# US 2016/0261031 A1 · Wearable Power Harvesting System

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- Number: US 2016/0261031 A1
- Document ID: US20160261031A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/643,715
- Filed: 2015-03-10
- Published: 2016-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2014-03-10
- Assignees: Drexel University
- Applicants: Drexel University
- Inventors: Genevieve Dion; Kapil R. Dandekar; Yury Gogotsi; Damiano Patron; Kristy A. Jost; Michael N. Le; Jonathan W. Fisher; Stephen J. Watt; Andrea C. Cook
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160261031A1

## CPC

- H01Q 1/248: {provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas}
- H01Q 1/273: {Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals}
- H01Q 9/26: with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength (resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00)
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)

## Abstract

A wearable power harvesting system includes a knitted fabric rectenna including an antenna adapted to receive radio-frequency energy within a desired frequency band and a rectifier circuit that converts received radio-frequency energy into a DC current and voltage. A knitted fabric load/storage unit stores DC power from the rectifier circuit. The power harvesting system is adapted to harvest the radio-frequency energy within the desired frequency band, which may include WLAN frequencies such as the standard 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WLAN standard frequencies.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wearable power harvesting system comprising:
a knitted fabric rectenna including an antenna adapted to receive radio-frequency energy within a desired frequency band;
a rectifier circuit that converts received radio-frequency energy into a DC current and voltage; and
a knitted fabric load/storage unit that stores DC power from said rectifier circuit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna of the rectenna comprises a compact wideband folded dipole antenna.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the antenna comprises a single layer and includes a non-conductive fabric surrounded by a conductive fabric.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the non-conductive fabric forms a “T-shape” within the conductive fabric.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a knitted pocket that stores circuitry including a Schottky diode and surface-mount inductance (L) and capacitance (C) components that match an impedance of the antenna to the Schottky diode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the circuitry is connected to the knitted fabric by silver paint covered by a coating of a liquid epoxy adapted to provide an electrical connection between the circuitry and the fabric.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the circuitry contains tabs that extend into pockets of the conductive fabric to provide a compression fit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, further comprising a clasp adapted to hold the conductive elements of the circuitry in contact with the conductive fabric.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, further comprising conductive yarn threaded through a circuit board containing the circuitry so as to connect the circuit board to the fabric.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the rectenna is included in an array of interconnected rectennas in which a DC power output of each rectenna is combined for storage in the load/storage unit.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein each rectenna is spaced from each other rectenna so as to achieve a directive radiation pattern and to substantially eliminate coupling between each rectenna.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the desired frequency band is 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the knitted fabric load/storage unit comprises a knitted supercapacitor.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the rectenna includes a shorting capacitor and rectifying diode at an output port to transfer power to the supercapacitor.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the knitted supercapacitor is interdigitated.