Low-power architecture helps wireless sensing

Powercast Lifetime Power Wireless Sensor System broadcasts RF energy to power wireless sensors without batteries or wires up to 80 ft away from the transmitters.

April 29, 2011

Powercast Lifetime Power Wireless Sensor System for environmental monitoring in HVAC control and building automation broadcasts RF energy to power wireless sensors without batteries or wires. In the wireless powering system, receivers embedded inside the sensor nodes receive RF energy up to 60-80 ft away from the transmitters. Receivers then convert the RF energy into dc current to power the sensors wirelessly.

Broadcasted RF energy can reach and power sensors even through walls, above ceilings, and behind objects, and provides a reliable energy source as opposed to pure ambient energy-harvesting technologies such as indoor solar, thermal, or vibration.

It uses battery-less sensor nodes embedded with Powercast Powerharvester receivers, a WSG-101 Building Automation System (BAS) Gateway, and a Powercast TX91501 Powercaster transmitter.

The first available sensor is a temperature and humidity sensor, to be followed soon by sensors to measure CO2, pressure, light, and motion.

The BAS gateway can scale up to 100 sensor nodes and 800 sensor points, interfaces to wired BAS networks via industry-standard protocols (BACnet, Modbus, Metasys, and LonWorks) and communicates wirelessly at 2.4 GHz using IEEE 802.15.4 radios.

Powercast developed the system using RF transmitter and receiver energy-harvesting technology, and the other devices in its P2110-EVAL-01 Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Wireless Sensors. The receiver embedded in the sensor nodes is based on Powercast’s P2110 Powerharvester receiver, available for OEMs to design into products. 

www.powercastco.com

www.powercastco.com/products/wireless-sensor-system/

www.controleng.com/wireless