U.S. patent application number 13/963363 was filed with the patent office on 2013-12-12 for rf power conversion to dc power with a leaky wave antenna.
This patent application is currently assigned to Broadcom Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Broadcom Corporation. Invention is credited to Ahmadreza Rofougaran, Maryam Rofougaran.
Application Number | 20130328739 13/963363 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42829585 |
Filed Date | 2013-12-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130328739 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rofougaran; Ahmadreza ; et
al. |
December 12, 2013 |
RF Power Conversion to DC Power with a Leaky Wave Antenna
Abstract
Methods and systems for converting RF power to DC power
utilizing a leaky wave antenna (LWA) are disclosed and may include
receiving RF wireless signals utilizing one or more LWAs in a
wireless device, and generating one or more DC voltages from the
received RF signals utilizing cascaded rectifier cells. A resonant
frequency of the LWAs may be configured utilizing
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deflection. The LWAs may be
configured to receive the RF signals from a desired direction. The
LWAs may comprise microstrip or coplanar waveguides, wherein a
cavity height of the LWAs is dependent on a spacing between
conductive lines in the waveguides. The LWAs may be integrated in
one or more integrated circuits, integrated circuit packages,
and/or printed circuit boards. The packages may be affixed to one
or more printed circuit boards and the integrated circuits may be
flip-chip-bonded to the packages.
Inventors: |
Rofougaran; Ahmadreza;
(Newport Coast, CA) ; Rofougaran; Maryam; (Rancho
Palos Verdes, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Broadcom Corporation |
Irvine |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Broadcom Corporation
Irvine
CA
|
Family ID: |
42829585 |
Appl. No.: |
13/963363 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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|
12790279 |
May 28, 2010 |
8508422 |
|
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13963363 |
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61246618 |
Sep 29, 2009 |
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61185245 |
Jun 9, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
343/777 ;
343/776 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 2224/73204
20130101; H01L 2924/15321 20130101; H01L 2924/00011 20130101; B81B
7/02 20130101; H01L 2924/13091 20130101; H01L 2224/32225 20130101;
H01L 2224/16235 20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2223/6677
20130101; H01Q 1/248 20130101; H01L 2924/00011 20130101; H01L
2924/1461 20130101; H01L 2924/13091 20130101; H01Q 13/20 20130101;
H01Q 13/22 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L 2224/0401
20130101; H01L 2224/32225 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L
2224/0401 20130101; H01L 2224/16225 20130101; H01L 2224/16225
20130101; H01L 2224/73204 20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L
2223/6627 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
343/777 ;
343/776 |
International
Class: |
H01Q 13/20 20060101
H01Q013/20; B81B 7/02 20060101 B81B007/02 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A wireless device comprising: one or more leaky wave antennas,
wherein said wireless device is operable to: receive RF signals
utilizing said one or more leaky wave antennas, and generate one or
more DC voltages from said RF signals.
22. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said wireless device
is operable to configure a resonant frequency of said one or more
leaky wave antennas utilizing micro-electro-mechanical systems
(MEMS).
23. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said wireless device
is operable to configure said one or more leaky wave antennas to
receive said RF signals from a desired direction.
24. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said one or more leaky
wave antennas comprise microstrip waveguides.
25. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein a cavity height of
said one or more leaky wave antennas is dependent on a spacing
between conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
26. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said one or more leaky
wave antennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
27. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein a cavity height of
said one or more leaky wave antennas is dependent on a spacing
between conductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
28. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said one or more leaky
wave antennas are integrated in one or more flip-chips.
29. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein said one or more
flip-chips are bonded to one or more integrated circuit
packages.
30. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said one or more leaky
wave antennas are integrated in one or more integrated circuit
packages affixed to one or more printed circuit boards.
31. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein said one or more leaky
wave antennas are integrated in one or more printed circuit
boards.
32. A method for wireless communication, said method comprising:
receiving RF signals utilizing one or more leaky wave antennas in a
wireless device; generating one or more DC voltages from said RF
signals.
33. The method of claim 32, comprising configuring a resonant
frequency of said one or more leaky wave antennas utilizing
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).
34. The method of claim 32, comprising configuring said one or more
leaky wave antennas to receive said RF signals from a desired
direction.
35. The method of claim 32, wherein said one or more leaky wave
antennas comprise microstrip waveguides.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein a cavity height of said one or
more leaky wave antennas is dependent on a spacing between
conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
37. The method of claim 32, wherein said one or more leaky wave
antennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein a cavity height of said one or
more leaky wave antennas is dependent on a spacing between
conductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
39. The method of claim 32, wherein said one or more leaky wave
antennas are integrated in one or more flip-chips.
40. The method of claim 32, wherein said one or more leaky wave
antennas are integrated in one or more printed circuit boards.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This application makes reference to, claims the benefit
from, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.
61/246,618 filed on Sep. 29, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application
Ser. No. 61/185,245 filed on Jun. 9, 2009.
[0002] This application also makes reference to: [0003] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/650,212 filed on Dec. 30, 2009; [0004] U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/650,295 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;
[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,277 filed on Dec.
30, 2009; [0006] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,192 filed
on Dec. 30, 2009; [0007] U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/650,224 filed on Dec. 30, 2009; [0008] U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/650,176 filed on Dec. 30, 2009; [0009] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/650,246 filed on Dec. 30, 2009; [0010] U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/650,292 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;
[0011] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,324 filed on Dec.
30, 2009; [0012] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/708,366 filed
on Feb. 18, 2010; [0013] U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/751,550 filed on Mar. 31, 2010; [0014] U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/751,768 filed on Mar. 31, 2010; [0015] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/751,759 filed on Mar. 31, 2010; [0016] U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/751,593 filed on Mar. 31, 2010;
[0017] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,772 filed on Mar.
