Quantum mechanics

Engineering

RF power amplifier

Bandwidth (computing)

Systems engineering

Energy (signal processing)

Systems design

Radio frequency

Telecommunications

Power (physics)

Amplifier

Computer science

Energy harvesting

Electronic circuit

Rectifier (neural networks)

Stochastic neural network

Physics

Electronic engineering

Software engineering

Artificial neural network

Recurrent neural network

Machine learning

Electrical engineering

International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer-Aided Engineering

One of the main challenges in implementing sensor devices for internet of things (IoTs), is the means for the operating power supply. RF energy harvesting (RFEH) presents a promising solution as RF power is a suitable choice particularly for cases where solar harvesting is not feasible. However, in spite of RF communication system design being a well-established, there are several challenges poised for the implementation of the RFEH systems especially for harvesting the ambient RF signals. The challenges can be widely categorized as the overall conversion efficiency, bandwidth, and form factor. In this article, an exhaustive survey on the different RFEH system that is reported is carried out and discussed. Important design issues are identified with insights drawn. First, we have presented the challenges in designing antennas for RFEH systems. This is followed by rectifier circuits and matching networks, and eventually a general frame work for designing of ambient RFEH systems is deduced.

RF energy harvesting systems: An overview and design issues