Current Research and Development of

Wireless Power Transfer via Radio Waves

and the Application [DML]

Apr. 7, 2017

Naoki Shinohara, Professor,

Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere,
Kyoto University
[email protected]
1
 Copyright
© The use of this work is restricted solely for academic purposes.
The author of this work owns the copyright and no reproduction in
any form is permitted without written permission by the author.

2
 Abstract
Theory, technologies, applications, and current R&D status of the
wireless power transfer (WPT) will be presented. The talk will cover
both the far-field WPT via radio waves, especially beam-type and
ubiquitous-type WPT, and energy harvesting from broadcasting waves.
The research of the WPT was started from the far-field WPT via radio
waves, in particular the microwaves in 1960s. In recent years this
became a hot topic again due to the rapid growth of wireless devices.
Theory and technologies of antenna and circuits will be presented in
case of beam-type and ubiquitous-type WPT. The industrial applications
and current R&D status of the WPT via radio waves will be also
presented.

Index Terms: Wireless Power Transfer, Microwave Power Transmission,

Energy Harvesting, Rectenna, Phased Array,

3
 Biography
Naoki Shinohara received the B.E. degree in electronic engineering, the
M.E. and Ph.D (Eng.) degrees in electrical engineering from Kyoto
University, Japan, in 1991, 1993 and 1996, respectively. He was a
research associate in the Radio Atmospheric Science Center, Kyoto
University from 1996. From 2010, he has been a professor in Research
Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University. He has been
engaged in research on Solar Power Station/Satellite and Microwave
Power Transmission system. He is IEEE Distinguish Microwave Lecturer,
IEEE MTT-S Technical Committee 26 (Wireless Power Transfer and
Conversion) vice chair, IEEE MTT-S Kansai Chapter TPC member, IEEE
Wireless Power Transfer Conference advisory committee member,
international journal of Wireless Power Transfer (Cambridge Press)
executive editor, Radio Science for URSI Japanese committee C
member, , past technical committee chair on IEICE Wireless Power
Transfer, Japan Society of Electromagnetic Wave Energy Applications
vice chair, Wireless Power Transfer Consortium for Practical
Applications (WiPoT) chair, and Wireless Power Management
Consortium (WPMc) chair. 4
 Kyoto and Kyoto University
Kyoto Univ.

Tokyo
Kyoto
Winter

Main Campus

Autumn Kyoto Univ. Uji Campus

- Kyoto Univ. Data (2015) -
Professors : 1,032 (5,445 Employees)
Students : 13,569 (Under Graduate)
4,773 (Master), 3,671 (Ph.D)
Novel Prizes (Prof. Yamanaka, Prof. Yukawa,
Prof. Tomonaga, Prof. Tonegawa, Prof. Fukui..)
Spring APMC2018 will be held at Kyoto. 5
 Microwave Power Transmission Field Experiment in Kyoto Univ.

1996
Retrodirective
MPT System
Open Experiment

1983 1993
First MPT Rocket Experiment Second MPT
1992 Rocket
In the World - MINIX- MPT Experiment to Experiment
Fuel-free Airplane - ISY-METS -
- MILAX -

2009
Airship-to-Ground
MPT Experiment
2001
Solar Power
1994-95 Radio Integrated
Ground-to-Ground Transmitter
MPT Experiment - SPRITZ - 6
RISH, Kyoto Univ.
 Contents
1. Overview of Wireless Power Transfer via Radio Waves
2. Current R&D of WPT via Radio Waves
3. Theory and technology of WPT via Radio Waves
4. Introduction of Activities of WPT in IEEE
5. Conclusion

MPT to helicopter SHARP Airplane exp. Island-Island MPT (150km)in Hawaii

MPT rocket exp.
2008 by Kobe Univ., NASA
By W. Brown 1964, 1968 1983 by Kyoto Univ., ISAS 1987@Canada 7
 Overview of
Wireless Power Transfer
via Radio Waves

