On the use of electromagnetic waves as means of power supply in wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be typically used to achieve continuous monitoring (CM) or event detection inside the supervised area. In CM applications, each sensor node transmits periodically its sensed data to the sink node, while in event-detection driven (EDD) applications, once an event occurs, it is reported to the sink node. Hence, CM applications entail much higher energy consumption since all nodes are actively transmitting information much longer than typical EDD applications. Furthermore, in highly dense WSNs, the energy consumption is even higher. As such, the use of autonomous devices that provide a constant energy supply is becoming relevant for these environments. In this work, we propose to take advantage of the electromagnetic waves found in the radio-electric spectrum in order to supply the energy to each node in the network. To this end, the antenna and the storage and amplifications system for such device are designed. Additionally, the performance of dense CM WSN is studied using a Markov chain in order to calculate the lifetime of the system.

Residual Energy-Based Strategies for the Transmission Probability and Duty-Cycle Selection in Wireless Sensor Networks

“…Furthermore, in recent years the concept of Energy Harvesting has been gaining relevance in WSNs [9–11]. In some schemes of Energy Harvesting, the nodes that have a low energy level can be recharged.…”

Energy-Efficient ZigBee-Based Wireless Sensor Network for Track Bicycle Performance Monitoring

“…A number of works have been carried out related to the utilization of environmental and mechanical sources to harvest energy by supply or charge the sensor nodes to extend the WSN lifetime. These environmental sources are available in many forms, including thermal energy, electromagnetic waves, and sunlight [ 14 , 15 ], while the mechanical energy sources are generated when a sensor node is subjected to some mechanical deformation or movement and modified into electrical energy by several methods, including electromagnetic, electrostatic, and vibration based on piezoelectric conversion [ 16 , 17 ]. The aforementioned of the two energy sources can provide an almost infinite lifetime for a sensor node and can produce up to tens of mW of power [ 18 , 19 ], depending on transducer size and type.…”