Rectifying antenna module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a rectification antenna module and electronic equipment, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The rectification antenna module comprises a dipole antenna array, a rectification module and a feed network, the dipole antenna array comprises N dipole antenna units, the N dipole antenna units are arranged at intervals, and the N dipole antenna units are distributed in a ring shape; the rectification module comprises N rectification circuits, the N rectification circuits are electrically connected with the N dipole antenna units in a one-to-one correspondence mode, and the rectification circuits are used for converting microwave energy received by the corresponding dipole antenna units into direct current signals; the feed network is electrically connected with the feed ports of the N dipole antenna units, and the feed network is used for feeding to at least one dipole antenna unit in the N dipole antenna units; wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 4.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of communication technology, and specifically relates to a rectifying antenna module and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the popularization of mobile devices and wireless network technology, more and more people want to get rid of traditional power transmission methods, and wireless power transmission (WPT) has attracted more and more attention.

[0003] The rectenna is an important component of the WPT system. As a receiving end structure, the rectenna mainly receives microwave energy in space and converts it into AC energy. The rectifier circuit then converts it into DC energy, which is finally provided to the load for operation.

[0004] The rectenna in the related art has the defect of low energy conversion efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a rectenna module and an electronic device, which can improve the energy conversion efficiency of the rectenna module.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a rectenna module, the rectenna module comprising:

[0007] A dipole antenna array, the dipole antenna array comprising N dipole antenna units, the N dipole antenna units being arranged at intervals from each other and distributed in a ring shape;

[0008] A rectifier module, the rectifier module comprising N rectifier circuits, the N rectifier circuits being electrically connected to the N dipole antenna units in a one-to-one correspondence, the rectifier circuits being used to convert microwave energy received by the corresponding dipole antenna units into a DC signal; and

[0009] A feeding network, the feeding network being electrically connected to feeding ports of the N dipole antenna units, the feeding network being used to feed power to at least one dipole antenna unit among the N dipole antenna units;

[0010] Wherein, N is an integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0011] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes the rectenna module as described in the first aspect.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the rectifier antenna module includes: a dipole antenna array, a rectifier module and a feed network, wherein the dipole antenna array includes at least 4 dipole antenna units, the at least 4 dipole antenna units are arranged at intervals from each other and distributed in a ring shape, and the rectifier module includes a rectifier circuit corresponding to at least 4 dipole antenna units one by one, and the feed network can feed at least 4 dipole antenna units respectively. On the one hand, the feed network can adjust the directional characteristics of the rectifier antenna module by adjusting the phase and / or amplitude of the excited dipole antenna unit so that it is aligned with the energy transmitting antenna, which can improve the energy collection efficiency of the rectifier antenna module; on the other hand, the feed network can excite multiple dipole antenna units at different angles to achieve omnidirectional reception of radio frequency energy in the space. In addition, a rectifier circuit integrated with the dipole antenna unit can also be used to improve the rectification efficiency, which can improve the energy conversion efficiency of the rectifier antenna module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a top view of a rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified image of area A;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the split structure of a rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a dipole antenna unit in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 5 It is a directional characteristic diagram of a rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of another rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of another rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 8 is a circuit diagram of another rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 9 is a directional characteristic diagram of another rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Fig.10 This is an S parameter curve diagram of another rectenna module provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the present application belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0025] The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes in detail the rectenna module, electronic device, and rectenna control method provided in the embodiments of the present application through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0026] See also Figure 1 , the rectenna module provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0027] A dipole antenna array 10, the dipole antenna array 10 comprises N dipole antenna units 11, the N dipole antenna units 11 are arranged at intervals from each other, and the N dipole antenna units 11 are distributed in a ring shape;

[0028] A rectifier module 20, the rectifier module 20 includes N rectifier circuits 21, the N rectifier circuits 21 are electrically connected to the N dipole antenna units 11 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the rectifier circuits 21 are used to convert the microwave energy received by the corresponding dipole antenna unit 11 into a DC signal; and,

[0029] A feeding network 30, the feeding network 30 is electrically connected to the feeding ports of the N dipole antenna units 11, and the feeding network 30 is used to feed power to at least one dipole antenna unit 11 among the N dipole antenna units 11;

[0030] Wherein, N is an integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0031] In some embodiments, N can be any integer greater than or equal to 4, such as N equals 4, equals 5, equals 6, equals 8, etc. For the sake of ease of explanation, the embodiments of the present application are generally illustrated by taking N equals 4 or N equals 6 as an example, which does not constitute a specific limitation here.