31, 2010; [0018] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/751,777 filed
on Mar. 31, 2010; [0019] U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/751,782 filed on Mar. 31, 2010; [0020] U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/751,792 filed on Mar. 31, 2010; [0021] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21204US02) filed
on ______; [0022] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21212US02) filed on ______; [0023] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21215US02) filed
on ______; [0024] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21216US02) filed on ______; [0025] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21217US02) filed
on ______; [0026] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21219US02) filed on ______; [0027] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21221US02) filed
on ______; [0028] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21223US02) filed on ______; [0029] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21224US02) filed
on ______; [0030] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21225US02) filed on ______; [0031] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21226US02) filed
on ______; [0032] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21228US02) filed on ______; [0033] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21229US02) filed
on ______; [0034] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney
Docket No. 21234US02) filed on ______; [0035] U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21235US02) filed
on ______; and [0036] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______
(Attorney Docket No. 21236US02) filed on ______.
[0037] Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0038] [Not Applicable]
[0039] [MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE]
[0040] [Not Applicable]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0041] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless
communication. More specifically, certain embodiments of the
invention relate to a method and system for converting RF power to
DC power utilizing a leaky wave antenna.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0042] Mobile communications have changed the way people
communicate and mobile phones have been transformed from a luxury
item to an essential part of every day life. The use of mobile
phones is today dictated by social situations, rather than hampered
by location or technology. While voice connections fulfill the
basic need to communicate, and mobile voice connections continue to
filter even further into the fabric of every day life, the mobile
Internet is the next step in the mobile communication revolution.
The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source of everyday
information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this data will be
taken for granted.
[0043] As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline
and/or mobile communications continues to increase, significant
efforts exist with regard to making such devices more power
efficient. For example, a large percentage of communications
devices are mobile wireless devices and thus often operate on
battery power. Additionally, transmit and/or receive circuitry
within such mobile wireless devices often account for a significant
portion of the power consumed within these devices. Moreover, in
some conventional communication systems, transmitters and/or
receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to other blocks
of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, these
transmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery
life for these mobile wireless devices.
[0044] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention
as set forth in the remainder of the present application with
reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0045] A system and/or method for converting RF power to DC power
utilizing a leaky wave antenna as shown in and/or described in
connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more
completely in the claims.
[0046] Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the
present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment
thereof, will be more fully understood from the following
description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0047] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system
with leaky wave antennas for receiving RF signals to convert to DC
voltages, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention.
[0048] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky
wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0049] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of
exemplary partially reflective surfaces, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0050] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase
dependence of a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0051] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase
and out-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0052] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna
with variable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0053] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional
view of coplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0054] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of
an integrated circuit package with integrated leaky wave antennas
for receiving RF signals, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0055] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary RF to DC
module, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0056] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for
converting RF power received by leaky wave antennas to DC power, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0057] Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method
and system for converting RF power to DC power utilizing a leaky
wave antenna. Exemplary aspects of the invention may comprise
receiving RF wireless signals utilizing one or more leaky wave
antennas in a wireless device, and generating one or more DC
voltages for use in the wireless device from the received RF
signals utilizing cascaded rectifier cells. A resonant frequency of
the one or more leaky wave antennas may be configured utilizing
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deflection. The one or more
leaky wave antennas may be configured to receive the RF signals
from a desired direction. The one or more leaky wave antennas may
comprise microstrip waveguides, wherein a cavity height of the one
or more leaky wave antennas is dependent on spacing between
conductive lines in the microstrip waveguides. The one or more
leaky wave antennas may comprise coplanar waveguides, wherein a
cavity height of the one or more leaky wave antennas is dependent
on spacing between conductive lines in the coplanar waveguides. The
received RF signals may be rectified via cascaded rectifier cells
to generate the one or more DC voltages. The one or more leaky wave
antennas may be integrated in one or more integrated circuits,
integrated circuit packages, and or printed circuit boards. The
integrated circuit packages may be affixed, by flip-chip bonding,
for example, to one or more printed circuit boards and the one or
more integrated circuits may be flip-chip-bonded to the one or more
of the integrated circuit packages.
[0058] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system
with leaky wave antennas for receiving RF signals to convert to DC
voltages, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless device 150 may
comprise an antenna 151, a transceiver 152, a baseband processor
154, a processor 156, a system memory 158, a logic block 160, a
chip 162, leaky wave antennas 164, switches 165, an external
headset port 166, an integrated circuit package 167, and an
RF-to-DC module 169. The wireless device 150 may also comprise an
analog microphone 168, integrated hands-free (IHF) stereo speakers
170, a printed circuit board 171, a hearing aid compatible (HAC)
coil 174, a dual digital microphone 176, a vibration transducer
178, a keypad and/or touchscreen 180, and a display 182.
[0059] The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and
upconvert baseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or
more antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna
151. The transceiver 152 may also be enabled to downconvert and
demodulate received RF signals to baseband signals. The RF signals
may be received by one or more antennas, which may be represented
generically by the antenna 151, or the leaky wave antennas 164.
Different wireless systems may use different antennas for
transmission and reception. The transceiver 152 may be enabled to
execute other functions, for example, filtering the baseband and/or
RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RF signals.
Although a single transceiver 152 is shown, the invention is not so
limited. Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as a
separate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there
may be a plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers.
In this regard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or
receivers may enable the wireless device 150 to handle a plurality
of wireless protocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and
PAN. Wireless technologies handled by the wireless device 150 may
comprise GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN,
3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH, and ZigBee, for example.
