Wireless sensor networks with RF energy harvesting: Energy models and analysis

Abstract

This paper formulates the location-dependent power harvesting rates in generalized 2D and 3D placement of multiple Radio Frequency (RF) Energy Transmitters (ETs) for recharging the nodes of a wireless sensor network (WSN). In particular, we study the distributions of total available and harvested power over the entire WSN. We provide closed matrix forms of harvestable power at any given point in space due to the action of concurrent energy transfer from multiple ETs, explicitly considering constructive and destructive interference of the transmitted energy signals. We also analyze the performance of energy transfer in the WSN through power outage probability, interference, and harvested voltage as a function of the wireless power received from the ETs. Our results reveal that the network wide received power and interference power from concurrent energy transfers exhibit Log-Normal distributions, and the harvested voltage over the network follows a Rayleigh distribution.