Scientists from Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a wirelessly powered relay which is more robust, and could accelerate the deployment of 5G networks in smart factories, according to a press release from the university.
For high-tech factories and warehouses to use 5G networks to orchestrate their operations they need wireless sensors and transceivers embedded in robots, production machinery, and autonomous vehicles. But powering those sensors and transceivers can be a challenge. “To avoid relying on cumbersome wired power sources, sensors and transceivers can be energized remotely via wireless power transfer (WPT),” a Tokyo Tech press release said.
But there is another challenge. Conventional WPT designs, which operate at 24 GHz, use extremely narrow transmission beams to avoid energy losses. To address these WPT limitations, the research team from Tokyo Tech adopted a lower operating frequency, 5.7 GHz, for wireless power transfer. The proposed relay design solves many of the current constraints, including range and efficiency. In turn, this is designed to allow for a more versatile and widespread arrangement of sensors and transceivers in industrial settings.
“By using a lower WPT frequency, we can get wider coverage than conventional 24 GHz WPT systems, enabling a wider range of devices to operate simultaneously,” explains Senior Author and Associate Professor Atsushi Shirane.
A key innovation in this design is the use of the 5.7 GHz WPT signal as both a means of generating DC power using a rectifier and as an oscillator for the mixing and unmixing circuits, according to Shirane.
“By amplifying the input signal after down conversion to a lower frequency via mixing, this circuit achieves higher efficiency and gain,” he said.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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