[0032] In some embodiments, the rectenna module provided in the embodiment of the present application can be used as a receiving end in a WPT or wireless energy harvesting (Wireless Energy Harvesting, WEH) system to collect electromagnetic wave energy in space. Among them, WPT is used for active directional transmission of energy in space, that is, the rectenna module receives electromagnetic waves emitted by the active antenna to convert the electromagnetic waves into direct current power; WEH is used to scan and collect energy in the entire airspace without a fixed source in space, that is, the rectenna module performs a full airspace scan to collect electromagnetic waves in the entire airspace and convert the electromagnetic waves into direct current power.

[0033] Among them, for the WPT system, the rectifying antenna module provided in the embodiment of the present application can control the feeding network 30 to selectively excite part of the N dipole antenna units 11, or selectively adjust parameters such as the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units 11, so that the strong gain direction of the dipole antenna array 10 is aligned with the active transmitting end in the WPT system to improve the energy collection efficiency.

[0034] For the WEH system, the rectifying antenna module provided in the embodiment of the present application can use N dipole antenna units 11 distributed in a ring shape to achieve omnidirectional reception of radio frequency energy in space, thereby improving energy collection efficiency.

[0035] For the sake of convenience, WPT is generally used as an example in the embodiments of the present application, which is not specifically limited here.

[0036] It is worth mentioning that the N dipole antenna units 11 are spaced apart from each other and distributed in a ring shape, so that the radiation directions of the N dipole antenna units 11 are 360° outwards from the center of the ring.

[0037] It is worth mentioning that the feeding network 30 can feed at least one of the N dipole antenna units 11, and the radiation directions of the N dipole antenna units 11 are respectively 360° outward from the center of the ring. In this way, by selecting the dipole antenna unit 11 excited by the feeding network 30, and / or by adjusting the phase of the excitation signal provided by the feeding network 30 to the dipole antenna unit 11, gain enhancement in a specified beam direction can be achieved, or omnidirectional reception of electromagnetic wave signals can be achieved.

[0038] In some implementations, the N dipole antenna units 11 may be distributed at equal intervals, so that the spatial angles toward which the N dipole antenna units 11 are directed are evenly distributed around 360°.

[0039] In some other embodiments, the N dipole antenna units 11 may be distributed at unequal intervals, so that the spatial angles oriented by the N dipole antenna units 11 are non-uniformly distributed around 360°.

[0040] It is worth mentioning that, compared with the implementation method in which the spatial angles toward which the N dipole antenna units 11 are directed are non-uniformly distributed around 360°, when realizing omnidirectional reception of RF energy in the space, the radiation gain of the rectifying antenna module in all directions can be made more uniform, and after determining the required radiation direction of the dipole antenna array 10, the calculation amount of determining the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units matching the radiation direction can be simplified.

[0041] For the sake of convenience in explanation, in the embodiments of the present application, the spatial angles oriented by the N dipole antenna units 11 are generally uniformly distributed around 360° as an example for explanation, which is not specifically limited here.

[0042] In some embodiments, the feeding network 30 may excite some of the N dipole antenna elements 11 .

[0043] For example: Figure 3Taking the rectenna module shown as an example, the dipole antenna array 10 includes four dipole antenna units 11, namely the first dipole antenna unit P1, the second dipole antenna unit P2, the third dipole antenna unit P3 and the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, and the first dipole antenna unit P1 faces due north (0°), the second dipole antenna unit P2 faces due east (90°), the third dipole antenna unit P3 faces due south (180°), and the fourth dipole antenna unit P4 faces due west (-90°); at this time, if the feeding network 30 excites the first dipole antenna unit P1, and does not excite the second dipole antenna unit P2, the third dipole antenna unit P3 and the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, then the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has obvious gain enhancement in the due north direction (i.e., 0°); if the feeding network 3 0 excites the second dipole antenna unit P2, and does not excite the first dipole antenna unit P1, the third dipole antenna unit P3 and the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, then the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due east direction (i.e., 90°); if the feeding network 30 excites the third dipole antenna unit P3, and does not excite the first dipole antenna unit P1, the second dipole antenna unit P2 and the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, then the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due south direction (i.e., 180°); if the feeding network 30 excites the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, and does not excite the first dipole antenna unit P1, the second dipole antenna unit P2 and the third dipole antenna unit P3, then the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due west direction (i.e., -90°).

