Antenna array applications in RF energy harvesting context

• Grant number: 22/09949-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: February 21, 2023
• End date: December 20, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Telecommunications
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Capovilla
• Grantee: Vinícius Santana da Silva
• Supervisor: Mustapha Ce Yagoub
• Host Institution: Centro de Engenharia, Modelagem e Ciências Sociais Aplicadas (CECS). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/25866-7 - RF energy harvesting integrated with wake-up receiver: strategies for self-powered communication, BP.DR

Abstract

Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting (RFEH) has become a promising alternative for powering low-power devices in wireless sensor networks. However, the low power spectral density values normally available in the environment limit its application. So, one of the possible strategies to overcome this problem can be the use of antenna arrays in the construction of rectennas, in order to increase the RF power available at the input of its rectification stage. However, from an RFEH perspective, the use of an antenna array presents a new optics of optimization, the domain in which the power combination (RF or DC) is performed. In this context, this project aims to optimize the performance of rectennas for RFEH in the 2.4 GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band, under spatial restrictions, depending on the configuration of the antenna array used. Spatial constraints will be defined by the final dimensions of the antenna array with the best RF power performance. (AU)