Microwave Energy Transmission (Applied Radio Engineering for Humansphere/Shinohara Lab)
Microwave power transmission is a power transmission technology, by which electricity is wirelessly tranmitted via microwave. We are studying on microwave power transmission systems for terrestrial radio applications and for "Solar Power Sattellite/Station" concept. We are also studying on space plasma waves and microwave heating applications.
Related Subjects: Microwave engineering, Radio enginnering, Communication engineering, Electromagnetics, Electronic circuit, Signal processing, Automatic control engineering, etc.
Academic Staff
Naoki SHINOHARA
Professor (Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere)
Research Interests
Contacts
TEL: +81-774-38-3807
FAX: +81-774-31-8463
E-mail: shino@rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Tomohiko MITANI
Associate Professor (Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere)
Research Interests
- Microwave power transmission
- Magnetron (Microwave tube)
- Microwave heating application
Contacts
Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011
TEL: +81-774-38-3880
FAX: +81-774-31-8463
E-mail: mitani/henkan/rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp (/henkan/ -> @)
Introduction to R&D Topics
Microwave power transmisson systems
Microwave is a type of radio waves, whose wave length is 30cm to 1cm and whose frequency is 1GHz to 30GHz ("G" means 10 to the 9th power.). Microwave is widely used for a lot of radio applications in our living environment; mobile phones, wireless LAN, satellite broadcasting, microwave ovens, etc. We are studying on microwave power transmission sytems as a new microwave application.
Onging topics on microwave power transmission systems are as follows;
- Ubiquitous power services: microwave power transsmision for small devices
- Microwave power charging system for electric vehicles
- Microwave power distribution system in a building
- Microwave power transmission systems for Solar Power Satellite
R&D of transmitting systems and receiving systems (rectennas) for microwave power transmission
We are studying on microwave power transmitting sytems with solid state devices or microwave tubes. Requirements for the transmitting sytems are low loss, low noise, frequency & phase stability, etc. We have developed highly-efficient and low-cost transmitting systems with magnetron (which is widely used as a microwave power source of a microwave oven), and compact, light-weight, and multi-functional transmitting systems with solid state devices.
Also, we are studying on microwave power receiving sytems so called "rectennas". Requirements for the rectennas are low loss, small in size, high-power or low-power rectification etc. We conduct these studies through circuit designing, experimental production and measurement.
Beam control technology with a large number of antennas
In some microwave power transmission systems, a pilot signal is transmitted from a receiving site to the transmitting site, and microwave power is transmitted to the direction which the pilot signal comes from. This is called "retro-irective" system. For highly-efficient and precise microwave power transmission, we are studying on retro-directive systems and beam control technology without a pilot signal, beam forming algorithm of phased antenna array for low sidelobe level.
Research on plasma waves by scientific satellites satellites
Low frequency waves up to 1 MHz are observed by the lunar orbiter, "KAGUYA" launched in September, 2007. Plasma wave phenomena in wakes created by the solar wind at the back of the moon and wave phenomena in the magnetosphere and the solar wind are studied. By the Geotail satellite launched in 1992, the plasma waves with mainly several 100-kHz which come out from the auroral region and those from the equatorial region which was discovered by ourselves are studied. Comparison of the oservation results by both satellites offers valuable information.
Microwave heating applications
Microwave heating is a kind of heating methods and it is expected as an energy-saving heating, because materials can be evenly heated in a short time.
We are studying on the following microwave heating applications;
- Development of a microwave irradiation system for bio-ethanol production from woody biomass
- Development of a microwave heating system for material processing