[0060] The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process
baseband signals for transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or
the baseband signals received from the transceiver 152. The
processor 156 may be any suitable processor or controller such as a
CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type of integrated circuit processor. The
processor 156 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code
that may be enabled to control the operations of the transceiver
152 and/or the baseband processor 154. For example, the processor
156 may be utilized to update and/or modify programmable parameters
and/or values in a plurality of components, devices, and/or
processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband
processor 154. At least a portion of the programmable parameters
may be stored in the system memory 158.
[0061] Control and/or data information, which may comprise the
programmable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of
the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.
Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control
and/or data information, which may include the programmable
parameters, to other portions of the wireless device 150, not shown
in FIG. 1, which may be part of the wireless device 150.
[0062] The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or
data information, which may comprise the programmable parameters,
to determine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example,
the processor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency
for a local oscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain
amplifier, configure the local oscillator and/or configure the
variable gain amplifier for operation in accordance with various
embodiments of the invention. Moreover, the specific frequency
selected and/or parameters needed to calculate the specific
frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/or the parameters,
which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain, may be stored
in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, for example. The
information stored in system memory 158 may be transferred to the
transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor
156.
[0063] The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a
plurality of control and/or data information, including parameters
needed to calculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency
value and/or gain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a
portion of the programmable parameters that may be manipulated by
the processor 156.
[0064] The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of various
functionalities of the wireless device 150. For example, the logic
block 160 may comprise one or more state machines that may generate
signals to control the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband
processor 154. The logic block 160 may also comprise registers that
may hold data for controlling, for example, the transceiver 152
and/or the baseband processor 154. The logic block 160 may also
generate and/or store status information that may be read by, for
example, the processor 156. Amplifier gains and/or filtering
characteristics, for example, may be controlled by the logic block
160.
[0065] The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry,
logic, interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and
reception of Bluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may
enable processing and/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this
regard, the BT radio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals
received and/or BT signals transmitted via a wireless communication
medium. The BT radio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or
feedback information to/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the
processor 156, based on information from the processed BT signals.
The BT radio/processor 163 may communicate information and/or data
from the processed BT signals to the processor 156 and/or to the
system memory 158. Moreover, the BT radio/processor 163 may receive
information from the processor 156 and/or the system memory 158,
which may be processed and transmitted via the wireless
communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example.
[0066] The RF-to-DC module 169 may comprise suitable circuitry,
logic, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to convert a
received RF signal to one or more DC voltages. The RF-to-DC module
169 may comprise on-chip, on-package, and/or on printed-circuit
board components that may be operable to generate one or more DC
voltages through rectification of RF AC signals and charging
storage elements such as CMOS capacitors, for example.
[0067] The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,
interface(s), and/or code that may process audio signals received
from and/or communicated to input/output devices. The input devices
may be within or communicatively coupled to the wireless device
150, and may comprise the analog microphone 168, the stereo
speakers 170, the hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, the dual
digital microphone 176, and the vibration transducer 178, for
example. The CODEC 172 may be operable to up-convert and/or
down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequencies for
processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172
may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as
16 or 18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable
utilizing a plurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example,
the CODEC 172 may accept digital audio signals at sampling rates
such as 8 kHz, 11.025 kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32
kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz. The CODEC 172 may also support mixing
of a plurality of audio sources. For example, the CODEC 172 may
support audio sources such as general audio, polyphonic ringer,
I.sup.2S FM audio, vibration driving signals, and voice. In this
regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sources may support
the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 is enabled
to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of the
plurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for
example.
[0068] The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with
multiple functional blocks integrated within, such as the
transceiver 152, the processor 156, the baseband processor 154, the
BT radio/processor 163, and the CODEC 172. The number of functional
blocks integrated in the chip 162 is not limited to the number
shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, any number of blocks may be
integrated on the chip 162 depending on chip space and wireless
device 150 requirements, for example. The chip 162 may be flip-chip
bonded, for example, to the package 167, as described further with
respect to FIG. 8.
[0069] The leaky wave antennas 164 may comprise a resonant cavity
with a highly reflective surface and a lower reflectivity surface,
and may be integrated in and/or on the package 167. In addition,
leaky wave antennas may be integrated on the chip 162 and/or the
printed circuit board 171. The lower reflectivity surface may allow
the resonant mode to "leak" out of the cavity. The lower
reflectivity surface of the leaky wave antennas 164 may be
configured with slots in a metal surface, or a pattern of metal
patches, as described further in FIGS. 2 and 3. The physical
dimensions of the leaky wave antennas 164 may be configured to
optimize bandwidth of transmission and/or the beam pattern
radiated. By integrating the leaky wave antennas 164 on the package
167 and/or the printed circuit board 171, the dimensions of the
leaky wave antennas 164 may not be limited by the size of the chip
162.
[0070] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave
antennas 164 may be operable to transmit and/or receive RF signals,
and may enable the generation of DC voltages for use in the
wireless device 150 by converting received RF signals utilizing the
RF-to-DC module 169.
[0071] The switches 165 may comprise switches such as CMOS or MEMS
switches that may be operable to switch different antennas of the
leaky wave antennas 164 to the transceiver 152 and/or switch
elements in and/or out of the leaky wave antennas 164, such as the
patches and slots described in FIG. 3.
[0072] The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical
connection for an external headset to be communicatively coupled to
the wireless device 150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise
suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may
detect sound waves and convert them to electrical signals via a
piezoelectric effect, for example. The electrical signals generated
by the analog microphone 168 may comprise analog signals that may
require analog to digital conversion before processing.
