U.S. patent number 10,389,138 [Application Number 15/397,281] was granted by the patent office on 2019-08-20 for power receiver for extracting power from electric field energy in the earth.
This patent grant is currently assigned to EARTH ENERGIES, INC.. The grantee listed for this patent is Earth Energies, Inc.. Invention is credited to David R. Ames, John Dinwiddie, Terry L. Wright.
United States Patent |
10,389,138 |
Dinwiddie , et al. |
August 20, 2019 |
Power receiver for extracting power from electric field energy in
the earth
Abstract
A resonant transformer connected between a ground terminal and
elevated terminal draws current from the earth's electric field
through a primary winding of the transformer. An impulse generator
applies a high voltage impulse to the primary winding of the
resonant transformer to cause current to flow from the ground
terminal through the primary winding. The flow of current through
the primary winding of the resonant transformer induces a current
in the secondary winding, which may be converted and filtered to a
usable form, e.g. 60 Hz AC or DC.
Inventors: |
Dinwiddie; John (Cary, NC),
Wright; Terry L. (Suwanee, GA), Ames; David R. (Johns
Creek, GA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Earth Energies, Inc. |
Johns Creek |
GA |
US |
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Assignee: |
EARTH ENERGIES, INC.
(Alpharetta, GA)
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Family
ID: |
58559180 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/397,281 |
Filed: |
January 3, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20170117714 A1 |
Apr 27, 2017 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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14509772 |
Oct 8, 2014 |
9564268 |
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61889894 |
Oct 11, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J
4/00 (20130101); Y10T 307/549 (20150401); H05F
7/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H05F
7/00 (20060101); H02J 4/00 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Fleming; Fritz M
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Coats & Bennett, PLLC
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S.
application Ser. No. 14/509772 filed 8 Oct. 2014 which claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/889,894 filed 11
Oct. 2013, the disclosures of all of which are incorporated by
reference herein in their entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A power receiver for extracting electrical energy from the
earth's electric field, said power receiver comprising: a resonant
transformer connected to a ground terminal disposed below the
surface of the earth; an impulse generator for generating and
applying a high voltage electrical impulse to a primary winding of
the resonant transformer to induce current flow from the ground
terminal through the primary winding of the transformer; and a
power conversion circuit connected to a secondary winding of the
resonant transformer to convert electrical current flowing through
the secondary winding to a desired form.
2. The power receiver of claim 1 wherein a resonant frequency of
the resonant transformer is below 200 Hz.
3. The power receiver of claim 1 wherein the resonant transformer
comprises a ferro-resonant transformer.
4. The power receiver of claim 1 further comprising an elevated
terminal, and wherein the primary winding of the resonant
transformer is connected between the ground terminal and elevated
terminal.
5. The power receiver of claim 4 wherein said resonant transformer
includes a capacitor connected in series with the primary winding
between the impulse generator and the elevated terminal.
6. The power receiver of claim 4 comprising multiple resonant
transformers having primary windings connected in parallel between
the ground terminal and the elevated terminal.
7. The power receiver of claim 6 wherein the resonant transformers
have different resonant frequencies.
8. The power receiver of claim 7 wherein the resonant frequencies
of the resonant transformers are matched to respective Schumann
resonances.
9. The power receiver of claim 1 wherein the impulse generator
comprises: a pulse generator for generating low voltage pulses; a
step-up transformer for converting the low voltage pulses provided
by the pulse generator to high voltage impulses; a spark gap
connected between the step-up transformer and the primary winding
of the resonant transformer to generate a spark responsive to the
high voltage impulses from the step-up transformer.
10. The power receiver of claim 1 wherein the impulse generator
comprises a solid state spark generator.
11. The power receiver of claim 1 wherein said resonant transformer
includes a capacitor connected in parallel with the primary
winding.
12. A power receiver for extracting electrical energy from the
earth's electric field, said power receiver comprising: a resonant
circuit connected to a ground terminal disposed below the surface
of the earth, said resonant circuit having a resonant frequency
below 200 Hertz an impulse generator for generating and applying a
high voltage electrical impulse to the resonant circuit to induce
current flow from the ground terminal through the resonant circuit;
and a power conversion circuit connected to the resonant circuit to
convert electrical current flowing through the resonant circuit to
a desired form.
