Patent Application
20210328459
The present disclosure relates generally to energy harvesting and, more specifically, to antennas for harvesting power from Frequency Modulation (FM) signals.
The Internet of things (IoT) is the inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles, buildings, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data. IoT is expected to offer advanced connectivity of devices, systems, and services that goes beyond machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and covers a variety of protocols, domains, and applications.
IoT can be encapsulated in a wide variety of devices, such as heart monitoring implants; biochip transponders on farm animals; automobiles with built-in sensors; automation of lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems; and appliances such as washer/dryers, robotic vacuums, air purifiers, ovens or refrigerators/freezers that use Wi-Fi for remote monitoring. Typically, IoT devices encapsulate wireless sensors or a network of such sensors.
Most IoT devices are wireless devices that collect data and transmit such data to a central controller. There are a few requirements to be met to allow widespread deployment of IoT devices. Such requirements include reliable communication links, low energy consumption, and low maintenance costs.
An alternative to using batteries is power which may be harvested from sources such as light, movement, and electromagnetic power such as existing radio frequency transmissions. The harvested power is stored in a capacitor or a rechargeable battery, and is typically managed by a power management unit (PMU). A PMU is a circuit that performs general circuit power related operations, such as supply regulation, voltage and current references, power on indication, brown-out indication, power modes control, management of power storage units, and more.
Specifically, in power harvesting systems, a PMU provides energy storage and voltage threshold crossing indications based on measurement of the voltage over the storage capacitors.
The PMU 120 determines when the voltage level at the capacitor 112 is sufficient so that the harvester system 100 can run computing tasks, and transmit, and/or receive, signals. For example, a reference voltage threshold (Vref) is compared to the voltage level (Vin) at the capacitor 112. Once the voltage level Vin is over the threshold (Vref), the Schmitt trigger 122 switches from zero to one, signaling that the energy harvester 110 device has sufficient power.
A Schmitt trigger 122 is a comparator circuit with a hysteresis 124 implemented by applying positive feedback to the noninverting input of a comparator or differential amplifier. Here, a Schmitt trigger is an active circuit which converts an analog input signal to a digital output signal via a comparator and has a hysteresis. As such, power is required to operate the Schmitt trigger 122. The power is provided by the energy harvester 110.
One of the challenges of designing an energy harvester for IoT devices is the availability of ambient energy and the physical size of the harvester. Frequency Modulation (FM) radio signals are broadcast around the world and can be received in areas where other radio frequency (RF) signals such as, Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals are not available. However, harvesting signals from FM radio signals may provide some challenges as to the size of the energy harvester, and, in particular, its FM antenna.
FM antennas are designed to receive signals in the FM broadcast band, generally between 88 MHz and 108 MHz. For effective FM reception, a dipole antenna is utilized, and a size of such antenna is roughly one-quarter the length of radio waves in the FM radio band. A typically FM dipole antenna would be of a length of 150 centimeters. This may be a real challenge when such an antenna has to be installed in a small physical size IoT device, typically with flexible form factors. For example, a size of an IoT device may be a size of a U.S. quarter coin and the form factor may be of a label. Thus, there is a need to design a compact and efficient FM antenna in order to allow energy harvesting for small-sized IoT devices.
The efficiency of an antenna is determined by the ohmic and dielectric losses, mismatch to chip loss, and polarization loss. Further, as a harvesting antenna is connected to a system on chip (SoC), the antenna should be impedance matched to the chip's interface which is generally capacitive in nature. Some FM antenna types are discussed in the art. One type is an inductive loop antenna that may provide good impedance matching. However, for a high aspect-ratio, a small loop will be a very inefficient radiator, as opposite currents flow in opposing long sides of the loop. Another antenna type is a dipole antenna which can be designed without opposite currents which will reduce its efficiency. The main disadvantage of a dipole antennas is that their input impedance is capacitive in nature and, to become inductive, their length needs to be increased by means of meandering. This yields a solution which is not sufficiently compact.
Further, mass-production of low-cost IoT devices require using low-cost type of substrate, thus multi-layer substrates that can be formed with vias, are not feasible option.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a solution that would harvest energy from FM signals in IoT devices.
A summary of several example embodiments of the disclosure follows. This summary is provided for the convenience of the reader to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments and does not wholly define the breadth of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. For convenience, the term “certain embodiments” may be used herein to refer to a single embodiment or multiple embodiments of the disclosure.
Certain embodiments disclosed herein include an antenna for harvesting energy from frequency modulation (FM) radio signals comprising a loop element coupled to an energy harvester; and an inductive element coupled to the loop element, wherein the inductive element is a planar inductor designed to allow impedance matching with the energy harvester, wherein the inductive element that extends an electric field of the loop element, wherein the loop element and the inductive element resonate at an FM frequency band.
