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Radio-frequency (RF) energy harvesting is a promising technology that obtains energy from electromagnetic waves. As an alternative energy source, this modern technology can provide power wirelessly enabling the practical use of battery-free devices and it is also expected to be widely used in future applications. Many studies have examined the effects of different modulation techniques on power or efficiency in RF energy-harvesting systems. In this article, the effects of different modulation techniques, such as amplitude shift keying (ASK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), phase-shift keying (PSK), and frequency shift keying (FSK) on charging time, were measured and theoretically analyzed in detail. The measurement system was designed using a signal generator, an RF energy-harvesting circuit, and other auxiliary devices. The signal generator produced four different modulated signals as transmit power signals from 1 to 10 dBm at the interval of 1 dBm, and then, the RF energy-harvesting circuit was fed with these power signals. According to the measurement results, four different modulation techniques charged the RF energy-harvesting circuit at different times. It was observed that the 4-ASK modulation technique had the shortest charging time in the range of 1–10 dBm when comparing to QAM, PSK, and FSK modulation techniques, and thus, it was evaluated to be the most suitable modulation technique for the RF energy-harvesting system among these modulation techniques in terms of charging time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio-frequency (RF) energy harvesting is a promising technology that obtains energy from electromagnetic waves. As an alternative energy source, this modern technology can provide power wirelessly enabling the practical use of battery-free devices and it is also expected to be widely used in future applications. Many studies have examined the effects of different modulation techniques on power or efficiency in RF energy-harvesting systems. In this article, the effects of different modulation techniques, such as amplitude shift keying (ASK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), phase-shift keying (PSK), and frequency shift keying (FSK) on charging time, were measured and theoretically analyzed in detail. The measurement system was designed using a signal generator, an RF energy-harvesting circuit, and other auxiliary devices. The signal generator produced four different modulated signals as transmit power signals from 1 to 10 dBm at the interval of 1 dBm, and then, the RF energy-harvesting circuit was fed with these power signals. According to the measurement results, four different modulation techniques charged the RF energy-harvesting circuit at different times. It was observed that the 4-ASK modulation technique had the shortest charging time in the range of 1–10 dBm when comparing to QAM, PSK, and FSK modulation techniques, and thus, it was evaluated to be the most suitable modulation technique for the RF energy-harvesting system among these modulation techniques in terms of charging time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important research areas searches for new sources of energy and for the highest efficiency from existing energy sources. Radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting is a promising alternative to obtain energy for wireless devices directly from RF energy sources in the environment. In this paper, we provide a broad overview of the main blocks of RF energy harvesting systems, which are the wireless transmission medium, the antenna and impedance matching circuit, the rectifier, the voltage multiplier, and the energy storage device or load. The characteristics of these blocks directly affect the performance of an RF energy harvesting system. We mainly focus on the ratio of output and input powers at each block, named as the conversion efficiency and the impedance matching efficiency, which determines the overall efficiency of system. We present detailed information about the system parameters. Thus, we characterize an RF energy harvesting system, which makes the design of system possible to obtain the maximum efficiency and correspondingly the maximum output power, providing the necessary insight about the design of RF energy harvesting systems. • A broad overview of main blocks of RF energy harvesting systems. • Characteristic of circuits affecting the performance of RF energy harvesting. • Overall efficiency of RF energy harvesting systems. • Necessary insight about the design of RF energy harvesting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]