EMC’14/Tokyo 15A-H7

Coexistence of Wireless Power Transfer via

Microwaves and Wireless Communication for
Battery-less ZigBee Sensors

Naoki Shinohara and Takuya Ichihara

Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere
Kyoto University
Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, Japan
shino@rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Abstract A Wireless Power Transfer (WPT), especially the

WPT via microwaves, can drive a wireless communication system
like a wireless sensor without battery. However, both in the WPT
and in the wireless communication, we use radio waves and we
have to consider suppression of interference and coexistence of
both wireless systems. We propose pulse-WPT for ZigBee sensors
in order to suppress the interference to the wireless sensors. We
show results of development of a suitable rectenna, rectifying
antenna, and experimental results of coexistence of the WPT and
the wireless sensors.
Keywords
wireless power transfer, microwave power transfer,
sensor network

I. INTRODUCTION
Wireless technologies can support our life conveniently.
One of hopeful wireless technologies is a wireless power
transfer[1]. Based on wireless communication technologies and
remote sensing technologies, an electric power can be supplied
wirelessly. It is called a wireless power transfer (WPT)
technology. There are various WPT. An inductive coupling
WPT system has already commercialized to charge a mobile
phone and will be commercialized to charge an electric vehicle.
The inductive coupling WPT is mainly applied for a short
distance system with low frequency (<MHz). On contrary, the
WPT via radio waves, especially via microwaves (>GHz) is
applied for long distance WPT[2] and is not still
commercialized.
We, Kyoto University, proposed ubiquitous power source to
provide wireless power via microwaves and carried out
experiments of co-existence between the ubiquitous power
source and wireless LAN[3]. We estimated power level of a
transmitting wireless power.
A rectenna, rectifying antenna, is often used in the WPT
system via microwaves[4]. Part of input microwave is reflected
at the rectifying circuit. Higher harmonics are generated at the
rectifying circuit and re-radiated. The microwave frequency
band is presently used for various wireless communications.
We must consider not only coexistence between a transmitting
wireless power and conventional wireless communication
systems but also between a reflected microwave and the
conventional wireless communication systems (Fig.1).
Fig. 1. Possibility of Interferrence between Wireless Communication
Systems and Transmitting Wireless Power of Reflected
Microwave/Higher Harmonics
II. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RECTENNA
A rectenna is composed of an antenna and a rectifying
circuit with a diode and a capacitance (Fig.2). A full wave
rectifier with one diode is called a shingle shunt rectifier and is
often used in the rectenna. Maximum RF-DC conversion
efficiency is 80-90 % at 2-5GHz with an optimum microwave
input and with an optimum load. Typical RF-DC conversion
efficiency is shown in Fig.3. It is cause by V-I characteristics
of the diode (Fig.4), a junction voltage effect and a breakdown
voltage effect. Reflected microwave increases at low RF-DC
conversion efficiency. It is caused by unmatched impedance of
the rectifying circuit.
Measured RF-DC conversion efficiency and reflection ratio
of main microwave in a developed rectifying circuit (Fig.5) are
shown in Fig.6 and Fig.7. The rectifying circuit is developed
with class-F output filter which plays a role of the shingle shunt
full-wave rectifier[5]. Frequency is 2.45GHz. When the RF-DC
conversion efficiency is high, the reflection ratio is low. When

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the RF-DC conversion efficiency is low, the reflection ratio is

high, 20-40%. The reflected microwave causes a problem of
EMC. Higher harmonics, which is generated in the diode, are
smaller than the reflected main frequency of microwave even if
the RF-DC conversion efficiency is low[6]. Largest harmonics
is 2nd and its re-radiated power is below -50dBc of an input
microwave. Additionally, the low pass filter (LPF) protects the
higher harmonics.

Fig. 5. Developed Rectifying Circuit

Fig. 2. General Block Diagram of a Rectenna

Fig. 3. Typical RF-DC Conversion Efficiency of Rectenna (Rectifying

Circuit)
Fig. 6. Input Microwave Power Dependence of RF-DC Conversion
Efficiency of Rectenna (Rectifying Circuit)
V-I characteristics I 

of diode 
!"#$%&
Rdiode
!"#$%&
-VJ
V
Vbr VJ
(10-30V) (0.2-0.3V)
Wave form
of microwave amplitude

No rectification
Rectification

Fig. 7. Load Dependence of RF-DC Conversion Efficiency of Rectenna

(Rectifying Circuit)
time

III. WPT-ZIGBEE SYSTEM

Fig. 4. Diode V-I Characteristic and RF-DC Conversion Efficiency of
Rectifying Circuit We proposed pulse-WPT for ZigBee sensors in order to
suppress the interference to the wireless sensors. We succeeded
in an experiment of battery-less ZigBee sensors with the pulse-
WPT[7]. Block diagram of a WPT-ZigBee system is shown in
Fig.8. Frequency for the WPT and for ZigBee wireless
communication is at the same 2.45GHz band. A DC-DC
converter is installed between a rectifying circuit and a load..

