A deep analysis of the problem associated to interface circuits for quartz-crystal-microbalance sensors reveals that the so-called static capacitance of the sensor is one of the elements which make the use of oscillators more critical for sensors applications. A phase-locked-loop based circuit designed for compensating the parallel capacitance in quartz crystal resonator sensors is presented. This circuit permits the calibration of the external circuitry to the sensor and provides a continuous measurement of the motional series resonant frequency and motional resistance. An extension and automation of the proposed system for multiple sensor characterization is introduced. Experimental results are also shown.

In this paper, we focus on ambient radio frequency energy available from commercial broadcasting stations in order to provide a system based on RF energy harvesting using a new design of receiving antenna. Several antenna designs have been proposed for use in RF energy harvesting systems, as a pertinent receiving antenna design is highly required since the antenna features can affect the amount of energy harvested. The proposed antenna is aimed at greatly increasing the energy harvesting efficiency over Wi-Fi bands: 2.45 GHz and 5 GHz. This provides a promising alternative energy source in order to power sensors located in harsh environments or remote places, where other energy sources are impracticable. The dual-band antenna can be easily integrated with RF energy harvesting system on the same circuit board. Simulations and measurements were carried out to evaluate the antenna performances and investigate the effects of different design parameters on the antenna performance. The receiving antenna meets the required bandwidth specification and provides peak gain of more than 4 dBi across the operating band.

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