JP2017022825A - Rectifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a rectifier that has a simple circuit configuration and is capable of implementing high RF-DC conversion efficiency in a wide power range.SOLUTION: There are provided switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 for switching a combination of rectification elements 21, 22, 23, 24 constituting rectification means having a series number n and parallel number m (n≥2, m≥1). An input power measurement unit 7 measures power of a high frequency wave input to a rectifier. A control unit 8, depending on the measured power, switches ON and OFF of the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 to control combinations of series connection and parallel connection of the rectification elements 21, 22, 23, 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a rectifier that achieves high RF-DC (high frequency-direct current) conversion efficiency over a wide range of input power.

  For example, a problem of a rectifier used in a rectenna is that RF-DC conversion efficiency depends on input power. As a conventional rectifier, a high input power rectifying means capable of obtaining high RF-DC conversion efficiency at high frequency and high input power, and a low input power rectifying means capable of obtaining high RF-DC conversion efficiency at high frequency and low input power are provided. In some cases, these are switched according to the value of the input power (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).

Wide Power Range Operable 3-stage S-Band Microwave Rectifier With Automatic Selector Based on Input Power Level, IMS2013 WE3G-4 Jun 2013

  However, in the conventional rectifier, since switching is performed including not only the rectifying element but also the harmonic processing circuit and the matching circuit, there is a problem that the circuit configuration is complicated and the size is increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a rectifier capable of realizing high RF-DC conversion efficiency in a wide power range with a simple circuit configuration.

  The rectifier according to the present invention is provided between a plurality of rectifying elements constituting rectifying means having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1), and a signal input line and a power input side of m columns of rectifying elements. The first rectifying element switching means connected in series to the signal line, the second rectifying element switching means connected in parallel to the connection point between the signal lines and m series connected rectifying elements, and input to the rectifier An input power measuring unit that measures high-frequency power, and a combination of series and parallel connection of rectifying elements by switching on and off the first and second rectifying element switching means according to the power measured by the input power measuring unit. And a control unit for controlling.

  The rectifier according to the present invention measures high-frequency power input to the rectifier, and switches on and off the first and second rectifying element switching means according to the measured power to connect the rectifying elements in series and in parallel. Since the combination is controlled and the harmonic processing circuit and the matching circuit are not switched, it is possible to deal with a wide range of input power with a small circuit area and to realize high RF-DC conversion efficiency.

It is a block diagram which shows the rectifier by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the combination of the rectifier of the rectifier by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of calculation of the input power dependence of the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifier by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the correspondence table which shows the recombination of the rectifier of the rectifier by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part of the rectifier by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the rectifier by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the rectifier by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the rectifier by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the combination of the rectifier of the rectifier by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of calculation of the input power dependence of the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifier by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the conversion table which shows the recombination of the rectifier of the rectifier by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part of the rectifier by Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a block diagram showing a rectifier according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
The rectifier shown in FIG. 1 includes rectifier elements 21, 22, 23, 24, switching means 31, 32, 41, 42, input filter 5, output filter 6, input power measuring unit 7, control inside the rectifier circuit unit 1. Part 8 and a smoothing capacitor 9 and a load resistor 10 outside the rectifier circuit part 1. The rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24 are a plurality of rectifying elements that constitute rectifying means having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1), and are configured by diodes, for example. Further, in the configuration shown in the figure, rectifying means having two series and two parallel circuits are configured. The switching means 31 and 32 are first rectifying element switching means connected in series between the signal line from the input filter 5 to the output filter 6 and the power input side of the rectifying elements 21 and 22, respectively. For example, it is configured using an FET switch. The switching means 41 and 42 are second rectifying element switching means connected in parallel to the connection point between the rectifying elements 21 and 23 connected in series and the connection point between the rectifying elements 22 and 24, respectively. An FET switch or a diode, an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), or the like is used.