13. The power receiver of claim 12 wherein the impulse generator
comprises: a pulse generator for generating low voltage pulses; a
step-up transformer for converting the low voltage pulses provided
by the pulse generator to high voltage impulses; a spark gap
connected between the step-up transformer and resonant circuit to
generate a spark responsive to the high voltage impulses from the
step-up transformer.
14. The power receiver of claim 12 wherein the resonant circuit
comprises a resonant transformer having a primary winding, a
secondary winding, and resonant capacitor connected in parallel
with the primary winding.
15. The power receiver of claim 12 wherein the resonant circuit
comprises a resonant transformer having a primary winding, a
secondary winding, and resonant capacitor connected in series with
the primary winding.
16. The power receiver of claim 12 wherein the resonant circuit
comprises multiple resonant transformers having primary windings
connected in parallel.
17. The power receiver of claim 16 wherein the resonant
transformers have different resonant frequencies.
18. The power receiver of claim 17 wherein the resonant frequencies
of the resonant transformers are matched to respective Schumann
resonances.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to renewable energy, and
more particularly to methods and apparatus for extracting energy
from subsurface electrical fields beneath the earth's surface.
BACKGROUND
The earth and the ionosphere cavity may be viewed as a global
electric circuit. Electrical currents are constantly flowing within
the earth and its atmosphere. Within the earth, the majority of the
earth's energy is carried by extremely low frequency (ELF) and
ultralow frequency (ULF) waves in the 0-200 Hz frequency range. The
earth's rotating magnetic field and positive lightning are two
energy sources that sustain the ELF/ULF waves within the earth and
the atmosphere.
A great deal of research has been devoted to studying the electric
field present in the earth's ionosphere cavity. Joseph M. Crawley,
the "Fair Weather Atmosphere as a Power Source", Proceedings ESA
Annual Meeting on Electrostatics 2011; O. Jefimenko, "Operation of
Electric Motors from Atmospheric Electric Field," American Journal
of Physics, Vol. 39, Pgs. 776-779, 1971; M. L. Breuer, "Usability
of Tapping Atmospheric Charge as a Power Source," Renewable Energy,
Vol. 28, Pgs. 1121-1127, 2003. Numerous attempts have been made in
the past to extract electrical energy from the earth's atmosphere.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,540,998 to Plauson describes a system
for converting atmospheric electrical energy into usable power.
These past attempts have been successful in producing only small
amounts of power from the electrical field in the earth's
ionosphere cavity. The modest success of these experiments compared
to results from other renewable energy sources, such as solar and
wind, has tempered further research and prevented widespread use of
the electric field in the ionosphere cavity as an energy
source.
SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a power receiver for extracting
power from electric fields beneath the earth's surface. In
embodiments of the present disclosure, a resonant transformer
connected to a ground terminal draws current from the earth's
electric field through the primary winding of the transformer.
Current flow through the resonant transformer is induced by
applying a high voltage impulse to the primary winding. The flow of
current through the primary winding of the resonant transformer
induces a current in the secondary winding, which may be converted
and filtered to a usable form, e.g. 60 Hz AC or DC.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant frequency
of the resonant transformers is below 200 Hz.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant transformer
comprises a ferro-resonant transformer.
In some embodiments, the power receiver further comprises an
elevated terminal.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the primary winding of
the resonant transformer is connected between the ground terminal
and elevated terminal.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the elevated terminal
comprises an upper capacitive plate coupled to the earth's
ionosphere cavity.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the impulse generator
comprises the upper capacitive plate and a spark gap connected
between the upper capacitive plate and the primary winding of the
resonant transformer. The spark gap comprises a pair of electrodes
separated by a gap and configured to generate a spark when a
voltage difference between the electrodes reaches a predetermined
level.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the impulse generator
comprises a pulse generator for generating low voltage pulses, a
step-up transformer for converting the low voltage pulses provided
by the pulse generator to high voltage impulses, and a spark gap
connected between the step-up transformer and the primary winding
of the resonant transformer to generate a spark responsive to the
high voltage impulses from the step-up transformer.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the impulse generator
comprises a pulse generator for generating low voltage pulses, and
a step-up transformer connected to the primary winding of the
resonant transformer for converting the low voltage pulses provided
by the pulse generator to high voltage impulses.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the impulse generator
comprises a solid state spark generator.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant transformer
includes a capacitor connected in parallel with the primary
winding.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant transformer
includes a capacitor connected in series with the primary winding
between the impulse generator and the elevated terminal.