[0044] Another example: Figure 7Taking the rectifier antenna module shown as an example, the dipole antenna array 10 includes 6 dipole antenna units 11, namely a first dipole antenna unit P1, a second dipole antenna unit P2, a third dipole antenna unit P3, a fourth dipole antenna unit P4, a fifth dipole antenna unit P5 and a sixth dipole antenna unit P6, and the first dipole antenna unit P1 faces 30° north-east, the second dipole antenna unit P2 faces due east (90°), the third dipole antenna unit P3 faces 30° south-east, the fourth dipole antenna unit P4 faces 30° south-west, the fifth dipole antenna unit P5 faces due west (-90°), and the sixth dipole antenna unit P6 faces 30° north-west. At this time, if the feeding network 30 only excites the first dipole antenna unit P1, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° north by east; if the feeding network 30 only excites the second dipole antenna unit P2, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due east direction (90°); if the feeding network 30 only excites the third dipole antenna unit P3, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° south by east; if the feeding network 30 only excites the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° south by west; if the feeding network 30 only excites the fifth dipole antenna unit P5, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due west direction (-90°); if the feeding network 30 only excites the sixth dipole antenna unit P6, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° north by west.

[0045] In some embodiments, the feeding network 30 excites all of the N dipole antenna units 11 , and the phases of the excitation signals provided to different dipole antenna units 11 among the N dipole antenna units 11 are independently adjustable.

[0046] In this way, by adjusting the phase difference between the N dipole antenna units 11, the antenna receiving signal gain direction of the rectifying antenna module can be flexibly adjusted. Compared with the previous embodiment, in which the antenna receiving signal gain direction of the rectifying antenna module is adjusted by only stimulating some of the N dipole antenna units 11, this embodiment can make the antenna receiving signal gain direction of the rectifying antenna module no longer limited to the direction pointed by a single dipole antenna unit 11, and can achieve more flexible omnidirectional reception of electromagnetic wave signals.

[0047] In some embodiments, the above two methods of adjusting the antenna receiving signal gain direction of the rectenna module can be combined, such as the feed network 30 excites some of the N dipole antenna units 11, and at the same time, the phase of the excitation signal of the part of the dipole antenna unit 11 is independently adjustable. In this way, the antenna directional characteristics of the rectenna module can also be flexibly adjusted.

[0048] In application, the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave signal can be analyzed according to the received signal strength of the N dipole antenna units 11 in various directions, and the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units can be determined according to the beam angle, so that when the feeding network provides the excitation signal to the N dipole antenna units according to the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units, the rectenna module has a strong gain enhancement at the beam angle, thereby improving the utilization rate of the electromagnetic wave energy.

[0049] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, an integrated rectifier circuit 21 is provided for each dipole antenna unit 11 in the dipole antenna array 10. Compared with the method in the related art, in which the received signals of all antenna units in the antenna array are collected together through components such as a power divider for unified rectification processing, the loss of antenna signals caused by components such as a power divider can be reduced, and the interference between the received signals of different antenna units is reduced, thereby greatly improving the rectification efficiency of the rectifier module 20, and thereby improving the energy conversion efficiency of the rectifier antenna module.

[0050] In some embodiments, the dipole antenna unit 11 includes:

[0051] A first dipole arm 111, a second dipole arm 112, a first fan-shaped branch 113, and a second fan-shaped branch 114;

[0052] The first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112 are arranged in parallel; the first fan-shaped branch 113 is arranged at the first end of the first dipole arm 111, and the second fan-shaped branch 114 is arranged at the first end of the second dipole arm 112;

[0053] The rectifier circuit 21 is electrically connected to the second end of the first dipole arm 111 of the corresponding dipole antenna unit 11 .

[0054] In some embodiments, the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112 are consistent in size and shape; the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 are consistent in shape and size, and the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 are mirror-symmetrically distributed along the symmetry axis between the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112, also known as centrally symmetrical distribution.

[0055] Optionally, the size of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112, and the size of the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 can be related to the operating frequency of the dipole antenna array 10, and the size of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112, and the size of the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 can be adjusted according to the antenna frequency in the actual application scenario.

[0056] For example: Figures 1 to 5 Taking the rectenna module shown as an example, the dipole antenna array 10 includes four dipole antenna units 11, and the operating frequency of each dipole antenna unit 11 is 5.8 GHz. At this time, the size of the dipole antenna unit 11 is 32×40 mm. 2 , wherein the length of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112 is 32 mm; the length of the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 is 11 mm, and the width is 7.4 mm.

[0057] Another example: Figures 6 to 8 Taking the rectenna module shown as an example, the dipole antenna array 10 includes 6 dipole antenna units 11, and the operating frequency of each dipole antenna unit 11 is 5.8 GHz. At this time, the size of the dipole antenna unit 11 is 30×85 mm. 2 , wherein the length of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112 is 30 mm; the length of the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 is 13 mm, and the width is 8.7 mm.