  The input filter 5 and the output filter 6 are filters for performing high frequency processing in the rectifier circuit unit 1. The input power measurement unit 7 is a processing unit that measures the input power of RF input to the rectifier circuit unit 1 and is connected to a branch output of a coupler that branches a part of the high frequency input to the rectifier circuit unit 1. It consists of a power sensor and power meter for measuring high frequency power, or a diode detection circuit. The input power measuring unit 7 outputs time series data of the measured power value. The control unit 8 controls on / off switching of the switching units 31 and 32 and the switching units 41 and 42 according to the input power measured by the input power measuring unit 7, and the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24 are controlled. It is a control part which controls the combination of series and parallel connection. The control unit 8 is composed of a microcomputer that controls hardware, and presets the recombination information of the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24 that can obtain the highest efficiency according to the input power, and sets the measured input power. Based on this, the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 are switched on and off. For example, when FET switches are used for these switching means 31, 32, 41, 42, the gate voltage of each switching means is controlled to set on and off. A specific example of the rearrangement information will be described later.

  Further, the output power is extracted from the output side of the rectifier circuit unit 1 using the smoothing capacitor 9 and the load resistor 10.

  In the illustrated example, the number of rectifying elements is four, that is, rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24. However, any number may be used as long as two or more series and parallel connections are possible. Further, although a diode is used as a rectifying element, an FET, HEMT, or the like may be used. Furthermore, the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24 do not need to be the same type, and may be different types such as withstand voltage, internal resistance, and junction capacitance. Also, the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 may be a switch other than the FET switch.

Next, the operation of the rectifier according to Embodiment 1 will be described.
The high frequency (RF) input to the rectifying circuit unit 1 is input to the rectifying means via the input filter 5, and is converted to direct current (DC) by the non-linearity of the rectifying means. Specifically, the rectifier, which is a nonlinear element, is repeatedly turned on and off by RF input to the rectifier circuit unit 1 to generate a DC component and a harmonic, and is smoothed by the smoothing capacitor 9 to output the DC component. Is done. At this time, the input power measuring unit 7 measures the RF power input to the rectifier circuit unit 1 and transmits the measured power to the control unit 8. Based on the measured input power, the control unit 8 turns on the first rectifying element switching unit and the second rectifying element switching unit so that the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifying circuit unit 1 is the highest. Switch off and control the combination of rectification means.

  FIG. 2 shows a state 1, a state 2, a state 3, a state 4, and a state 5 as an example of a combination of rectifying elements in the rectifier according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, the input power and the impedance of the rectifier element increase in the direction of the arrow. Here, the impedance of the rectifying element becomes the largest in the state 3, and the value decreases as it goes to the left and right. FIG. 3 shows a calculation example of the input power dependency of the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifier of the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the input power Pin (dBm), and the vertical axis represents the RF-DC conversion efficiency η (%). In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the input filter 5, the output filter 6, and the load resistor 10 are designed so that the RF-DC conversion efficiency is highest in the state 3. The peak point of the RF-DC conversion efficiency becomes higher when the rising voltage becomes lower, and shifts to the higher input power side as the breakdown voltage becomes higher. In addition, there is no change in the rising voltage and breakdown voltage due to the parallel connection of the rectifying elements, but the amount of current flowing through the rectifying element is halved and the overall rising voltage is increased by the series connection of the rectifying elements, but Since the applied voltage is halved, the breakdown voltage increases.

  For this reason, the recombination of the rectifying means is changed to a 1-parallel 1-series state as in state 1 at low input power, and a 1-series 2-parallel state as in state 3 because the amount of current increases as the input power increases. When the input power is further increased, a high voltage is applied to the rectifying element, so that the two series and one parallel state such as state 5 is set. In FIG. 3, the input filter 5, the output filter 6, and the load resistor 10 are designed so that the RF-DC conversion efficiency is highest in the state 3, so that the state 2 is the state 1, the state 3, and the state 4 Is set to a state that provides impedance characteristics between state 3 and state 5.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a correspondence table showing the recombination of such rectifying means. This correspondence table is stored in a memory or the like (not shown) and can be referred to by the control unit 8. This correspondence table shows the state with respect to the input power and the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 on and off states. Note that “−” in the switching means 41 and 42 indicates no control.

