ALBUQUERQUE, T. C.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/3548518251493336; ALBUQUERQUE, Túlio Chaves de.
Résumé:
In order to power low-consumption systems, an alternative to conventional batteries is energy
harvesting, which consists in converting energy forms that already exist in nature in electric
energy. This work aims at the implementation of antennas for rectenna systems, which
harvest electromagnetic energy from waves and convert them in DC voltage. In order to do
so, bio-inspired shapes for antennas were studied using Gielis’ superformula, which allows
the mathematical description of natural contours. Furthermore, electromagnetic power in
the environment was measured for the frequency band between 1 and 4 GHz in indoor and
outdoor environments in order to identify the frequency bands that concentrate the biggest
amount of energy. From the maximum measured values, three bio-inspired antennas were
proposed to be used in rectennas: raspberry flower, tulip and anemone flower. The topologies
were simulated in HFSS software and tested with vector network analyzer. Then, for each
proposed antenna, tests were performed with spectrum analyzer, in order to verify their
good operation when used as power harvesting element. Experimental results confirm their
suitability for such systems.