Wirelessly powered energy autonomous sensor networks

For wireless sensor networks, network life time is a critical aspect to the success of the system. Due to high maintenance costs, energy autonomous sensor networks are highly desirable. RF powering provides such a solution by charging the sensor nodes on the field. However, how to deploy such a kind of system efficiently is still left as an open question. This paper is motivated to formulate an answer to this question. Aiming at the critical infrastructure monitoring application, three network models are proposed and evaluated in terms of feasibility, energy efficiency, and hardware complexity.