Reconfigurable Antennas for RF Energy Harvesting Application: Current Trends, Challenges, and Solutions from Design Perspective

Abstract

Due to the widespread use of low-power embedded devices in both industrial and consumer applications, research into the use of alternate energy sources has been sparked by the requirement for continuous power. Due to its accessibility and ability to be implanted, RF energy is always taken into consideration among the traditional energy sources that are currently available. There is a significant necessity for efficient RF front-ends, which must provide effective circular polarization (CP) features, effectiveness, feasibility from a design standpoint, and optimal usage of ambient RF signals accessible in the environment. So, for understanding their utilization in RF energy harvesting, a metasurface reflector-inspired CP-printed reconfigurable antenna integrated with a Greinacher voltage divider (GVD) rectifier circuit is reported. It offers broadband CP with fractional bandwidth > 25%, CP gain > 8.35 dBic, and directional radiation with the 3 dB angular beamwidth > 100° in the 3.5/5 GHz bands. With the integration of the rectifier circuit, a theoretical DC output > 4.8 V at 12 dBm is obtained. The acceptable impedance bandwidth, axial ratio bandwidth, antenna gain, antenna efficiency, and directional radiation with a 3 dB angular beamwidth value are studied and subsequently matched with the trade-offs (usage of diodes, complexity of DC biasing circuits, and attainment of polarization reconfigurability) obtained from the state of the art. A comprehensive study of the reconfigurable antennas is reported to highlight the findings as a widespread solution for these limitations in RF energy harvesting application.