Design of a large area rectenna for Energy Harvesting using Ambient RF Energy

Master Thesis Final Presentation

Student: Octavian Sima
Promoters: Guy Vandenbosch, Georges Gielen Daily Supervisor: Hidayath Mirza

Opportunity
Introduction Efficiency

GSM Ambient Energy:

S = 0.1 - 1 mW/m2

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Known Source: Nearby GSM antennas Known Frequency: GSM-1800

1710 1785MHz for uplink from mobile to

Applications in Industry

base station - = 17,5 16,8 cm 1805 1880 MHz for base station broadcasting - = 16,56 15,95 cm

Conclusions

HOW to harvest that energy and put to good use??

Introduction

Solution: Rectennas
Solution: RECTifying antENNA
1. Wireless Power Transmission: RFID tags

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

2. Energy Scavenging: Wireless Sensors in project PinBalls

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Summary
Introduction

Setting the Goal Solution: Rectennas Losses in an RF Circuit Example Discussion Air Dielectric Antenna Functionality, Simulation and Measurements
Antenna Array Functionality, Simulation and Measurements

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Overall performance analysis Conclusions over the results Transparent antennas Solar cells applications Summary and Conclusions
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Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Introduction

Overall efficiency of a Rectenna

Efficiency in the system needs to be optimized

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Total of efficiencies of the components in the system:

Applications in Industry

OR:
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Conclusions

Introduction

Efficiency of the Antenna and Transmission Lines

Bandwidth inversely proportional with

Efficiency

Q factor of the antenna:

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

EFFICIENCY OF AIR/FOAM DIELECTRIC ANTENNA approaching 100% for thicker substrates!

The transmission lines attenuation

Applications in Industry

constant is:

Conclusions

Efficiency of the Rectifier

Introduction

Efficiency

First Prototype

Most important specifications: Low forward voltage drop => high sensitivity Low junction capacitance Cj => fast switching speeds Low reverse leakage current
High saturation current Is

Second Prototype

HSMS2850 or HSMS2860 Schottky Diodes?

Peak Detector or Voltage Doubler configuration?

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Voltage Doubler! Higher output Voltage, Lower Harmonic Distortion!

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Efficiency of the filter

Introduction

Efficiency

Discontinuities drastically increase radiation loss, especially on a thick

substrate => RF filters have high insertion loss

First Prototype

SIF filter principle: if line short compared to wavelength (<1/10 at p ),

then:

Large Z creates inductance, limited by line dimensions

Second Prototype

Small Z creates capacitance, limited by higher order modes

Does it work?

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

NO FILTER

FILTER

Introduction

First Prototype
Air Dielectric Antenna 1.84 GHz Resonant Frequency Need big dielectric thickness for efficiency and high bandwidth => probe

Efficiency

First Prototype

inductance destroys matching Solution? Vandenbosch method of capacitive coupling

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Introduction

First Prototype (2)

Efficiency

Voltage Doubler Find appropriate trade-off for Load Resistor, Loss versus Output Voltage
Voltage Doubler Components: C1 = C2 = 15pF R = 20k

First Prototype

Big load resistance => lower harmonics, but higher losses

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

SIF filter Chebychev approximation, 0.5dB ripple

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Rogers Duroid 5880, r = 2.2, tan = 0.001

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Introduction

First Prototype Simulation vs. Measurement

Air Dielectric antenna simulated efficiency close to 100%, 9.88dB gain BUT! difficult to build! Length of capacitive patch L=8mm

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Air Dielectric Antenna

H = 1.524mm SIF Filter

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Introduction

First Prototype Simulation vs. Measurement (2)

Efficiency

SIF filter has high insertion loss

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Do we really need a SIF filter?

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

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Introduction

Second Prototype - Requirements

Corporate Array Adds up the contribution of patches Higher bandwidth compared to Serial array Potential problem due to losses => need to minimize losses in the feed network, optimize the microstrip
transmission lines for the optimum impedance, as low as possible for long lines

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Circular Polarization necessary for the system

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

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Introduction

Second Prototype - Requirements

Bending and chamfering edges decrease the system losses!

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

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Introduction

Second Prototype - Requirements

Careful with isolation between patches look for best trade-off distance between mutual

Efficiency

coupling and grating lobes

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

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Introduction

Second Prototype - Simulation vs. Measurement

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Resonance: 1.844 GHz BW: 44 MHz

Conclusions

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Introduction

Second Prototype - Simulation vs. Measurement (2)

What happens when modelling SMA connector? Too many calculations for poor Kepler

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

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Introduction

Second Prototype - Simulation vs. Measurement (3)

Lower voltage output! Losses in the Beamforming

Efficiency

First Prototype

network decrease overall system efficiency!!

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

-75%
Applications in Industry

-66% -65.7%

Conclusions

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Introduction

Overall Results Comparison

FarField Calculation:

Efficiency

First Prototype

Test at a distance a bit bigger, 1.25m

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

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Introduction

Possible Improvements

Efficiency

Efficiency enhancement:
Decrease size of array, use more rectifying circuits Consequence: less sensitive to incidence angles, lower gain

First Prototype

Second Prototype

BW enhancement
U-shaped slot in coaxially fed patch over 30% BW Aperture Coupling with circular polarization

Performance Analysis

Applications in Industry

Precison Enhancement
Aperture Coupling with circular polarization

Conclusions

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Introduction

Transparent Antennas
Material: AgHT- optically transparent conductive coating on clear

Efficiency

polyester

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

AgHT4 vs AgHT8

Applications in Industry

Conclusions

Problems: 59 times less conductive than copper => conductivity losses would increase dramatically
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Introduction

Solar Antennas
Infrared Rectennas for Energy Harvesting Based on the dual wave/photon

Efficiency

First Prototype

Second Prototype

nature of light! 85% of the spectrum has wavelengths between 0.4 1.6um Need very fast diodes!!
Low CJ Capacitance

Low VF
Performance Analysis

Mostly MIM diodes until now

Solar Light random Polarization need

Applications in Industry

Circular Polarization

Conclusions

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Introduction

Conclusion

Efficiency

Two prototypes, one comparison

First Prototype

Second Prototype

Performance Analysis

Difficult to build 1m2 antenna arrays Antenna Array does not bring a real advantage due to its feeding network losses Better Solution - rectenna array with separate rectification circuits

Applications in Industry

Voltage Doubler with big load resistance can eliminate filter

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Conclusions

Thank You!

Questions?