In some embodiments, the power receiver comprises multiple resonant
transformers having primary windings connected in parallel between
the ground terminal and the elevated terminal.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant
transformers have different resonant frequencies.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant frequencies
of the resonant transformers are all below 200 Hz.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant frequencies
of the resonant transformers are matched to respective Schumann
resonances.
Another embodiment of the power receiver comprises a resonant
circuit connected to a ground terminal disposed below the surface
of the earth, an impulse generator for generating and applying a
high voltage electrical impulse to the resonant circuit to induce
current flow from the ground terminal through the resonant circuit,
and a power conversion circuit connected to the resonant circuit to
convert electrical current flowing through the resonant circuit to
a desired form. The resonant circuit has a resonant frequency below
200 Hertz.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant circuit
comprises a resonant transformer having a primary winding, a
secondary winding, and resonant capacitor connected in series with
the primary winding.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant circuit
comprises multiple resonant transformers having primary windings
connected in parallel to the ground terminal.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant
transformers have different resonant frequencies.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant frequencies
of the resonant transformers are all below 200 Hz.
In some embodiments of the power receiver, the resonant frequencies
of the resonant transformers are matched to respective Schumann
resonances.
Other embodiments of the disclosure comprise a ground terminal for
a power receiver. In one embodiment, the ground terminal comprises
a ground shaft configured for insertion beneath the surface of the
earth, a hollow cylinder surrounding the ground shaft and having a
plurality of openings, and a plurality of ground wires connected at
one end to the ground shaft. The ground wires are wound around the
ground shaft and have free ends protruding through respective
openings in the hollow shaft so that rotation of the ground shaft
relative to the hollow cylinder causes the ground wires to extend
radially into the earth.
Other embodiments of the disclosure comprise methods of extracting
power from the earth. In one embodiment, the method comprises
applying a high voltage impulse to resonant circuit coupled to a
ground terminal disposed beneath the surface of the earth to
initiate resonance in the resonant circuit and induce the flow of
current from the ground terminal to the resonant circuit, and
converting the current flowing from the ground terminal into the
resonant circuit into a useful form.
In some embodiments of the method, the resonant circuit comprises a
resonant transformer including a primary winding coupled to the
ground terminal and a second winding coupled to a power converter,
and applying a high voltage impulse to resonant circuit comprises
applying a high voltage impulse to the primary winding of the
resonant transformer.
In some embodiments of the method, applying a high voltage impulse
to the primary winding of the resonant transformer comprises
applying an impulse in the range to 10,000 to 40,000 volts to
primary winding of the transformer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a power
receiver.
FIG. 2 illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of a power
receiver.
FIG. 3 illustrates a third exemplary embodiment of a power
receiver.
FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth exemplary embodiment of a power
receiver.
FIG. 5 illustrates a fifth exemplary embodiment of a power
receiver.
FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary ground
antenna array for the power receiver.
FIG. 6B is a perspective view of an assembled ground antenna array
before being deployed.
FIG. 6C is a perspective view of an assembled ground antenna array
after being deployed.
FIG. 7A is a side view of an insertion tool for installing the
ground antenna array.
FIG. 7B is a top view of the insertion tool for installing the
ground antenna array.
FIG. 7C is a bottom view of the insertion tool for installing the
ground antenna array.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings, a power receiver for extracting
energy from the earth's electric field are illustrated and
indicated generally by the numeral 10. Various embodiments of the
power receiver 10 are described and similar reference numbers are
used throughout the description to indicate similar components.
The power receiver 10 converts energy in the ELF/ULF waves to
useful form, e.g. 60 Hz AC or DC. The power receiver 10 is
essentially a resonance circuit that resonates at the natural
resonance frequencies in the earth's electric field. These
resonance frequencies, known as Schumann resonance frequencies,
occur at 7.83 Hz, 14.3 Hz, 20.8 Hz, 27.3 Hz, and 33.8 Hz. A high
voltage impulse initiates resonance within the power receiver 10.