Certain embodiments disclosed herein include a battery-less A battery-less wireless device comprising a harvesting antenna for harvesting energy from frequency modulation (FM) radio signals; a communication antenna for receiving and transmitting signals using a low energy communication protocol; and an energy harvester coupled to the harvesting antenna, wherein the energy harvester powers the wireless device from FM radio signals received by the harvesting antenna, wherein the harvesting antenna impedance matches the energy harvester and the communication antenna
The subject matter disclosed herein is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
It is important to note that the embodiments disclosed herein are only examples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily limit any of the various claimed embodiments. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to others. In general, unless otherwise indicated, singular elements may be in plural and vice versa with no loss of generality. In the drawings, like numerals refer to like parts through several views.
The various disclosed embodiments include a system for harvesting power from FM radio signals. To address the above-noted changes for systems capable of harvesting power from FM sources, and for systems capable of harvesting using components sized for use with IoT devices, the embodiments below disclose aspects of a power harvesting system configured to efficiently harvest power from FM signals while retaining a small package size.
The one or more antennas 210 may be loop antennas configured to harvest energy from ambient electromagnetic (EM) sources. In an embodiment, one of the antennas (labeled as 215-FM) is designed to harvest power from received FM radio signals. Other antennas may be configured for harvesting energy at different frequency bands and/or transmitting data from the IoT chip 230. Examples for such frequency bands include the BLE band (2.400-2.4835 GHz), the Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz band, and a cellular band (1.7-2 GHz). In an embodiment, signals are transmitted from the IoT chip 230 over the BLE band.
The energy harvester 220 may be a component or assembly configured to convert power harvested at any harvesting antenna 210 or FM antenna 215-FM into power usable by the IoT chip 230. The energy harvester 220, in an embodiment is, a multi-band harvester configured with a plurality of band-specific harvesting units (not shown), each respectively coupled to a different antenna. In an embodiment, one energy harvester 220 is configured to harvest energy from FM signals. Other bands for harvesting may be those bands mentioned above, as well as other, like, bands.
The FM antenna 215-FM is designed for a specific frequency band. However, the respective energy harvester 220 can be tuned to a center frequency at which the signal is received. In order to optimize performance, the energy harvester 220 and a respective FM antenna 215-FM operate at resonance. To this end, in an optional embodiment, a tuning mechanism 225 is included in the energy harvester 220.
The tuning mechanism 225 may be utilized to tune the energy harvester 220 to operate at resonance with the frequency of the received harvesting radio signals. In an embodiment, the tuning mechanism 225 is designed to be activated at very low energy levels so that the tuning may be initiated immediately.
The energy harvested by the energy harvester 220 may be stored in an energy storage, such as the capacitor 240.
The energy harvester 220 may be integrated in the IoT chip 230 (or IoT tag or chip or integrated circuit). Specifically, in an embodiment, the antennas 210, including the FM antenna 215-FM, are fabricated or printed on the same substrate (inlay) that carries the IoT chip 230.
The IoT chip 230 typically receives and transmits wireless signals using a low energy communication protocol, such as, but not limited to, the BLE communication standard. In this configuration, one of the antennas 210 may be configured to serve as the transmit/receive antenna of the IoT chip 230. To this end, a duty cycle including switching between harvesting and receiving/transmitting is implemented. That is, transmission and receiving may occur in non-harvesting time periods. In certain configurations, a dedicated antenna (one of antennas 210) is utilized as the transmit/receive antenna. Thus, each of the antennas 210 may serve for energy harvesting.
The IoT chip 230 may be a sensor, or other device, capable of recording and reporting environmental conditions, an actuator, or other device, capable of causing a change in a separately connected device or an aspect of the IoT chip's 230 environment, or a multi-function device, capable of both recording and influencing aspects of the device's environment.
The antennas 210 and 215-FM are electrically connected to the energy harvester 220 and, thus, to the chip hosting the IoT chip 230. In order to reduce mismatch losses and to increase the sensitivity of harvesting, each antenna 210 and, in particular, the FM antenna 215-FM, are matched to IoT device's interface. Since such an interface presents capacitive and/or inductive impedance, the FM antenna 215-FM is designed as a small loop antenna to meet the size requirements of a small form factor IoT chip 230 as discussed below. The design of the FM antenna 215-FM is used to impedance match the IoT chip 230 as well as any of the antennas 210.
