed over its entire surface.<ref name="US_Patent_787412" /><ref name="C_Patent_142352" />
| title = Nikola Tesla: His Work and Unfulfilled Promises

| journal = The Electrical Age
In 1901 Tesla began construction of the [[Wardenclyffe Tower|Wardenclyffe power plant and tower]], a wireless telecommunications facility in [[Shoreham, New York]], intended as the prototype station for the ''[[World Wireless System]]'', based upon the principle of terrestrial electrical conductivity<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=3W6_h6XG6VAC&lpg=PA106&dq=tesla%20Wardenclyffe%20earth%20conduction&pg=PA106#v=onepage&q=tesla%20Wardenclyffe%20earth%20conduction&f=false Margaret Cheney, Robert Uth, Jim Glenn, Tesla, Master of Lightning, Barnes & Noble Publishing - 1999, page 106]</ref><ref name="Broad">{{Cite news | last = Broad | first = William J. | title = A Battle to Preserve a Visionary’s Bold Failure | newspaper = New York Times | location = New York | pages = D1 | language = | publisher = The New York Times Co. | date = May 4, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html | accessdate = November 19, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Carlson3" >[http://books.google.com/books?id=5I5c9j8BEn4C&pg=PA209 Carlson 2013 ''Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age, p. 209-210]</ref> and his theory of earth resonance.
| volume = 30
<!-- [The sentence below has been removed for the following reasons.] -->
| issue = 2
<!-- “Although Tesla claimed his ideas were proven, he had a history of failing to confirm his ideas by experiment,” -->
| pages = 107–108
<!-- <"Hawkins"> [There is no mention of any failure on the part of Tesla to perform experiments in this referenced text.] -->
| publisher =
<!-- <"Carlson"> [This referenced text refers only to Tesla’s failure to demonstrate a complete system of global wireless telecommunications based upon the earth resonance principle while working at the C/S Experimental Station. (It is noted that the Wardenclyffe facility was intended for this very purpose.)] -->
| location =
<!--. . . and there seems to be no evidence that he ever transmitted significant power beyond the short-range demonstrations above,” [“The short-range demonstrations above” were by resonant inductive coupling, and were not based upon the principle of terrestrial electrical conductivity.] -->
| date = February 1903
<!-- <"Coe"> -->
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=slc3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA99
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| issn =
<!-- <"Cheney_1981"> -->
| doi =
<!-- <"Brown"> -->
| id =
<!-- <"Dunning1"> -->
| accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Carlson">{{cite book
<!-- <"Tomar">
| last1 = Carlson
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| first1 = W. Bernard
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| title = Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age
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| publisher = Princeton University Press
<!--“perhaps 300 feet.” -->
| date = 2013

| location =
The only known report of the long-distance transmission and reception of electrical energy by Tesla himself is a statement made to attorney Drury W. Cooper in 1916 that in 1899 he collected quantitative transmission-reception data at a distance of about {{convert|10|miles|km}}.<ref name="Cooper_1916" /><ref name="Anderson_1992" /> Two reports by others of Tesla having achieved long-distance power transmission have been found. The first is the purported wireless operation of lamps and electric motors at a distance of {{convert|15|miles|km}}.<ref name="Boksan_1907">Boksan, Slavko, [http://www.pdf-archive.com/2012/08/06/boksan-nikola-tesla-und-sein-werk-1932/boksan-nikola-tesla-und-sein-werk-1932.pdf ''Nikola Tesla und sein Werk'',] Deutscher Verlag für Jugend und Volk, 1932, pp. 237–238.</ref> The second is an assertion by Tesla biographer John J. O'Neill,<ref name="Cheney_1981" /> said to be pieced together from "fragmentary material . . . in a number of publications,"<ref>{{cite book | last1 = O'Neill | first1 = John J. | title = Prodigal Genius: The life of Nikola Tesla | publisher = Ives Washburn, Inc. | date = 1944 | location = | pages = 193 | language = | url = http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015013060820;view=1up;seq=207 | doi = | id = | isbn = }}</ref> that in 1899 Tesla lit 200 incandescent lamps at a distance of {{convert|26|miles|km}}.<ref name="Coe">{{cite book| last1 = Coe | first1 = Lewis | title = Wireless Radio: A History | publisher = McFarland | date = 2006 | location = | pages = 112 | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=W1JAeg1PiWIC&pg=PA112 | doi = | id = | isbn = 0786426624}}</ref><ref name="Cheney_1981" /> There is no independent confirmation of these two supposed demonstrations.<ref name="Coe" /><ref name="Cheney_1981" /><ref name="Dunning2">{{cite web | last = Dunning | first = Brian | title = Did Tesla cause a field of light bulbs 26 miles away to illuminate wirelessly? | work = The Cult of Nikola Tesla | publisher = Skeptoid.com | date = January 15, 2013 | url = http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4345 | format = | doi = | accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref> Tesla did not mention them,<ref name="Coe" /> and they do not appear in his meticulously kept laboratory notes.<ref name="Dunning2" /><ref name="Marinčić">{{cite book | last1 = Tesla | first1 = Nikola | last2 = Marinčić | first2 = Aleksandar, Ed. | title = Colorado Springs Notes, 1899-1900 | publisher = The Nikola Tesla Museum | date = 1977 | location = Beograd, Yugoslavia | pages = | language = | url = http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/coloradonotes/coloradonotes.htm | doi = | id = | isbn = }}</ref>
| pages = 294, 301