In the resonant mode, the impedance of the power receiver 10 is
reduced to near zero thus inducing ground currents to flow into the
power receiver 10 where the ground currents are converted to useful
form.
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the power receiver 10. The
power receiver 10 comprises a resonant transformer 30 connected
between an elevated terminal 15 and ground terminal 25. In this
embodiment, the elevated terminal 15 is capacitively coupled to
electric fields within the earth's ionosphere cavity and functions
as an upper capacitive plate. A lower capacitive plate 20 is
connected to the ground terminal 25 beneath the surface of the
earth.
The resonant transformer 30 comprises a primary winding 35,
secondary winding 40, ferromagnetic core 45, and capacitor 50. One
end of the primary winding 35 is connected to the lower capacitive
plate 20 and ground terminal 25. The opposite end of the primary
winding 35 is connected via a spark gap 90 to the elevated terminal
15. The capacitor 50 is connected in parallel with the primary
winding 35 of the resonant transformer 30 to form an LC circuit 55
with a resonance frequency range of between about 0.1 and 200 Hz.
In a preferred embodiment, the resonant transformer has a Q of
about 10 or greater and resonance frequency in the range of about
0.1-200 Hertz. For example, the resonant transformer 30 may have a
resonance frequency of about 7.83 Hz, the fundamental Schumann
resonance frequency. The secondary winding 40 of the resonant
transformer 30 is connected to a power converter 110 as will be
hereinafter described in greater detail. The power converter 110
converts the energy extracted from the earth's electric field by
the power receiver 10 into a usable form for driving a load
140.
The elevated terminal/upper capacitive plate 15 comprises an
insulated, dish-shaped plate with a large radius of curvature. The
capacitance and resistance of the elevated terminal is chosen for
receiving broadband electric field frequencies in the 0-200 Hz
range. The upper capacitive plate 15 is sized to maximize to the
extent practical coupling with the electric field in the earth's
ionosphere cavity.
The lower capacitive plate 20 is also a dish-shaped plate with a
large radius of curvature. One function of the lower capacitive
plate 20 is to collect charge from the earth's ground currents and
provide an instantaneous source of current as hereinafter
described. The capacitance and resistance of the lower capacitive
plate 20 is selected to promote the flow of current from the ground
with minimal losses.
The spark gap 90 connected between the elevated terminal 15 and
resonant transformer 30 comprises a pair of electrodes 95, 100
separated by an evacuated air gap 105. Electrode 95 is connected to
the upper capacitive plate 15. Electrode 100 is connected to the
resonant transformer 30. The spark gap 105 prevents electrical
discharge from the upper capacitive plate 15 to the earth's
ionosphere cavity. The spark gap 90 in combination with the
elevated terminal 15 function as an impulse generator that applies
a high voltage impulse of about 10,000-40,000 volts to the primary
winding 35 to initiate resonance in the transformer 30.
In operation, the capacitive coupling of the upper capacitive plate
15 induces a high voltage operating current in the upper capacitive
plate 15. The upper capacitive plate is connected to a first
electrode 95 to the spark gap 90. When the voltage difference
between the electrodes 95 and 100 reaches a threshold, a spark
forms across the electrodes 95, 100 and a high voltage impulse is
applied to the primary winding 35 of the resonant transformer 30.
This high voltage impulse initiates resonance within the
transformer 30.
In resonant mode, the impedance of the resonance transformer is
reduced to nearly zero allowing current to flow from the capacitive
plate 20 and ground terminal 25 through the primary winding 35 of
the transformer 30, which in turn induces current in the secondary
winding 40. Power converter 110 converts the current flowing
through the secondary winding 40 into a usable form for driving a
load 140. The transformer 30 will continue to resonate for a short
period of time. By providing high voltage impulses to the primary
winding 35 of the resonant transformer 30 at periodic intervals, it
is possible to maintain a continuous flow of current from the earth
into the resonant transformer 30, thus producing a continuous
supply of power.
FIG. 2 discloses a second embodiment of the primary receiver 10.
This embodiment includes a resonant transformer 30 connected
between an elevated terminal 15 and ground terminal 25. The
resonant transformer 30 comprises a primary winding 35, secondary
winding 40, ferromagnetic core 45 and a high voltage capacitor 50.
