Sequential phase optimization for coherent combination of distributed transmissions at a non-communicative receiver

This article provides a summary of the development of a technique for creating coherence of transmissions from multiple, independent, distributed transmitters at the location of a non-communicative receiver for the purposes of long-range wireless power transfer (WPT). This technique has been named sequential phase optimization. This article presents a brief review of long-range distributed WPT techniques, the development of the sequential phase optimization process including results of mathematical modeling performed in MATLAB, and the results of laboratory experiments to demonstrate the technique. This article presents new simulations and experimental results that are additional to what has been presented before. The testing demonstrated that each additional power beacon (PB) added approximately 3 dB of power at the receiver once the synchronization process had been completed. Synchronization time was demonstrated using phase cycling times as short as 24.6 μs.