Double Patch Antenna Array for Communication and Out-of-band RF Energy Harvesting

Abstract

This paper presents a patch antenna array topology for Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) applications. The resulting Double Patch Antenna Array (DPA) is composed of two patch antennas operating at different frequencies and fabricated on a unique substrate. One of the patches operates at the 1.8 GHz mobile communication band and is used for wireless communication, while the other one operates at the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, and is used for Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting (RFEH). The analyzes and measurements carried out have shown that the adopted topology has satisfactory performance for communication, with a gain of 1.5 dBi, and for out-of-band energy harvesting, with a Vout of 160 mV at 2.45 GHz. These results indicate this approach as a promising strategy for low-power wireless applications.