[0073] The package 167 may comprise a ceramic package, a printed
circuit board, or other support structure for the chip 162 and
other components of the wireless device 150. In this regard, the
chip 162 may be bonded to the package 167. The package 167 may
comprise insulating and conductive material, for example, and may
provide isolation between electrical components mounted on the
package 167.
[0074] The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that
may be operable to generate audio signals from electrical signals
received from the CODEC 172. The HAC coil 174 may comprise suitable
circuitry, logic, and/or code that may enable communication between
the wireless device 150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example.
In this manner, electrical audio signals may be communicated to a
user that utilizes a hearing aid, without the need for generating
sound signals via a speaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and
converting the generated sound signals back to electrical signals
in a hearing aid, and subsequently back into amplified sound
signals in the user's ear, for example.
[0075] The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable
circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to
detect sound waves and convert them to electrical signals. The
electrical signals generated by the dual digital microphone 176 may
comprise digital signals, and thus may not require analog to
digital conversion prior to digital processing in the CODEC 172.
The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamforming
capabilities, for example.
[0076] The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable
circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may enable
notification of an incoming call, alerts and/or message to the
wireless device 150 without the use of sound. The vibration
transducer may generate vibrations that may be in synch with, for
example, audio signals such as speech or music.
[0077] In operation, control and/or data information, which may
comprise the programmable parameters, may be transferred from other
portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the
processor 156. Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to
transfer control and/or data information, which may include the
programmable parameters, to other portions of the wireless device
150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may be part of the wireless device
150.
[0078] The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or
data information, which may comprise the programmable parameters,
to determine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example,
the processor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency
for a local oscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain
amplifier, configure the local oscillator and/or configure the
variable gain amplifier for operation in accordance with various
embodiments of the invention. Moreover, the specific frequency
selected and/or parameters needed to calculate the specific
frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/or the parameters,
which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain, may be stored
in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, for example. The
information stored in system memory 158 may be transferred to the
transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor
156.
[0079] The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate
with the processor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control
signals. Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the
processor 156. The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and
control information via the system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may
up-convert and/or down-convert the frequencies of multiple audio
sources for processing at a desired sampling rate.
[0080] The leaky wave antennas 164 may be operable to transmit
and/or receive wireless signals. Received RF signals may be
converted to one or more DC voltages by the RF-to-DC module 169. In
this manner, power may be supplied by devices external to the
wireless device 150. Resonant cavities may be configured between
reflective surfaces in and/or on the package 167 so that signals
may be transmitted and/or received from any location on the package
167 without requiring large areas needed for conventional antennas
and associated circuitry.
[0081] The frequency of the transmission and/or reception may be
determined by the cavity height of the leaky wave antennas 164.
Accordingly, the reflective surfaces may be integrated at different
heights or lateral spacing in the package 167, thereby configuring
leaky wave antennas with different resonant frequencies.
[0082] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the resonant
cavity frequency of the leaky wave antennas 164 may be configured
by tuning the cavity height using MEMS actuation. Accordingly, a
bias voltage may be applied such that one or both of the reflective
surfaces of the leaky wave antennas 164 may be deflected by the
applied potential. In this manner, the cavity height, and thus the
resonant frequency of the cavity, may be configured. Similarly, the
patterns of slots and/or patches in the partially reflected surface
may be configured by the switches 165.
[0083] Different frequency signals may be transmitted and/or
received by the leaky wave antennas 164 by selectively coupling the
transceiver 152 to leaky wave antennas with different cavity
heights. For example, leaky wave antennas with reflective surfaces
on the top and the bottom of the package 167 may have the largest
cavity height, and thus provide the lowest resonant frequency.
Conversely, leaky wave antennas with a reflective surface on the
surface of the package 167 and another reflective surface just
below the surface of the package 167, may provide a higher resonant
frequency. The selective coupling may be enabled by the switches
165 and/or CMOS devices in the chip 162.
[0084] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky
wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the leaky wave antennas 164
comprising a partially reflective surface 201A, a reflective
surface 201B, and a feed point 203. The space between the partially
reflective surface 201A and the reflective surface 201B may be
filled with dielectric material, for example, and the height, h,
between the partially reflective surface 201A and the reflective
surface 201B may be utilized to configure the frequency of
transmission of the leaky wave antennas 164. In another embodiment
of the invention, an air gap may be integrated in the space between
the partially reflective surface 201A and the reflective surface
201B to enable MEMS actuation. There is also shown
(micro-electromechanical systems) MEMS bias voltages, +V.sub.MEMS
and -V.sub.MEMS.
[0085] The feed point 203 may comprise an input terminal for
applying an input voltage to the leaky wave antennas 164. The
invention is not limited to a single feed point 203, as there may
be any amount of feed points for different phases of signal or a
plurality of signal sources, for example, to be applied to the
leaky wave antennas 164.
[0086] In an embodiment of the invention, the height, h, may be
one-half the wavelength of the desired transmitted mode from the
leaky wave antennas 164. In this manner, the phase of an
electromagnetic mode that traverses the cavity twice may be
coherent with the input signal at the feed point 203, thereby
configuring a resonant cavity known as a Fabry-Perot cavity. The
magnitude of the resonant mode may decay exponentially in the
lateral direction from the feed point 203, thereby reducing or
eliminating the need for confinement structures to the sides of the
leaky wave antennas 164. The input impedance of the leaky wave
antennas 164 may be configured by the vertical placement of the
feed point 203, as described further in FIG. 6.