| language =
Over one-hundred years have passed since his original work and there is no documentation of the Tesla wireless system apparatus ever having been replicated, other than by Leyh and Kennan,<ref name="Leyh-Kennan" /> and no published reports exist of any attempt to achieve long distance wireless energy transfer by this means.<ref name="Cheney_1981" /><ref name="Coe" /><ref name="LeeZhongHui" /><ref name="Dunning1">{{cite web | last = Dunning | first = Brian | title = Did Tesla plan to transmit power world-wide through the sky? | work = The Cult of Nikola Tesla | publisher = Skeptoid.com | date = January 15, 2013 | url = http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4345 | format = | doi = | accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref> A number of individuals have expressed their opinion that Tesla wireless system technology cannot possibly work.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Broad | first = William J. | title = A Battle to Preserve a Visionary’s Bold Failure | newspaper = New York Times | location = New York | pages = D1 | language = | publisher = The New York Times Co. | date = May 4, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html | accessdate = November 19, 2014}}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Coe" /><ref>{{cite journal | last = Wheeler | first = L. P. | title = Tesla's contribution to high frequency | journal = Electrical Engineering | volume = 62 | issue = 8 | pages = 355-357 | publisher = IEEE | location = | date = August 1943 | url = http://libgen.org/scimag/get.php?doi=10.1109/ee.1943.6435874 | issn = 0095-9197 | doi = 10.1109/EE.1943.6435874 | id = | accessdate = }}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1 = Wearing | first1 = Judy | title = Edison's Concrete Piano: Flying Tanks, Six-Nippled Sheep, Walk-On-Water Shoes, and 12 Other Flops From Great Inventors | publisher = ECW Press | date = 2009 | location = | pages = 98 | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=2ncy8zGOFdcC&pg=PT98 | doi = | id = | isbn = 1554905516 }}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Curty">{{cite book | last1 = Curty | first1 = Jari-Pascal | last2 = Declercq | first2 = Michel | last3 = Dehollain | first3 = Catherine | last4 = Joehl | first4 = Norbert | title = Design and Optimization of Passive UHF RFID Systems | publisher = Springer | date = 2006 | location = | pages = 4 | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=uFjpH3Cl7z8C&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn = 0387447105 }}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1 = Belohlavek | first1 = Peter | last2 = Wagner | first2 = John W | title = Innovation: The Lessons of Nikola Tesla | publisher = Blue Eagle Group | date = 2008 | location = | pages = 78-79 | language = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=8sLRSmrGbpsC&pg=PA78 | doi = | id = | isbn = 9876510096 }}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | title = Dennis Papadopoulos interview | work = Tesla: Master of Lightning - companion site for 2000 PBS television documentary | publisher = PBS.org, US Public Broadcasting Service website | date = 2000 | url = http://www.pbs.org/tesla/dis/papad.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = November 19, 2014}}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tomar | first1 = Anuradha | last2 = Gupta | first2 = Sunil | title = Wireless power Transmission: Applications and Components | journal = International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | pages = | publisher = | location = | date = July 2012 | url = http://www.academia.edu/5561926/Wireless_power_Transmission_Applications_and_Components | issn = 2278-0181 | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 9, 2014}}{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>Shinohara (2014) [http://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP11 ''Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves'']{{Verify credibility|date=January 2015}}</ref> While Tesla's wireless energy transfer scheme remains only a fascinating dream for some,<ref name="Tomar" /> modern demonstrations have validated the basic concept over medium range distances<ref name="Leyh-Kennan" />and mathematical analysis suggest that long distance wireless telecommunications by its means is feasible.<ref name="Corum_1987">Corum, K. L., J. F. Corum, J. F. X. Daum, “Spherical Transmission Lines and Global Propagation, An Analysis of Tesla's Experimentally Determined Propagation Model," 1987.</ref><ref name="Corum_1994-1">Corum, K. L. and J. F. Corum, "Nikola Tesla, Lightning Observations, and Stationary Waves," 1994.</ref><ref name="Corum_1994-2"> Corum, K. L., J. F. Corum, and A. H. Aidinejad, "Atmospheric Fields, Tesla's Receivers and Regenerative Detectors," 1994.</ref><ref name="Corum_1996-1">Corum, K. L. and J. F. Corum, "Nikola Tesla and the Diameter of the Earth: A Discussion of One of the Many Modes of Operation of the Wardenclyffe Tower," 1996.</ref><ref name=”Corum_1996-2”> Corum, K. L. and J. F. Corum, "The Schumann Cavity, J. J. Thomson's Spherical Resonators and the Gateway to Modern Physics, " 1996.</ref>
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=5I5c9j8BEn4C&pg=PA294
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 1400846552
}}</ref> and there seems to be no evidence that he ever transmitted significant power beyond the short-range demonstrations above,<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Wheeler" /><ref name="Cheney">{{cite book
| last1 = Cheney
| first1 = Margaret
| last2 = Uth
| first2 = Robert
| last3 = Glenn
| first3 = Jim
| title = Tesla, Master of Lightning
| publisher = Barnes & Noble Publishing
| date = 1999
| location =
| pages = 90–92
| language =
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=3W6_h6XG6VAC&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0760710058
}}</ref><ref name="Carlson" /><ref name="Coe">{{cite book
| last1 = Coe
| first1 = Lewis
| title = Wireless Radio: A History
| publisher = McFarland
| date = 2006
| location =
| pages = 112
| language =
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=W1JAeg1PiWIC&pg=PA112
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0786426624
}}</ref><ref name="Brown">{{cite journal
| last1 = Brown
| first1 = William C.
| title = The history of power transmission by radio waves
| journal = MTT-Trans. on Microwave Theory and Technique
| volume = 32
| issue = 9
| pages = 1230–1234
| publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
| location =
| date = 1984
| url = http://www.researchgate.net/publication/3128972_The_History_of_Power_Transmission_by_Radio_Waves
| issn =
| doi =
| id =
| accessdate = November 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Dunning1">{{cite web
| last = Dunning
| first = Brian
| title = Did Tesla plan to transmit power world-wide through the sky?
| work = The Cult of Nikola Tesla
| publisher = Skeptoid.com
| date = January 15, 2013
| url = http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4345
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name="ColoradoSpringsPBS">{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| title = Life and Legacy: Colorado Springs
| work = Tesla: Master of Lightning - companion site for 2000 PBS television documentary
| publisher = PBS.org, US [http://www.pbs.org/ Public Broadcasting Service] website
| date = 2000
| url = http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_colspr.html
| doi =
| accessdate = November 19, 2014}}</ref> perhaps {{convert|300|feet|m}}. The only report of long-distance transmission by Tesla is a claim, not found in reliable sources, that in 1899 he wirelessly lit 200 light bulbs at a distance of {{convert|26|miles|km}}.<ref name="Cheney" /><ref name="Coe" /> There is no independent confirmation of this putative demonstration;<ref name="Cheney" /><ref name="Coe" /><ref name="Dunning2">{{cite web
| last = Dunning
| first = Brian
| title = Did Tesla cause a field of light bulbs 26 miles away to illuminate wirelessly?
| work = The Cult of Nikola Tesla
| publisher = Skeptoid.com
| date = January 15, 2013
| url = http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4345
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = November 4, 2014}}</ref> Tesla did not mention it,<ref name="Coe" /> and it does not appear in his meticulous laboratory notes.<ref name="Dunning2" /><ref name="Marinčić">{{cite book
| last1 = Tesla
| first1 = Nikola
| last2 = Marinčić
| first2 = Aleksandar, Ed.
| title = Colorado Springs Notes, 1899-1900
| publisher = The Nikola Tesla Museum
| date = 1977
| location = Beograd, Yugoslavia
| pages =
| language =
| url = http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/coloradonotes/coloradonotes.htm
| doi =
| id =
| isbn =
}}</ref> It originated in 1944 from Tesla's first biographer, John J. O'Neill,<ref name="Cheney" /> who said he pieced it together from "fragmentary material... in a number of publications".<ref name="O'Neill">{{cite book
| last1 = O'Neill
| first1 = John J.
| title = Prodigal Genius: The life of Nikola Tesla
| publisher = Ives Washburn, Inc.
| date = 1944
| location =
| pages = 193
| language =
| url = http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015013060820;view=1up;seq=207
| doi =
| id =
| isbn =
}}</ref> In the 110 years since Tesla's experiments, efforts using similar equipment have failed to achieve long distance power transmission,<ref name="LeeZhongHui" /><ref name="Cheney" /><ref name="Coe" /><ref name="Dunning1" /> and the scientific consensus is his World Wireless system would not have worked.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Wheeler" /><ref name="Broad" /><ref name="Coe" /><ref name="Wearing">{{cite book
| last1 = Wearing
| first1 = Judy
| title = Edison's Concrete Piano: Flying Tanks, Six-Nippled Sheep, Walk-On-Water Shoes, and 12 Other Flops From Great Inventors
| publisher = ECW Press
| date = 2009
| location =
| pages = 98
| language =
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=2ncy8zGOFdcC&pg=PT98
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 1554905516
}}</ref><ref name="Curty">{{cite book
| last1 = Curty
| first1 = Jari-Pascal
| last2 = Declercq
| first2 = Michel
| last3 = Dehollain
| first3 = Catherine
| last4 = Joehl
| first4 = Norbert
| title = Design and Optimization of Passive UHF RFID Systems
| publisher = Springer
| date = 2006
| location =
| pages = 4
| language =
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=uFjpH3Cl7z8C&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0387447105
}}</ref><ref name="Belohlavek">{{cite book
| last1 = Belohlavek
| first1 = Peter
| last2 = Wagner
| first2 = John W
| title = Innovation: The Lessons of Nikola Tesla
| publisher = Blue Eagle Group
| date = 2008
| location =
| pages = 78–79
| language =
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=8sLRSmrGbpsC&pg=PA78
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 9876510096
}}</ref><ref name="Papadopoulos">{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| title = Dennis Papadopoulos interview
| work = Tesla: Master of Lightning - companion site for 2000 PBS television documentary
| publisher = PBS.org, US [http://www.pbs.org/ Public Broadcasting Service] website
| date = 2000
| url = http://www.pbs.org/tesla/dis/papad.html
| doi =
| accessdate = November 19, 2014}}</ref> Tesla's world power transmission scheme remains today what it was in Tesla's time, a fascinating dream.<ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Broad" />