[0058] In some embodiments, the operating frequency of the dipole antenna array 10 may include 1 GHz-30 GHz, and the size of the dipole antenna unit 11 may be between 32 mm and 40 mm. 2 Up to 30×85mm 2 It should be noted that, depending on the operating frequency, different sizes of dipole antenna units 11 can be used. Specifically, the size of the dipole antenna unit 11 can be designed based on the length of the dipole antenna unit 11 being 1 / 2 of the wavelength corresponding to the operating frequency, or the electrical length of the dipole antenna unit 11 can be adjusted by loading a matching network. In this case, the lower the operating frequency, the larger the size of the dipole antenna unit 11.

[0059] In this embodiment, a fan-shaped branch is provided at the far end of the dipole arm, and the fan-shaped branch can be used to suppress harmonics. The fan-shaped branch can effectively increase the circuit bandwidth.

[0060] As an optional implementation, Figure 2 As shown, the rectifier circuit 21 includes:

[0061] Matching network 211, rectifier diode unit 212 and filter 213;

[0062] The matching network 211 , the rectifying diode unit 212 and the filter 213 are electrically connected in sequence, and the matching network 211 is electrically connected to the dipole antenna unit 11 .

[0063] In some embodiments, the matching network 211 may adopt single-branch impedance matching, that is, the matching network 211 may be electrically connected to one of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112. For ease of description, the embodiments of the present application are generally illustrated by taking the electrical connection of the matching network 211 with the first dipole arm 111 as an example. Of course, in other embodiments, the matching network 211 may be electrically connected to the second dipole arm 112, or the matching network 211 may be electrically connected to the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112, respectively, which is not specifically limited here.

[0064] In some implementations, the filter 213 is used to filter out the fundamental wave that accounts for the largest proportion in the rectifier circuit 21 , thereby ensuring the miniaturization of the rectifier circuit 21 .

[0065] Optionally, the filter 213 may adopt a single capacitor rectification, such as Figure 2 As shown, the filter 213 includes a first capacitor.

[0066] In some embodiments, the rectifying diode unit 212 may include one or at least two rectifying diodes to implement a rectifying function using the rectifying diodes.

[0067] Optionally, the rectifier diode may be a diode of model HSMS286C, which has a fast reverse recovery time and low switching loss, and has a low forward voltage drop. Of course, other types of rectifier diodes are also applicable to the rectifier diodes in the embodiment of the present application, which is not specifically limited here.

[0068] In some embodiments, the rectifier diode unit 212 can be connected in parallel with the filter 213 in a double-tube series-parallel manner, wherein the double-tube series-parallel manner can be understood as connecting two rectifier diodes in parallel at both ends of the filter 213. The double-tube series-parallel manner can more effectively utilize space and reduce the footprint of the rectifier diode unit 212.

[0069] For example: Figure 2 As shown, the rectifier diode unit 212 includes a first rectifier diode N1 and a second rectifier diode N2, the anode of the first rectifier diode N1 is electrically connected to the cathode of the second rectifier diode N2, and the cathode of the first rectifier diode N1 and the anode of the second rectifier diode N2 are electrically connected through a filter 213.

[0070] In some implementations, the matching network 211 is used to achieve frequency matching corresponding to the operating frequency of the dipole antenna unit 11 .

[0071] In some implementations, the matching network 211 may use branch impedance matching, and use the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 to suppress harmonics. The first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 can effectively increase the circuit bandwidth.

[0072] For example, taking the operating frequency of the dipole antenna unit 11 as 5.8 GHz, the matching network 211 achieves 5.8 GHz frequency matching by being electrically connected to one of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112, and uses fan-shaped branches to suppress harmonics. The fan-shaped branches can effectively increase the circuit bandwidth.

[0073] In this embodiment, a rectifier circuit 21 with a simple structure and high rectification efficiency can be used to realize the rectification function of a single dipole antenna unit 11. It should be noted that after N rectifier circuits 21 are used to rectify the N dipole antenna units 11 respectively, the DC energy output by the N rectifier circuits 21 can be collected to concentrate the DC energy output by the N rectifier circuits 21 to power the load. For example: Figure 8 As shown, the output ends of the six rectifier circuits 21 are connected in series with the same load R through an electrical connector 61 .

[0074] As an alternative, Figure 8 As shown, the feeding network 30 includes N feed sources 31 , and the N feed sources 31 are electrically connected to the N dipole antenna units 11 through matching networks 211 in the N rectifier circuits 21 , respectively.

[0075] For example: Figure 8 As shown, the feeding network 30 includes six feed sources 31 corresponding to the six dipole antenna units 11 , and the feed sources 31 are electrically connected to the matching networks 211 in the corresponding rectifier circuits 21 .