[0087] In operation, a signal to be transmitted via a power
amplifier in the transceiver 152 may be communicated to the feed
point 203 of the leaky wave antennas 164 with a frequency f, or a
signal to be received by the leaky wave antennas 164 may be
directed at the antenna. The cavity height, h, may be configured to
correlate to one half the wavelength of a harmonic of the signal of
frequency f. The signal may traverse the height of the cavity and
may be reflected by the partially reflective surface 201A, and then
traverse the height back to the reflective surface 201B. Since the
wave will have traveled a distance corresponding to a full
wavelength, constructive interference may result and a resonant
mode may thereby be established.
[0088] Leaky wave antennas may enable the configuration of high
gain antennas without the need for a large array of antennas which
require a complex feed network and suffer from loss due to feed
lines. The leaky wave antennas 164 may be operable to transmit
and/or receive wireless signals via conductive layers in and/or on
the package 167. In this manner, the resonant frequency of the
cavity may cover a wider range due to the larger size of the
package 167, compared to the chip 162, without requiring large
areas needed for conventional antennas and associated circuitry. In
addition, by integrating leaky wave antennas in a plurality of
packages on one or more printed circuit boards, wireless
communication between packages may be enabled.
[0089] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the frequency
of transmission and/or reception of the leaky wave antennas 164 may
be configured by selecting one of the leaky wave antennas 164 with
the appropriate cavity height for the desired frequency.
[0090] In another embodiment of the invention, the cavity height,
h, may be configured by MEMS actuation. For example, the bias
voltages +V.sub.MEMS and -V.sub.MEMS may deflect one or both of the
reflective surfaces 201A and 201B compared to zero bias, thereby
configuring the resonant frequency of the cavity.
[0091] The leaky wave antennas 164 may receive RF signals that may
be utilized to generate one or more DC voltages that may be used to
power circuitry in the wireless device 150. In this manner, the
wireless device 150 may operate without a batter or with reduced
power storage capabilities.
[0092] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of
exemplary partially reflective surfaces, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a
partially reflective surface 300 comprising periodic slots in a
metal surface, and a partially reflective surface 320 comprising
periodic metal patches. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320
may comprise different embodiments of the partially reflective
surface 201A described with respect to FIG. 2.
[0093] The spacing, dimensions, shape, and orientation of the slots
and/or patches in the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be
utilized to configure the bandwidth, and thus Q-factor, of the
resonant cavity defined by the partially reflective surfaces
300/320 and a reflective surface, such as the reflective surface
201B, described with respect to FIG. 2. The partially reflective
surfaces 300/320 may thus comprise frequency selective surfaces due
to the narrow bandwidth of signals that may leak out of the
structure as configured by the slots and/or patches.
[0094] The spacing between the patches and/or slots may be related
to wavelength of the signal transmitted and/or received, which may
be somewhat similar to beamforming with multiple antennas. The
length of the slots and/or patches may be several times larger than
the wavelength of the transmitted and/or received signal or less,
for example, since the leakage from the slots and/or regions
surround the patches may add up, similar to beamforming with
multiple antennas.
[0095] In an embodiment of the invention, the slots/patches may be
configured via CMOS and/or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)
switches, such as the switches 165 described with respect to FIG.
1, to tune the Q of the resonant cavity. The slots and/or patches
may be configured in conductive layers in and/or on the package 167
and may be shorted together or switched open utilizing the switches
165. In this manner, RF signals, such as 60 GHz signals, for
example, may be transmitted from various locations without the need
for additional circuitry and conventional antennas with their
associated circuitry that require valuable chip space.
[0096] In another embodiment of the invention, the slots or patches
may be configured in conductive layers in a vertical plane of the
chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171,
thereby enabling the communication of wireless signals in a
horizontal direction in the structure.
[0097] In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the
partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be integrated in and/or
on the package 167. In this manner, different frequency signals may
be transmitted and/or received. Accordingly, a partially reflective
surface 300/320 integrated within the package 167 and a reflective
surface 201B may transmit and/or receive signals at a higher
frequency signal than from a resonant cavity defined by a partially
reflective surface 300/320 on surface of the package 167 and a
reflective surface 201B on the other surface of the package
167.
[0098] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase
dependence of a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a
leaky wave antenna comprising the partially reflective surface
201A, the reflective surface 201B, and the feed point 203. In-phase
condition 400 illustrates the relative beam shape transmitted by
the leaky wave antennas 164 when the frequency of the signal
communicated to the feed point 203 matches that of the resonant
cavity as defined by the cavity height, h, and the dielectric
constant of the material between the reflective surfaces.
[0099] Similarly, out-of-phase condition 420 illustrates the
relative beam shape transmitted by the leaky wave antennas 164 when
the frequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 does
not match that of the resonant cavity. The resulting beam shape may
be conical, as opposed to a single main vertical node. These are
illustrated further with respect to FIG. 5. The leaky wave antennas
164 may be integrated at various heights in the package 167,
thereby providing a plurality of transmission and reception sites
in the package 167 with varying resonant frequency.
[0100] By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase and
out-of-phase conditions, signals possessing different
characteristics may be directed out of and/or into the package 167
in desired directions, thereby enabling wireless communication
between a plurality of packages or devices. In an exemplary
embodiment of the invention, the angle at which signals may be
transmitted by a leaky wave antenna may be dynamically controlled
so that signal may be directed to desired receiving leaky wave
antennas. In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave
antennas 164 may be operable to receive RF signals, such as 60 GHz
signals, for example. The direction in which the signals are
received may be configured by the in-phase and out-of-phase
conditions.
[0101] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, by configuring
the leaky wave antennas to receive RF signals from any desired
direction, the wireless device 150 may then be operable to generate
DC voltages from other RF transmitting devices in any direction
from the wireless device 150.
[0102] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase
and out-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG.
5, there is shown a plot 500 of transmitted signal beam shape
versus angle, .THETA., for the in-phase and out-of-phase conditions
for a leaky wave antenna.