8
 Utilization of Radio Waves
All Radio Waves, Light, and Electricity are
based on Maxwell’s Equations.
• Information, Broadcast :
Information added (modulated) on carrier
(radio waves) (Information from transmitter)
• Radar (Remote Sensing) :
Information (amplitude, phase, etc.) reflected
from target on carrier (Information from target)
• Heating :
Energy conversion from radio waves to heat
• Power Transfer :
Energy conversion from radio waves to electricity
(Frequency conversion only form GHz(MHz) to AC/DC)
9
 Various Wireless Power Transfer
Inductive H
User
Capacitive V

Coupling Coupling

Ｉ E

Ｉ V
Supply
Radio Waves
(Microwaves)
Resonance of L and C
(Magnetic) H Electric Power
Resonance User
Receiver To User
Coupling L
→Power Only Carrier for WPT

C Ｉ Transmitted
L Power Time and
Space

C
Ｉ
Frequency
Supply
Very Narrow

Transmitter
10
 Inductive Coupling WPT
WPT Theory

Load
H
Ampere’s law : I
δH

N
N
High
Frequency

S
Coil

S
H
Electromagnet Faraday’s law :

WPT via Radio Waves

   High Electromagnetic Wave
Electric Field Electric Field
S  EH Frequency (Radio Wave)

2
(W / m )   D
rotH  J 
t
Radio wave 
itself is energy. rotE   B
t Magnetic Field Transmitting Magnetic Field
What we need  Receiving
is frequency divD   Antenna Antenna
conversion only. divB  0 11
Maxwell’s Equations Raidowave Power (Electric Power)
 Brief History of WPT
• 1864 Prediction of Radio Waves by establishment of
Maxwell’s Equation based on Ampere’s law and
Faraday’s law. (Radio waves was found in 1888 by
Hertz’s experiment)
• Around 1900 Tesla carried out WPT experiment of
both inductive WPT and WPT via radio wave (150kHz),
-> faired
• 1960s W. Brown carried out beam-type WPT via
microwave (2.45GHz) -> succeeded
• 1980s Commercial Products of inductive WPT (Shaver,
IC card..)
• 1990s 1) RF-ID, 2) RF WPT toward Solar Power Satellite
in Japan
• 2006 MIT group proposed resonance coupling WPT
(revised inductive coupling)
• 2010s Various WPT – Standardization of inductive
WPT, wireless charger for EV, energy harvesting from
broadcasting waves, ubiquitous RF-WPT…
12
Current R&D of WPT via Radio Waves

13
 Various Wireless Power Transfer via Radio Waves
(a) Beam-type (b)Ubiquitous-type (Low efficiency, like RF-ID)
(High efficiency with higher frequency) → Electric
→ Electric
Power Power → Electric
Power
Only Carrier for WPT

Time and
Space

Transmitted
Power (Broad)
Frequency
Transmitter Very Narrow

Information
(d) In Closed Area (like Waveguide)
(c) Energy Harvesting
(No power source) Transmitted Time and Space
Receiver→
Power Power
Receiver
→Power Frequency

Wide
Transmitter
Transmitted
Power Transmitted Power
Electric Power
to User Transmitted Receiver
Power →Power Transmitter 14
 Power Density of TV/Mobile Phone in Nara, Japan

Kitazawa, S., et al., “Field Test Results of RF Energy Harvesting from

Cellular Base Station”, Proc. of GSMM2013 15
 Kanazawa Inst. Tech., “The 500MHz band low power rectenna
for DTV in the Tokyo area”, Proc. of WPTc2016

25 km
1.6kW Antenna 20km Measurement
points
Diode 15km
HSMS-285C 10km
L type LPF
Cockcroft-Walton Tokyo TOKYO
type rectifier(m=2) metropolitan SKYTREE
Load resistance terminals area
Frequency plan at Tokyo area
1 -10
Center TV Input power
ERP

Output dc voltage (V)

frequency Stations

Input power (dBm)

-20
491MHz 11.5 kW MX
521MHz 69 kW CX
0.5 -30
527MHz 69 kW TBS
533MHz 69 kW TX Output voltage -40
539MHz 69 kW EX
545MHz 69 kW NTV
551MHz 68 kW NHK(Edu.) 0 -50
2 4 6 8 10 20
557MHz 68 kW NHK Distance (km) 16
 Wireless-Powered ZigBee in Same Frequency Band