[0076] In this implementation, the feeding end of the dipole antenna unit 11 may be arranged in the rectifier circuit 21 corresponding to the dipole antenna unit 11 , so that the feed source 31 can feed the dipole antenna unit 11 through the rectifier circuit 21 .

[0077] In other embodiments, the N dipole antenna units 11 may share a feed source, for example, the same feed source is electrically connected to the feeding end of the N dipole antenna units 11 through phase adjustment devices, switch devices, capacitor devices, inductor devices, resistor devices and other devices.

[0078] In this way, the structure of the feeding network can be simplified, but compared with Figure 8In the illustrated embodiment, the feeding network 30 includes feed sources corresponding one to one with the N dipole antenna units 11 . This has poor flexibility when the phase or amplitude of the excitation signal of some of the N dipole antenna units 11 needs to be adjusted.

[0079] As an optional implementation, the rectenna module provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0080] The ground layer S1 , N dipole antenna units 11 are arranged around the ground layer S1 , and the second ends of the second dipole arms 112 in the N dipole antenna units 11 are electrically connected to the ground layer S1 .

[0081] In some embodiments, as described in the aforementioned embodiments, the second end of the first dipole arm 111 in the dipole antenna unit 11 is used to be electrically connected to the rectifier circuit 21, and the second end of the second dipole arm 112 and the second end of the first dipole arm 111 are located at one end of the dipole antenna unit 11 facing the ground layer S1.

[0082] In some implementations, the grounding layer S1 in the embodiment of the present application may be a structure that needs to be grounded in the rectenna module or a grounding structure shared by components. For example, the matching network in the rectifier circuit 21 may also be electrically connected to the grounding layer S1.

[0083] In some embodiments, Figure 3 or Figure 7 As shown, the dipole antenna array 10 and the rectifier module 20 can be arranged on the patch layer S3, and a dielectric layer S2 is arranged between the patch layer S3 and the ground layer S1. At this time, the N dipole antenna units 11 are arranged around the ground layer S1, which can be: assuming that the projection area of ​​the N dipole antenna units 11 on the patch layer S3 is the first area, the first area is a ring structure, and the projection area of ​​the ground layer S1 on the patch layer S3 is the second area. At this time, the inner periphery of the first area and the outer periphery of the second area at least partially overlap.

[0084] In some embodiments, the material of the dielectric layer S2 may be F4B, i.e., a polytetrafluoroethylene composite material, and its parameter is ε r =2.65, tanδ=0.003, thickness is 1.5mm, where ε r represents the dielectric constant, and tanδ represents the loss factor. Of course, the dielectric layer S2 may also be made of other insulating materials, which is not specifically limited here.

[0085] At this time, a metal via S21 may be provided on the dielectric layer S2 so that the parts or devices that need to be grounded on the dipole antenna array 10 and the rectifier module 20 can be electrically connected to the ground layer S1 through the metal via S21 .

[0086] In some embodiments, the N rectifier circuits 21 are respectively disposed at one end of the corresponding dipole antenna unit 11 close to the ground layer S1 , and the N rectifier circuits 21 are respectively electrically connected to the ground layer S1 .

[0087] In this embodiment, by arranging the rectifier circuit 21 at one end of the dipole antenna unit 11 close to the ground layer S1, the distance between the rectifier circuit 21 and the ground layer S1 can be shortened, so as to simplify the electrical connection structure between the rectifier circuit 21 and the ground layer S1. For example, the projection area of ​​the rectifier circuit 21 on the dielectric layer S2 can be made to overlap at least partially with the projection area of ​​the ground layer S1 on the dielectric layer S2. In this way, by opening a metal via S21 on the dielectric layer S2, the part or device that needs to be grounded on the rectifier module 20 can be electrically connected to the ground layer S1 through the metal via S21. For example, the ground end of the matching network 211 in the rectifier module 20 is electrically connected to the ground layer S1 through the metal via S21.

[0088] The rectifier antenna module provided in the embodiment of the present application, on the one hand, by arranging at least four dipole antenna units 11 to be evenly spaced in a ring, the at least four dipole antenna units 11 can be oriented toward at least four directions evenly distributed along the circumference. In this way, by adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of the excitation signal of the at least four dipole antenna units 11, the at least four dipole antenna units 11 can be used to achieve omnidirectional energy reception, thereby improving the energy utilization rate of the rectifier antenna module; on the other hand, each dipole antenna unit 11 is correspondingly provided with a rectifier circuit 21. Compared with the related art, in which the receiving signals of all antenna units in the antenna array are collected together for unified rectification processing by components such as a power divider, the loss of antenna signals by components such as a power divider can be reduced, and the interference between the receiving signals of different antenna units is reduced, thereby greatly improving the rectification efficiency of the rectifier module 20. In this way, by improving the utilization rate of electromagnetic wave energy by the rectifier antenna and improving the rectification efficiency of the rectifier module 20, the energy conversion efficiency of the rectifier antenna module can be greatly improved.