Next, switching control of the switching means 31, 32, 41, and 42 by the control unit 8 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
In the case of the calculation example shown in FIG. 3, in order to recombine the rectifying means to be in the state 1 in the input power range of 0 <Pin <9 dBm (step ST1: YES), the switching means 31 is turned on, the switching means 32 is turned off, The switching means 41 is turned on (step ST2). If the input power range is not 0 <Pin <9 dBm in step ST1, the process proceeds to step ST3. Further, in the input power range of 9 ≦ Pin <17 dBm (step ST3: YES), the switching means 31 is turned on, the switching means 32 is turned on, and the switching means 41 is turned on and switched in order to rearrange the rectifying means to be in the state 2. The means 42 is turned off (step ST4). If the input power range is not 9 ≦ Pin <17 dBm in step ST3, the process proceeds to step ST5. Further, in the input power range of 17 ≦ Pin <31 dBm (step ST5: YES), the switching means 31 is turned on, the switching means 32 is turned on, and the switching means 41 is turned on and switched in order to recombine the rectifying means to be in the state 3. The means 42 is turned on (step ST6). If it is determined in step ST5 that the input power range is not 17 ≦ Pin <31 dBm, the process proceeds to step ST7. Further, in the input power range of 31 ≦ Pin <38 dBm (step ST7: YES), the switching means 31 is turned on, the switching means 32 is turned on, the switching means 41 is turned off, and the switching is performed in order to rearrange the rectifying means to be in the state 4. The means 42 is turned off (step ST8). If it is determined in step ST7 that the input power range is not 31 ≦ Pin <38 dBm, the process proceeds to step ST9. Further, in the input power range of 38 ≦ Pin <40 dBm (step ST9: YES), in order to recombine the rectifying means to be in the state 5, the switching means 31 is turned off, the switching means 32 is turned on, and the switching means 42 is turned off ( Step ST10), the switching control is terminated. If the input power range is not 38 ≦ Pin <40 dBm in step ST9, the process ends as it is.
The control unit 8 executes such switching control at a constant cycle or at arbitrary timing.

  As described above, according to the rectifier of the first embodiment, a plurality of rectifying elements constituting rectifying means of n in series and m in parallel (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1), signal lines and m columns A first rectifying element switching means connected in series between the power input side of the rectifying element and a second rectifying element connected in parallel to a connection point between the signal line and m series connected rectifying elements Rectification by switching on and off the first and second rectifying element switching means according to the power measured by the switching means, the high-frequency power input to the rectifier, and the power measured by the input power measuring section Since the control unit that controls the combination of series and parallel connection of elements is provided, a wide range of input power can be handled with a small circuit area, and high RF-DC conversion efficiency can be realized.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the second embodiment, the load resistor 10 in the first embodiment is provided as a connection similar to the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24, and the first rectifying element switching means and the second rectifying element switching means are provided. A first load resistance switching unit and a second load resistance switching unit are provided so as to form a pair.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating the rectifier according to the second embodiment, which includes the rectifier circuit unit 1, switching means 111, 112, 121, 122, load resistors 101, 102, 103, 104, and the smoothing capacitor 9. Here, since the configuration of the rectifier circuit unit 1 is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding portions, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The switching means 111, 112, 121, 122 are connected to the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 to be paired, and the load resistors 101, 102, 103, 104 are rectifier elements 21, 22, 23, 24. Connected as well. That is, the load resistors 101, 103, 102, 104 are circuits having two series and two parallel circuits, and the power input side is connected to the output of the rectifier circuit unit 1. The switching means 111 and 112 are first load resistance switching means connected in series between the output of the rectifier circuit unit 1 and the power input side of the load resistors 101 and 102, and use, for example, an FET switch. Configured. These switching means 111 and 112 are configured to be controlled simultaneously with the switching means 31 and 32 by the control unit 8. For example, when the switching means 31 and 32 and the switching means 111 and 112 are both FET switches, the control unit 8 sets the gate voltage of the switching means 31 and the switching means 111 and the gate voltage of the switching means 32 and the switching means 112, respectively. Control on and off at the same time.

