A Power Dividing Rectenna System for High-Power Wireless Power Transfer for 2.45-GHz Band

There has been growing interest in the field of wireless power transfer (WPT), especially for a high-power (Watt-level) application. Rectifiers are essential components for WPT, as they convert incoming RF into DC power. However, conventional Schottky diodes used in WPT exhibit their highest efficiency at low power levels typically less than few Watts. To address this limitation, we introduce a power dividing rectenna system that can handle beyond several Watts of input RF power. The proposed rectenna consists of a single patch antenna integrated with a radial power divider, whose output ports are connected to rectifiers. In this way, incident RF power can be distributed into lower levels at which Schottky diode-based-rectifier can accommodate. Via simulation and measurement, we demonstrate that the input power (about 10 W) received through the proposed structure can be uniformly distributed to each output port of the divider to be rectified at lower power levels, which are then combined at DC to provide several Watts of DC power. The proposed rectenna can be utilized in WPT applications requiring beyond several Watts. Furthermore, by configuring the proposed structure into an array, even higher power handling can be achieved for applications that require hundreds of Watts.