3-D multi-frequency antenna for RF energy harvesting application

Abstract

The evolution of wireless communications requires the development of long-life or sustainable power sources. One method currently receiving increasing attention in current literature, compared to other energy solutions, is the application of Radio-frequency (RF) energy as an alternative energy source for low-power devices. The presence of various wireless services makes a challenge to this technology with respect to the design of multiband antennas. A 3-D multi-band antenna with adaptive form is designed purpose of integration in available circuits without changing their form and characteristics and also to scale down the antenna size. The current study presents a novel efficient antenna for the reception of ambient RF energy from cellular network frequency bands and Wi-Fi sources simultaneously. The antenna operates in five bands of frequency including GSM 1800MHz, UMTS 2100MHz, WLAN 2.4GHz, WLAN 5.2GHz and WLAN 5.8GHz. The volume of antenna is small, 55mm×25mm×15mm. The simulation and measurement results of the proposed design are consistent with an omnidirectional pattern, a satisfying gain around 2dBi and high efficiency over 96%.