Beamforming rectennas, systems and methods for wireless power transfer

• US 10,243,412 B1
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Fink, Patrick W., Lin, Gregory Y., Kennedy, Timothy F., Ngo, Phong H., Boose, Haley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parries, Dru
• Application Number:
  US15/247,562
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 307104
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/38 using adjustment of real or effective orientation of directivity characteristic of an antenna or an antenna system to give a desired condition of signal derived from that antenna or antenna system, e.g. to give a maximum or minimum signal G01S3/16, G01S3/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/184 Strip line phase-shifters H01P1/181, H01P1/185, H01P1/19 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/227 90° branch line couplers
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/40 with phasing matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming

Abstract

A passive beamforming rectenna includes a plurality of antennas, a plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits, and a beamforming network. The beamforming network includes (a) a plurality of antenna ports connecting to the plurality of antennas, and (b) a plurality of terminal ports connecting to the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits. The beamforming network further includes a microwave lens or any of a variety of other structures. The beamforming rectenna is characterized by a plurality of radiation distribution patterns. Electromagnetic power is received through the plurality of antennas. The beamforming network directs the received electromagnetic power, in substantial portion, to a subset of the plurality of terminal ports associated with particular radiation distribution patterns whose amplitudes, in the direction from which the electromagnetic power was received, are large relative to the amplitudes, in the same direction, of other radiation distribution patterns associated with other terminal ports.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a beamforming rectenna, the beamforming rectenna comprising;

a plurality of antennas;

a plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits; and

a beamforming network, the beamforming network including (a) a plurality of antenna ports connecting to the plurality of antennas, and (b) a plurality of terminal ports connecting to the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits,

wherein the beamforming network is configured to direct electromagnetic power received via the plurality of antennas and the plurality of antenna ports to a respective subset of the plurality of terminal ports, based on the electromagnetic power received, wherein there are a plurality of different subsets.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the electromagnetic power is received in a plurality of directions,

wherein the beamforming rectenna is characterized by a plurality of radiation distribution patterns, each of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns being associated with one or more of the plurality of terminal ports, and each of the plurality of terminal ports being associated with one of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns,

wherein, for each of the plurality of directions, the beamforming network is configured to direct electromagnetic power received in the respective direction to a respective subset of the plurality of terminal ports, and

wherein the respective subset of the plurality of terminal ports is associated with a respective subset of the radiation distribution patterns, the respective subset of the radiation distribution patterns comprising a particular one or more of the radiation distribution patterns whose amplitudes in the respective direction are greater than amplitudes, in the respective direction, of other ones of the radiation distribution patterns.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the electromagnetic power is received in a given direction,

wherein the beamforming rectenna is characterized by a plurality of radiation distribution patterns, each of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns being associated with one or more of the plurality of terminal ports, and each of the plurality of terminal ports being associated with one of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns, and

wherein the subset of the plurality of terminal ports is associated with a subset of the radiation distribution patterns, the subset of radiation distribution patterns comprising a particular one or more of the radiation distribution patterns whose amplitudes in the given direction are greater than amplitudes, in the given direction, of other ones of the radiation distribution patterns.

4. The system of claim 3,

wherein the beamforming network is configured to distribute the received electromagnetic power to each of the plurality of terminal ports in proportion to an amplitude, in the given direction, of a radiation distribution pattern associated with the respective terminal port.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns is associated with only a single one of the plurality of terminal ports.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of radiation distribution patterns collectively cover a continuous angular extent.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the electromagnetic power directed to the subset of the plurality of terminal ports comprises a substantial portion of the electromagnetic power received by the plurality of the antennas.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas comprise (a) one or more linear arrays of antennas, (b) one or more non-linear arrays of antennas, (c) one or more arrays of antennas collinear with another one or more arrays of antennas, (d) one or more arrays of antennas not collinear with another one or more arrays of antennas, or (e) one or more arrays of antennas representing any combination of the preceding types (a)-(d) of arrays of antennas.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the terminal port rectifying circuits comprises a half-wave rectifying circuit, a full-wave rectifying circuit, or a capacitor.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamforming network comprises one of the following or a derivative thereof:

a microwave lens;

a Rotman lens;

a Ghent lens;

a Luneberg lens;

a Butler matrix;

a combination of transmission lines and directional couplers that form a Blass matrix;

a combination of power combiners, power dividers, waveguides, and phase shifters;