===Microwaves===
===Microwaves===
Before World War 2, little progress was made in wireless power transmission.<ref name="Brown" /> [[Radio]] was developed for communication uses, but couldn't be used for power transmission due to the fact that the relatively low-[[frequency]] [[radio waves]] spread out in all directions and little energy reached the receiver.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Brown" /> In radio communication, at the receiver, an [[amplifier]] intensifies a weak signal using energy from another source. For power transmission, efficient transmission required [[transmitter]]s that could generate higher-frequency [[microwaves]], which can be focused in narrow beams towards a receiver.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Brown" /><ref name="Curty" />
Before World War 2, little progress was made in wireless power transmission.<ref name="Brown">{{cite journal | last1 = Brown | first1 = William C. | title = The history of power transmission by radio waves | journal = MTT-Trans. on Microwave Theory and Technique | volume = 32 | issue = 9 | pages = 1230-1234 | publisher = Inst. of Electrical and Electronic Engineers | location = | date = 1984 | url = http://www.researchgate.net/publication/3128972_The_History_of_Power_Transmission_by_Radio_Waves | issn = | doi = | id = | accessdate = November 20, 2014}}</ref> [[Radio]] was developed for communication uses, but couldn't be used for power transmission due to the fact that the relatively low-[[frequency]] [[radio waves]] spread out in all directions and little energy reached the receiver.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Brown" /> In radio communication, at the receiver, an [[amplifier]] intensifies a weak signal using energy from another source. For power transmission, efficient transmission required [[transmitter]]s that could generate higher-frequency [[microwaves]], which can be focused in narrow beams towards a receiver.<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Brown" /><ref name="Curty" />


The development of [[microwave]] technology during World War 2, such as the [[klystron]] and [[magnetron]] tubes and [[parabolic antenna]]s<ref name="Brown" /> made radiative ([[Near and far field|far-field]]) methods practical for the first time, and the first long-distance wireless power transmission was achieved in the 1960s by [[William C. Brown]].<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /> In 1964 Brown invented the [[rectenna]] which could efficiently convert microwaves to DC power, and in 1964 demonstrated it with the first wireless-powered aircraft, a model helicopter powered by microwaves beamed from the ground.<ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Brown" /> A major motivation for microwave research in the 1970s and 80s was to develop a [[solar power satellite]].<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Brown" /> Conceived in 1968 by [[Peter Glaser]], this would harvest energy from sunlight using [[solar cell]]s and beam it down to Earth as [[microwave]]s to huge rectennas, which would convert it to electrical energy on the [[electric power grid]].<ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Glaser">{{cite journal
The development of [[microwave]] technology during World War 2, such as the [[klystron]] and [[magnetron]] tubes and [[parabolic antenna]]s<ref name="Brown" /> made radiative ([[Near and far field|far-field]]) methods practical for the first time, and the first long-distance wireless power transmission was achieved in the 1960s by [[William C. Brown]].<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Tomar" /> In 1964 Brown invented the [[rectenna]] which could efficiently convert microwaves to DC power, and in 1964 demonstrated it with the first wireless-powered aircraft, a model helicopter powered by microwaves beamed from the ground.<ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Brown" /> A major motivation for microwave research in the 1970s and 80s was to develop a [[solar power satellite]].<ref name="Shinohara" /><ref name="Brown" /> Conceived in 1968 by [[Peter Glaser]], this would harvest energy from sunlight using [[solar cell]]s and beam it down to Earth as [[microwave]]s to huge rectennas, which would convert it to electrical energy on the [[electric power grid]].<ref name="Tomar" /><ref name="Glaser">{{cite journal
Line 758: Line 475:
;Books and Articles
;Books and Articles
{{refbegin|2}}
{{refbegin|2}}
* Steinmetz, C. P. (1914). [http://books.google.com/books?id=79W0wXz6_ZEC Elementary lectures on electric discharges, waves and impulses, and other transients]. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. An historic electrical engineering treatise.
* {{cite book | last = Agbinya | first = Johnson I., Ed. | title = Wireless Power Transfer | publisher = River Publishers | date = 2012 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zDPqqBJ76ZAC&pg=PA1 | isbn = 8792329233 }} Comprehensive, theoretical engineering text
* {{cite book | last = Agbinya | first = Johnson I., Ed. | title = Wireless Power Transfer | publisher = River Publishers | date = 2012 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zDPqqBJ76ZAC&pg=PA1 | isbn = 8792329233 }} Comprehensive, theoretical engineering text
* {{cite book | last1 = Shinohara | first1 = Naoki | title = Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | date = 2014 | location = | language = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP6 | doi = | id = | isbn = 1118862961}} Engineering text
* {{cite book | last1 = Shinohara | first1 = Naoki | title = Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | date = 2014 | location = | language = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TwegAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP6 | doi = | id = | isbn = 1118862961}} Engineering text
Line 766: Line 484:
;Patents
;Patents
{{refbegin|2}}
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{US patent|787412}}, Art of transmitting electrical energy through the natural mediums, Nikola Tesla (1905).
* {{US patent|1119732}}, Apparatus for transmitting electrical energy, Nikola Tesla (1914).
* {{US patent|3535543}}, Microwave power receiving antenna, Carroll C. Dailey (1970).
* {{US patent|3933323}}, Solid state solar to microwave energy converter system and apparatus, Kenneth W. Dudley, et al. (1976).
* {{US patent|4955562}}, Microwave powered aircraft, John E. Martin, et al. (1990).
* {{US patent|4955562}}, Microwave powered aircraft, John E. Martin, et al. (1990).
* {{US patent|3933323}}, Solid state solar to microwave energy converter system and apparatus, Kenneth W. Dudley, et al. (1976).
* {{US patent|7164255}}, Inductive battery charger system with primary transformer windings formed in a multi-layer structure, Shu-Yuen Ron Hui (2007).
* {{US patent|3535543}}, Microwave power receiving antenna, Carroll C. Dailey (1970).