One end of the primary winding 35 is connected to the ground
terminal 25. The opposite end of the primary winding 35 is
connected to the elevated terminal 15. The capacitor 50 has a
capacitance of about 0.01 micro-farads. In contrast to the previous
embodiment, capacitor 50 is connected in series with the primary
winding 35 and elevated terminal 15 and forms a LC circuit 55 with
a Q of about 10 or greater and a resonance frequency in the range
of about 0.1 to 200 Hz. In a preferred embodiment, the resonance
frequency of the transformer 30 is 7.83 Hz, the fundamental
Schumann resonance frequency. An impulse generator 60 is connected
between the primary winding 35 of the resonant transformer 30 and
the series capacitor 50 and applies a high voltage impulse to the
primary winding 35 of the resonant transformer 30. A battery 130 or
other external power source supplies power to the impulse generator
60. As previously described, the high voltage impulse applied by
the impulse generator 60 initiates resonance within the resonant
transformer 30 inducing current flow from the ground terminal 25
into the primary winding 35 of the resonant transformer 30. The
flow of current from the ground terminal 25 through the primary
winding 35 induces current in the secondary winding 40. Power
converter 110 converts the electrical energy in the current flowing
through the primary winding 40 into a usable form.
In contrast to the first embodiment, it is not required to
capacitively couple the elevated terminal 15 in the second
embodiment to the earth's ionosphere cavity. Rather, the elevated
terminal 15 in this embodiment provides lightning protection and
dissipates some of the energy flowing into the power receiver 10 to
the earth's ionosphere cavity. Also, in contrast to the first
embodiment, the capacitor 50 is connected in series between the
primary winding 35 of the transformer 30 and the elevated terminal
15. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the capacitor 50
could also be connected in parallel rather than series with the
primary winding 35 as shown in FIG. 1. Another difference is that
the impulse generator 60 has an external power source. The amount
of energy generated by the power receiver 10, however, is far
greater than the energy needed to generate high voltage impulses.
The first embodiment does not require an external power source to
generate high voltage impulses.
FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of the power receiver 10.
This embodiment is essentially the same as the embodiment shown in
FIG. 2. The main difference is that a center tap of the primary
winding 35 in the resonant transformer 30 is connected to an
electrical ground 85. It should be appreciated that the electrical
ground 85 may be different than the earth ground. When the center
tap of the resonant transformer 30 is grounded at a distance away
from the ground terminal 25 (e.g. 50 ft to 100 ft), the power
receiver 10 becomes a transmitter via the ground loop formed.
FIG. 4 illustrates the power receiver 10 of FIG. 2 in greater
detail. The power receiver includes a resonant transformer 30
connected between a ground terminal 25 and an elevated terminal 15.
The ground terminal 25 may comprise a 5/8-inch.times.8-foot copper
ground rod, such as the ERICO 615880UPC. The elevated terminal 15
may comprise a 90% copper mesh formed into a hemisphere with a
radius of about 9 inches. The elevated terminal 15 may be elevated
at a height of approximately 6 feet above the ground.
The resonant transformer 30 includes a primary winding 35,
secondary winding 40, ferromagnetic core 45 and series capacitor 50
configured as previously described. The resonant transformer 30 may
have a Q of about 10 and a resonance frequency in the range of
about 0.1 to 200 Hz. The resonant transformer 30 may be made using
an Allanson transformer (part #1530BP120R) connected in series with
a 0.01 micro-farad capacitor, such as the Condensor Products high
voltage capacitor (part #TC 103-17-125). The resonant transformer
30 is used in a step-down configuration. The center tap of the
resonant transformer 30 may optionally be connected to a
ground.
An impulse generator 60 is connected between the primary winding 35
of the resonant transformer 30 and the series capacitor 50 and
applies a high voltage impulse in the range of about 10,000 to
40,000 volts to the primary winding of the transformer 30. A
battery 130 or other external power source supplies power to the
impulse generator 60. The power converter 110 connects to the
secondary winding 40 of the resonant transformer 30 for converting
current in the secondary winding of the transformer to a useful
form.