[0103] The In-phase curve in the plot 500 may correlate to the case
where the frequency of the signal communicated to a leaky wave
antenna matches the resonant frequency of the cavity. In this
manner, a single vertical main node may result. In instances where
the frequency of the signal at the feed point is not at the
resonant frequency, a double, or conical-shaped node may be
generated as shown by the Out-of-phase curve in the plot 500. By
configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase and out-of-phase
conditions, signals may be directed out of the chip 162, package
167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 in desired
directions.
[0104] In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave
antennas 164 may be operable to receive wireless signals, and may
be configured to receive from a desired direction via the in-phase
and out-of-phase configurations. In this manner, DC voltages may be
generated by RF signals received from a plurality of directions
from the leaky wave antennas 164.
[0105] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna
with variable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a
leaky wave antenna 600 comprising the partially reflective surface
201A and the reflective surface 201B. There is also shown feed
points 601A-601C. The feed points 601A-601C may be located at
different positions along the height, h, of the cavity thereby
configuring different impedance points for the leaky wave
antenna.
[0106] In this manner, a leaky wave antenna may be utilized to
couple to a plurality of power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers,
and/or other circuitry with varying output or input impedances.
Similarly, by integrating leaky wave antennas in conductive layers
in the package 167, the impedance of the leaky wave antenna may be
matched to the power amplifier or low-noise amplifier without
impedance variations that may result with conventional antennas and
their proximity or distance to associated driver electronics. In
addition, by integrating reflective and partially reflective
surfaces with varying cavity heights and varying feed points, leaky
wave antennas with different impedances and resonant frequencies
may be enabled. In an embodiment of the invention, the heights of
the feed points 601A-601C may be configured by MEMS actuation.
[0107] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional
view of coplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a
microstrip waveguide 720 and a coplanar waveguide 730 and a support
structure 701. The microstrip waveguide 720 may comprise signal
conductive lines 723, a ground plane 725, a resonant cavity 711A,
and an insulating layer 727. The coplanar waveguide 730 may
comprise signal conductive lines 731 and 733, a resonant cavity
711B, the insulating layer 727, and a multi-layer support structure
701. The support structure 701 may comprise the chip 162, the
package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, for example.
[0108] The signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise
metal traces or layers deposited in and/or on the insulating layer
727. In another embodiment of the invention, the signal conductive
lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise poly-silicon or other
conductive material. The separation and the voltage potential
between the signal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725 may
determine the electric field generated therein. In addition, the
dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727 may also determine
the electric field between the signal conductive line 723 and the
ground plane 725.
[0109] The resonant cavities 711A and 711B may comprise the
insulating layer 727, an air gap, or a combination of an air gap
and the insulating layer 727, thereby enabling MEMS actuation and
thus frequency tuning.
[0110] The insulating layer 727 may comprise SiO.sub.2 or other
insulating material that may provide a high resistance layer
between the signal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725,
and the signal conductive lines 731 and 733. In addition, the
electric field between the signal conductive line 723 and the
ground plane 725 may be dependent on the dielectric constant of the
insulating layer 727.
[0111] The thickness and the dielectric constant of the insulating
layer 727 may determine the electric field strength generated by
the applied signal. The resonant cavity thickness of a leaky wave
antenna may be dependent on the spacing between the signal
conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725, or the signal
conductive lines 731 and 733, for example.
[0112] The signal conductive lines 731 and 733, and the signal
conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725 may define resonant
cavities for leaky wave antennas. Each layer may comprise a
reflective surface or a partially reflective surface depending on
the pattern of conductive material. For example, a partially
reflective surface may be configured by alternating conductive and
insulating material in a desired pattern. In this manner, signals
may be directed out of, or received into, a surface of the chip
162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, as
illustrated with the microstrip waveguide 720. In another
embodiment of the invention, signals may be communicated in the
horizontal plane of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the
printed circuit board 171 utilizing the coplanar waveguide 730.
[0113] The support structure 701 may provide mechanical support for
the microstrip waveguide 720, the coplanar waveguide 730, and other
devices that may be integrated within. In another embodiment of the
invention, the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed
circuit board 171 may comprise Si, GaAs, sapphire, InP, GaO, ZnO,
CdTe, CdZnTe, ceramics, polytetrafluoroethylene, and/or
Al.sub.2O.sub.3, for example, or any other substrate material that
may be suitable for integrating microstrip structures.
[0114] In operation, a bias and/or a signal voltage may be applied
across the signal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725,
and/or the signal conductive lines 731 and 733. The thickness of a
leaky wave antenna resonant cavity may be dependent on the distance
between the conductive lines in the microstrip waveguide 720 and/or
the coplanar transmission waveguide 730.
[0115] By alternating patches of conductive material with
insulating material, or slots of conductive material in dielectric
material, a partially reflective surface may result, which may
allow a signal to "leak out" in that direction, as shown by the
Leaky Wave arrows in FIG. 7. In this manner, wireless signals may
be directed in to or out of the surface plane of the support
structure 710, or parallel to the surface of the support structure
710.
[0116] Similarly, by sequentially placing the conductive signal
lines 731 and 733 with different spacing, different cavity heights
may result, and thus different resonant frequencies, thereby
forming a distributed leaky wave antenna. In this manner, a
plurality of signals at different frequencies may be transmitted
from, or received by, the distributed leaky wave antenna.
[0117] By integrating the conductive signal lines 731 and 733 and
the ground plane 725 in the package 167, wireless signals may be
received by the package 167. Wireless signals may be communicated
packages in the horizontal or vertical planes depending on which
type of leaky wave antenna is enabled, such as a coplanar or
microstrip structure. Received RF signals may be communicated to
RF-to-DC circuitry that may be operable to generate one or more DC
voltages from the received RF signals, as described further with
respect to FIG. 9.
