RECTENNA CIRCUIT ELEMENTS, CIRCUITS, AND TECHNIQUES FOR ENHANCED EFFICIENCY WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION OR AMBIENT RF ENERGY HARVESTING

• US 20150372541A1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National University of Singapore
• Original Assignee: National University of Singapore
• Inventors: Guo, Yong Xin, Zhong, Zheng, Sun, Hucheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/383 comprising distributed impedance elements together with lumped impedance elements

Abstract

A rectenna includes (a) a multi-band multi-channel (MBMC) matching network, and/or (b) an adaptively reconfigurable rectifier or a breakdown-protected rectifier. An MBMC matching network includes a plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures coupled in series. An adaptively reconfigurable rectifier circuit includes a low input power rectifying portion, a high high input power rectifying portion, and a set of transistors configured for selectively and automatically transitioning the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier between a low input power operating configuration and a high input RF power operating configuration, in a manner correlated with input RF power level. A breakdown-protected rectifier includes a transistor-protected diode structure having a diode coupled to a transistor in a manner that protects the diode from direct exposure to negative voltages that would ordinarily cause the diode to break down in the absence of the transistor.

Claims

1. A circuit configured for receiving RF energy distributed in multiple RF frequency bands, the circuit including a multi-band multi-channel (MBMC) matching network, the MBMC matching network comprising:

a plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures, each T-shaped transmission line matching structure coupled in series to another T-shaped transmission line matching structure,

wherein each T-shaped transmission line matching structure includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion coupled between the first portion and the second portion,

wherein the first portion of a first T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line structures forms an input of the MBMC matching network, the second portion of a second T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures forms an output of the MBMC matching network, and the third portion of at least one T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures is couplable to electrical ground.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein each individual T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the MBMC matching network is configured for providing an impedance match corresponding to RF frequencies within a particular RF frequency band.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a rectenna comprising:

an antenna coupled to the input of the MBMC Matching network; and

a rectifier coupled to the output of the MBMC matching network.

4. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the circuit forms a portion of a wireless power transmission (WPT) system or a portion of an ambient RF energy harvesting system.

5. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the rectifier comprises one of:

an adaptively reconfigurable rectifier having a low input RF power rectifying portion, a high input RF power rectifying portion, and a set of transistors coupled to one of the high input RF power rectifying portion the low input RF power rectifying portion, the set of transistors configured for automatically transitioning the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier between a low input RF input power operating configuration and a high input RF power operating configuration based upon input RF power level; and

a breakdown-protected rectifier having at least transistor-protected diode structure, the transistor-protected diode structure comprising at least one diode coupled to a transistor in a manner that protects the diode from direct exposure to negative voltages that would ordinarily cause the diode to break down in the absence of the transistor.

6. A circuit configured for rectifying signals, comprising one of:

an adaptively reconfigurable rectifier having a low input power rectifying portion, a high input power rectifying portion, and a set of transistors coupled to one of the high input power rectifying portion the low input power rectifying portion, the set of transistors configured for selectively and automatically transitioning the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier between a low input power operating configuration and a high input RF power operating configuration in a manner correlated with a power level of a signal input to the circuit; and

a breakdown-protected rectifier having at least one transistor-protected diode structure, the at least one transistor-protected diode structure comprising a first diode coupled to a transistor in a manner that protects the first diode from direct exposure to negative voltages that would ordinarily cause the diode to break down in the absence of the transistor.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the low input power portion and the high input power portion of the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier are coupled in series.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the set of transistors of the adaptively reconfigurable is coupled in parallel with the high input power portion.

9. The circuit of claim 6, wherein a control terminal of each transistor within the set of transistors of the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier is coupled to electrical ground.

10. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the set of transistors of the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier includes a plurality of transistors coupled to each other in series.

11. The circuit of claim 6, wherein each transistor within the set of transistors is a Field Effect Transistor (FET).

12. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the low input power rectifying portion of the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier comprises a first set of diodes, and the high input power rectifying portion comprises a second set of diodes.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first set of diodes and the second set of diodes includes a plurality of diodes.

14. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the breakdown-protected rectifier comprises a first transistor-protected diode structure including a first diode and a transistor, and wherein the transistor includes a control terminal coupled to the anode of the first diode, a first terminal coupled to the cathode of the, first diode, and a second terminal couplable to circuitry external to the transistor-protected diode structure.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the anode of the first diode is coupled to an input of the breakdown-protected rectifier and is configured to receive an alternating current (AC) signal, and wherein the second terminal of the transistor is coupled to an output of the breakdown-protected rectifier.

16. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the transistor-protected diode structure further includes a second diode coupled in parallel with the second terminal and the third terminal of the transistor, such that the anode of the second diode is coupled to the cathode of the first diode.

17. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the transistor-protected diode structure further includes a second diode having its anode coupled to the anode of the first diode, and its cathode coupled to the control terminal of the transistor.

18. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the breakdown-protected rectifier comprises the first transistor-protected diode structure combined with a second transistor-protected diode structure coupled in a cascaded manner to the first transistor-protected diode structure, such that a negative voltage across the combination of the first and second transistor-protected diode structures is distributed across the transistor of the first transistor-protected diode structure and a transistor of the second transistor-protected diode structure.

19. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the second transistor-protected diode structure comprises a first diode and a transistor having a control input, a first terminal, and a second terminal, and wherein the anode of the first diode of the second transistor-protected diode structure is coupled to the anode of the first diode of the first transistor-protected diode structure, the cathode of the first diode of the second transistor-protected diode structure is coupled to the second terminal of the transistor of the second diode-protected transistor structure, and the third terminal of the transistor of the second diode-protected transistor structure is coupled to the control input of the transistor of the first diode-protected transistor structure.

20. A wireless network comprising:

a transmission (TX) stage configured for wirelessly transmitting electromagnetic signals; and

a reception (RX) stage configured for receiving electromagnetic signals transmitted by the TX stage, the RX stage comprising one of;

(a) a multi-band multi-channel (MBMC) matching network comprising;

a plurality of T-shaped, transmission line matching structures, each T-shaped transmission line matching structure coupled in series to another T-shaped transmission line matching structure,

wherein each T-shaped transmission line matching structure includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion coupled between the first portion and the second portion,

wherein the first portion of a first T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line structures forms an input of the MBMC matching network, the second portion of a second T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures forms an output of the MBMC matching network, and the third portion of at least one T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures is couplable to electrical ground;

(b) an adaptively reconfigurable rectifier having a low input power rectifying portion, a high input power rectifying portion, and a set of transistors coupled to one of the high input power rectifying portion the low input power rectifying portion, the set of transistors configured for selectively and automatically transitioning the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier between a low input power operating configuration and a high input RF power operating configuration in a manner correlated with a power level of a signal input to the RX stage; and

(c) a breakdown-protected rectifier having at least one transistor-protected diode structure, the at least one transistor-protected diode structure comprising a first diode coupled to a transistor in a manner that protects the first diode from direct exposure to negative voltages that would ordinarily cause the diode to break down in the absence of the transistor.

21. The wireless network of claim 20, wherein the RX stage includes the MBMC matching network and one of the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier and the breakdown-protected rectifier.

22. The wireless network of claim 20, further comprising at least one repeater/amplification stage configured to receive electromagnetic signals from the. TX stage and transmit electromagnetic signals to the RX stage, the at least one repeater/amplification stage comprising one of:

(a) a multi-band multi-channel (MBMC) matching network comprising;

a plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures, each T-shaped transmission line matching structure coupled in series to another T-shaped transmission line matching structure,

wherein each T-shaped transmission line matching structure includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion coupled between the first portion and the second portion,

wherein the first portion of a first T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line structures forms an input of the MBMC matching network, the second portion of a second T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures forms an output of the MBMC matching network, and the third portion of at least one T-shaped transmission line matching structure within the plurality of T-shaped transmission line matching structures is couplable to electrical ground;

(b) an adaptively reconfigurable rectifier having a low input power rectifying portion, a high input power rectifying portion, and a set of transistors coupled to one of the high input power rectifying portion the low input power rectifying portion, the set of transistors configured for selectively and automatically transitioning the adaptively reconfigurable rectifier between a low input power operating configuration and a high input RF power operating configuration in a manner correlated with a power level of a signal input to the RX stage; and

(c) a breakdown-protected rectifier having at least one transistor-protected diode structure, the at least one transistor-protected diode structure comprising a first diode coupled to a transistor in a manner that protects the first diode from direct exposure to negative voltages that would ordinarily cause the diode to break down in the absence of the transistor.

23. The wireless network of claim 22, wherein the at least one repeater/amplification stage includes an MBMC matching network and one of an adaptively reconfigurable rectifier and a breakdown-protected rectifier.