[0089] For ease of understanding, the following two embodiments are taken as examples to illustrate the structure, working principle and simulation data of the rectenna module provided in the embodiments of the present application:

[0090] Embodiment 1

[0091] like Figures 1 to 4 In the rectenna module shown, the dipole antenna array 10 includes four dipole antenna units 11, and the operating frequency of each dipole antenna unit 11 is 5.8 GHz. The size of the dipole antenna unit 11 is 32×40 mm. 2, wherein the length of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112 is 32 mm; the length of the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 is 11 mm, and the width is 7.4 mm.

[0092] Among them, the four dipole antenna units 11 are evenly spaced and distributed in a circular shape, such as two dipole antenna units 11 are distributed in opposite horizontal directions, and the other two dipole antenna units 11 are distributed in opposite vertical directions, and the middle of the four dipole antenna units 11 is a circular grounding layer S1, and the left dipole arm in each dipole antenna unit 11 is grounded, and the right dipole arm is electrically connected to the rectifier circuit 21. This layout enables the dipole antenna array 10 to have good receiving capabilities in both horizontal and vertical directions.

[0093] During operation, the feeding network 30 feeds at least part of the four dipole antenna units 11 respectively, which can change the gain direction of the dipole antenna array 10, realize omnidirectional electromagnetic wave energy collection, and fully convert the electromagnetic wave energy collected by the dipole antenna unit 11 into an AC signal; and the rectifier circuit 21 is used to convert the AC signal output by a corresponding dipole antenna unit 11 into a DC signal.

[0094] like Figures 1 to 4 The rectenna module shown can be obtained as Figure 5 The antenna pattern shown. It can be seen from the antenna pattern that the rectenna module in this embodiment has good gain in all directions, that is, the rectenna module in the embodiment of the present application can realize omnidirectional electromagnetic wave energy collection.

[0095] For example, when the dipole antenna units P1 and P3 in the due north direction (i.e. 0°) and due south direction (i.e. 180°) are excited, the receiving radiation pattern of the dipole antenna array 10 shows obvious gain enhancement in the due north direction (i.e. 0°) and due south direction (i.e. 180°). And when the dipole antenna units P2 and P4 in the due east and due west directions are excited, the energy of the dipole antenna array 10 will be mainly concentrated in the due east direction (90°) and due west direction (-90°). This makes the dipole antenna array 10 have good receiving capabilities in both horizontal and vertical directions.

[0096] In addition, the gain inversion of the dipole antenna array 10 can be flexibly adjusted by adjusting the phase of the excitation signal of the dipole antenna unit 11, and the dipole antenna array 10 is not limited to gain enhancement in the directions of 0°, 180°, 90° and -90°.

[0097] The overall size of the rectenna module in this embodiment can be less than or equal to 240 mm×240 mm, which can achieve miniaturization of the rectenna module. In addition, through simulation, at an operating frequency of 5.8 GHz, when the input power is 14 dBm, the rectifying efficiency of the rectenna module can reach 68.3%.

[0098] Embodiment 2

[0099] like Figures 6 to 8 Taking the rectifier antenna module shown as an example, the dipole antenna array 10 includes 6 dipole antenna units 11, namely a first dipole antenna unit P1, a second dipole antenna unit P2, a third dipole antenna unit P3, a fourth dipole antenna unit P4, a fifth dipole antenna unit P5 and a sixth dipole antenna unit P6, and the first dipole antenna unit P1 faces 30° north-east, the second dipole antenna unit P2 faces due east (90°), the third dipole antenna unit P3 faces 30° south-east, the fourth dipole antenna unit P4 faces 30° south-west, the fifth dipole antenna unit P5 faces due west (-90°), and the sixth dipole antenna unit P6 faces 30° north-west.

[0100] The size of the dipole antenna unit 11 is 30×85 mm. 2 , wherein the length of the first dipole arm 111 and the second dipole arm 112 is 30 mm; the length of the first fan-shaped branch 113 and the second fan-shaped branch 114 is 13 mm, and the width is 8.7 mm.

