Power recovery circuit based on partial standing waves

• US 8,478,344 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US12/326,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562.1, 455/552.1, 455/561, 455/41.1, 455/73, 375/326, 375/308, 375/297, 330/7, 340/572.1, 307/130, 307/131, 307/125, 235/380, 235/383, 327/452, 327/455, 327/469, 327/476
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6627 Waveguides, e.g. microstrip line, strip line, coplanar line
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05554 being square
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06527 Special adaptation of electrical connections, e.g. rewiring, engineering changes, pressure contacts, layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0655 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0657 Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 : Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01031 : Gallium [Ga]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01061 : Promethium [Pm]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01083 : Bismuth [Bi]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1433 : Application-specific integrated circuit [ASIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19033 : being a coplanar line type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19043 : being a resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30105 : Capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 : matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 : mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 : formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 : Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 : Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 : Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H

Abstract

A power recovery system includes a transmission line that is coupled to transfer an RF signal received via an antenna. The RF signal generates a partial standing wave in the transmission line and the transmission line has at least one standing wave anti-node. A power recovery circuit converts an anti-node signal from the at least one standing wave anti-node to a power signal.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

an antenna;

an RF receiver;

a transmission line, coupled to transfer an RF signal received via the antenna, the RF signal generating a partial standing wave in the transmission line, the transmission line having at least one standing wave anti-node;

an impedance matching circuit, coupled to the transmission line and the RF receiver, the impedance matching circuit having impedance matching characteristics that support the production of the partial standing wave; and

a power recovery circuit, coupled to the at least one standing wave anti-node, for converting an anti-node signal from the at least one standing wave anti-node to a power signal.

2. The power recovery system of claim 1 wherein the impedance matching circuit is responsive to a mode control signal to produce the partial standing wave in a power generation mode of operation.

3. The power recovery system of claim 2 wherein the impedance matching circuit presents the transmission line with at least one of:

an impedance mismatch, a short circuit and an open circuit, in the power generation mode of operation.

4. The power recovery system of claim 2 wherein the impedance matching circuit is responsive to the mode control signal to presents the transmission line with an impedance match in a signal reception mode of operation.

5. The power recovery system of claim 4 wherein the power recovery circuit includes:

a power storage unit for storing power recovered from the anti-node signal; and

a processing module, coupled to the power storage unit, for generating the mode control signal.

6. The power recovery system of claim 5 wherein the processing module operates in response to a storage monitor signal from the power storage unit to detect a low power condition, and wherein the processing module generates the mode control signal to indicate the power generation mode of operation when the low power condition is detected.

7. The power recovery system of claim 1 wherein the power recovery circuit includes at least one rectifier circuit.

8. The power recovery system of claim 1 wherein the power recovery circuit includes a voltage multiplier circuit.

9. The power recovery system of claim 1 wherein the at least one standing wave anti-node includes a plurality of standing wave anti-nodes and wherein the power recovery circuit converts the anti-node signal from the plurality of standing wave anti-nodes to the power signal.

10. The power recovery system of claim 1 wherein the RF receiver is part of a millimeter wave backscattering transceiver.

11. A power recovery system for use in conjunction with an RF receiver, the power recovery system comprising:

a transmission line, coupled to transfer an RF signal received via an antenna, the RF signal generating a partial standing wave in the transmission line, the transmission line having at least one standing wave anti-node; and

a power recovery circuit, coupled to the at least one standing wave anti-node, for converting an anti-node signal from the at least one standing wave anti-node to a power signal.

12. The power recovery system of claim 11 further comprising:

an impedance matching circuit, coupled to the transmission line and the RF receiver, the impedance matching circuit having impedance matching characteristics that produce the partial standing wave.

13. The power recovery system of claim 12 wherein the impedance matching circuit is responsive to a mode control signal to produce the partial standing wave in a power generation mode of operation.

14. The power recovery system of claim 13 wherein the impedance matching circuit presents the transmission line with at least one of:

an impedance mismatch, a short circuit and an open circuit, in the power generation mode of operation.

15. The power recovery system of claim 13 wherein the impedance matching circuit is responsive to the mode control signal to presents the transmission line with an impedance match in a signal reception mode of operation.

16. The power recovery system of claim 13 wherein the power recovery circuit includes:

a power storage unit for storing power recovered from the anti-node signal; and

a processing module, coupled to the power storage unit, for generating the mode control signal.

17. The power recovery system of claim 16 wherein the processing module operates in response to a storage monitor signal from the power storage unit to detect a low power condition, and wherein the processing module generates the mode control signal to indicate the power generation mode of operation when the low power condition is detected.

18. The power recovery system of claim 11 wherein the power recovery circuit includes at least one rectifier circuit.

19. The power recovery system of claim 11 wherein the power recovery circuit includes a voltage multiplier circuit.

20. The power recovery system of claim 11 wherein the at least one standing wave anti-node includes a plurality of standing wave anti-nodes and wherein the power recovery circuit converts the anti-node signal from the plurality of standing wave antinodes to the power signal.

21. The power recovery system of claim 11 wherein the RF receiver is part of a backscattering transceiver.

22. The power recovery system of claim 11 wherein the RF signal includes a millimeter wave signal in a 60 GHz frequency band.

23. A power recovery system for use in conjunction with at least one RF receiver, the power recovery system comprising:

a plurality of transmission lines, coupled to transfer a plurality of RF signals received via a plurality of antennas, the plurality of RF signals generating a corresponding plurality of partial standing waves in the plurality of transmission lines, and wherein each of the plurality of transmission lines includes at least one standing wave anti-node;

a plurality of power recovery circuits, each of the plurality of power recover circuits coupled to the at least one standing wave anti-node of a corresponding one of the plurality of transmission lines, the plurality of power recovery circuits each for converting an anti-node signal from the at least one standing wave anti-node to a corresponding one of a plurality of power signals; and

a combining circuit, coupled to the plurality of power recovery circuits, for generating a combined power signal, based on the plurality of power signals.