RF Energy Harvesting-Aided IoT Network: System Design and Prototype Implementation.

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Wireless Communication

Background:

• The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices necessitates sustainable energy solutions.
• Traditional IoT networks focus on wireless information transfer (WIT), neglecting energy supply challenges.
• Wireless power transfer (WPT) offers a potential solution for powering remote or numerous IoT devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel IoT network architecture integrating RF energy harvesting for wireless power transfer (WPT).
• To combine wireless information transfer (WIT) and wireless power transfer (WPT) capabilities within a single IoT network.
• To validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed RF energy harvesting-aided IoT network.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of a WPT transmitter and receiver into the IoT network's gateway and end-devices.
• Implementation of a time-division scheme to coordinate WPT and WIT, minimizing interference.
• Experimental validation of the proposed network's performance.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of WPT capabilities into an IoT network alongside WIT.
• Demonstration of RF energy harvesting as a viable power source for IoT devices.
• Validation of the network's effectiveness and efficiency through experimentation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed RF energy harvesting-aided IoT network effectively combines WIT and WPT.
• This approach provides a new energy supply method for IoT devices, enhancing their operational longevity.
• The experimental results confirm the feasibility and efficiency of the integrated system.