The impulse generator 60 comprises a pulse generator 65 for
generating low voltage pulses, a step-up transformer 80 for
converting the low voltage pulses from the pulse generator 65 to
high voltage pulses, and a spark gap 90 for generating sparks
responsive to the high voltage pulses from the step-up transformer
80.
The pulse generator 65 comprises a square wave generator 70, such
as a Sinometer VC2002 function signal generator, and solid state
relay 75. The square wave generator 70 generates a digital pulse
stream. In one embodiment, the digital pulse stream generates a
square waveform with a frequency of about 7.83 Hz. The frequency of
the digital pulse stream is selected to match the resonance
frequency of the transformer 30, though such is not necessarily
required. The pulse stream output from the square wave generator 70
is applied to the solid state relay 75. The solid state relay 75 is
connected between a battery or other power source and a first
winding of the step-up transformer 80. The battery may comprise a
12 V, 7.0 A/H sealed lead acid battery, such as the ELB 1270A by
Lithonia Lighting. The solid state relay 75 functions as a switch
that is activated responsive to the waveform from the square wave
generator 70 to provide a continuous stream of low voltage pulses
from the battery to the first winding of the step-up transformer
80. A 1 ohm resistor is connected between the solid state relay 75
and step-up transformer 80.
The step-up transformer 80 may comprise a Transco 15 kV, 30 mA neon
sign transformer (part #S15612). The step-up transformer 80
converts the low voltage pulses from the pulse generator 65 to high
voltage pulses that are applied to the spark gap 90. The step-up
transformer has a 0.5 micro-farad capacitor connected in parallel
with the primary winding of the step-up transformer 80. The step-up
transformer produces pulses at the output of about 30,000 to 40,000
volts.
The spark gap 90 comprises a pair of electrodes 95, 100 separated
by an air gap 105. A suitable spark gap electrode pair is the
Information Unlimited SPARK05 1/4-inch.times.1-inch tungsten
electrodes. As previously described, when the voltage potential
between the electrodes 95, 100 reaches a threshold, a spark forms
between the electrodes 95, 100 and supplies a nearly instantaneous,
high voltage impulse to the primary winding 35 of the resonant
transformer 30. This high voltage impulse initiates resonance in
the resonant transformer 30 inducing current flow from the ground
terminal 25 through the primary winding 35 of the resonant
transformer 30.
The power converter 110 comprises a bridge rectifier 115, filter
capacitor 120, charge controller 125, and inverter 135. A suitable
rectifier is the Micro Commercial Components 10 amp, 1000 volt
bridge rectifier (Part #GBJL 1010). The bridge rectifier 115
converts the AC current flowing through the secondary winding 40 of
the resonant transformer to a DC current. A filter capacitor 120
removes unwanted frequencies from the DC current. A suitable
capacitor 120 is Cornell Dubilier 1000uF 450VDC capacitor (part
#383LX102M450N082). The filter capacitor 120 has a capacitance of
about 1000 micro-farads. The DC current is input to the charge
controller 125. The charge controller 125 may, for example,
comprise a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller,
such as a Tracer 4215 BN MPPT Solar Charge Controller, which is
commonly used in solar power generating systems. The charge
controller 125 applies a small amount of energy to a battery 30 to
charge the battery 130. As previously noted, the battery 130 serves
as a power source for the impulse generator 60. The remaining
current is supplied to an inverter 135, which converts the DC
current to an AC current with a desired voltage and frequency,
e.g., 120 volts/60 Hz AC. A suitable inverter 135 is the 1500 W
Pure Sine power inverter (AIMS) (part #PWRI1500125).The power
converter 110 as shown in FIG. 4 may be utilized in the embodiment
shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.
FIG. 5 illustrates a power receiver 10 according to another
embodiment. The power receiver 10 comprises a plurality of resonant
transformers 30 connected between a ground terminal 25 and elevated
terminal 15. Each of the resonant transformers 30 comprises a
primary winding 35, secondary winding 40, ferromagnetic core 45 and
series capacitor 50. The primary windings 35 of the resonant
transformers 30 are connected in parallel. The secondary windings
40 are connected in series with the power converter 110. An impulse
generator 60 applies a high voltage impulse to the primary windings
35 of the resonant transformers 30. A battery 130 or other external
power source supplies power to the impulse generator 60. The power
converter 110 converts the current in the power converter circuit
to a usable form for driving a load 140.