[0101] The six dipole antenna units 11 are arranged in a hexagonal array, with an angle of 60° between two adjacent dipole antenna units 11. The middle of the six dipole antenna units 11 is a circular grounding layer S1. The left dipole arm in each dipole antenna unit 11 is grounded, and the right dipole arm is electrically connected to the rectifier circuit 21. This layout enables the dipole antenna array 10 to have good receiving capabilities in both horizontal and vertical directions. Of course, the design of the six-element dipole antenna array 10 also allows the receiving radiation pattern of the rectifier antenna module to be controlled by selectively exciting different dipole antenna units 11, thereby achieving gain enhancement in a specific direction, such as Fig. 9 Shown Figures 6 to 8 The directional characteristic diagram of the rectenna module shown in the figure shows that the rectenna module in this embodiment has good gain in all directions, that is, the rectenna module in the embodiment of the present application can realize omnidirectional electromagnetic wave energy collection.

[0102] For example: if the feeding network 30 excites only the first dipole antenna unit P1, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° north by east; if the feeding network 30 excites only the second dipole antenna unit P2, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due east direction (90°); if the feeding network 30 excites only the third dipole antenna unit P3, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° south by east; if the feeding network 30 excites only the fourth dipole antenna unit P4, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° south by west; if the feeding network 30 excites only the fifth dipole antenna unit P5, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the due west direction (-90°); if the feeding network 30 excites only the sixth dipole antenna unit P6, the antenna receiving pattern of the rectenna module has a significant gain enhancement in the direction of 30° north by west.

[0103] like Fig.10 As shown, the rectifier module 20 achieves a rectification efficiency of 72.3% at an input power of 14dBm at 5.8GHz. The rectification efficiency directly affects the efficiency of energy conversion and the overall performance of the system. A rectification efficiency of 72.3% means that most of the input energy can be effectively converted into DC power, while relatively little energy is lost.

[0104] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes any one of the rectenna modules provided in the aforementioned embodiments of the present application.

[0105] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes the rectenna module provided in the aforementioned embodiment of the present application.

[0106] It should be noted that the electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a terminal, or may be other devices other than a terminal. Exemplarily, the electronic device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a vehicle-mounted electronic device, a mobile Internet device (Mobile Internet Device, MID), an augmented reality (augmented reality, AR) / virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) device, a robot, a wearable device, an ultra-mobile personal computer (ultra-mobile personal computer, UMPC), a netbook or a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), etc., and may also be a server, a network attached storage (Network Attached Storage, NAS), a personal computer (personal computer, PC), a television (television, TV), a teller machine or a self-service machine, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0107] The electronic device provided in the embodiment of the present application can use a rectenna module to achieve efficient electromagnetic wave energy collection, and based on the small size of the rectenna module, it is convenient to be deployed on electronic devices with limited size.

[0108] In some embodiments, the electronic device further comprises:

[0109] A controller is electrically connected to the feeding network, and is used to control the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal provided by the feeding network to the N dipole antenna units respectively.

[0110] Optionally, the controller may reuse a control unit such as a processor of an electronic device, or the controller may be a newly added control unit.

[0111] In some embodiments, the gain direction of the rectenna module can be changed by controlling the feeding network to adjust the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units, thereby improving the electromagnetic wave energy collection efficiency while saving the power consumption of the rectenna module.

[0112] For example, when the transmitting end of the electromagnetic wave energy is located in the due north direction, the feeding network can be controlled to excite only the dipole antenna unit facing the due north direction, while not exciting the dipole antenna units in other directions. At this time, the dipole antenna unit in the due north direction can be used for efficient electromagnetic wave energy collection.

[0113] As an optional implementation, the controller is further used to obtain the electromagnetic wave energy intensity respectively received by the N dipole antenna units, determine the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave energy according to the received signal intensity of the N dipole antenna units, determine the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units according to the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave energy, and control the feeding network to provide the excitation signal to the N dipole antenna units according to the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units;

[0114] The phases and / or amplitudes of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units are used to match the receiving beams of the N dipole antenna units with the beam angles of the electromagnetic wave energy.

[0115] In some embodiments, the controller can control the feeding network to control N dipole antenna units in turn in a polling manner to collect electromagnetic wave signals, and detect the amount of electric energy converted by each dipole antenna unit, which is positively correlated with the electromagnetic wave energy intensity. In this way, by analyzing the amount of electric energy collected by the N dipole antenna units, the source direction of the electromagnetic wave energy can be obtained, such as determining the direction of the transmitting antenna that transmits the electromagnetic wave. After determining the direction of the transmitting antenna that transmits the electromagnetic wave, it can be determined that the radiation direction of the N dipole antenna units needs to be aligned with the direction of the transmitting antenna, so as to improve the gain intensity of the N dipole antenna units in this direction and improve the energy collection efficiency of the N dipole antenna units.

