A flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robotic power and communication

Abstract

The application discloses a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot energy-carrying communication, which has wireless energy collection and communication functions and is a double-layer flexible substrate structure with two input ports, one port for wireless energy collection and the other port for edge radiation and end radiation wireless communication of different frequency bands. Wireless energy collection is achieved by means of a metasurface antenna, a metasurface unit of which is composed of a joint structure of an open ring slot and an I-shaped slot in the top layer, a floor embedded with a complementary open ring slot in the middle layer and a feed network with functions of feeding and combining in the bottom layer; end radiation of the wireless communication antenna is achieved by means of a Vivaldi structure in the middle layer, and edge radiation is achieved by means of two half-circular folded open rings placed face to face and located above the middle axis of two radiation arms of the Vivaldi and placed in the top layer and excited by the near-field coupling of the Vivaldi. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna is covered on the surface of mechanical parts such as robot hands, feet, arms and waists and is used for energy supply and communication control of various drivers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of communication facilities technology, and in particular relates to a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication. Background Technology

[0002] The current demand for green and intelligent communication, along with the deep penetration of wireless information technology, necessitates collaborative work among multiple agents, finding applications in various fields such as robotics. In recent years, the Boston Dynamics Atlas bipedal robot's parkour videos have garnered significant attention, sparking a surge of research into new robot design methods. However, robots are typically limited by their built-in battery capacity, with a continuous working time generally ranging from 1 to 2 hours. Complex movements require the coordination of various mechanical structures, necessitating solutions to power supply and multi-actuator collaborative operation issues. Among these, SWIPT (Spatial Powered Communication) technology has attracted researchers' attention. First proposed in 2008, this technology primarily utilizes portable communication antennas for simultaneous spatial electromagnetic energy harvesting and wireless communication, encompassing various design types.

[0003] Using antennas for power transmission presents a trade-off between antenna surface area and power transmission capacity. In such cases, designing flexible metasurface antennas that wrap around the mechanical surface of a robot becomes an option. Power transmission is mainly divided into inductive and magnetically coupled resonant wireless power transmission, which is widely used in consumer electronics and automotive wireless charging. Microwave power transmission, however, faces challenges in achieving medium- to long-distance power transmission and efficiency issues. To achieve efficient and practical wireless power transmission and communication, it is necessary to explore the coexistence relationship between the antenna and the application environment, while balancing system efficiency, complexity, and cost. Generally, it is desirable to use a SWIPT antenna with wide-angle reception and polarization-free / insensitive characteristics. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication, aiming to solve the technical problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this invention designs a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication by integrating metasurface and patch antenna structures.

[0006] The present invention is implemented as follows: a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot energy-carrying communication. The metasurface integrated antenna adopts a two-probe bottom-feed port and a corresponding feeding network. One port corresponds to electromagnetic energy harvesting and adopts a metasurface structure; the other port corresponds to side-fire and end-fire communication, operating in different frequency bands. The metasurface unit is combined with a stacked complementary open ring slot and I-shaped slot structure. The end-fire communication borrows the Vivaldi radiation structure, and the side-fire is based on a large and small folded semi-circular open ring structure. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna is covered on the surface of the robot's mechanical parts, and wireless energy harvesting and communication are performed through the two input ports of the antenna, respectively.

[0007] Furthermore, in the supersurface unit, the upper open ring groove of the stacked complementary open ring groove is located on the top layer, the lower open ring groove is located on the middle floor layer, the I-shaped groove is located inside the upper open ring groove, the centers of the complementary open ring grooves are aligned, the centers of the I-shaped groove and the upper open ring groove are aligned, and the width of the lower open ring groove is greater than the width of the upper open ring groove.

[0008] Furthermore, the power supply network of the metasurface structure adopts a stepped combiner and a strip microstrip feeder structure, with the strip feeder extending to the opening of the upper opening ring;

[0009] Furthermore, the two probes are fed to the SMA interface, with the inner conductor connected to the bottom feed line and the outer conductor passing through the flexible substrate to connect to the intermediate metal structure.

[0010] Furthermore, the large and small semi-circular folded open-ring resonators of the side-radiating structure of the wireless communication function are placed face to face on the top layer, with their two parallel straight strips aligned with the center lines of the two radiating slots of the Vivaldi structure, and located near the narrower gap of the radiating slots.

[0011] Furthermore, the side-emitting and end-emitting radiation structures for wireless communication functions share a common feed structure located on the bottom surface. It adopts a probe-bottom-feed combined microstrip line, divided into two branches. One branch excites Vivaldi, and the other branch is in an open circuit state.

[0012] Furthermore, the flexible antenna dielectric substrate is made of Polyimide material.

[0013] Furthermore, the flexible metasurface antenna is covered on the mechanical surface of the robot, such as the arm, foot, leg, and waist. Each actuator corresponds to a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for power supply and wireless communication.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: First, the flexible metasurface integrated antenna designed in this invention adopts a two-probe bottom-fed, multi-band operating mode and a double-layer structure, integrating multiple functions into a compact antenna structure. Its flexible substrate structure facilitates conformal design. Second, this invention utilizes a designed flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot energy-carrying communication design, enabling simultaneous electromagnetic energy harvesting and wide-angle wireless communication, widely collecting electromagnetic energy from the current environment for green communication and collaborative control. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a top-level structural diagram of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the intermediate layer of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the bottom layer structure of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a side view of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 Simulation of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention |S 11 |、|S 22 |Curve.

