Powering Development Wirelessly: Improvements in Far-Field Instrument Power

In this study, far-field mobile electrical power options for inexpensively mobile sensors are thoroughly investigated. Emphasis is placed on situations in which sensor placements are uncertain and battery replacement is not practicable. Low-power nondirectional mobile battery backup becomes a possibility for sensors with occasional data transmission demands, estimated radiofrequency (RF) power consumption ranging from 20 to 200 W/cm2, and a necessity for small sensor dimensions. The sensor system uses an antenna to collect coming GHz electromagnetic waves, then transforms this energy into electricity for a storage device, which could be a thin-film battery, using a rectifier circuit. This method makes it possible for the full platform-which includes gauges, an inexpensively Bluetooth transmitter, including a low-power CPU for management-to function continuously. To maximize performance, particularly at reduced incident energy levels, RF power receipt and power control circuits must be designed in concert. Both hybrid and modular power management circuitry options are described and evaluated in this research.