Textile-based radio frequency energy harvesting and storage using ultra-compact rectennas with high effective-to-physical area ratio
Textile-based radio frequency energy harvesting and storage using ultra-compact rectennas with high effective-to-physical area ratio
Wearable Radio Frequency (RF) rectennas do not require expensive or hazardous materials and can be easily integrated with conventional e-textiles. In this paper, we investigate the use of ultra-miniaturized wire-type monopole antennas for energy harvesting (EH) applications, as a method maximizing the effective collection area of a rectenna relative to its physical size, while not reducing the net DC output. The rectenna, operating in the 915 MHz band, is integrated with a simple carbon-based e-textile supercapacitor for direct energy conversion and storage. The integrated module is then demonstrated, for the first time, wirelessly-charging a Bluetooth Low Energy sensor node at over 1 m distance from a license-free Powercast transmitter. The 14.1 mF supercapacitor is charged using the e-textile rectenna filament in 83 s up to 4.14 V, from an incident power density of 23.9 μW/cm 2 and a time-averaged efficiency over 40%, enabling the sensor node to sustain operation for 108 s after the wireless RF source is stopped. Compared to state-of-the-art RF energy harvesters, the proposed module achieves over five fold improvement in the RF to DC power harvesting efficiency normalized to the harvester’s area.
rectennas, supercapacitor, textile supercapacitor, textile, RF, energy harvesting, RFEH, wireless power transfer, wireless power transmission, rectifiers, rectenna supercapacitor integration, wearable rectennas, antenna effective area
Wagih, Mahmoud
7e7b16ba-0c64-4f95-bd3c-99064055f693
Hillier, Nicholas
6bde7893-a2db-4edd-9e12-a8ab17aa3702
Weddell, Alex S.
3d8c4d63-19b1-4072-a779-84d487fd6f03
Beeby, Steve
ba565001-2812-4300-89f1-fe5a437ecb0d
December 2021
Wagih, Mahmoud
7e7b16ba-0c64-4f95-bd3c-99064055f693
Hillier, Nicholas
6bde7893-a2db-4edd-9e12-a8ab17aa3702
Weddell, Alex S.
3d8c4d63-19b1-4072-a779-84d487fd6f03
Beeby, Steve
ba565001-2812-4300-89f1-fe5a437ecb0d
Wagih, Mahmoud, Hillier, Nicholas, Weddell, Alex S. and Beeby, Steve
(2021)
Textile-based radio frequency energy harvesting and storage using ultra-compact rectennas with high effective-to-physical area ratio.
In 2021 IEEE 20th International Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS).
IEEE.
4 pp
.
(doi:10.1109/PowerMEMS54003.2021.9658367).
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Wearable Radio Frequency (RF) rectennas do not require expensive or hazardous materials and can be easily integrated with conventional e-textiles. In this paper, we investigate the use of ultra-miniaturized wire-type monopole antennas for energy harvesting (EH) applications, as a method maximizing the effective collection area of a rectenna relative to its physical size, while not reducing the net DC output. The rectenna, operating in the 915 MHz band, is integrated with a simple carbon-based e-textile supercapacitor for direct energy conversion and storage. The integrated module is then demonstrated, for the first time, wirelessly-charging a Bluetooth Low Energy sensor node at over 1 m distance from a license-free Powercast transmitter. The 14.1 mF supercapacitor is charged using the e-textile rectenna filament in 83 s up to 4.14 V, from an incident power density of 23.9 μW/cm 2 and a time-averaged efficiency over 40%, enabling the sensor node to sustain operation for 108 s after the wireless RF source is stopped. Compared to state-of-the-art RF energy harvesters, the proposed module achieves over five fold improvement in the RF to DC power harvesting efficiency normalized to the harvester’s area.
Text
Wagih21_PowerMEMS_RFCompact_ep
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Published date: December 2021
Venue - Dates:
Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications, United Kingdom, 2021-12-06 - 2021-12-09
Keywords:
rectennas, supercapacitor, textile supercapacitor, textile, RF, energy harvesting, RFEH, wireless power transfer, wireless power transmission, rectifiers, rectenna supercapacitor integration, wearable rectennas, antenna effective area
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 454455
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454455
PURE UUID: 4b3d9e10-de58-41bd-a997-2b12cdd107cd
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Date deposited: 10 Feb 2022 17:31
Last modified: 24 Apr 2024 02:02
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Contributors
Author:
Mahmoud Wagih
Author:
Nicholas Hillier
Author:
Alex S. Weddell
Author:
Steve Beeby
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