Efficient Power Splitting and Conversion in Ferrite/Piezoelectric Transformer Magnetoelectric Composites

Developing efficient power-splitting device for multichannel distributed low-frequency (LF) mechanical antenna (MA) communication system is challenging since conventional LF power-splitting technologies rely on lumped resistive elements with unsatisfied efficiency and poor electrical isolation. In view of this, a magnetoelectric (ME) power splitter consisting of nickel–zinc ferrite and Rosen-type piezoelectric transformer composite was modeled, fabricated, and packaged with a supporting theory to quantitatively describe the power-splitting ratio. To reveal the energy loss between interlayers, a noncontact optical Doppler measurement was employed to track the energy losses between interlayers. Results show that favorable input-to-output isolation with a high insulation voltage of 2.35 kV in the packaged device was obtained, and the maximum PE for Port I and Port II reached 34.45% and 35.87% at R L = 1 kΩ and R L = 13 kΩ, respectively, in tailored sample with thickness ratio of n p = 0.412, and then the measured splitting ratio approximates 1.1 and matches well with the theoretical predictions. Finally, the proposed ME splitter was deployed in a dual-channel distributed LF communication system for implementing each MA excitation, the system divided one source into two independent transmitting ME antennas and accomplished 20 bps amplitude shift keying modulated signal delivery to searching coils under a distance of 125 cm and an input power of 3.57 mW.