Wireless Information and Power Transfer

8Wireless Power Transfer in Millimeter Wave

Talha Ahmed Khan* and Robert W. Heath Jr.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

8.1 Introduction

Background The millimeter wave (mmWave) band is a key enabler of future fifth generation (5G) networks. This is due to the availability of large spectrum resources at mmWave frequencies promising high data rates [1]. It is also attractive for wireless power transfer as it allows large antenna arrays to be deployed in small form‐factors. With a large antenna array, a wireless power transmitter can focus energy towards a desired location, thus improving the power transfer efficiency. Unfortunately, mmWave signals suffer from poor penetration and diffraction characteristics, making them susceptible to blockage by many common materials such as buildings and human bodies [1]. In this chapter we review a case study illustrating how mmWave can be used for wireless power transfer despite the presence of blockages.

Literature Survey MmWave power transfer is an active area of research in the circuits community [2–4]. The focus is on designing an efficient mmWave energy harvesting circuit. It has also gained traction among communication theorists thanks to the rise of mmWave communications. Their research is about developing system‐level analytical models to gain insights into the performance of a mmWave energy and/or information transfer system. We now summarize some of the major contributions ...