In one embodiment, each of the resonant transformers 30 shown in
FIG. 5 is configured to have a different resonant frequency. In one
embodiment, the resonant transformers 30 are configured to resonate
at frequencies of 7.83 Hz, 14.8 Hz, 20.3 Hz and 26.8 Hz
respectively. Additional resonant transformers 30 could be added to
operate at other resonance frequencies.
FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a high quality ground antenna array 200
which may be used as a ground terminal 25. The ground antenna array
200 comprises a generally cylindrical ground shaft 205 disposed
with a hollow cylinder 220 and a plurality of reinforced, heavy
gauge ground wires 210 attached at one end to the ground shaft 205.
The ground shaft 205 and ground wires 210 should be highly
conductive and have low resistance to supply current from the
ground to the power receiver 10. In one embodiment, the ground
wires 210 may be copper or other highly-conductive metal. The end
of the ground shaft may be pointed to facilitate insertion into the
earth. A connection port on the ground shaft 220 is provided to
electrically connect the ground antenna array 220 to the resonant
transformer 30.
The hollow cylinder 220 has external threads 25 to facilitate
insertion into the ground. A rotator nut 235 is fixedly secured to
the top end of the hollow shaft 220. A square shaft 215 protrudes
from the top end of the ground shaft 205 into the opening in the
rotator nut 235. FIG. 6B. A tool 250, shown in FIG. 7, engages with
the rotator nut 235 and square shaft 215 during insertion of the
ground antennas array 200 into the ground as will be hereinafter
described.
The insertion tool 250 is shown in FIG. 7. The insertion tool 250
includes a tool body 255 having a first socket 260 on one side to
fit the rotator nut 235 on the hollow cylinder 220 and a second
socket 265 on the other side to fit the square shaft 215 on the
ground shaft 205. Arms 270 extend from the outer periphery of the
tool body 255 for manually or mechanically turning the insertion
tool 250.
Before the antenna array 200 is deployed, the ground wires 210 are
wound around the ground shaft 205 with the free ends protruding
slightly from respective openings 230 in the hollow cylinder 220 to
a distance not to exceed one half (1/2) the depth of the external
threads 225 on the hollow cylinder 220. FIG. 6B illustrates the
ground antenna array 200 before deployment. FIG. 6C illustrates the
ground antenna array in a deployed configuration.
Installation of the ground antenna array 200 is performed in two
stages. In the first stage, a hole slightly smaller in diameter
than the threads 235 of the hollow cylinder 220 is drilled into the
Earth to a depth matching the length of the hollow cylinder 220 or
slightly longer. The hole is filled with water and the water is
allowed to soak into the soil. After the ground is softened, the
hollow cylinder 220 is rotated using the insertion tool 250 to
insert the ground antenna array 200 into the ground. The first
socket 260 of the insertion tool 250 is engaged with the rotator
nut 230 and the insertion tool 250 is turned by hand or a
mechanized rotating shaft fitted and attached to the tool arms 270
to thread the ground assembly into the hole. During the initial
insertion of the ground antenna array 200, the ground shaft 205 is
fixed to the hollow shaft 220 and rotates with the hollow shaft.
The hollow cylinder 220 is rotated until it reaches the full depth
of the hole.
Once the ground antenna array 200 has been fully inserted into the
earth, the insertion tool 250 is flipped over and the second socket
265 of the insertion tool 250 is engaged with the square shaft 215.
The insertion tool 250 is turned by hand or a mechanized rotating
shaft fitted and attached to the tool arms 270 to rotate the ground
shaft 205. During the second phase, the ground shaft 205 rotates
freely inside the hollow cylinder 220. Rotation of the ground shaft
205 causes the reinforced ground wires 210 to extend radially into
the earth. The ground shaft 220 is rotated until the ground wires
are fully extended. The ends of the ground wires may be sharpened
to aid in the extension of the ground wires during the second
phase.
After the ground antenna array 200 is deployed, a connection cable
280 is attached to a connection port 240 on the ground shaft 220 to
electrically connect the ground antenna array 220 to the resonant
transformer 30 in the power receiver 10.
* * * * *