a combination of hybrid couplers, waveguides, and phase shifters.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more power management circuits connected to one or more of the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a source transmitter operable to transmit electromagnetic power for reception by one or more of the plurality of antennas, wherein the source transmitter may or may not be mobile relative to the plurality of antennas.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamforming network comprises only passive elements.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of antennas comprises a fixed fan-beam antenna, each fixed fan-beam antenna comprising an array of antenna elements and characterized by a fixed fan-beam pattern.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the beamforming network in conjunction with a respective one of the plurality of antennas is configured to produce a plurality of steered radiation distribution patterns within the fixed fan-beam pattern of the respective one of the plurality of antennas, each of the steered radiation distribution patterns being fixedly oriented in a particular direction.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas comprise microstrip patch antennas, and the beamforming network comprises a microstrip implementation of a Butler matrix.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of beamforming rectennas, each of the plurality of beamforming rectennas comprising;

a plurality of antennas;

a plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits; and

a beamforming network, the beamforming network including (a) a plurality of antenna ports connecting to the plurality of antennas and (b) a plurality of terminal ports connecting to the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits,

wherein the beamforming network is configured to direct electromagnetic power received via the plurality of antennas and the plurality of antenna ports to a respective subset of the plurality of terminal ports, based on the electromagnetic power received, wherein there are a plurality of different subsets.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of antennas of a first one of the plurality of beamforming rectennas comprises a first linear array of antennas, the plurality of antennas of a second one of the plurality of beamforming rectennas comprises a second linear array of antennas, and the first linear array of antennas is aligned parallel to the second linear array of antennas.

19. A method for wireless transfer of power, the method for use with a beamforming rectenna, the beamforming rectenna comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

a plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits; and

a beamforming network, the beamforming network including (a) a plurality of antenna ports connecting to the plurality of antennas, and (b) a plurality of terminal ports connecting to the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits; and

the method comprising;

receiving electromagnetic power by one or more of the plurality of antennas and one or more of the plurality of antenna ports;

directing, by the beamforming network, at least a substantial portion of the electromagnetic power to a respective subset of the plurality of the terminal ports, based on the electromagnetic power received, and thence toward a respective subset of the plurality of the terminal port rectifying circuits, wherein there are a plurality of different subsets; and

rectifying the electromagnetic power by the subset of the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits.

20. The method of claim 19,

wherein the electromagnetic power is received in a plurality of directions,

wherein the beamforming rectenna is characterized by a plurality of radiation distribution patterns, each of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns being associated with one or more of the plurality of terminal ports, and each of the plurality of terminal ports being associated with one of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns,

wherein, for each of the plurality of directions, the beamforming network directs at least a substantial portion of the electromagnetic power received in the respective direction to a respective subset of the plurality of terminal ports and thence toward a respective subset of the plurality of the terminal port rectifying circuits, and

wherein the respective subset of the plurality of terminal ports is associated with a respective subset of the radiation distribution patterns, the respective subset of the radiation distribution patterns comprising a particular one or more of the radiation distribution patterns whose amplitudes in the respective direction are greater than amplitudes, in the respective direction, of other ones of the radiation distribution patterns.

21. The method of claim 19,

wherein the electromagnetic power is received in a given direction,

wherein the beamforming rectenna is characterized by a plurality of radiation distribution patterns, each of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns being associated with one or more of the plurality of terminal ports, and each of the plurality of terminal ports being associated with one of the plurality of radiation distribution patterns, and

wherein the subset of the plurality of terminal ports is associated with a subset of the radiation distribution patterns, the subset of radiation distribution patterns comprising a particular one or more of the radiation distribution patterns whose amplitudes in the given direction are greater than amplitudes, in the given direction, of other ones of the radiation distribution patterns.

22. The method of claim 21,

wherein the received electromagnetic power is distributed to each of the plurality of terminal ports in proportion to an amplitude, in the given direction, of a radiation distribution pattern associated with the respective terminal port.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting the electromagnetic power in a form of electromagnetic radiation for reception by one or more of the plurality of antennas.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising one or more operations selected from the group consisting of:

filtering the electromagnetic power, conditioning the electromagnetic power, regulating the electromagnetic power, and managing the electromagnetic power.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising one or more operations selected from the group consisting of:

storing the rectified electromagnetic power, using the rectified electromagnetic power to supply power to a load, and using the rectified electromagnetic power to charge a battery.