Efficient Multi-Hop Wireless Power Transfer for the Indoor Environment

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless sensor networks (WSN), the modern world requires advanced solutions for the wireless powering of low-power autonomous devices. The present study addresses the wireless power transfer (WPT) efficiency problem by exploiting a multi-hop concept-based technique to increase the received power at the end sensor node (ESN). The current work adopts efficient multi-hop technology from the communications field to examine its impact on WPT performance. The investigation involves power transfer modeling and experimental measurements in a sub-GHz frequency range, chosen for being capable of providing a greater distance to transmit power. The paper proposes a multi-hop (MH) WPT concept based on signal amplification and demonstrates the fabricated multi-hop node (MHN) prototype. The experimental verification of the MHN is performed in the laboratory environment. The present paper examines two WPT scenarios: line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS). The turn-on angle of 90 degrees on MHN is used for the NLoS case. The received power and RF-DC converted voltage on the ESN are measured for all investigated scenarios. Moreover, the paper proposes an efficient simulation approach for the performance evaluation of MH WPT technology, providing an opportunity to analyze and optimize wireless sensor nodes’ spatial distribution to increase the received power.