Wireless Networks With RF Energy Harvesting: A Contemporary Survey

• Published in: IEEE Communications surveys and tutorials Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 757 - 789
• Main Authors: Xiao Lu, Ping Wang, Niyato, Dusit, Dong In Kim, Zhu Han
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.01.2015
• Subjects: beamforming; communication protocols; Couplings; Energy exchange; Energy harvesting; Radio frequency; receiver operation policy; RF energy harvesting; RF signals; RF-powered Cognitive radio network; simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT); Wireless communication; Wireless sensor networks; magnetic MIMO; receiver operation policy; RF energy harvesting; RF-powered Cognitive radio network; simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT); communication protocols; beamforming
• ISSN: 1553-877X
• DOI: 10.1109/COMST.2014.2368999

Radio frequency (RF) energy transfer and harvesting techniques have recently become alternative methods to power the next-generation wireless networks. As this emerging technology enables proactive energy replenishment of wireless devices, it is advantageous in supporting applications with quality-of-service requirements. In this paper, we present a comprehensive literature review on the research progresses in wireless networks with RF energy harvesting capability, which is referred to as RF energy harvesting networks (RF-EHNs). First, we present an overview of the RF-EHNs including system architecture, RF energy harvesting techniques, and existing applications. Then, we present the background in circuit design as well as the state-of-the-art circuitry implementations and review the communication protocols specially designed for RF-EHNs. We also explore various key design issues in the development of RF-EHNs according to the network types, i.e., single-hop networks, multiantenna networks, relay networks, and cognitive radio networks. Finally, we envision some open research directions.