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EMC’14/Tokyo 15A-H7

The DC-DC converter converts voltage from 2.8-9.6V input

voltage to 2.7-3.6V output voltage to drive the ZigBee sensor
effectively. Measured characteristics of an input impedance of
the DC-DC converter is shown in Fig.9. 149
load was
connected to the DC-DC converter. The input impedance of the
DC-DC converter changed from 149 to 1138
to keep the
output voltage within 2.7-3.6V. The RF-DC conversion
efficiency of the rectifying circuit, whose maximum RF-DC
conversion efficiency was 65%, was estimated of 27.5% which
included 75% efficiency of the DC-DC conversion efficiency.
It means that over 20% loss occurred in the previous system. It
was caused by mismatching of the impedance between the
rectifying circuit and the DC-DC converter. Re-radiation from
the rectenna is big at low RF-DC conversion efficiency region. Fig. 10. Block Diagram of Revised Rectifiyng Circuit with Recollection
Circuit of Reflected Wave

A RF-DC conversion efficiency of a master rectifying circuit,

Fig. 8. Block diagram of previous WPT-ZigBee system
a reflection ratio of the master rectifying circuit, a RF-DC
conversion efficiency of a slave rectifying circuit, and a RF-DC
conversion efficiency of the revised rectifying circuit with a
recollection circuit of a reflected wave are shown in Fig. 11,
respectively. Reflected wave from the master rectifying circuit,
whose ratio is 10-35%, is recollected through a circulator and
the slave rectifying circuit. Loss of the circulator is
approximately 0.4dB. Area of high efficiency of the revised
rectifying circuit is wider than that of master rectifying circuit
only. The reflected wave is recollected through the circulator
and slave rectifying circuit and is suppressed lower than the
previous normal rectifying circuit.

Fig. 9. Characteristics of DC-DC Converter

IV. REVISED WPT-ZIGBEE SYSTEM WITH NEW DC-DC

CONVERTER
In order to decrease the reflected microwave, we proposed a
rectifying circuit with a recollection circuit of reflected waves.
We proposed an original circuit in 2002[8][9]. We used it only
to increase the RF-DC conversion efficiency. In previous work,
it was not enough to suppress a re-radiation from the rectifying
circuit. It was mainly caused by characteristics of a circulator.
We redesign the rectifying circuit with a recollection circuit
and apply it mainly to suppress the re-radiation in in the WPT-
ZigBee system. A block diagram of the revised rectifying
circuit with a recollection circuit of a reflected wave is shown
in Fig.10.
Fig. 11. RF-DC Conversion Efficiency of Master Rectifying Circuit
V. CONCLUTIONS
We proposed to use rectifying circuit with a recollection
circuit of a reflected wave for a WPT to a ZigBee sensor to
suppress re-radiation from the rectifying circuit. Applied
rectifying circuit is composed of a master rectifying circuit and
a slave rectifying circuit to recollect a reflected wave. The
reflected wave should be suppressed to increase RF-DC
conversion efficiency and to suppress interference from the
WPT to wireless communications. Applied rectifying circuit
can suppress the re-radiation.

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Systems, and Applications (IMWS), 2011 IEEE MTT-S International,

pp. 251-254, 2011
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radiation of Higher Harmonic Waves from a Rectenna for Microwave
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Vol.12, No.7, pp.S64-S73, 2011 pp.490-495, 1997
[2] N. Shinohara, !

 nsfer via Radiowaves (Wave Series)"
[7] T. Ichihara, T. Mitani, and N. Shinohara, !Study on Intermittent
ISTE Ltd. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Great Britain and United Microwave Power Transmission to a ZigBee Device", Proc. of 2012
States, , 2014.1 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Innovative
[3] N. Shinohara, Tomohiko Mitani, and Hiroshi Matsumoto, Proc. of Wireless Power Transmission: Technologies, Systems, and Applications
International Union of Radio Science (URSI) General Assembly 2005, (IMWS-IWPT2012), 2012, pp.209-212
C07.5(01145).pdf, 2005 [8] S. Kim, N. Shinohara, and H. Matsumoto, !Development of a stable RF-
[4] N. Shinohara, !Rectennas for Microwave Power Transmission", IEICE DC conversion efficiency of Rectenna on various loads (in Japanese)!,
Electronics Express, Vol.10, No.21, pp.1-13, 2013 Proc. of 5th SPS symposium, pp.83-88, 2002
[5] K. Hatano, N. Shinohara, T. Mitani, K. Nishikawa, T. Seki, K. Hiraga, [9] S. Kim, N. Shinohara, and H. Matsumoto, !



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Conversion Efficiency Method of Rectenna System with Reflection (in
Series on Innovative Wireless Power Transmission: Technologies, Japaese)", Proc. of IEICE in Spring, p.C-2-97, 2003

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