Zero-power wireless sensor network for smart homes

在新一代无线技术的推动下，新兴的物联网(IoT)应用渗透到我们生活的方方面面。物联网设备要求具有可扩展性、灵活性、多用途和能源自主性。**物联网设备涉及监控环境中物理或化学变化的无线传感器。这些传感设备通常有一个小的处理单元、一个或多个传感器、一个电信子系统和一个电池。**这种类型的无线传感器的主要挑战之一是功耗，这增加了网络的维护成本，特别是在设备数量很大的情况下。最近，我们提出了实现零功率无线传感器的新概念，这将显著降低功率、组件数量和成本。我们提出的方法是基于多端口结构，省去了数字化器、处理器和射频子系统，而将传感器直接集成到调制器和射频系统中，从而简化了传感系统。**为了让生活变得舒适，减少家庭账单，减少家庭的碳足迹，需要大量的传感器来获取建筑每个角落的准确信息，进行分析，并立即做出反应。在当今的技术中，这样的传感器必须通过电缆或电池连接到电源。因此，传感器网络包括安装和维护在内的总体成本将是巨大的。拟议计划的目标是将这项技术应用于智能建筑，并开发商业上可行的产品。**拟议的技术有可能在艾伯塔省创造许多高薪、高科技的工作岗位。这一点至关重要，因为艾伯塔省试图实现经济多元化，以便在油价波动的情况下保持强劲。

Driven by a new generation of wireless technology, the applications of the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) pervade all aspect of our lives. IoT devices are required to be scalable, flexible, multi-purpose, and energy autonomous.**IoT devices involve wireless sensors that monitor physical or chemical changes in the environment. These sensing devices usually have a small processing unit, one or more sensors, a telecommunication subsystem, and a battery.**One of the main challenges of this type of wireless sensor is power consumption, which increases the maintenance costs of networks, especially with a large number of devices. Recently, we proposed new concepts for implementing zero-power wireless sensors, which will dramatically reduce power, component count, and cost. Our proposed method is based on multi-port structures that simplify the sensing system by eliminating the digitizer, processor, and the RF subsystem and integrating the sensor directly into the modulator and RF system. **In order to make living comfortable, reduce home bills, and reduce the home's carbon footprint, a large number of sensors are required to obtain accurate information about every corner of the building, analyze them, and respond immediately. With today's technologies, such sensors must be connected to power sources, either by cabling or batteries. Therefore, the overall cost of a sensor network including its installation and maintenance will be huge. The objective of the proposed program is to apply this technology to smart buildings and to develop commercially viable products.**The proposed technology has the potential to create many high-paid, high-tech jobs in the province of Alberta. This is critical as the province of Alberta attempts to diversify its economy so that it remains robust through fluctuations in the price of oil.******