ZigBee

Rectenna
ZigBee Communication

ZigBee Communication

ZigBee Communication
Microwave Power

Microwave Power

Microwave Power

Intermitted As join in As not join in

Device Type
(Pulse) MPT network network
End device 9.46 mW 61.8 mW
Time

• We propose MPT-ZigBee system at

ON ON ON same frequency of MPT and ZigBee (at
2.45GHz) with scheduling algorism.
• We can increase a limit power without
any interference (5pW/cm2 (CW)
-> 1.91mW/cm2 (pulse, no scheduling)
- > 2.61mW/cm2 (pulse, scheduling)
OFF OFF
Ichihara, T, et al., “Study and Development of an Intermittent Microwave Power Transmission System for a ZigBee
Device”, Proc. of 2014 IEEE Wireless Power Transfer Conference (WPTc2014), 2014, pp.40-43 17
 Ubiquitous Power Source (UPS)
Weak point of ubiquitous network Transmitting System
society is a power source.
We propose a wireless power source with
microwave power transmission (MPT). In
most advanced system, we bring only a
receiving system, rectenna instead of heavy
battery. At first step, we try to charge a
battery via microwave power.

Receiving
System
Wireless
Charge

Wireless Power source

in every time “Ubiquitous Power Source”
and in everywhere
Shinohara, N., et al., “Study on Ubiquitous Power Source with Microwave Power Transmission”, Proc. of
International Union of Radio Science (URSI) General Assembly 2005, C07.5(01145).pdf, 2005 18
 Demonstration of WPT-powered Sensors with Drone
5.8GHz, 8.74W from 8x8 array (21dBi)
Next Term Drone
次期マルチコプター

自律プログラム飛行
Autonomous Programmed Flight
Height 30-50m
高度３０m～５０m

電子基準点
Electric Reference Point

中継器
Transponder 遭難者救助
Rescue Headquarter
(If necessary)
(必要に応じて）
Flying Drone
Microwave power
マイクロ波電力
対策本部
遭難者発見データ
Victim Data
飛行経路情報
Flight Path Data
高度 約６ｍ～８ｍ
Height 6-8m Drone Health Data
マルチコプタ-動作情報
WBLS Health Data
ＷＢＬＳ動作情報
ID Data of
遭難者IDデータ
Victim
4m
Microwave Obstacle of Radio
(5.8GHz, -8.74W) 電波障害物

Victim
遭難者
WPT-Powered
(with Rectenna-
（救命カード保有） 遭難者救援支援
Drone Station
Vital Sensor Card)
Sensor マルチコプタ基地
for Rescue

最大探査距離（ＴＢＤ）ｋm
Maximum Search Distance (TBD) km
Demo (Jul. 16, 2015)
6.1mW Received at 2 rectennas (10.2dBi)
Applications : Rescue of victims, WPT-powered sensors at volcano,
Inspection of infrastructures (Bridges, Tunnels..)
by WiPoT, Kyoto Univ., Mini-Surveyor Consortium, Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd. 19
 Commercial Products of WPT via Radio Waves
• Japanese Company (Dengyo)of Battery-less Sensor
(900MHz-Band) http://www.den-gyo.com/solution/solution10_b.html
Rectifying

Wireless Power
Circuit

Mitter
A few m Trans-

UHF Band Sensor &

Transmitter Micro Computer
(920 MHz Band)

Data
Transmission
315 MHz Band

• Venture Companies of Wireless Charger of Smart Phone

Wireless Sensor

* ‘Cota’ by Ossia inc. (WiFi-Band) http://www.ossiainc.com/

KDDI (Big 3 Carrier

in Japan) supports
Ossia

* ‘Wattup’ by Energous corp. (2.45GHz and 5.8GHz Band)