{{refend}}
{{refend}}



Revision as of 17:56, 7 January 2015

Inductive charging pad for LG smartphone, using the Qi (pronounced 'Chi') system, an example of near-field wireless transfer. When the phone is set on the pad, a coil in the pad creates a magnetic field which induces a current in another coil, in the phone, charging its battery.

Wireless power transfer (WPT)[1] or wireless energy transmission is the transmission of electrical power from a power source to a consuming device without using solid wires or conductors.[2][3][4] It is a generic term that refers to a number of different power transmission technologies that use time-varying electromagnetic fields.[5][6][1] Wireless transmission is useful to power electrical devices in cases where interconnecting wires are inconvenient, hazardous, or are not possible. In wireless power transfer, a transmitter device connected to a power source, such as the mains power line, transmits power by electromagnetic fields across an intervening space to one or more receiver devices, where it is converted back to electric power and utilized.[1]

Wireless power techniques fall into two categories, non-radiative and radiative.[7][5][8][9][1] In near-field or non-radiative techniques, power is transferred over short distances by magnetic fields using inductive coupling between coils of wire or in a few devices by electric fields using capacitive coupling between electrodes.[7] Applications of this type are electric toothbrush chargers, RFID tags, smartcards, and chargers for implantable medical devices like cardiac pacemakers, and inductive powering or charging of electric vehicles like trains or busses.[10][8] A current focus is to develop wireless systems to charge mobile and handheld computing devices such as cellphones, digital music player and portable computers without being tethered to a wall plug. With the radiative or far-field techniques, also called power beaming, electrical energy is transmitted by beams of electromagnetic radiation, like microwaves or laser beams. These techniques can transport energy longer distances but must be aimed at the receiver. Proposed applications for this type are solar power satellites, and wireless powered drone aircraft.[8] An important issue associated with all wireless power systems is limiting the exposure of people and other living things to potentially injurious electromagnetic fields (see Electromagnetic radiation and health).[8]

Overview

Generic block diagram of a wireless power system

"Wireless power transfer" is a collective term that refers to a number of different technologies for the transmission of electrical energy.[1][7] The technologies are listed in the table below. They differ widely in the distance over which they can transmit power efficiently and in the type of field energy they use: a time-varying magnetic field, a time-varying electric field, a rotating magnetic field, a bound-mode EM surface wave, or electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation or visible light.[7]

A typical wireless power system consists of a source of electrical energy, such as an AC power system, connected to a "transmitter" that converts the power to electrical field energy and one or more "receivers" that interact with the transmitted field energy and convert it back to electrical power that is consumed by an electrical load.[1][7] On the transmitter side the input power is processed and then converted to field energy by an interface component, which may be a coil of wire that produces a magnetic field, terminal electrodes that produce an electric field, a permanent magnet that produces a magnetic field, an antenna that radiates radio waves, or a laser that emits light. A similar or complimentary interface component on the receiver side converts the field energy back to electrical power.

An important parameter that determines the type of wave is the frequency f in hertz of the oscillations. The frequency determines the wavelength λ = c/f of the waves which carry the energy across the gap, where c is the velocity of light. Two additional parameters instrumental in determining the type of wave are the time-variation of the wave (given by its angular frequency ω) and the spatial variation of the wave (given by its wave vector kx). Purely transverse electromagnetic space waves, with synchronized electric and magnetic fields perpendicular to the direction of propagation, can only exist for ω > ωp (the plasma frequency). ωp is the resonant frequency of free electrons in the conductor or conductors in response to an electrical excitation. For ω < ωp, the wave-vector becomes imaginary, giving an exponentially decaying surface wave instead of a propagating space wave. The field intensity of the surface wave is at a maximum at the earth-atmosphere interface and exponentially decays away from the surface. Both of these electromagnetic waves can be mathematically described by solving Maxwell's equations at a metal-dielectric interface.[11][12][13][14]

Radiative wireless power systems use the same propagation mode as wireless communication systems, like radio and television broadcasting, cellular telephone systems, and WiFi; everyday technologies that involve the transmission of electrical energy without wires by means of electromagnetic radiation.[15][5] In the case of wireless telecommunications the goal is the transmission of information, and the amount of power reaching the receiver is not so important, as long as the signal to noise ratio is high enough that the data can be received intelligibly.[15][5] With most present day wireless telecommunications technologies, only a small amount of the transmitted energy reaches the receiver. By contrast, in wireless power the amount of energy received is of greater significance, so the efficiency (percentage of transmitted energy that is received) is the more important parameter. A large portion of the energy sent out by the transmitter must arrive at the receiver or receivers to make the system economical. For this reason a wireless power technology may be limited by distance more than wireless telecommunication technologies.

These are the different wireless power technologies:[8][16]>[1][7][17]

Technology Range[18] Directivity Frequency Antenna devices Current and or possible future applications
Inductive coupling Short ~1.76 dBi Hz - MHz Wire coils Electric tooth brush and razor battery charging, induction stovetops and industrial heaters.
Resonant inductive coupling Mid- ~1.76 dBi MHz - GHz Tuned wire coils, lumped element resonators Charging portable devices (Qi, WiTricity), biomedical implants, electric vehicles, powering busses, trains, MAGLEV, RFID, smartcards.
Capacitive coupling Short ~1.76 dBi kHz - MHz Terminal electrodes Charging portable devices, power routing in large scale integrated circuits, Smartcards.
Magnetodynamic[16] Short N.A. Hz Rotating magnets Charging electric vehicles.
Bound-mode EM surface wave[19] Medium ~1 dBi kHz Distributed element resonators High signal-to-noise ratio wireless telecommunications, energy harvesting.
Microwave Long ~50 dBi GHz Parabolic dishes, phased arrays, rectennas Solar power satellite, powering drone aircraft.
Light wave Long Collimated ≥THz Lasers, photocells, lenses, telescopes Powering drone aircraft, powering space elevator climbers.

Field regions

Electric and magnetic fields are created by charged particles in matter such as electrons. A stationary charge creates an electrostatic field in the space around it. A steady current of charges (direct current, DC) creates a static magnetic field around it. These fields contain energy. The above fields cannot carry power because they are static , but time-varying fields can.[20] Accelerating electric charges, such as are found in an alternating current (AC) of electrons in a wire, create time-varying electric and magnetic fields in the space around them. These fields can exert oscillating forces on the electrons in a receiving "antenna", causing them to move back and forth. These represent alternating current which can be used to power a load.

