Broadband antenna matching network employing energy recovery schemes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11569684-B1
Application number	US-202016867411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 5, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2019
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

An energy conversion device disposed in series with an RF driver circuit and an RF antenna, the energy conversion device being arranged to convert a portion of available RF power from the RF driver circuit into a different form of energy (direct current, thermal, or higher frequency electromagnetic waves such as light) which is converted, if needed, to DC and stored in an energy storage device coupled with the RF driver circuit for supplying recycled electrical energy thereto. The RF antenna may be an electrically small antenna and thus a antenna matching network may be provided between the RF driver circuit and the RF antenna. The energy conversion device may comprise, for example, (i) a transformer in combination with a rectifying circuit, (ii) a full wave rectifier, (iii) a half wave rectifier, (iv) a heat and/or light producing device, an energy converter (such as a generator) or a combination of the foregoing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy conversion device arranged in series between an output of an RF driver circuit and an input of a matching network, the matching network being coupled with an antenna.

2. An energy conversion device according to claim 1 which is arranged to convert a portion of generated RF power from the RF driver circuit into a different energy form that is converted, if needed, to DC energy and stored in one or more energy storage devices for recycling DC energy to the RF driver circuit.

3. An energy conversion device according to claim 2 wherein the different energy form is selected from the group consisting of direct current energy, thermal energy, or higher frequency electromagnetic wave energy including light.

4. An energy conversion device according to claim 3 wherein the antenna is an electrically small antenna.

5. An energy conversion device according to claim 4 wherein the energy conversion device comprises a full wave rectifier circuit having two ports thereof connected between the RF driver circuit and the matching network while another two ports of the full wave rectifier circuit are connected with the energy storage device.

6. An energy conversion device according to claim 5 wherein the first mentioned ports of the full wave rectifier are connected between the RF driver circuit and the matching network via a transformer.

7. An energy conversion device according to claim 6 wherein the transformer is a variable turns transformer.

8. An energy conversion device according to claim 4 wherein the energy conversion device comprises a diode connected in series between the output of the RF driver circuit and the input of the matching network.

9. An energy conversion device according to claim 8 further including a low pass filter connected between the diode and the energy storing device.

10. An energy conversion device according to claim 4 wherein the energy conversion device includes at least one diode having one port connected thereof between the RF driver circuit and the matching network while another port thereof is connected with the energy storage device.

11. An energy conversion device according to claim 10 wherein the first mentioned port of the at least one diode is connected between the RF driver circuit and the matching network via an inductive device, the inductive device preferably comprising a transformer.

12. An energy conversion device according to claim 1 wherein the RF driver circuit generates, in use, RF energy that is applied to the antenna via the matching network.

13. An energy conversion device disposed in series with an RF driver circuit and an RF antenna, the energy conversion device being arranged to convert a portion of available RF power from the RF driver circuit into a different form of energy that is converted, if needed, to DC energy and stored in an energy storage device coupled with the RF driver circuit for supplying recycled DC energy thereto.

14. The energy conversion device according to claim 13 wherein the different energy form is selected from the group consisting of direct current energy, thermal energy, or higher frequency electromagnetic wave energy such as light.

15. The energy conversion device according to claim 14 wherein the antenna is an electrically small antenna.

16. The energy conversion device according to claim 13 wherein the energy conversion device comprises a full wave rectifier circuit having two ports thereof connected between the RF driver circuit and the RF antenna while another two ports of the full wave rectifier circuit are connected with the energy storage device.

17. The energy conversion device according to claim 16 wherein the first mentioned ports of full wave rectifier are connected between the RF driver circuit and the RF antenna via a transformer.

18. The energy conversion device according to claim 17 wherein the transformer is a variable turns transformer.

19. The energy conversion device according to claim 13 wherein the energy conversion device comprises a diode connected in series between an output of the RF driver circuit and the matching network.

20. The energy conversion device according to claim 19 further including a low pass filter connected between the diode and the energy storing device.

21. An energy converting network for coupling signals generated by a radio frequency (RF) source into an electrically small antenna, the energy converting network including:
(i) an energy conversion device, which is capable of converting a portion of generated RF signals into another form of energy;
(ii) an energy recovery apparatus which extracts the another form energy from the conversion device;
(ii) an energy storage device selected from the group including at least a capacitor and/or an electrochemical or thermal battery, which stores the converted energy to provide a portion of the power needed to operate the RF source;
the energy converting network improving a bandwidth of an RF source without substantial degradation of efficiency by recycling energy otherwise lost by resistance elements back to the RF source for reuse.

22. An energy converting network according to claim 21 wherein the energy conversion device is selected from the group including at least a resistor, diode, diode bridge, and photodiode, which is capable of converting said portion of generated RF signals into said another form of energy selected from the group including at least thermal, direct current (DC) voltage, and higher frequency electromagnetic waves.

23. An energy conversion device disposed in series between an RF driver circuit and an RF antenna, the energy conversion device being arranged to convert a portion of RF power generated by the RF driver circuit into DC energy that is coupled, in use, with the RF driver circuit for supplying the DC energy converted by the energy conversion device to the RF driver circuit while the RF driver circuit is generating RF power.

24. An energy conversion device according to claim 23 wherein the first mentioned portion of RF power generated by the RF driver circuit converted into DC energy and wherein another portion of the RF power generated by the RF driver circuit is coupled as RF energy into the RF antenna.

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• White Carson R
• Wall Walter S
• Henry Christopher P
• Roper Christopher S
• Schaffner James H
• Ramos Ignacio

Classifications

• H02J50/005 Primary

  Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices · CPC title

• H02J7/00

  Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries · CPC title

• H02J50/27 Primary

  characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas · CPC title

• H01F29/14

  with variable magnetic bias ({amplitude modulation by means of variable impedance element H03C1/08} ; magnetic amplifiers H03F; {circuits for automatic telephonic communication H04M3/00}) · CPC title

• H01Q1/2225

  used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal · CPC title