[0118] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of
an integrated circuit package with integrated leaky wave antennas
for receiving RF signals, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown the package 167,
metal layers 801A-801G, solder balls 803, an interconnect layer
805, thermal epoxy 807, leaky wave antennas 811A-811C, and an RF
signal source 820. The chip 162 and the printed circuit board 171
may be as described previously.
[0119] The chip 162, or integrated circuit, may comprise one or
more components and/or systems within the wireless system 150. The
chip 162 may be bump-bonded or flip-chip bonded to the package 167
utilizing the solder balls 803. In this manner, wire bonds
connecting the chip 162 to the package 167 may be eliminated,
thereby reducing and/or eliminating uncontrollable stray
inductances due to wire bonds, for example. In addition, the
thermal conductance out of the chip 162 may be greatly improved
utilizing the solder balls 803 and the thermal epoxy 807. The
thermal epoxy 807 may be electrically insulating but thermally
conductive to allow for thermal energy to be conducted out of the
chip 162 to the much larger thermal mass of the package 167.
[0120] The metal layers 801A-801G may comprise deposited metal
layers utilized to delineate leaky wave antennas and interconnects
in and/or on the package 167. The metal layers 801A-801G may be
utilized to define leaky wave antennas on the package 167. In an
embodiment of the invention, the spacing between pairs of metal
layers, for example 801A and 801B, 801C and 801D, and 801E and
801F, may define a resonant cavity of a leaky wave antenna with
cavity heights determined by the spacing between the metal layers.
In this regard, a partially reflective surface, as shown in FIGS. 2
and 3, for example, may enable the resonant electromagnetic mode in
the cavity to leak out from that surface.
[0121] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention the metal layers
801C and 801D may both comprise partially reflective surfaces,
thereby enabling bi-directional reception and/or transmission. For
example, the leaky wave antenna 811B may be operable to receive RF
signals from external devices such as the RF signal source 820 and
may also transmit RF signals to the leaky wave antenna 811C. In
another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antenna 811B
may comprise stacked leaky wave antennas with a common conductive
surface, with thereby enabling bi-directional
transmission/reception.
[0122] The metal layers 801A-801G may comprise a coplanar and/or a
microstrip structure as described with respect to FIG. 7. The metal
layer 801G may comprise conductive material that may provide
electrical contact to the leaky wave antenna 811A and other layers
and/or devices in the package 167.
[0123] The number of metal layers are not limited to the number of
metal layers 801A-801G shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, there may be
any number of layers embedded within and/or on the package 167,
depending on the number of leaky wave antennas, traces, waveguides
and other devices fabricated within and/or on the package 167.
[0124] The solder balls 803 may comprise spherical balls of metal
to provide electrical, thermal and physical contact between the
chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. In
making the contact with the solder balls 803, the chip 162 and/or
the package 167 may be pressed with enough force to squash the
metal spheres somewhat, and may be performed at an elevated
temperature to provide suitable electrical resistance and physical
bond strength. The thermal epoxy 807 may fill the volume between
the solder balls 803 and may provide a high thermal conductance
path for heat transfer out of the chip 162.
[0125] The RF signal source 820 may comprise a wireless device with
one or more leaky wave antennas that may be operable to communicate
RF signals to the leaky wave antennas 811A-811C. For example, the
RF signal source 820 may comprise an access point.
[0126] In operation, the chip 162 may comprise an RF front end,
such as the RF transceiver 152, described with respect to FIG. 1,
and may be utilized to transmit and/or receive RF signals, at 60
GHz, for example. The chip 162 may be electrically coupled to the
package 167. Leaky wave antennas comprising the metal layers
801A-801G integrated on or within the package 167 may be enabled to
receive RF signals that may be utilized to generate one or more DC
voltages utilizing RF-to-DC circuitry, as described with respect to
FIG. 9. Additionally, by utilizing a plurality of leaky wave
antennas with configurable direction of reception, RF signals from
any direction may be utilized to generate DC voltages.
[0127] Heat from the chip 162 may be conducted to the package 167
via the thermal epoxy 807 and the solder balls 803. In an
embodiment of the invention, the metal layers 801A-801G may be
configured at different heights in the package 167 enabling the
configuration of leaky wave antennas with different resonant
frequencies.
[0128] The leaky wave antennas 811A-811C comprising the metal
layers 801A-801F may be configured by adjusting the spacing between
the pairs of metal layers comprising a resonant cavity, and may be
configurable via MEMS actuation, as described with respect to FIG.
2. Accordingly, the cavity height of a leaky wave antenna may be
defined by a MEMS switch such that applying a bias may increase or
decrease the spacing, thereby further configuring the resonant
frequency of the leaky wave antenna. In addition, the slots and/or
patches in the metal layer comprising a partially reflective
surface for the leaky wave antenna, may be configured via one or
more switches, which may alter the Q-factor of the cavity. In this
manner, the communication parameters of leaky wave antennas
integrated into the package 167 may be configured for a plurality
of applications.
[0129] The integration of leaky wave antennas in the package 167,
may result in the reduction of stray impedances when compared to
wire-bonded connections to devices on printed circuit boards as in
conventional systems, particularly for higher frequencies, such as
60 GHz. In this manner, volume requirements may be reduced and
performance may be improved due to lower losses and accurate
control of impedances via switches in the chip 162 or on the
package 167, for example.