The oscillating electric and magnetic fields surrounding moving electric charges in an antenna device can be divided into two regions, depending on distance Drange from the antenna.[8][4][5][9][21][1][7] The fields have different characteristics in these regions, and different technologies are used for transmitting power:

  • Near-field or nonradiative region - This means the area within about 1 wavelength (λ) of the antenna.[9][4][1] In this region the oscillating electric and magnetic fields are separate[5] and power can be transferred via electric fields by capacitive coupling (electrostatic induction) between metal electrodes, or via magnetic fields by inductive coupling (electromagnetic induction) between coils of wire.[8][5][7] These fields are not radiative,[9] meaning the energy stays within a short distance of the transmitter.[22] If there is no receiving device or absorbing material within their limited range to "couple" to, no power leaves the transmitter.[22] The range of these fields is short, and depends on the size and shape of the "antenna" devices, which are usually coils of wire. The fields, and thus the power transmitted, decrease exponentially with distance,[4][21][23] so if the distance between the two "antennas" Drange is much larger than the diameter of the "antennas" Dant very little power will be received. Therefore these techniques cannot be used for long distance power transmission.
Resonance, such as resonant inductive coupling, can increase the coupling between the antennas greatly, allowing efficient transmission at somewhat greater distances,[24][4][1][8][5][25] although the fields still decrease exponentially. Therefore the range of near-field devices falls into one of two categories:
    • Short range - up to about one antenna diameter: Drange ≤ Dant.[24][22][26] This is the range over which ordinary nonresonant capacitive or inductive coupling can transfer practical amounts of power.
    • Mid-range - up to 10 times the antenna diameter: Drange ≤ 10 Dant.[24][27][26][25] This is the range over which resonant coupling can transfer practical amounts of power.
    • Medium range or reactive near-field zone – This is the distance up to the outer boundary of the reactive near-field region, commonly considered to be a distance of 1∕2π times the wavelength λ (λ∕2π or 0.159 × λ) from the antenna surface.
  • Far-field or radiative region - Beyond about 1 wavelength (λ) of the antenna, the electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to each other and propagate as an electromagnetic wave; examples are radio waves, microwaves, or light waves.[4][1][8] This part of the energy is radiative,[9] meaning it leaves the antenna whether or not there is a receiver to absorb it. The portion of energy which does not strike the receiving antenna is dissipated and lost to the system. The amount of power emitted as electromagnetic waves by an antenna depends on the ratio of the antenna's size Dant to the wavelength of the waves λ,[28] which is determined by the frequency: λ = c/f. At low frequencies f where the antenna is much smaller than the size of the waves, Dant << λ, very little power is radiated. Therefore the near-field devices above, which use lower frequencies, radiate almost none of their energy as electromagnetic radiation. Antennas about the same size as the wavelength Dant ≈ λ such as monopole or dipole antennas, radiate power efficiently, but the electromagnetic waves are radiated in all directions (omnidirectionally), so if the receiving antenna is far away, only a small amount of the radiation will hit it.[24][9] Therefore these can be used for short range, inefficient power transmission but not for long range transmission.[29]
However, unlike fields, electromagnetic radiation can be focused by reflection or refraction into beams. By using a high-gain antenna or optical system which concentrates the radiation into a narrow beam aimed at the receiver, it can be used for long range power transmission.[29][24] From the Rayleigh criterion, to produce the narrow beams necessary to focus a significant amount of the energy on a distant receiver, an antenna must be much larger than the wavelength of the waves used: Dant >> λ = c/f.[30][31] Practical beam power devices require wavelengths in the centimeter region or below, corresponding to frequencies above 1 GHz, in the microwave range or above.[1]

Non-radiative techniques

Electromagnetic induction

There are two forms of energy transfer by electromagnetic induction. These are magnetic inductive coupling and capacitive inductive coupling. Magnetic coupling is further classified as inductive coupling and resonant inductive coupling.

Magnetic Inductive coupling

Simplified diagram of a wireless power system that works by magnetic inductive coupling.
Inductive coupling

The direct inductive coupling technique relies on the use of a magnetic field produced by an electric current in a wire coil, called the primary, to induce a current in a second coil in close proximity, called the secondary. This action of an electrical transformer is the simplest form of wireless power transmission. The primary coil and secondary coil of a transformer are not directly connected; each coil is part of a separate circuit. Energy transfer takes place through a process known as mutual induction. The principal functions are stepping the primary voltage either up or down and electrical isolation. As the spacing between the primary and secondary is increased, more and more of the primary's magnetic field misses the secondary. Even over a relatively short distance, direct inductive coupling is grossly inefficient, wasting much of the transmitted energy.[32] The main drawback to this basic form of wireless transmission is its extremely short range. The receiver coil must be concentric with or directly adjacent to the transmitter coil or induction unit in order to efficiently couple with it. Applications of the induction technique includes electric toothbrush and electric razor chargers, induction stove tops and industrial induction heaters.

Resonant inductive coupling

The resonant inductive coupling or electrodynamic induction technique also relies on the use of a magnetic field produced by an electric current in a primary coil to induce a current in a secondary coil. When resonant coupling is used, both the transmitter and receiver coils are tuned to a common resonant frequency by the addition of parallel capacitors, forming a pair of LC circuits. The application of resonance increases the transmission range. Performance can be further improved by modifying the drive current from a sinusoidal to a non-sinusoidal transient waveform.[33] In this way significant power can be transmitted between two mutually-attuned LC circuits having a relatively low coefficient of coupling.

A common use of this technique[34] is the charging of battery powered mobile or handheld devices, such as digital music players, smart phones, tablets, and laptop computers without being tethered to an plug-in AC/DC adapter battery charger.[35][36][37] A localized charging technique[38] selects the appropriate transmitting coil in a multilayer winding array structure.[39] Resonance is used in both the wireless charging pad (the transmitter circuit) and the receiver module (embedded in the load) to maximize energy transfer efficiency. Battery-powered devices fitted with a special receiver module can then be charged simply by placing them on a wireless charging pad. Resonant inductive coupling has been adopted as part of the Qi wireless charging standard. Some additional applications are RFID tag and reader systems, smartcard and scanner systems, charging systems for implantable battery-powered medical devices like cardiac pacemakers, the stationary charging of battery-powered electric vehicles such as electric cars, and the powering of trains and rail cars.[40][8] This technology is also used for powering passive devices with very low energy requirements, such as RFID tags and contactless smartcards. Instead of relying on each of many thousands or millions of RFID tags or smartcards to contain a working battery, the method can provide power as needed, as the device is being scanned.

Capacitive coupling

Electrostatic induction or capacitive coupling is the passage of electric field energy through a dielectric. The action of a capacitor involves the transfer of energy between two conductive plates through a dielectric by means of an electric field. If a time-varying voltage is applied across the leads of a capacitor, a displacement current can flow. When a high-voltage, high-frequency alternating current is applied to two metal plates separated by a distance, a cold cathode gas discharge or fluorescent tube positioned in proximity of the two charged surfaces can be illuminated because the electrostatic field energy ionizes the gas in the tube creating plasma. One low power application of this technology is energy transfer between substrate layers on large-scale integrated circuit devices.

Magnetodynamic coupling

Any permanent magnet that is exposed to an external magnetic field will be subject to a force which, as well as moving the permanent magnet, acts to align the magnetic field in the permanent magnet with the field of the external force. This is described by the equation for force on a dipole as magnetic torque. If the allowed motion of the permanent magnet is restricted, such as a magnet restricted to motion along an axis and magnetized along that axis, then a degree of motion and rotation will be allowed within limits. If the external magnetic field is time-varying then the permanent magnet will move within its allowed range of motion. In the example of a magnet restricted to a single axis, producing an alternating magnetic field along this axis will cause the permanent magnet to travel backward and forward on the axis. If a coil is placed near this permanent magnet, the change in magnetic flux will induce an electromotive force in the coil according to Faraday's law of induction, to which a load may be connected in order to cause current flow, using the same principle as an alternator. The external field in a magnetically-coupled system may also be the field produced by a permanent magnet. Here the field produced by this magnet is approximated as a magnetic dipole with some magnetization, m, aligned in a given direction. For the second magnet, which is allowed to move freely, there will be a force of attraction and a force acting to rotate the magnet.

