A Novel Compact Printed Rectenna for Data Communication Systems

A novel design of a two-port printed microstrip rectenna with compact structure for communication systems is presented. An aperture-coupled dual polarization patch antenna is utilized as the receiving antenna. The vertical feed port receives the microwave energy and transfers it to the rectifying circuit for dc power generation, while the horizontal feed port is used for data communication, with high isolation between the two ports. This patch antenna includes harmonic suppression functionality, which is essential for high microwave-direct current (mw-dc) conversion efficiency. A co-simulation procedure using HFSS and ADS for the analysis of the rectenna and the rectifying circuit design is used. This design assumes low input power for the rectifying circuit to comply with safety standards. A mw-dc conversion efficient of 63% is measured with a 900 Omega load, 5.78 GHz operation frequency, and 25 mW receiving power. For the communication port, the measured reflection coefficient is -18 dB at 6.1 GHz center frequency, the gain is 7.0 dBi, and the cross polarization in the broadside direction is -15 dB.