[0116] In some embodiments, the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units are used to match the receiving beams of the N dipole antenna units with the beam angles of the electromagnetic wave energy. The phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units may be used to direct the strongest gain direction of the dipole antenna array toward a direction corresponding to the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave energy, such as toward a transmitting antenna that emits electromagnetic waves.

[0117] In some embodiments, adjusting the phases of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units can change the gain direction of the dipole antenna array, ultimately achieving the strongest gain direction of the dipole antenna array toward the direction corresponding to the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave energy.

[0118] In some embodiments, adjusting the amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units can increase the amplitude of the excitation signal of the dipole antenna unit facing the beam angle direction of the electromagnetic wave energy, and / or reduce the amplitude of the excitation signal of the dipole antenna unit not facing the beam angle direction of the electromagnetic wave energy. For example: when the transmitting end of the electromagnetic wave energy is located in the due north direction, the feeding network can be controlled to excite only the dipole antenna unit facing the due north direction, and not to excite the dipole antenna units in other directions. At this time, the amplitude of the excitation signal of the dipole antenna units in other directions is 0.

[0119] In this embodiment, the controller controls the feeding network 30 to selectively excite part of the N dipole antenna units 11, or selectively adjusts parameters such as the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal of the N dipole antenna units 11, so that the strong gain direction of the dipole antenna array 10 is aligned with the active transmitting end in the WPT system to improve the energy collection efficiency.

[0120] Of course, the electronic device can also use other modes to control the rectenna module, for example: controlling the feeding network to excite N dipole antenna units to perform omnidirectional electromagnetic wave energy collection.

[0121] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0122] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A rectifying antenna module, characterized in that: include: A dipole antenna array, the dipole antenna array comprising N dipole antenna units, the N dipole antenna units being arranged at intervals from each other and distributed in a ring shape; A rectifier module, the rectifier module comprising N rectifier circuits, the N rectifier circuits being electrically connected to the N dipole antenna units in a one-to-one correspondence, the rectifier circuits being used to convert microwave energy received by the corresponding dipole antenna units into a DC signal; and A feeding network, the feeding network being electrically connected to feeding ports of the N dipole antenna units, the feeding network being used to feed power to at least one dipole antenna unit among the N dipole antenna units; Wherein, N is an integer greater than or equal to 4.

2. The rectenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dipole antenna unit comprises: A first dipole arm, a second dipole arm, a first fan-shaped branch, and a second fan-shaped branch; The first dipole arm and the second dipole arm are arranged in parallel; the first fan-shaped branch is arranged at the first end of the first dipole arm, and the second fan-shaped branch is arranged at the first end of the second dipole arm; The rectifier circuit is electrically connected to the second end of the first dipole arm of the corresponding dipole antenna unit.

3. The rectenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rectifier circuit comprises: matching networks, rectifier diode units and filters; The matching network, the rectifying diode unit and the filter are electrically connected in sequence, and the matching network is electrically connected to the dipole antenna unit.

4. The rectenna module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rectifier diode unit includes a first rectifier diode and a second rectifier diode, the anode of the first rectifier diode is electrically connected to the cathode of the second rectifier diode, and the cathode of the first rectifier diode and the anode of the second rectifier diode are electrically connected through the filter.

5. The rectenna module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The feeding network includes N feed sources, and the N feed sources are electrically connected to the N dipole antenna units through matching networks in the N rectifier circuits respectively.

6. The rectenna module according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: A ground layer, the N dipole antenna units are arranged around the ground layer, and the second end of the second dipole arm in the N dipole antenna units is electrically connected to the ground layer.

7. The rectenna module according to claim 6, characterized in that: The N rectifier circuits are respectively arranged at one end of the corresponding dipole antenna unit close to the ground layer, and the N rectifier circuits are respectively electrically connected to the ground layer.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises the rectenna module according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The electronic device further comprises: A controller is electrically connected to the feeding network, and is used to control the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signal provided by the feeding network to the N dipole antenna units respectively.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The controller is further used to obtain the electromagnetic wave energy intensities respectively received by the N dipole antenna units, determine the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave energy according to the received signals of the N dipole antenna units, determine the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units according to the beam angle of the electromagnetic wave energy, and control the feeding network to provide the excitation signals to the N dipole antenna units according to the phase and / or amplitude of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units; The phases and / or amplitudes of the excitation signals of the N dipole antenna units are used to match the receiving beams of the N dipole antenna units with the beam angles of the electromagnetic wave energy.

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