M2WPT - a large-scale Multi-antenna Multi-sine Wireless Power Transfer architecture

通过射频（RF）辐射进行无线电力传输（WPT）一直被认为是物联网中低功耗设备供电的一种可能性。然而，直到最近，由于电子设备的电力需求减少，WPT才被认为是可行的。使用射频的远场WPT可用于远距离供电，以增加用户的便利性。与无线中断通信一样，使用射频的WPT预计会中断能量的传输。远场WPT的真正挑战是如何在不增加发射功率的情况下提高能量采集器输出端的直流功率水平，并确保发射器和接收器之间能够实现足够的距离。该项目依赖于远场WPT射频-直流转换效率是整流天线设计的函数，也是其输入波形的函数。因此，正确的远场WPT设计需要完整的收发优化，而不仅仅是接收机（整流天线）设计。不幸的是，对于远场WPT，最先进的波形已经显示出部分令人失望。该项目背后的基本问题是“我们能否设计出一种具有颠覆性但实用的WPT收发器架构，在规定的发射功率水平下，在几十米（如果不是更多）的距离上实现无线电力传输？”这个有远见的项目由伦敦帝国理工学院进行，将独特地利用信号处理工具来解决射频社区普遍研究的问题。在PI和Co-I最近成果的推动下，利用多天线信号处理（Clerckx）和WPT/整流天线设计（Mitcheson）的一套独特的互补技能，该项目将设计并展示一种基于优化、自适应和可靠的大规模多天线多正弦波形的颠覆性M2WPT架构的可行性，用于单用户和多用户场景，并确定其远场WPT的潜力。从长远来看，我们在这个项目中提倡M2WPT之于WPT，就像大规模MIMO之于通信一样。M2WPT将实现高效的远场WPT，在远距离为广泛的应用提供足够的功率。为了将这种新颖的M2WPT解决方案以可靠的方式组合在一起，本项目侧重于1)设计和建模能量收集器，2)设计用于单用户和多用户场景的大规模多正弦多天线波形，3)通过实验和测量证明可行性。该项目将与两家设备制造和WPT标准化领域的领导者（东芝和Keysight）、两家活跃于WPT领域的知名学术/研究中心（KULeuven和Eindhoven/IMEC）以及英国首席科学顾问办公室合作开展。该项目要求在微波理论和技术、电路设计、优化理论、多天线信号处理、无线通信方面有很强的跨学科记录，并将在一个独特的研究小组中进行，理论和实践技能相结合。综上所述，考虑到该课题的新颖性和原创性，研究成果将对改变远程无线充电提供的无线网络的未来具有相当大的价值，并使业界对高效远程无线充电的发展有一个新鲜而及时的了解，提升英国在世界无线电源的研究水平。它的成功将从根本上改变辐射WPT的设计，对标准化和大量行业的应用产生巨大影响，包括楼宇自动化，医疗保健，电信，ICT，结构监测，消费电子产品。

Wireless power transfer (WPT) via radio-frequency (RF) radiation has long been regarded as a possibility for energising low-power devices in the internet of things. It is, however, not until recently that WPT has become recognised as feasible, due to reductions in power requirements of electronics. Far-field WPT using RF could be used for long range power delivery to increase user convenience. In the same way as wireless disrupted communication, WPT using RF is expected to disrupt the delivery of energy. The real challenge with far field WPT is to find ways to increase the DC power level at the energy harvester output without increasing the transmit power, and to ensure that sufficient range between transmitter and receiver can be achieved. The project relies on the observation that far-field WPT RF-to-DC conversion efficiency is a function of the rectenna design but also of its input waveform. A proper design of far-field WPT therefore requires a complete transmitter-receiver optimization rather than just the receiver (rectenna) design. Unfortunately state of the art waveforms have been shown partially disappointing for far-field WPT. The fundamental question behind the project is "can we design a disruptive but practical WPT transceiver architecture to make wireless power transfer a reality at distances of tens (if not more) of meters within regulated transmit power levels?"This visionary project, conducted at Imperial College London, will uniquely leverage signal processing tools to tackle a problem commonly investigated by the RF community. Motivated by recent results by the PI and Co-I and leveraging a unique set of complementary skills on multi-antenna signal processing (Clerckx) and WPT/rectenna design (Mitcheson), the project will design and show the feasibility of a disruptive M2WPT architecture based on optimized, adaptive and reliable large-scale multi-antenna multi-sine waveforms for single-user and multi-user scenarios, and identify its potential for far-field WPT. Thinking big, we advocate in this project that M2WPT will be to WPT what massive MIMO is to communication. M2WPT will enable highly efficient far-field WPT delivering sufficient power at long range for a wide range of applications.To put together this novel M2WPT solution in a credible fashion, this project focuses on 1) designing and modelling the energy harvester, 2) designing large-scale multi-sine multi-antenna waveforms for single and multi-user scenarios, 3) demonstrate the feasibility through experiment and measurement.The project will be performed in partnership with two leaders in equipment manufacturing and WPT standardization (Toshiba and Keysight), two well-established academic/research centres active in WPT (KULeuven and Eindhoven/IMEC) and the UK Office of the Chief Science Adviser. The project demands a strong and inter-disciplinary track record in microwave theory and techniques, circuit design, optimization theory, multi-antenna signal processing, wireless communication and it is to be conducted in a unique research group with a right mix of theoretical and practical skills. With the above and given the novelty and originality of the topic, the research outcomes will be of considerable value to transform the future of wireless networks supplied by remote wireless charging and give the industry a fresh and timely insight into the development of highly efficient remote wireless charging, advancing UK's research profile of wireless power in the world. Its success would radically change the design of radiative WPT, have a tremendous impact on standardization, and applications in a large number of sectors including building automation, healthcare, telecommunications, ICT, structural monitoring, consumer electronics.