Frequency changing technique for efficient fast start-up RF energy harvesting

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to present a frequency-changing technique to realize a fast start-up radio frequency (RF) energy harvester.Design/methodology/ApproachFirst, a simple analysis of the input impedance of the rectifier circuit is presented, and based on the analysis, it is shown how the input impedance of the rectifier is changed during the rectifier charging. Then, the frequency-changing technique is presented in which the variation of the rectifier input reactance (capacitance) is partly compensated by changing the frequency of the transmitted RF signal. A harvester consisting of a four-stage rectifier and a simple series matching inductor, implemented based on Schottky diode, is employed to verify the technique.FindingsWith the input available power of −12 dBm, the simulated and the measured results prove that the proposed frequency-changing method compared to the typical fixed-frequency method shows more than 30 per cent decrease in the transient time to reach 0.5 V output voltage, while the final harvested output voltage is unchanged.Originality/ValueA frequency-changing technique is presented.