ULP Receivers in Self-Powered Industrial loT Applications: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

Self-powered systems (SPSs) that harvest energy from the ambient environment, eliminating the battery, are gaining traction due to the increasing need for large-scale data collection in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) space. The ultra-low-power receiver (ULP RX) is one promising solution for this application space that provides benefits from its energy-efficient operation. This paper discusses the requirements of self-powered wireless systems for IIoT applications and the challenges of designing ULP RXs for real-world deployments. Circuit design techniques to address the issues are summarized, and an ULP RX design with a proprietary protocol that is being adopted by commercialized SPSs is presented. Finally, the prospects and future trends for ULP receivers are summarized.