Far-Field Wireless Power Transfer for IoT Sensors

For employing large IoT wireless sensor networks, powering the sensors by cabling or primary batteries is not feasible. Using radiated fields seems to be a possible alternative. However, the expected power densities from ambient radio frequency (RF) sources (Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), digital television (DTV), WiFi) are too small for a practical use. Using dedicated transmitters in a wireless power transfer setup, using the (power-restricted) license-free ISM frequency bands will increase the levels by an order of magnitude. Then through a careful co-design of the rectifier, receive antenna and the power management, the powering of low-power, duty-cycled wireless IoT sensors becomes feasible. The models employed for the rectifier are outlined. Then working from the core (the rectifier) toward both extremeties (the antenna and the power management circuit), the design procedure for a rectifying antenna or rectena is outlined. Future perspectives for increasing the rectenna’s efficiency and the amount of power being received are outlined, using transient arrays and multisine signals.

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