  The switching means 121 and 122 are second load resistance switching means connected in parallel to the connection point between the load resistances 101 and 103 connected in series and the connection point between the load resistances 102 and 104, respectively. It is configured using an FET switch. These switching means 121 and 122 are configured to be controlled simultaneously with the switching means 41 and 42 by the control unit 8. For example, when the switching means 41 and 42 and the switching means 121 and 122 are both FET switches, the control unit 8 sets the gate voltage of the switching means 41 and the switching means 121 and the gate voltage of the switching means 42 and the switching means 122, respectively. Control on and off at the same time.

Next, the operation of the rectifier according to Embodiment 2 will be described.
The high frequency (RF) input to the rectifying circuit unit 1 is input to the rectifying means via the input filter 5, and is converted to direct current (DC) by the non-linearity of the rectifying means. At this time, the input power measuring unit 7 measures the RF power input to the rectifying circuit unit 1 and transmits the measured power to the control unit 8. Based on the measured input power, the controller 8 switches the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 and the switching means 111, 112, 121, so that the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifier circuit section 1 is the highest. 122 is switched on and off at the same time, and the combination of the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, 24 and the load resistors 101, 102, 103, 104 is controlled. Here, the correspondence table referred to by the control unit 8 is that the “switching means 31” in the correspondence table in FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment is “switching means 31, 111” and the “switching means 32” is “switching means”. 32, 112 "," switching means 41 "is set to" switching means 41, 121 ", and" switching means 42 "is set to" switching means 42, 121 ". Further, regarding the switching control of the control unit 8 in the second embodiment, in the flowchart of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment, as the switching means in step ST2, step ST4, step ST6, step ST8, step ST10, the switching means 31, 32, 41, and 42 and the switching means 111, 112, 121, and 122 are controlled only at the same time, and therefore the illustration of the flowchart and details of each step are omitted.

  Then, the switching means 111, 112, 121, 122 paired with the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 and the load resistors 101, 102, 103, 104 connected in the same manner as the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, 24. And take out the output power.

  The overall impedance of the load resistors 101, 102, 103, 104 is proportional to the overall impedance of the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, 24. In the second embodiment, since the series and parallel connections of the load resistors 101, 102, 103, 104 are combined in the same manner as the combination of the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, 24, the optimum load for the rectifying means in each state Impedance can be obtained, and higher RF-DC conversion efficiency than that of the first embodiment can be obtained. In other words, the impedance of the entire rectifying element and the impedance of the entire load resistance are in a proportional relationship, and when the impedance of the entire rectifying element changes, the optimum load impedance also changes. As a result, an optimum load impedance can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the rectifier of the second embodiment, a plurality of load resistors having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1) connected to the output side of the rectifier, and the output of the rectifier Of the first load resistance switching means connected in series to the power input side of the signal line on the side and the load resistance of the m columns, and the connection point between the signal line on the output side of the rectifier and the m series of rectifying elements connected in series And a second load resistance switching means connected in parallel with each other, and the control unit determines the i th parallel j th rectifier element (1 ≦ i ≦ n, 1) in accordance with the power measured by the input power measuring unit. ≦ j ≦ m), the first or second rectifier switching means connected to the input power side, and the first or second load resistance switching means connected to the input power side of the series i-th parallel j-th load resistance Switch on and off at the same time, connect multiple rectifiers and multiple load resistors in series and in parallel Since so as to control at the same time, it is possible to realize a high RF-DC conversion efficiency over a wide range of input power with a small circuit area.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the third embodiment, a DC-DC converter 13 is provided on the output side of the rectifier.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating the rectifier according to the third embodiment, which includes the rectifier circuit unit 1 and the DC-DC converter 13. Here, since the configuration of the rectifier circuit unit 1 is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding portions, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The DC-DC converter 13 includes inductors 141, 142, 143, 144, switching means 151, 152, 161, 162, switching means 17, rectifying element 18, smoothing capacitor 9, load resistor 10, high frequency oscillator 19, and low frequency oscillator. 20 is provided. The inductors 141, 142, 143, and 144 are inductors for controlling the input impedance of two series and two parallel connected in the same manner as the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24, respectively. The switching means 151, 152, 161, 162 are switching means connected to be paired with the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42. That is, the switching means 151 and 152 are first inductor switching means connected in series between the output of the rectifier circuit unit 1 via the switching means 17 and the input side of the inductors 141 and 142, for example, FET It is configured using a switch. These switching means 151 and 152 are configured to be controlled simultaneously with the switching means 31 and 32 by the control unit 8. For example, when the switching means 31 and 32 and the switching means 151 and 152 are both FET switches, the control unit 8 sets the gate voltage of the switching means 31 and the switching means 151 and the gate voltage of the switching means 32 and the switching means 152, respectively. Control on and off at the same time.