http://www.energous.com/

Based on FCC-15

20
 How Cota Works With Obstruction by Ossia
Unlike radio waves that pass through a human body, Ossia’s Cota
technology considers our bodies to be obstructions and therefore
power signals avoid them.
Pulse Playback
In turn, the transmitter sends pulses that
mimic (playback) each incoming beacon
signal characteristics with opposite phase.
The outgoing pulses will have the exact
shape and take the same path of each
incoming beacon signal, using the same
reflections and creating a power signal that
is focused only on the receiver while
inherently avoiding obstructions.
Obstructions Stay Safe
If an obstruction (humans, pets,
plants, etc.) is between the
receiver and the transmitter, the
reflections of the beacon signal
pulses (off of the walls/furniture)
will naturally find their way to the
transmitter. 21
 Silicon Valley’s Rumor (2016)
• iPhone8 will install chip of Wireless Charging via Radio
Wave by Energous
“With an Energous transmitter in your office, your phone
will constantly be charging even while it’s in your pocket as
you sit at your desk and work.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-29/apple-said-developing-wireless-charged-phone-for-
as-soon-as-2017-ijz3i4si
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Upcoming-iPhone-8-could-feature-wireless-charging-unlike-anything-
weve-seen-yet_id87639 22
 MPT to Flying Drone (Airplane)
SHARP Experiment MILAX Airplane Experiment
(Canada, 1987) (Japan, 1992)

Fuel-free Airplane MILAX

Microwave
(2.411GHz)

Transmitter
(1.25kW)

http://friendsofcrc.ca/SHARP/sharp.html
With Kobe Univ., CRL, Nissan motor co., Fuji
heavy industry co., ISAS in Japan
Mechanical Beam Control
with Parabolic Antenna Electrical Beam Control with Phased Array
23
 1GW Solar Power Station
2kmf Solar Cells 36,000km
2kmf Microwave Antenna Wireless Power
< 10,000 ton weight Transmission
via Microwave

Future Dream of MPT:

Solar Power
Satellite (SPS)
Energy Availability Factor
Ground PV
: < 15% (Night, Rain…)
Space PV (SPS)
: >90% (No Night in 36,000km Orbit,
No Rain by Microwave Propagation) 2kmf
Receiving Antenna
-> SPS is huge, stable, and CO2-less
Power Station
24
 Developed Thin
(120cm x
Phased Array Antenna 120cm) ,
(FY2009-2014) 5.8GHz,
by Japanese SPS 1.8kWCW

Committee Thin
Phased
Power Transmitting Module #1
Radiator
Sub-array
Array
First Stage
HPA MDL HPA MDL ANT
Power Transmitting Module Image
Reference
Signal
(REF OUT)

B
RSC RSC 5.8GHz F
DIV
Master Unit Slave Unit N

Power
AC200V

DC
(3φ )

Supply
-Main

Power Power
SUM 60cm x 60cm, ≧ 450W , ≦1.9kg Transmitting ANT
AC100V

DC BSC
FeedSection
Supply Supply BFNC
-Control Card ERR
(76 Sub-array ANT)
Sub-array Image Sub-array ANT
Phase Control ______(4 elements)
Signal

B HPA MDL (PAE >70%)

F (High Power amplifier Module)
N
CPU
CARD BFN(Beam Forming Network)
BSC
SUM Section
TRK-
(66mm x 66mm x 25mm(Thickness))
DEM D/C
RCV
: RF/IF Signal : Control Signal
Heat-Pipe : Power Line : Thermal Path
RSC: Reference Signal Control DIV: Divdier
BSC: Beam Steering Control HPA MDL: High Power Amplifier
BFN: Beam Forming Network Module
BFNC: BFN for Control Signal ANT: Antenna
Power Transmitting Panel

Developed by Mistubishi Electric Corp., Supported by METI 25

 MPT Experiment on Feb. 2015
Thin-High Efficiency Phased Array with GaN MMIC
2.5cm thickness phased array
GaN MMIC Amplifiers
5.8GHz, 1.8kW

WPT Ground Test

Microwave
Beam

55m Power Density

~350W/ /㎡
at rectenna center
~10W/ /㎡
at rectenna edge

Developed by Mistubishi Electric Corp. (Phased Array), IHI Aerospace (Rectenna Array), Supported by METI
Theory and technology of
WPT via Radio Waves

27
 Efficiency of Wireless Power Transfer via Radio Waves

(2) Radio Wave Propagation

(3) RF-DC conversion
- Beam Efficiency -

(1) DC-RF conversion

RF Power (Wireless)
RF Power
(Wired)