In the case of two magnets which are restricted to rotate around parallel axes, when the first magnet is rotated a torque will be produced on the second magnet causing it to align with the first magnet. This can be described similarly to a system of gears, where the magnets are essentially two meshed gears with a 1:1 ratio. As the first magnet continues to rotate, the second magnet will also rotate synchronously. In this kind of a system, the power used to rotate the first magnet can be extracted as electrical energy through the coils surrounding the second magnet. The amount of power transferred across the gap between magnets is a function of the torque, which is a function of magnetic moment, and the rotating frequency of the magnets. In this way, electrical power may be transferred across an air gap at high efficiency, equivalent to or greater than that of a resonant inductively coupled system, and has been demonstrated previously at the kW scale over short distances [41]

Bound-mode EM surface wave

The wireless transmission of electrical energy is by a bound-mode EM surface wave between ground terminal electrodes with an equivalent time-varying electrical displacement associated with paired air terminal electrodes. This technique depends upon the electrical conductivity of Earth, that is to say, the spherical conducting terrestrial transmission line.[42] Energy transmission is achieved by charging and discharging the air terminal electrode of a grounded resonance transformer electrical oscillator transmitter, generating an alternating electric field. This electric field energy can couple with the air terminal electrode of a similarly designed grounded resonance transformer electrical energy receiver tuned to the same frequency. Electrical energy is transferred between the transmitter and receiver by electrical conduction between the ground terminal electrodes when this coupling is established.[43] This form of wireless transmission, in which alternating current electricity passes through the earth with an equivalent electrical displacement through the air above it, was demonstrated in 2008 over distances up to 12 meters,[19][44] achieving power transmission efficiencies superior to the resonant electrical induction method.[45]

Far-field or radiative techniques

Far field methods achieve longer ranges, often multiple kilometer ranges, where the distance is much greater than the diameter of the device(s). The main reason for longer ranges with radio wave and optical devices is the fact that electromagnetic radiation in the far-field can be made to match the shape of the receiving area (using high directivity antennas or well-collimated laser beams). The maximum directivity for antennas is physically limited by diffraction.

In general, visible light (from lasers) and microwaves (from purpose-designed antennas) are the forms of electromagnetic radiation best suited to energy transfer.

The dimensions of the components may be dictated by the distance from transmitter to receiver, the wavelength and the Rayleigh criterion or diffraction limit, used in standard radio frequency antenna design, which also applies to lasers. Airy's diffraction limit is also frequently used to determine an approximate spot size at an arbitrary distance from the aperture. Electromagnetic radiation experiences less diffraction at shorter wavelengths (higher frequencies); so, for example, a blue laser is diffracted less than a red one.

The Rayleigh criterion dictates that any radio wave, microwave or laser beam will spread and become weaker and diffuse over distance; the larger the transmitter antenna or laser aperture compared to the wavelength of radiation, the tighter the beam and the less it will spread as a function of distance (and vice versa). Smaller antennae also suffer from excessive losses due to side lobes. However, the concept of laser aperture considerably differs from an antenna. Typically, a laser aperture much larger than the wavelength induces multi-moded radiation and mostly collimators are used before emitted radiation couples into a fiber or into space.

Ultimately, beamwidth is physically determined by diffraction due to the dish size in relation to the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation used to make the beam.


Microwave power beaming can be more efficient than lasers, and is less prone to atmospheric attenuation caused by dust or water vapor losing atmosphere to vaporize the water in contact.


Then the power levels are calculated by combining the above parameters together, and adding in the gains and losses due to the antenna characteristics and the transparency and dispersion of the medium through which the radiation passes. That process is known as calculating a link budget.

Microwaves

An artist's depiction of a solar satellite that could send electric energy by microwaves to a space vessel or planetary surface.

Power transmission via radio waves can be made more directional, allowing longer distance power beaming, with shorter wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, typically in the microwave range.[46] A rectenna may be used to convert the microwave energy back into electricity. Rectenna conversion efficiencies exceeding 95% have been realized. Power beaming using microwaves has been proposed for the transmission of energy from orbiting solar power satellites to Earth and the beaming of power to spacecraft leaving orbit has been considered.[47][48]

Power beaming by microwaves has the difficulty that for most space applications the required aperture sizes are very large due to diffraction limiting antenna directionality. For example, the 1978 NASA Study of solar power satellites required a 1-km diameter transmitting antenna, and a 10 km diameter receiving rectenna, for a microwave beam at 2.45 GHz.[49] These sizes can be somewhat decreased by using shorter wavelengths, although short wavelengths may have difficulties with atmospheric absorption and beam blockage by rain or water droplets. Because of the "thinned array curse," it is not possible to make a narrower beam by combining the beams of several smaller satellites.

For earthbound applications a large area 10 km diameter receiving array allows large total power levels to be used while operating at the low power density suggested for human electromagnetic exposure safety. A human safe power density of 1 mW/cm2 distributed across a 10 km diameter area corresponds to 750 megawatts total power level. This is the power level found in many modern electric power plants.

Following World War II, which saw the development of high-power microwave emitters known as cavity magnetrons, the idea of using microwaves to transmit power was researched. By 1964, a miniature helicopter propelled by microwave power had been demonstrated.[50]

Japanese researcher Hidetsugu Yagi also investigated wireless energy transmission using a directional array antenna that he designed. In February 1926, Yagi and his colleague Shintaro Uda published their first paper on the tuned high-gain directional array now known as the Yagi antenna. While it did not prove to be particularly useful for power transmission, this beam antenna has been widely adopted throughout the broadcasting and wireless telecommunications industries due to its excellent performance characteristics.[51]

Wireless high power transmission using microwaves is well proven. Experiments in the tens of kilowatts have been performed at Goldstone in California in 1975[52][53][54] and more recently (1997) at Grand Bassin on Reunion Island.[55] These methods achieve distances on the order of a kilometer.

Under experimental conditions microwave conversion efficiency was measured to be around 54%.[56]

More recently a change to 24 GHz has been suggested as microwave emitters similar to LEDs have been made with very high quantum efficiencies using negative resistance i.e. Gunn or IMPATT diodes and this would be viable for short range links.

Lasers

With a laser beam centered on its panel of photovoltaic cells, a lightweight model plane makes the first flight of an aircraft powered by a laser beam inside a building at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

In the case of electromagnetic radiation closer to the visible region of the spectrum (tens of micrometers to tens of nanometres), power can be transmitted by converting electricity into a laser beam that is then pointed at a photovoltaic cell.[57] This mechanism is generally known as "power beaming" because the power is beamed at a receiver that can convert it to electrical energy.

Compared to other wireless methods:[58]

  • Collimated monochromatic wavefront propagation allows narrow beam cross-section area for transmission over large distances.
  • Compact size: solid state lasers fit into small products.
  • No radio-frequency interference to existing radio communication such as Wi-Fi and cell phones.
  • Access control: only receivers hit by the laser receive power.

Drawbacks include:

  • Laser radiation is hazardous. Low power levels can blind humans and other animals. High power levels can kill through localized spot heating.
  • Conversion between electricity and light is inefficient. Photovoltaic cells achieve only 40%–50% efficiency.[59] (Efficiency is higher with monochromatic light than with solar panels).
  • Atmospheric absorption, and absorption and scattering by clouds, fog, rain, etc., causes up to 100% losses.
  • Requires a direct line of sight with the target.