  The switching means 161 and 162 are second inductor switching means connected in parallel to the connection points of the inductors 141 and 143 and the connection points of the inductors 142 and 144 connected in series, for example, using an FET switch. It is configured. These switching units 161 and 162 are configured to be controlled by the control unit 8 simultaneously with the switching units 41 and 42. For example, when the switching means 41 and 42 and the switching means 161 and 162 are both FET switches, the control unit 8 sets the gate voltage of the switching means 41 and the switching means 161 and the gate voltage of the switching means 42 and the switching means 162, respectively. Control on and off at the same time.

  The switching unit 17 is a switching unit provided between the output side of the rectifier circuit unit 1 and the input side of the inductors 141, 142, 143, and 144, and is configured using, for example, an FET switch. The rectifying element 18 is a rectifying element connected to the output side of the switching means 17, and is composed of, for example, a diode. The high-frequency oscillator 19 and the low-frequency oscillator 20 are circuits for controlling the on / off of the switching means 17 by synthesizing a control pulse with the output of the control unit 8 as an input.

  In the illustrated example, a step-up / step-down chopper circuit is used as the DC-DC converter 13. However, any converter such as a step-up type or a step-down type may be used as long as the circuit controls the load impedance.

Next, the operation of the rectifier according to Embodiment 3 will be described.
The high frequency (RF) input to the rectifying circuit unit 1 is input to the rectifying means via the input filter 5, and is converted to direct current (DC) by the non-linearity of the rectifying means. At this time, the input power measuring unit 7 measures the RF power input to the rectifier circuit unit 1 and transmits the measured power to the control unit 8. Based on the measured input power, the control unit 8 switches on and off the switching units 31, 32, 41, and 42 so that the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifying circuit unit 1 is the highest, and the rectifying element The combination of 21, 22, 23, and 24 is controlled. Here, the correspondence table referred to by the control unit 8 is that the “switching means 31” in the correspondence table in FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment is “switching means 31, 151” and the “switching means 32” is “switching means”. 32, 152 "," switching means 41 "is set to" switching means 41, 161 ", and" switching means 42 "is set to" switching means 42, 161 ", respectively. Further, regarding the switching control of the control unit 8 in the third embodiment, in the flowchart of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment, as the switching means in step ST2, step ST4, step ST6, step ST8, step ST10, the switching means 31, 32, 41, and 42 and the switching means 151, 152, 161, and 162 are controlled at the same time, and therefore the illustration of the flowchart and details of each step are omitted.

