Design and Performance Evaluation of a Wi-Fi Energy Harvester for Energizing Low Power Devices

Abstract

With the increase in applications related to smart home communication, intelligent health care, environmental monitoring and Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for low-power electronic devices have increased significantly. Usually, a replaceable battery would be selected as an energy source for these electronic devices, but it is impractical to replace batteries in some areas that may be difficult to reach or potentially dangerous. Also, batteries add to the size, and their disposal causes environmental pollution. This has raised a need for reliable, continuous and environment-friendly sources of powering and charging these devices. Considering the ubiquitous nature of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) in terms of its accessibility, widespread availability, and high-speed data access, one of the options of harvesting energy is from Wi-Fi signals. The ability to harvest Wi-Fi energy from ambient or dedicated sources enables wireless charging of low-power devices. This paper develops the framework for a Wi-Fi Energy Harvesting system based on the 7-stage Villard rectifier voltage multiplier circuit, which was analyzed and simulated using Agilent Design Systems (ADS). The design, simulation, and performance evaluation of the circuit are described in the paper. The output of the multiplier circuit is given to the power management circuit, and a final simulated output of 3.3 V / 5 V is achieved.