According to the disclosed embodiments, the FM antenna 310 is designed by varying the size of the inductor(s) which are included in the loop antenna, thereby providing greater inductance while retaining preferred package size of the IoT device. The package of a device is a case that includes the circuit materials, which, in an example embodiment, may be about a size of a U.S. quarter coin. Further, the inductive value of the FM antenna's inductive element may allow alterations of the FM antenna's 310 impedance with respect to the chip 330, and any other antenna(s) included in the IoT device.
The BLE antenna 420, in an embodiment, may be configured to operate at a 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. The BLE antenna 420 may be coupled with the FM harvesting antenna 430. The radiation pattern of the BLE antenna 420 may be influenced by factors including, without limitation, impedance matching.
As illustrated in
In an example embodiment, the size of the FM harvesting antenna 430 is 30 cm long and 7 cm wide.
Reference is now made to
The FM harvesting antenna 430 also includes a loop element 431, which may be an electrical conductor that feeds into the IoT chip 230. The electrical conductor of the loop element 431 may be printed on the same substrate (inlay) that carries the IoT chip 230. In the embodiment shown in
The design configuration of the inductive element 435 determines the inductance contribution of the inductive element 435. The number of turns, depicted with respect to
In an embodiment, to address the balancing of radiation efficiency with overall inductance of an inductive element 435, the FM harvesting antenna 430, and any included inductive element 435, may be structured to provide an optimal balance of inductance and radiation efficiency for a given signal frequency. In an embodiment, inductive element 435 may be constructed in a layered pattern, allowing for an increased number of inductor turns and, thus, increased inductance, while minimizing the package size of the FM harvesting antenna 430. The inductive element 435 may be formed by an electrical conductor printed on the same substrate (inlay) that carries the IoT chip 230.
The inductive element 435 may be connected to a capacitance element 438 configured to provide electrical capacitance in the FM harvesting antenna 430. The capacitance element 438 may be realized as a capacitance pad. In some embodiments, the capacitance at the capacitance pad 438 may be tuned by adjusting variable such as, without limitation, capacitance element length, width, thickness, materials, other, like factors, and any combination thereof.
As inductive loop antennas may be constructed according to standard resistance, inductance, and capacitance (RLC) circuit models, the properties of the capacitance element 438 and/or inductive element 435 would determine impedance at the input to the FM harvesting antenna 430. In an embodiment, at least the inductive element 435 is designed to allow optimal impedance matching with the IoT chip and other antenna(s) in the device (e.g., the BLE antenna 420,
In the example, the inductive element includes a first turn 436, a second turn 437, and a capacitance element 438, which are described with respect to
The first 510 and second 520 layers may be electrically connected at layer transitions 530. In the examples 500 and 550, of
In an embodiment, inductive element, and specifically the first 500 and second layers 550 are printed on, or otherwise made to adhere to, a substrate of the chip. The substrate may be, for example, Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), paper, and the like.
In an embodiment, the first 610 and second 630 layers may be electrically connected by a coupling connection. In an embodiment, the coupling is achieved by means of capacitive coupling.
It should be noted that in certain embodiments, and depending on the type of the substrate, the electronic connection between the first 610 and the second 630 layers of the FM harvesting antenna's inductive element is achieved by means of vias.
The radiation pattern for an FM harvesting antenna may include a null zone, corresponding with the local minimum 720, located above the plane 710 of the antenna. The location of such a null zone may be visualized by rotating the radiation pattern depicted by ninety degrees about the intersection formed between the plane 710 of the antenna and the alternate plane 715. Where the FM harvesting antenna is combined with an inductor, as described in the various embodiments, a phase shift may be noted, resulting in a radiation pattern similar to that of a large loop antenna, as shown in the example radiation pattern diagram 700. The shift depicted in the radiation pattern diagram 700 may be attributed to a phase shift between the sides of the small loop of the FM harvesting antenna, as described above, thereby improving energy harvest efficiency. It should be appreciated that the radiation pattern as demonstrated in diagram 700 is of a loop antenna, but substantially similar to a radiation pattern of a dipole antenna.
All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosed embodiment and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the disclosed embodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.
It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations are generally used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements may be employed there or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise, a set of elements comprises one or more elements.
As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” followed by a listing of items means that any of the listed items can be utilized individually, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be utilized. For example, if a system is described as including “at least one of A, B, and C,” the system can include A alone; B alone; C alone; 2A; 2B; 2C; 3A; A and B in combination; B and C in combination; A and C in combination; A, B, and C in combination; 2A and C in combination; A, 3B, and 2C in combination; and the like.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/012,424 filed on Apr. 20, 2020, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63012424 | Apr 2020 | US |