[0130] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary RF to DC
module, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown an RF-to-DC converter 900
comprising CMOS transistors M1a, M1b, M2a, M2b, MNa, and MNb, and
capacitors C1a, C1b, C2a, C2b, CNa, and CNb. There is also shown an
input RF signal and an output voltage DC. The element references
MNc and MNd indicate that the RF-to-DC converter 900 may comprise N
stages, where N is an integer. The capacitors and CMOS transistors
may comprise cascaded rectifier cells, such as the rectifier cells
920, 930, and 940.
[0131] Each of the CMOS transistors M1a, M1b, M2a, M2b, MNa, and
MNb may comprise diode-connected MOSFETs to enable rectification of
AC signals. The capacitors C1a, C1b, C2a, C2b, CNa, and CNb may be
operable to receive charge from forward-biased CMOS transistors due
to the applied RF signal. The DC voltage, VDC, may be equal to
2*N*(VRF-Vdrop), where N is the number of stages, VRF is the
magnitude of the applied RF signal, and Vdrop is the voltage drop
across the forward-biased diode-connected CMOS transistors M1a,
M1b, M2a, M2b, MNa, and MNb. Therefore, transistors with lower
threshold voltage, and thus lower Vdrop, such as native MOSFETS,
may result in increased efficiency.
[0132] In operation, an RF signal, RF, may be applied to the
RF-to-DC converter 900. In instances where the voltage of the
applied signal, RF, is positive and the magnitude greater than the
turn-on voltage for the CMOS transistors, the CMOS transistors M1b,
M2b . . . MNb may be switched on and allow current to charge the
capacitors. Similarly, when the voltage of the applied signal, RF,
is negative with a magnitude greater than the turn-on voltage of
the CMOS transistors, the CMOS transistors M1a, M2a . . . MNa may
be switched on allowing the capacitors C1a, C2a, . . . , and CNa to
be charged by current in the opposite direction. By cascading N
rectifier cells, such as rectifier cell 1 920, rectifier cell 2,
930, . . . , and rectifier cell N 940, large DC voltages may be
generated at the output labeled VDC with a magnitude equal to
2*N*(VRF-Vdrop).
[0133] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for
converting RF power received by leaky wave antennas to DC power, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG.
10, in step 1003 after start step 1001, one or more leaky wave
antennas may be configured for a desired frequency via MEMS
deflection or by selection of one or more leaky wave antennas with
an appropriate cavity height in the package, for example. In
addition, the Q of the cavity may be adjusted via shorting and/or
opening slots or patches in the partially reflective surface,
and/or may configure the direction of reception of the leaky wave
antennas. In step 1005, high frequency RF signals may be received
by the leaky wave antennas. In step 1007, the high frequency
signals may be converted to one or more DC voltages for use in the
wireless device 150. In step 1009, in instances where the wireless
device 150 is to be powered down, the exemplary steps may proceed
to end step 1011. In step 1009, in instances where the wireless
device 150 is not to be powered down, the exemplary steps may
proceed to step 1003 to configure the leaky wave antenna at a
desired frequency/Q-factor/direction of reception.
[0134] In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are
disclosed for receiving RF wireless signals utilizing one or more
leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600, 720, 730, 801A-801C in a
wireless device 150, and generating one or more DC voltages for use
in the wireless device 150 from the received RF signals, RF,
utilizing cascaded rectifier cells 920, 930, 940. A resonant
frequency of the one or more leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420,
600, 720, 730, 801A-801C may be configured utilizing
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deflection. The one or more
leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600, 720, 730, 801A-801C may be
configured to receive the RF signals from a desired direction. The
one or more leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600, 720, 730,
801A-801C may comprise microstrip waveguides 720, wherein a cavity
height of the one or more leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600,
720, 730, 801A-801C is dependent on spacing between conductive
lines 723 and 725 in the microstrip waveguides 720. The one or more
leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600, 720, 730, 801A-801C may
comprise coplanar waveguides 730, wherein a cavity height of the
one or more leaky wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600, 720, 730,
801A-801C is dependent on spacing between conductive lines 731 and
733 in the coplanar waveguides 730. The received RF signals, RF,
may be rectified via cascaded rectifier cells 920, 930, 940 to
generate the one or more DC voltages, VDC. The one or more leaky
wave antennas 164, 400, 420, 600, 720, 730, 801A-801C may be
integrated in one or more integrated circuits 162, integrated
circuit packages 167, and/or printed circuit boards 171. The one or
more integrated circuit packages 167 may be affixed, such as by
flip-chip bonding, to one or more printed circuit boards 171 and
the one or more integrated circuits 162 may be flip-chip-bonded to
the one or more integrated circuit packages 167.
[0135] Other embodiments of the invention may provide a
non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium,
and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium and/or storage
medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer
program having at least one code section executable by a machine
and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to
perform the steps as described herein for converting RF power to DC
power utilizing a leaky wave antenna.
[0136] Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in
hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. The
invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one
computer system or in a distributed fashion where different
elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems,
Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying
out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination
of hardware, software and firmware may be a general-purpose
computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and
executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the
methods described herein.
[0137] One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented
as a board level product, as a single chip, application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a
single chip with other portions of the system as separate
components. The degree of integration of the system will primarily
be determined by speed and cost considerations. Because of the
sophisticated nature of modern processors, it is possible to
utilize a commercially available processor, which may be
implemented external to an ASIC implementation of the present
system. Alternatively, if the processor is available as an ASIC
core or logic block, then the commercially available processor may
be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functions
implemented as firmware.
[0138] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context may mean, for example, any
expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of
instructions intended to cause a system having an information
processing capability to perform a particular function either
directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to
another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different
material form. However, other meanings of computer program within
the understanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated
by the present invention.
[0139] While the invention has been described with reference to
certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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