[0021] Figure 7(a) shows the simulated Phi=90 of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention in the first operating frequency band. o Planar radiation pattern.

[0022] Figure 7(b) shows the simulated Phi=90 of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention in the second operating frequency band. o Planar radiation pattern.

[0023] Figure 7(c) shows the simulated Phi=90 of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention in the third operating frequency band. o Planar radiation pattern.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible metasurface integrated antenna of the present invention working on the surface of a robot.

[0025] In the attached image:

[0026] 1 is the upper open ring slot; 2 is the lower open ring slot; 3 is the I-shaped slot; 4 is the intermediate ground plane of the wireless energy harvesting metasurface antenna; 5 is the intermediate Vivaldi radiating slot of the wireless communication end-fire antenna; 6 is the small semi-circular folded open ring of the wireless communication side-fire antenna; 7 is the large semi-circular folded open ring of the wireless communication side-fire antenna; 8 is the microstrip feed structure of port ②; 9 is the stepped combiner of port ①; 10 is the strip microstrip feed line of port ①; 11 is the antenna feed port ①; 12 is the antenna feed port ②; 13 is the robot mechanical surface. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0028] The specific implementation of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot energy-carrying communication is disclosed. The metasurface integrated antenna adopts a two-probe bottom-feed design, with one port corresponding to electromagnetic energy harvesting and employing a metasurface structure; the other port corresponds to side-fire and end-fire communication, operating in different frequency bands; the flexible metasurface integrated antenna is covered on the surface of the robot, and performs wireless energy harvesting and communication through the two input ports respectively.

[0030] Specifically, the flexible metasurface integrated antenna adopts a double-layer flexible material structure, with the energy harvesting metasurface and the communication functional structure designed separately, corresponding to antenna feed port ①11 and antenna feed port ②12 respectively. The metasurface unit is a stacked complementary structure of upper open ring slot 1, lower open ring slot 2 and I-shaped slot 3. The end-fire adopts the Vivaldi radiating slot 5 in the middle layer of the wireless communication end-fire antenna, and the side-fire adopts two semi-circular folded open ring resonators 6 and 7. The two share the same feed structure and generate different frequency bands.

[0031] Preferably, in this embodiment of the invention, the substrate material of the double-layer flexible antenna is polyimide, with a thickness of 1.5 mm and a substrate planar size of 300 mm × 200 mm.

[0032] Figure 2 This is the top-level view of the antenna. Figure 3 This is an intermediate layer view of the antenna. Figure 4This is a bottom-layer view of the antenna. The metasurface is composed of 5×3 arrayed metasurface units, each containing a three-layer structure distributed on two flexible dielectric substrates. The top layer consists of an upper open-loop slot 1 and an I-shaped slot 3, with the I-shaped slot 3 surrounded by the upper open-loop slot 1. The middle layer is a ground plane 4, with a corresponding lower complementary open-loop slot 2 etched at the position of the upper open-loop slot 1. The bottom layer is a feed network with combining function, fed by an SMA probe, with its inner conductor connected to the feed line and its outer conductor passing through the substrate to connect to the ground plane of the middle layer. The feed network mainly consists of a stepped combiner 10 and a strip microstrip feed line 9. The microstrip line 9 terminates at the opening of the upper open-loop slot 1. This stacked complementary open-loop slot 1 and 2 structure, combined with the I-shaped slot 3 structure, transfers electromagnetic energy to the corresponding microstrip feed line end on the bottom layer. Finally, it converges at the antenna feed port ①11 via the combiner.

[0033] Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 The wireless communication antenna shown comprises two stacked radiating elements, corresponding to side-firing and end-firing radiation, respectively. The side-firing element consists of two face-to-face semi-circular folded opening rings, large (7) and small (6), with similar dimensions. Their two parallel stripes are parallel to the centerline of the Vivaldi radiating slot in the middle layer and located above the narrow Vivaldi radiating slot region. The two folded rings 6 and 7 are coupled and excited by the bottom Vivaldi radiating slot 5, resonating and generating side-firing radiation, corresponding to the high-frequency band of the antenna feed port ②12.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the invention, the end-firing unit is a classic Vivaldi structure 5, located in the intermediate layer. The bottom layer is a probe-based bottom-feed microstrip feed network, with its inner conductor connected to the feed line and its outer conductor passing through the substrate to connect to the intermediate layer Vivaldi radiating structure. The microstrip line connected to the inner conductor is divided into two branches: one branch is a classic Vivaldi antenna feed line structure, and the other branch is an open microstrip line.

[0035] Table 1. Dimensions and parameters of the antenna of this invention.

