Capacitive Powered Sensor Network Using a Series Transmission Line

Abstract

Most sensors require some form of electric power in order to operate and transmit data to a network. Such devices on a network often have individual batteries for each sensor node. This requires each battery either to be recharged by a nearby energy source (solar or DC source) or be replaced. In many applications it is quite challenging to supply power for a distributed sensor network with nearby energy sources. Here we present a method utilizing Quasi-Wireless Capacitive (QWiC) power transfer to operate a single sensor node over a transmission line with a stray capacitive ground return path. This allows the sensor node to be powered on a single conductive surface without a physical return conductor. We will utilize a Marx inverter to drive the system. The sensor node will be capable of sending sensor data over a wireless far-field RF network. This paper will evaluate the system efficiency and take quantitative measurements of key parameters that define performance. The main aim of this work is to develop a single node that can be flexible enough to allow greater sensor node density in future applications. The resulting system demonstrates the viability of using QWiC power transfer in order to power sensor networks on a single conductive surface. The main aim of this work is to develop a single node that can be flexible enough to allow greater sensor node density in future applications.