Laser "powerbeaming" technology has been mostly explored in military weapons[60][61][62] and aerospace[63][64] applications and is now being developed for commercial and consumer electronics. Wireless energy transfer systems using lasers for consumer space have to satisfy laser safety requirements standardized under IEC 60825.[citation needed]

Other details include propagation,[65] and the coherence and the range limitation problem.[66]

Geoffrey Landis[67][68][69] is one of the pioneers of solar power satellites[70] and laser-based transfer of energy especially for space and lunar missions. The demand for safe and frequent space missions has resulted in proposals for a laser-powered space elevator.[71][72]

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center demonstrated a lightweight unmanned model plane powered by a laser beam.[73] This proof-of-concept demonstrates the feasibility of periodic recharging using the laser beam system.

History

In 1862 James Clerk Maxwell synthesized previous observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory, deriving Maxwell's equations. This set of partial differential equations forms the basis for modern electromagnetics including the wireless transmission of electrical energy.[74][17] In 1884 John Henry Poynting developed equations for the flow of power in an electromagnetic field, Poynting's theorem and the Poynting vector, which are used in the analysis of wireless power systems.[74][17] In 1888 Heinrich Rudolf Hertz experimentally confirmed the existence of electromagnetic radiation. Hertz’s apparatus for generating electromagnetic waves was a VHF or UHF radio wave spark gap transmitter.

Tesla’s experiments

Tesla demonstrates wireless energy transmission in a lecture at Columbia College, New York, in 1891. The two metal sheets are connected to a resonance transformer Tesla coil oscillator that supplies high frequency, high potential alternating current. The oscillating electric field between the sheets ionizes the low pressure gas in two Geissler tubes, causing them to glow.

Nikola Tesla may have done more to popularize the idea of wireless transmission than any other person of the 20th century.[74][75] He began with the development of a radio frequency resonant transformer, known as the Tesla coil in 1891.[76][77] Between 1891 and 1899 he demonstrated wireless energy transmission both publicly during lectures in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, London, and Paris, and privately at his Manhattan laboratories by means of electrodynamic induction, electrostatic induction, electromagnetic radiation or radio waves, and the bound-mode EM surface wave.[78][79][80][75][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][74] In demonstrations before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers[77] and at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago he lit light bulbs from across a stage. He found the transmission-reception distance could be increased by tuning the receiver to resonate with the transmitter.[88]

In 1899 Tesla shifted his wireless transmission research to Colorado Springs, Colorado to work out data for the construction of Wardenclyffe, a large commercial plant to be built on Long Island, New York. The facility was designed for trans-Atlantic wireless telecommunications based upon disturbed charge of ground and air method engineering[89] and the related patents. [90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97]

The plant in Colorado was merely designed in the same sense as a naval constructor designs first a small model to ascertain all the quantities before he embarks on the construction of a big vessel.[84]

In one demonstration at the Colorado Springs Experimental Station, three incandescent lamps were lit by resonant inductive coupling at a distance of about 100 feet (30 m).[98][99][100] Coupling between resonant circuits by electric or magnetic fields is now a familiar technology used throughout electronics. Resonant inductive coupling is once again of interest for short-range wireless power transmission.[75] As mentioned above it is a "near-field" effect,[75], so, as Tesla discovered in 1899, it is not suitable for the transmission of electrical energy over long distances. While in Colorado he wrote, "the inferiority of the induction method would appear immense as compared with the disturbed charge of ground and air method."[101]

In 1900 Tesla received the patents SYSTEM OF TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY and APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY.[90][91] These two patents describe hypothetical wireless stations with air terminal electrodes raised to more than 30,000 feet (9,100 m) elevation, along with the claim that electric field energy can be made to pass over long distances by conduction between elevated terminals maintained at this altitude. Another claim was that such high elevation of the air terminals is not needed.[102] Modern demonstrations of this wireless power transfer method show that incandescent lamps can be lit at medium-range distances.[19] The transmitted energy can be detected at great distances.[103][84]

The dispersion curve for surface plasmons. At low frequency, a surface plasmon polariton approaches a Zenneck wave, where the relation between frequency and wavevector is the same as in free space.

Tesla’s theory of operation states, the periodic charging and discharging of a resonance transformer transmitter's air terminal electrode periodically alters Earth's electrostatic charge.

Starting from two facts that the earth is a conductor insulated in space, and that a body cannot be charged without causing an equivalent displacement of electricity in the earth, I undertook to construct a machine suited for creating as large a displacement as possible of the earth's electricity.[104][105]

This redistribution of charge results in the passage of electric current through the ground along with an accompanying guided surface wave.[106] Tesla believed that with sufficient transmitter power output, Earth’s electrostatic potential can disturbed over its entire surface.[94][95]

In 1901 Tesla began construction of the Wardenclyffe power plant and tower, a wireless telecommunications facility in Shoreham, New York, intended as the prototype station for the World Wireless System, based upon the principle of terrestrial electrical conductivity[107][108][109] and his theory of earth resonance.

The only known report of the long-distance transmission and reception of electrical energy by Tesla himself is a statement made to attorney Drury W. Cooper in 1916 that in 1899 he collected quantitative transmission-reception data at a distance of about 10 miles (16 km).[83][84] Two reports by others of Tesla having achieved long-distance power transmission have been found. The first is the purported wireless operation of lamps and electric motors at a distance of 15 miles (24 km).[110] The second is an assertion by Tesla biographer John J. O'Neill,[98] said to be pieced together from "fragmentary material . . . in a number of publications,"[111] that in 1899 Tesla lit 200 incandescent lamps at a distance of 26 miles (42 km).[112][98] There is no independent confirmation of these two supposed demonstrations.[112][98][113] Tesla did not mention them,[112] and they do not appear in his meticulously kept laboratory notes.[113][114]

Over one-hundred years have passed since his original work and there is no documentation of the Tesla wireless system apparatus ever having been replicated, other than by Leyh and Kennan,[19] and no published reports exist of any attempt to achieve long distance wireless energy transfer by this means.[98][112][75][115] A number of individuals have expressed their opinion that Tesla wireless system technology cannot possibly work.[116][112][117][118][119][120][121][122][123] While Tesla's wireless energy transfer scheme remains only a fascinating dream for some,[17] modern demonstrations have validated the basic concept over medium range distances[19]and mathematical analysis suggest that long distance wireless telecommunications by its means is feasible.[124][125][126][42][127]

Microwaves

Before World War 2, little progress was made in wireless power transmission.[128] Radio was developed for communication uses, but couldn't be used for power transmission due to the fact that the relatively low-frequency radio waves spread out in all directions and little energy reached the receiver.[74][17][128] In radio communication, at the receiver, an amplifier intensifies a weak signal using energy from another source. For power transmission, efficient transmission required transmitters that could generate higher-frequency microwaves, which can be focused in narrow beams towards a receiver.[74][17][128][119]

