# US 12,015,195 B2 · High gain and large beamwidth Rotman-Lens-based and mm-wave energy harvester systems and associated methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,195 B2 - Document ID: US12015195B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/607,435 - Filed: 2020-04-30 - Published: 2022-04-28 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-30 - Assignees: Georgia Tech Research Corporation - Applicants: Georgia Tech Research Corporation - Inventors: Aline Eid; Jimmy Georges Donald Hester; Emmanouil Manos Tentzeris - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015195B2 ## CPC - H01Q 1/248: {provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas} - H01Q 21/065: {Patch antenna array} - H01Q 25/008: {lens fed multibeam arrays} - H02J 50/001: {Energy harvesting or scavenging} - H02J 50/27: characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas - H02J 50/402: {the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas} - H01Q 13/206: {Microstrip transmission line antennas} - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract The disclosed technology includes device, systems, techniques, and methods for mm-wave energy harvesting utilizing a Rotman-Lens-based rectenna system. An energy harvester system can include one or more antenna, a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and an antenna side in electrical communication with the one or more antenna, and a rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens. The energy harvester system can also include a power combining network in electrical communication with the rectifier network and having an output. The rectifier network can include a plurality of rectifiers connected to the beam port side of the Rotman Lens. Further, each of the plurality of rectifiers can include a rectifying diode. The power combining network can include a plurality of bypass diodes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An energy harvesting system comprising: a transceiver comprising an antenna; a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and a transceiver side, the transceiver side configured to be in electrical communication with the transceiver; and rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens; wherein the system is configured to transition between an initial unpowered state and a powered state, the system having no access to power in the initial unpowered state and the system having access to power via wireless power harvesting in the powered state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a serially-fed patch antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises an omni-directional antenna. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional antennae; wherein the transceiver side of the Rotman Lens is an antenna side of the Rotman Lens comprising antenna ports; and wherein each antenna port of the antenna side of the Rotman Lens is in electrical communication with a respective antenna of the antennae. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4 further comprising: tapers between the antenna side of the Rotman Lens and the antennae; and tapers between the beam port side of the Rotman Lens and the rectifier network. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein components of the system including the transceiver, the Rotman Lens, and the rectifier network present a planar form factor where the components are on the same plane of a substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible substrate; and wherein the components of the system are printed on the flexible substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising: a power combining network: comprising bypass diodes; and in electrical communication with the rectifier network; wherein the beam port side of the Rotman Lens comprises beam ports; wherein the rectifier network comprises rectifiers, each rectifier: comprising a rectifying diode; and connected to a respective beam port of the beam ports; wherein the rectifier network comprises a total number N of the rectifying diodes; and wherein the power combining network comprises a total number of the bypass diodes selected from the group consisting of 2*N and 2*(N−1). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the rectifier network comprises a plurality of DC block capacitors. ### Claim 10 A flexible energy harvesting system comprising: a flexible substrate comprising a Rotman-based rectenna architecture comprising: a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and a transceiver side, the transceiver side configured to be in electrical communication with a transceiver; and a rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the first flexible substrate further comprises: a power combining network: comprising a plurality of bypass diodes; and in electrical communication with the rectifier network. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the energy harvesting system is configured provide at least 110° angular coverage at 28 GHz. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the Rotman-based rectenna architecture further comprises: a power combining network: comprising bypass diodes; and in electrical communication with the rectifier network; wherein the beam port side of the Rotman Lens comprises beam ports; wherein the rectifier network comprises rectifiers, each rectifier: comprising a rectifying diode; and connected to a respective beam port of the beam ports; wherein the rectifier network comprises a total number N of the rectifying diodes; and wherein the power combining network comprises a total number of the bypass diodes selected from the group consisting of 2*N and 2*(N−1). ### Claim 14 An energy harvesting system comprising: one or more antennae; a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and an antenna side, the antenna side in electrical communication with the one or more antennae; a rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens; and a power combining network in electrical communication with the rectifier network; wherein the rectifier network comprises rectifiers, each rectifier comprising a rectifying diode, with the rectifier network comprising a total number N of rectifying diodes; wherein the power combining network comprises one or more bypass diodes; and wherein the number of bypass diodes of the power combining network is selected from the group consisting of 2*N and 2*(N−1). ### Claim 15 An energy-autonomous, self-powered harvesting system configured to provide wide angle coverage at at least 28 GHz comprising: a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and a transceiver side, the transceiver side configured to be in electrical communication with a transceiver; and a rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens; wherein the system is further configured to transition between an initial unpowered state and a powered state, the system having no access to power in the initial unpowered state and the system having access to power via wireless power harvesting in the powered state; and wherein components of the system including the Rotman Lens and the rectifier network present a planar form factor where the components are on the same plane on a substrate. ### Claim 16 An electronic device comprising: a memory; a transceiver comprising an antenna array; a load; an energy harvesting system comprising: a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and a transceiver side; a rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens; an energy harvesting processor, wherein the transceiver side of the Rotman Lens is in electrical communication with the antenna array of the transceiver; and a power combining network in electrical communication with the rectifier network and having an output; a first power source in electrical communication with the energy harvesting system; and a second power source in electrical communication with the energy harvesting system; wherein the energy harvesting system is an energy-autonomous, self-powered harvesting system configured to transition between an initial unpowered state and a powered state, the system having no access to power in the initial unpowered state and the system having access to power via wireless power harvesting in the powered state; and wherein the first power source and the second power source are connected to the energy harvesting system via a switch. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the memory comprises instructions that, when executed by the energy harvesting processor, are configured to cause the system to: determine a first power level associated with the first power source; compare the first power level to a predetermined power threshold; and responsive to determining that the first power level falls below the predetermined power threshold, transmit instructions to cause the output of the power combining network to be in electrical communication with the first power source. ### Claim 18 A method of manufacturing a flexible, energy-autonomous, self-powered harvesting system comprising: printing, on a first flexible substrate, a Rotman-based rectenna architecture comprising: a Rotman Lens having a beam port side and a transceiver side; and a rectifier network in electrical communication with the beam port side of the Rotman Lens. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein printing on the first flexible substrate further comprises printing one or more antennae, wherein the transceiver side of the Rotman Lens is an antenna side that is in electrical communication with the one or more antennae; and wherein the method further comprises: printing, on a second flexible substrate, a power summation network; and connecting the Rotman-based rectenna architecture of the first flexible substrate to the power summation network of the second flexible substrate through a plurality of individual interconnects.