Metalens design for wireless power transfer with beam steering and multiplexing

2022 ELE Engineering Design Project (MA03)


Faculty Lab Coordinator

Marco Antoniades

Topic Category

Signal Processing / Communication

Preamble

Wireless power transfer – the sending and receiving of energy across vast distances without wires or cables in between – represents game-changing opportunities including indefinite flight (powered wirelessly from ground), removing fossil fuel use from the skies to combat climate change, and ultra-secure data transmission for new paradigms in cyber-security. However, physical limitations of antennas including side lobes and beam divergence have hindered commercial adoption. Now, new technology concepts that are in development could make possible these transformative capabilities, in part by using metamaterial lenses (metalenses). This composite material has a zero or negative index of refraction that can manipulate electromagnetic radiation in ways not found in nature.

Objective

Design and build a metalens that consists of a wireless power transmitter capable of electronic beam steering and multiplexing (sending multiple frequencies within a single carrier beam). The solution will serve as a proof-of-concept to deliver power wirelessly to multiple targets or to a moving target, and to send multiple frequencies simultaneously including data and power.

Partial Specifications

1. Transmitter sizes and dimensions are non-specific.
2. Transmitters must conform to regulatory requirements such as Safety Code 6 of Health Canada for power levels emitted by wireless devices.
3. The frequency of operation will be limited to Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands such as 915 MHz, 2.45 GHz, or 5.8 GHz.
4. Transmitter shall electronically steer to an angle of at least 30 degrees off center axis, in both horizontal and vertical directions.
5. Minimum multiplexing of two (2) different frequencies.
6. The two capabilities of electronic steering and multiplexing can be two separate devices, or combined into a single device, at the discretion of the team.
7. Transmitter must deliver wireless signal a minimum of (i) one meter distance, (ii) for at least one minute of continuous transmission, (iii) at a bare minimum of 1% total system efficiency. Ideal results include: 10 meters transmission distance, with one Watt of power delivered at 50% efficiency, for continual operation.

Suggested Approach

Expert industry support is available from VanWyn Inc. to consult and mentor on this project. The student group will meet weekly with the FLC and industry sponsor to report progress and seek guidance.

The students should become familiar with wireless power transfer (long-distance radiative, NOT magnetic inductive), metamaterials, metasurfaces, metalenses, electronic beam steering and designs in published literature, multiplexing and designs in published literature, software available for designing and modeling metalenses, hardware available for processing and rendering, manufacturing of PCBs, effective team work, and regular reporting to industry sponsor, professional interaction with third-party vendors, suppliers, manufacturers, lab equipment for testing, and safety protocols.

Students can use existing literature to support preliminary design, then adopt designs to adhere to the prescribed frequencies. Students can also access the work of past student groups for insights, tips, and best practices.

Group Responsibilities

The group should work collaboratively as a team to define the specifications for each component of the power transmitter in order to achieve the overall objective of the project. Each component will be designed separately, which will then be integrated to form a final working prototype. Students may work together in small sub-groups on specific tasks or components, but one student should be responsible for the completion of each of the following tasks:

Student A Responsibilities

Metalens design and fabrication for electronic beam steering

Student B Responsibilities

Metalens design and fabrication for multiplexing

Student C Responsibilities

Power management and distribution design and fabrication

Student D Responsibilities

Project management, safety assurance, and external relations

Course Co-requisites

ELE 861 – Microwave Engineering

To ALL EDP Students

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, in the event University is not open for in-class/in-lab activities during the Winter term, your EDP topic specifications, requirements, implementations, and assessment methods will be adjusted by your FLCs at their discretion.

 


MA03: Metalens design for wireless power transfer with beam steering and multiplexing | Marco Antoniades | Thursday September 1st 2022 at 12:31 AM