The development of microwave technology during World War 2, such as the klystron and magnetron tubes and parabolic antennas[128] made radiative (far-field) methods practical for the first time, and the first long-distance wireless power transmission was achieved in the 1960s by William C. Brown.[74][17] In 1964 Brown invented the rectenna which could efficiently convert microwaves to DC power, and in 1964 demonstrated it with the first wireless-powered aircraft, a model helicopter powered by microwaves beamed from the ground.[17][128] A major motivation for microwave research in the 1970s and 80s was to develop a solar power satellite.[74][128] Conceived in 1968 by Peter Glaser, this would harvest energy from sunlight using solar cells and beam it down to Earth as microwaves to huge rectennas, which would convert it to electrical energy on the electric power grid.[17][129] In landmark 1975 high power experiments, Brown demonstrated short range transmission of 475 W of microwaves at 54% DC to DC efficiency, and he and Robert Dickinson at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory transmitted 30 kW DC output power across 1.5 km with 2.38 GHz microwaves from a 26 m dish to a 7.3 x 3.5 m rectenna array.[17][130] The incident-RF to DC conversion efficiency of the rectenna was 80%.[17][130] In 1983 Japan launched MINIX (Microwave Ionosphere Nonlinear Interation Experiment), a rocket experiment to test transmission of high power microwaves through the ionosphere.[17]

In recent years a focus of research has been the development of wireless-powered drone aircraft, which began in 1959 with the Dept. of Defense's RAMP (Raytheon Airborne Microwave Platform) project[128] which sponsored Brown's research. In 1987 Canada's Communications Research Center developed a small prototype airplane called Stationary High Altitude Relay Platform (SHARP) to relay telecommunication data between points on earth similar to a communication satellite. Powered by a rectenna, it could fly at 13 miles (21 km) altitude and stay aloft for months. In 1992 a team at Kyoto University built a more advanced craft called MILAX (MIcrowave Lifted Airplane eXperiment). In 2003 NASA flew the first laser powered aircraft. The small model plane's motor was powered by electricity generated by photocells from a beam of infrared light from a ground based laser, while a control system kept the laser pointed at the plane.

Near-field technologies

Inductive power transfer between nearby coils of wire is an old technology, existing since the transformer was developed in the 1800s. Induction heating has been used for 100 years. With the advent of cordless appliances, inductive charging stands were developed for appliances used in wet environments like electric toothbrushes and electric razors to reduce the hazard of electric shock.

One field to which inductive transfer has been applied is to power electric vehicles. In 1892 Maurice Hutin and Maurice Leblanc patented a wireless method of powering railroad trains using resonant coils inductively coupled to a track wire at 3 kHz.[131] The first passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technologies were invented by Mario Cardullo[132] (1973) and Koelle et al.[133] (1975) and by the 1990s were being used in proximity cards and contactless smartcards.

The proliferation of portable wireless communication devices such as cellphones, tablet, and laptop computers in recent decades is currently driving the development of wireless powering and charging technology to eliminate the need for these devices to be tethered to wall plugs during charging.[134] The Wireless Power Consortium was established in 2008 to develop interoperable standards across manufacturers.[134] Its Qi inductive power standard published in August 2009 enables charging and powering of portable devices of up to 5 watts over distances of 4 cm (1.6 inches).[135] The wireless device is placed on a flat charger plate (which could be embedded in table tops at cafes, for example) and power is transferred from a flat coil in the charger to a similar one in the device.

In 2007, a team led by Marin Soljačić at MIT used coupled tuned circuits made of a 25 cm resonant coil at 10 MHz to transfer 60 W of power over a distance of 2 meters (6.6 ft) (8 times the coil diameter) at around 40% efficiency.[75][136] This technology is being commercialized as WiTricity.

See also

Further reading

Books and Articles
  • Steinmetz, C. P. (1914). Elementary lectures on electric discharges, waves and impulses, and other transients. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. An historic electrical engineering treatise.
  • Agbinya, Johnson I., Ed. (2012). Wireless Power Transfer. River Publishers. ISBN 8792329233.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Comprehensive, theoretical engineering text
  • Shinohara, Naoki (2014). Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 1118862961. Engineering text
  • Tomar, Anuradha; Gupta, Sunil (July 2012). "Wireless power Transmission: Applications and Components". International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology. 1 (5). ESRSA Publications Pvt. Ltd.: 1–8. ISSN 2278-0181. Brief survey of state of wireless power and applications
  • Kurs, André; Karalis, Aristeidis; Moffatt, Robert (July 2007). "Wireless Power Transfer via Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonances" (PDF). Science. 317. American Association for the Advancement of Science: 83–85. doi:10.1126/science.1143254. ISSN 1095-9203. Landmark paper on MIT team's 2007 development of mid-range resonant wireless transmission
  • Thibault, G. (2014). Wireless Pasts and Wired Futures. In J. Hadlaw, A. Herman, & T. Swiss (Eds.), Theories of the Mobile Internet. Materialities and Imaginaries. (pp. 126–154). London: Routledge. A short cultural history of wireless power
Patents
  • U.S. patent 787,412, Art of transmitting electrical energy through the natural mediums, Nikola Tesla (1905).
  • U.S. patent 1,119,732, Apparatus for transmitting electrical energy, Nikola Tesla (1914).
  • U.S. patent 3,535,543, Microwave power receiving antenna, Carroll C. Dailey (1970).
  • U.S. patent 3,933,323, Solid state solar to microwave energy converter system and apparatus, Kenneth W. Dudley, et al. (1976).
  • U.S. patent 4,955,562, Microwave powered aircraft, John E. Martin, et al. (1990).
  • U.S. patent 7,164,255, Inductive battery charger system with primary transformer windings formed in a multi-layer structure, Shu-Yuen Ron Hui (2007).

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    A high-frequency and high-voltage driver source excites the resonant transmitter to generate an alternating electric field which can couple with the resonant receiver. Energy will be delivered as soon as this coupling relation is set up.

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    Figure 7, "EXPERIMENT TO ILLUSTRATE AN INDUCTIVE EFFECT OF AN ELECTRICAL OSCILLATOR OF GREAT POWER - The photograph shows three ordinary incandescent lamps lighted to full candle-power by currents induced in a local loop consisting of a single wire forming a square of fifty feet each side, which includes the lamps, and which is at a distance of one hundred feet from the primary circuit energized by the oscillator. The loop likewise includes an electrical condenser, and is exactly attuned to the vibrations of the oscillator, which is worked at less than five percent of its total capacity.

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    My experiments [on Houston Street] showed that at a height of 5 miles the air was in a condition to transmit the energy in this way, but my experiments in Colorado showed that at a height of 1 mile it is plenty enough rarefied to break down under the stress and conduct the current to the distant points.

        I have to say here that when I filed the applications of September 2, 1897, for the transmission of energy in which this method was disclosed, it was already clear to me that I did not need to have terminals at such high elevation, but I never have, above my signature, announced anything that I did not prove first. That is the reason why no statement of mine was ever contradicted, and I do not think it will be, because whenever I publish something I go through it first by experiment, then from experiment I calculate, and when I have the theory and practice meet I announce the results.

        At that time I was absolutely sure that I could put up a commercial plant, if I could do nothing else but what I had done in my laboratory on Houston Street; but I had already calculated and found that I did not need great heights to apply this method. . . . I have constructed and patented a form of apparatus which, with a moderate elevation of a few hundred feet, can break the air stratum down. . . .

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    Counsel: What was the distance of the receiver from the sending station in the Colorado test?

    Tesla: Well, these distances were small, for the reason that they were merely intended to give me quantitative data.
    Counsel: Could you give the number of miles, approximately?

    Tesla: Oh, 10 miles or so.

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