Frequency
Total Efficiency of WPT
Converter
RF Generator
= (1) X (2) X (3)
World Record : 54% (Beam-type, Lab.) DC Power
by W. C. Brown in 1975

DC Power

Magnetron
+ Horn Antenna
28
 Rectenna – Rectifying Antenna –
Radio Wave -> DC Power Converter
Output DC
Filter To Load
An-
Radio Wave LPF with
tenna
Capa-
citance

antenna antenna
antenna

diode diode
antenna (backside) diode diode

Brown&JPL Rectenna Rectenna by Hokkaido Univ. Rectenna byTexas A&M Univ. Rectenna by Intel co.
(2.45GHz) 1970-75 (2.45GHz) 1984 (35GHz) 1992 (674 - 680 MHz) 2009

Rectenna
by Kyoto Univ.
(5.8GHz) 2001
Rectenna
byDENSO co.
(21GHz) 1997 Commercial Rectenna by DENGYO co. (2.45GHz) 2011
29
 Frequency Characteristics of Efficiency of Rectenna
100% antenna
by Texas A&M Univ.
90% (35GHz) 1992
diode
antenna
80% by Brown&JPL by École Polytechnique
(2.45GHz) 1970-75
RF-DC Conversion Efficiency

by DENSO co. Montréal (94GHz) 2015

70%
(14GHz) 2000 diode
60%

50%

40% by Tel-Aviv University

(75-110GHz) 2014
30%
532um x
20% 910um

MMIC by Kyoto Univ.

10%
(24GHz) 2012
0% Products by DENGYO co. (2.45GHz) 2011

2.45GHz 5.8GHz 10GHz 14GHz 24GHz 35GHz 45GHz 62GHz 72GHz 100GHz
Frequency
: Diode : CMOS 30
 How do we increase the RF-DC conversion
efficiency at energy harvesting?
RF-DC conversion To increase the peak RF-DC conversion efficiency
efficiency 1) With low wRC diode
2) High voltage at diode (almost breakdown)
3) Higher harmonics combination (like class-F amplifier)
100% Higher Order
Harmonics Effect

VJ Effect

Vbr Effect
Diode Maximum
Efficiency Curve

I “rectenna”
“detector” region
Rdiode
region
-VJ
V
Vbr VJ
(10-30V) (0.2-0.3V) Input Power
or Connected Load
T.- W. Yoo and K. Chang, “Theoretical and Experimental Development of 10 and 35 GHz Rectennas”, IEEE Trans. MTT, Vol.40, No.6, 1992, pp.1259- 1266 31
 How to increase efficiency of rectenna
• Choose theoretically 100% circuit
• Reduce number of diode which is loss factor
– Recommend single shunt rectifier
• Choose diode with Low wRC diode
• Design circuit with higher harmonics combination
(like class-F amplifier)
• Suppress higher harmonics re-radiation
• Match impedance at input and output
• To add high voltage (almost breakdown)
• (Additionally) consider combination of antenna
32
 Advanced Rectenna
• Wide Band
– Frequency
– Load
– Power -> especially low power
RF-DC conversion
efficiency

100% Higher Order

Harmonics Effect

VJ Effect

Diode Maximum Vbr Effect

Efficiency Curve 800MHz

Example of Modulated Wave Input Power

(OFDM) for Harvesting 33
or Connected Load
 Expansion of optimum input, load, frequency, etc.
• Broadband Impedance Matching (CTTC, Spain, 2016)

Ferran Bolos, et al. (CTTC), “A UHF Rectifier with One Octave Bandwidth
Based On a Non-Uniform Transmission Line”. Proc. of IMS2016 34
Broadband F-class Load Rectenna by Kyoto Univ.
Sector-type Class-F Load

lg /4 line
Diode

Normal Stubs
Sector Stubs

35
 Advanced Rectenna
• Wide Band
– Frequency
– Load
– Power -> especially low power
RF-DC conversion
efficiency

100% Higher Order

Harmonics Effect

VJ Effect

Diode Maximum Vbr Effect

Efficiency Curve 800MHz

Example of Modulated Wave Input Power

(OFDM) for Harvesting or Connected Load 36
 Self-powered DCM Buck-boost Converter

