Transporting information and energy simultaneously

TLDR

The problem is motivated by powerline communication, RFID, covert packet timing, and energy‑scavenging systems. The study investigates the tradeoff between energy and reliable information transmission rates over a noisy line. The authors define a capacity‑energy function and prove a coding theorem. The capacity‑energy function is a non‑increasing concave function, and the authors compute it for several channels.

Abstract

The fundamental tradeoff between the rates at which energy and reliable information can be transmitted over a single noisy line is studied. Engineering inspiration for this problem is provided by powerline communication, RFID systems, and covert packet timing systems as well as communication systems that scavenge received energy. A capacity-energy function is defined and a coding theorem is given. The capacity-energy function is a non-increasing concave cap function. Capacity-energy functions for several channels are computed.