  The impedance on the output side viewed from the rectifier circuit unit 1 is proportional to the impedance of the entire rectifier elements 21, 22, 23, and 24, and is controlled by the DC-DC converter 13. In the DC-DC converter 13, the output-side impedance viewed from the rectifier circuit unit 1 is proportional to the inductances of the inductors 141, 142, 143, and 144 and the frequency of the high-frequency oscillator 19. It is inversely proportional to the pulse duty ratio. For this reason, the series and parallel connections of the inductors 141, 142, 143, and 144 in the DC-DC converter 13 arranged in the same manner as the rectifying means are combined in the same manner as the combination of the rectifying means, so that the rectifying means in each state. An optimum impedance can be obtained, and higher RF-DC conversion efficiency can be obtained as compared with the first embodiment. That is, the impedance of the entire rectifying element and the impedance of the entire inductor are in a proportional relationship, and when the impedance of the entire rectifying element changes, the optimum load impedance also changes, so the combination of the rectifying element and the inductor can be switched simultaneously. Thus, the optimum load impedance can be obtained.

  As an example of controlling the impedance on the output side viewed from the rectifier circuit unit 1, the recombination of the inductors 141, 142, 143, and 144 in the DC-DC converter 13 has been described, but a resistor that determines the frequency of the high-frequency oscillator 19 is used. It is also possible to combine the same as the rectifying element.

  As described above, according to the rectifier of the third embodiment, a plurality of inductors having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1) connected to the output side of the rectifier, and the output side of the rectifier The first inductor switching means connected in series to the power input side of the signal line and the m-row inductor and the connection point between the signal line on the output side of the rectifier and the m-series inductor connected in series are connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter having a second inductor switching unit, and the control unit is configured to control a series i-th parallel j-th rectifier element (1 ≦ i ≦ n, 1 ≦ j ≦ m) according to input power. The first or second rectifying element switching means connected to the input power side and the first or second inductor switching means of the i th series and the j th series are switched on and off at the same time. Simultaneous inductor and series connection Since Gosuru way, it is possible to realize a high RF-DC conversion efficiency over a wide range of input power with a small circuit area.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 8a switches the first and second rectifying element switching means on and off according to the output voltage of the rectifying circuit unit 1a.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram illustrating a rectifier according to the fourth embodiment.
The rectifier shown in FIG. 8 includes rectifier elements 21, 22, 23, and 24, switching means 31 and 32 as first rectifying element switching means, and switching as second rectifying element switching means in the rectifying circuit unit 1a. Means 41 and 42, an input filter 5, an output filter 6, and a control unit 8a are provided, and a smoothing capacitor 9 and a load resistor 10 are provided outside the rectifier circuit unit 1a. That is, in the rectifier of the fourth embodiment, the input power measurement unit 7 in the first embodiment is deleted, and the control unit 8a performs control based on the output voltage of the rectifier circuit unit 1a. Since the configuration other than this is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given to corresponding portions, and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of the rectifier according to Embodiment 4 will be described.
The high frequency (RF) input to the rectifying circuit unit 1a is input to the rectifying means via the input filter 5, and is converted into direct current (DC) by the non-linearity of the rectifying means. The output voltage of the rectifier circuit unit 1a increases as the input power increases. For this reason, the control part 8a switches on and off of the switching means 31, 32, 41, 42 according to the output voltage, and controls the combination of the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, 24. At this time, since the input power measurement is not required for the rearrangement of the rectifying elements 21, 22, 23, and 24, the circuit can be reduced and the power loss required for the power measurement can be reduced as compared with the configuration of the first embodiment. It is.

  FIG. 9 shows states 1, 2 and 3 as examples of rectifier combinations of the rectifier according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10 shows the input of the RF-DC conversion efficiency of the rectifier according to the fourth embodiment. An example of calculation of power dependence is shown. In FIG. 10, the input filter 5 and the output filter 6 are designed so that the RF-DC conversion efficiency is the highest in the state 3. In order for the output voltage to constantly increase as the input power increases, it is necessary to control so that the overall impedance of the rectifying means with respect to the input power does not have a maximum value or a minimum value. Therefore, in the present embodiment, state 1, state 2, and state 3 are selected from the five states shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 shows a correspondence table showing such recombination of the rectifying means. This correspondence table is stored in a memory or the like (not shown) and can be referred to by the control unit 8a. That is, this correspondence table shows recombination from state 1 to state 3 in the correspondence table shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing switching control of the switching means 31, 32, 41, and 42 by the control unit 8a. In the case of the calculation example shown in FIG. 10, since recombination from state 1 to state 3 is performed, the process up to step ST6 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is performed in the flowchart of FIG. Here, the processing of step ST1 to step ST6 is the same as the processing in the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, according to the rectifier of the fourth embodiment, a plurality of rectifying elements constituting rectifying means having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1), signal lines, and m columns A first rectifying element switching means connected in series between the power input side of the rectifying element and a second rectifying element connected in parallel to a connection point between the signal line and m series connected rectifying elements A small circuit comprising switching means and a control unit that switches on and off of the first and second rectifying element switching means according to the output voltage of the rectifier to control the combination of series and parallel connection of the rectifying elements. The area can accommodate a wide range of input power, and high RF-DC conversion efficiency can be realized.

