Wireless Power Transmission Efficiency of Rectenna Array Connected in Parallel

This paper proposes the novel rectenna array connected in parallel. Each rectenna elements have two roles. One method is to produce power by converting the high-frequency current flowing through the antenna into DC current using a rectifier. The other is to make these elements act as parallel connected array antennas. The wireless power transmission efficiency of the proposed array is evaluated by using a left-handed slot waveguide as the power transmitter, which has been proposed for microwave snow melting. The results show that the efficiency is high when the rectenna array is vertically arranged so that the beam faces the end-fire directions. The sum of the efficiencies of the three elements is larger than that of a single element.