Smart Remote Nodes Fed by Power Over Fiber in Internet of Things Applications

Abstract

Smart IoT solutions integrated into power grid stations are important due to their high economic and social value. Power over fiber technology to remotely feeding sensors and control electronics is a good choice in these environments of high electromagnetic interference. A sensing system design for magnetic field monitoring, fire and temperature/presence detection, and remotely fed by optical means is discussed. This design includes two types of nodes, smart and passive. Smart remote nodes have an energy manager to provide power on demand. Asymmetric splitting is proposed to optimize power distribution. Some tests on remote node power consumption, feeding, sensing, and centralized monitoring in one type of those nodes are successfully performed and reported.