The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 26, 2019
Filed:
Aug. 25, 2016
The United States of America As Represented BY the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC (US);
Patrick W. Fink, Missouri City, TX (US);
Gregory Y. Lin, Friendswood, TX (US);
Timothy F. Kennedy, Houston, TX (US);
Phong H. Ngo, Friendswood, TX (US);
Haley C. Boose, League City, TX (US);
Abstract
A passive beamforming rectenna includes a plurality of antennas, a plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits, and a beamforming network. The beamforming network includes (a) a plurality of antenna ports connecting to the plurality of antennas, and (b) a plurality of terminal ports connecting to the plurality of terminal port rectifying circuits. The beamforming network further includes a microwave lens or any of a variety of other structures. The beamforming rectenna is characterized by a plurality of radiation distribution patterns. Electromagnetic power is received through the plurality of antennas. The beamforming network directs the received electromagnetic power, in substantial portion, to a subset of the plurality of terminal ports associated with particular radiation distribution patterns whose amplitudes, in the direction from which the electromagnetic power was received, are large relative to the amplitudes, in the same direction, of other radiation distribution patterns associated with other terminal ports.