[0036] parameter Dimensions (mm) parameter Dimensions (mm) L1 300 W5 1 L2 147 W6 4 L3 147 R1 40 L4 35 R2 39 L5 28.5 R3 15 W1 200 R4 10 W2 96 H1 1.5 W3 35 H2 1.5 W4 16

[0037] Figure 6 For the simulated antenna |S 11 |、|S 22 The parameters correspond to antenna feed ports ①11 and ②12, respectively. The energy harvesting frequency band of antenna feed port ①11 is mainly around 3.43 GHz, and its |S 11 The curve shows a trough at this frequency. The end RF band of antenna feed port ②12 is around 1.594 GHz, and the side RF band is around 3.128 GHz. Reflection coefficient |S 11 |、|S 22Other resonant frequencies can be further eliminated or combined through tuning structures to generate broadband.

[0038] Figures 7(a), 7(b), and 7(c) show the simulated antenna at three frequency points: 1.594 GHz, 3.128 GHz, and 3.43 GHz, with Phi=90. o Radiation pattern of the plane. The end-fire gain at 1.594 GHz can reach 11.5 dBi, the side-fire gain at 3.128 GHz can reach -1.65 dBi, and the energy harvesting gain at 3.43 GHz can reach -0.65 dBi.

[0039] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the working of the designed flexible metasurface integrated antenna covering the surface of a robot. When used in a robot, the cylindrical structure 13 corresponds to the robot's hands, legs, feet, waist, and other parts.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the invention, the flexible metasurface integrated antenna is covered on the robot joint component 13 and provides independent power to each actuator; the actuators communicate with each other over a wide angle range through the end-fire and side-fire radiation of the antenna, and coordinate to control the mechanical movement of the robot.

[0041] This invention provides a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot energy-carrying communication design. Utilizing a double-layer flexible material, it can simultaneously perform electromagnetic energy harvesting and wireless communication, which has important reference significance for promoting the application of green communication.

[0042] The number of metasurface elements can be expanded as needed, and multiple flexible metasurface integrated antennas like the one described above can be combined to achieve higher performance energy-carrying communication.

[0043] The energy harvesting metasurface unit of this invention employs a combined design of stacked complementary open-ring slots and I-shaped slots. End-fire and side-fire communication radiation utilizes a Vivaldi structure and two semi-circular folded open rings, which helps maintain a compact antenna structure and high isolation integration. The feed line is located on the bottom layer and connects to the inner conductor of the SMA interface. The outer conductor passes through the substrate and connects to the intermediate metal layer, using electromagnetic coupling to excite the radiation structure. With this design method, there are almost no vertical metal structures within the antenna's flexible substrate, facilitating the antenna's bending conformal design.

[0044] Although embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. It can be applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. Other modifications can be readily made by those skilled in the art. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and examples shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication, characterized in that: The metasurface integrated antenna uses a metasurface structure composed of metasurface units to collect electromagnetic energy; it adopts a stacked radiating structure, with different layers of radiating structure generating side-emitting and end-emitting radiation for communication, and operates in different frequency bands. The metasurface units are combined with a stacked complementary open annular groove and I-shaped groove structure, and each metasurface unit is excited by electromagnetic coupling at the end of the power supply network line. The stacked complementary open annular groove is composed of upper and lower complementary open annular grooves, with the opening directions of the upper and lower complementary open annular grooves being opposite and their centers aligned. The I-shaped groove is located inside the upper open annular groove, and the centers of the I-shaped groove and the upper open annular groove are aligned. The end-firing system borrows the Vivaldi radiation structure, while the side-firing system is based on a large and small folded semi-circular open ring structure. The two parallel strips of the large and small folded semi-circular opening rings are aligned with the center lines of the two radial slots of the Vivaldi structure and are close to the circular slot of the Vivaldi structure. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna is covered on the surface of the robot's mechanical parts, and performs wireless energy harvesting and communication through the two input ports of the antenna.

2. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metasurface unit has a stacked complementary open annular groove. The upper open annular groove is located on the top layer, and the lower open annular groove is located on the middle floor layer. The width of the lower open annular groove is greater than the width of the upper open annular groove.

3. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 2, characterized in that, The power supply network of the metasurface structure adopts a stepped combiner and a strip microstrip feeder structure, with the strip feeder extending to the opening of the upper open annular groove.

4. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 3, characterized in that, The two-probe bottom-feed power supply port adopts the SMA interface, with its inner conductor connected to the bottom feed line and its outer conductor passing through the flexible substrate to connect to the intermediate metal structure.

5. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 4, characterized in that, The two semi-circular folded open-ring resonators, one large and one small, of the side-radiating structure are placed face-to-face on the top layer.

6. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 5, characterized in that, The side-emitting and end-emitting radiation structures for wireless communication share a common feed structure located on the bottom surface. It adopts a probe-bottom-feed combined microstrip line, divided into two branches. One branch excites Vivaldi, and the other branch is in an open circuit state.

7. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flexible substrate is made of Polyimide material.

8. The flexible metasurface integrated antenna for robot-powered communication according to claim 7, characterized in that, The flexible metasurface integrated antenna is covered on the mechanical surface of the robot, which can be an arm, foot, leg, or waist. Each actuator corresponds to a flexible metasurface integrated antenna for power supply and wireless communication.

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