Operating waveform

Expansion

Yong Huang, Naoki Shinohara, and Tomohiko Mitani, “A Constant Efficiency of Rectifying Circuit
in an Extremely Wide Load Range”, IEEE-Trans. MTT, Vol. 62, No.4, pp.986-993, 2014 37
 Experiment on Self-powered RF-DC-DC Circuit
Buck-boost converter

Rectifier with converter

System efficiency with converter

Rectifier without
converter

RF-DC rectifier + Buck-boost converter experimental

results : Comparison of efficiency-load

Yong Huang, Naoki Shinohara, and Tomohiko Mitani, “A Constant Efficiency of Rectifying Circuit
in an Extremely Wide Load Range”, IEEE-Trans. MTT, Vol. 62, No.4, pp.986-993, 2014 38
 Advanced Rectenna
• Wide Band
– Frequency
– Load
– Power -> especially low power
RF-DC conversion
efficiency

100% Higher Order

Harmonics Effect

VJ Effect

Diode Maximum Vbr Effect

Efficiency Curve 800MHz

Example of Modulated Wave Input Power

(OFDM) for Harvesting or Connected Load 39
 Expansion of optimum input, load, frequency, etc.
• Active Impedance Matching (MIT, 2015)

“Transmission Line Resistance Compression Networks

for Microwave Rectifiers” Taylor W. Barton et al., MIT, USA 40
Selective Matching Circuit by Kagoshima Univ.

41
 Consideration of Diode
• Zero Bias Diode -> Low Efficiency (Bad diode parameter?)
• Self-biased and Self-synchronous Rectifier (Univ. of Cantabria)

An E-pHEMT Self-biased and Self-synchronous Class E Rectifier

M. N. Ruiz and J. A. García, University of Cantabria, Spain, 2015 42
 Low Power Rectenna – How to add high voltage at diode
• Charge Pump -> High Voltage but Low Efficiency
• Output Filter Matching (Kyoto Univ. etc., Japan)
- 50% @ 1mW, 5.8GHz (2004)
• Standing Wave by Reflection
(Okayama Univ., Japan, 2004)
• Rectifying Circuit with Resonator
(Tohoku Univ. (2006), Toyama Univ. (2013), Japan)
- 40% @ 100mW, 900MHz
• High Impedance Circuit and Antenna
(Kanazawa Inst. Tech. (2016), Japan)
- 40% @ 100mW, 900MHz
43
 Introduction of Activities of WPT
in IEEE

44
RISH, Kyoto Univ. 41
45
IEEE Wireless Power Transfer Conference (WPTc)

2nd WPTC (2014)

at Jeju, Korea 3rd WPTC (2015)
at Boulder, USA

4th WPTC (2016)

at Aveiro, Portugal

1st WPTC (2013) 1st IMWS-IWPT (2011)

at Perugia, Italy 2nd IMWS-IWPT (2012)
at Kyoto, Japan
5th WPTC (2017)
at Taipei, Taiwan

46
 Conclusion

47
RISH, Kyoto Univ. 44
 Our Dream : Wireless Power Society
Smart
Energy

SPS Communications –
Saving Energy Power Coexistence

Infrastructure of
Communications – Vehicles
Power Coexistence

Power Storage

Ubiquitous Power
Source

Ubiquitous Power
Source in Emergency
Buildings Energy
Security

48
 WPT Books

Wireless Power Transfer

Wireless Power Transfer Algorithms, Technologies Online Journal of
via Radiowaves (Wave Series) and Applications in Ad Hoc Wireless Power Transfer
Naoki Shinohara Communication Networks Cambridge Press
ISTE Publishing & ed. Sotiris Nikoletseas, http://journals.cambridge.or
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., UK & USA Yuanyuan Yang, g/action/displayJournal?jid=
2014.1 and Apostolos Georgiadis, wpt
ISBN 978-1-84821-605-1 Springer, 2016.7, Call for Paper!!
(Paper Book and Kindle) ISBN 978-3-319-46810-5 49