  In the present invention, within the scope of the invention, any combination of the embodiments, or any modification of any component in each embodiment, or omission of any component in each embodiment is possible. .

  1, 1a Rectifier circuit unit, 5 input filter, 6 output filter, 7 input power measurement unit, 8, 8a control unit, 9 smoothing capacitor, 10, 101, 102, 103, 104 load resistance, 13 DC-DC converter, 18 , 21, 22, 23, 24 Rectifier, 17, 31, 32, 41, 42, 111, 112, 121, 122, 151, 152, 161, 162 Switching means, 141, 142, 143, 144 Inductor, 19 high Frequency oscillator, 20 Low frequency oscillator.

Claims (4)

A plurality of rectifying elements constituting rectifying means having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1);
First rectifier switching means connected in series between the signal line and the power input side of the m columns of rectifiers;
A second rectifying element switching means connected in parallel to a connection point between the signal lines and the m columns of serially connected rectifying elements;
An input power measurement unit that measures high-frequency power input to the rectifier;
A rectifier comprising: a control unit that switches on and off the first and second rectifying element switching means according to the power measured by the input power measuring unit to control a combination of series and parallel connections of the rectifying elements; . A plurality of load resistors of n in series and m in parallel (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1) connected to the output side of the rectifier;
First load resistance switching means connected in series to the signal line on the output side of the rectifier and the power input side of the m-row load resistance;
A second load resistance switching means connected in parallel to a connection point between the signal lines on the output side of the rectifier and the rectifier elements connected in series in the m columns;
The control unit is connected to the input power side of the ith rectifier element (1 ≦ i ≦ n, 1 ≦ j ≦ m) in series i-th parallel j-th according to the power measured by the input power measurement unit. The first or second rectifying element switching means and the first or second load resistance switching means connected to the input power side of the series i-th parallel j-th load resistance are simultaneously switched on and off, and the plurality of rectifications The rectifier according to claim 1, wherein a series connection and a parallel connection of an element and the plurality of load resistors are controlled simultaneously. A plurality of inductors having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1) connected to the output side of the rectifier;
First inductor switching means connected in series to the signal line on the output side of the rectifier and the power input side of the m-column inductor;
A DC-DC converter having the signal line on the output side of the rectifier and the second inductor switching means connected in parallel to the connection point between the m-series connected inductors in series;
The control unit switches the first or second rectifying element connected to the input power side of the serial i-th parallel j-th rectifying element (1 ≦ i ≦ n, 1 ≦ j ≦ m) according to input power. And simultaneously switching on and off of the first or second inductor switching means of the i th series and the j th series of the series, and simultaneously controlling the series and parallel connection of the plurality of rectifier elements and the plurality of inductors. The rectifier according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of rectifying elements constituting rectifying means having a series number n and a parallel number m (n ≧ 2, m ≧ 1);
First rectifier switching means connected in series between the signal line and the power input side of the m columns of rectifiers;
A second rectifying element switching means connected in parallel to a connection point between the signal lines and the m columns of serially connected rectifying elements;
A rectifier comprising: a control unit that switches on and off of the first and second rectifying element switching means according to an output voltage of the rectifier to control a combination of series and parallel connections of the rectifying elements.

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