75494 - Energy-Aware Wireless Circuits And Systems M

Learning outcomes

The student at the end of the course will have knowledge of the methods for the numerical solution of electromagnetic problems and their application to the analysis and design of modern radio systems, such as RFID tags and RF energy harvesters. Intensive laboratory activity consisting in the use of commercial tools for the modelling of typical RF subsystems.

Course contents

The course focuses on some families of modern wireless systems that cannot be studied by conventional system approaches, but need the application of electromagnetic analysis combined with circuit simulation techniques. The main emphasis is on energy-aware solutions, including RF energy harvesting and wireless power transfer applications, whose practical importance is steadily increasing in an energy-conscious society.

Lecture items:

1. RF circuit characteristics and their problematics dealing with high-frequency.

a. Quasi-stationary assumption: validity limit at high frequency

b. Need for microstrip planar technology

c. Need for Computer Aided Design tools for increasing frequency and/or integration level

2. Circuit-level/electromagnetic accurate system/subsystem co-simulation.

a. Circuit-level linear simulation

b. Electromagnetic linear simulation

c. Circuit-level nonlinear simulation

d. Circuit-level/electromagnetic nonlinear simulation

3. Main features of electromagnetic tools (in comparison to circuit-level tools) and hints to main numerical methods:

a. Harmonic Balance method (for nonlinear components description)

b. Method of Moments; Finite Element Method; Finite Difference Time Domain method (for accurate linear components description)

4. Rectenna (rectifying antenna):

a. Architecture description

b. Components choice

c. Rectennas for energy harvesting and for wireless power transfer: a comparison.

6. Feasibility of energy-autonomous wireless sensors with reference to practical cases.

7. Laboratory sessions devoted to numerical co-design of rectenna-based systems and experimental demonstration of energy transfer and energy recover.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides of the lectures

Assessment methods

Oral exam on both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the course

Teaching tools

Slides of the lectures.

Laboratory activity to consolidate the need for both circuit and electromagnetic software tools in high frequency circuits analysis/design and to experimentally demonstrate the far-field energy transfer and energy recover.

Links to further information

http://www.dei.unibo.it/en/research/research-facilities/Labs/rfcal-rf-circuit-and-antenna-design-lab

Office hours

See the website of Diego Masotti