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Wireless Information and Energy Transfer in the Era of 6G Communications

Constantinos Psomas, Konstantinos Ntougias, Nikita Shanin, Dongfang Xu, Kenneth MacSporran Mayer, Nguyen Minh Tran, Laura Cottatellucci, Kae Won Choi, Dong In Kim, Robert Schober, Ioannis Krikidis

TL;DR

The comprehensive overview of the state of the art of WIET presented in this article highlights the potential of WIET systems and their overall benefits in 6G networks.

Abstract

Wireless information and energy transfer (WIET) represents an emerging paradigm which employs controllable transmission of radio-frequency signals for the dual purpose of data communication and wireless charging. As such, WIET is widely regarded as an enabler of envisioned 6G use cases that rely on energy-sustainable Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks, such as smart cities and smart grids. Meeting the quality-of-service demands of WIET, in terms of both data transfer and power delivery, requires effective co-design of the information and energy signals. In this article, we present the main principles and design aspects of WIET, focusing on its integration in 6G networks. First, we discuss how conventional communication notions such as resource allocation and waveform design need to be revisited in the context of WIET. Next, we consider various candidate 6G technologies that can boost WIET efficiency, namely, holographic multiple-input multiple-output, near-field beamforming, terahertz communication, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs), and reconfigurable (fluid) antenna arrays. We introduce respective WIET design methods, analyze the promising performance gains of these WIET systems, and discuss challenges, open issues, and future research directions. Finally, a near-field energy beamforming scheme and a power-based IRS beamforming algorithm are experimentally validated using a wireless energy transfer testbed. The vision of WIET in communication systems has been gaining momentum in recent years, with constant progress with respect to theoretical but also practical aspects. The comprehensive overview of the state of the art of WIET presented in this paper highlights the potentials of WIET systems as well as their overall benefits in 6G networks.

Wireless Information and Energy Transfer in the Era of 6G Communications

TL;DR

The comprehensive overview of the state of the art of WIET presented in this article highlights the potential of WIET systems and their overall benefits in 6G networks.

Abstract

Wireless information and energy transfer (WIET) represents an emerging paradigm which employs controllable transmission of radio-frequency signals for the dual purpose of data communication and wireless charging. As such, WIET is widely regarded as an enabler of envisioned 6G use cases that rely on energy-sustainable Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks, such as smart cities and smart grids. Meeting the quality-of-service demands of WIET, in terms of both data transfer and power delivery, requires effective co-design of the information and energy signals. In this article, we present the main principles and design aspects of WIET, focusing on its integration in 6G networks. First, we discuss how conventional communication notions such as resource allocation and waveform design need to be revisited in the context of WIET. Next, we consider various candidate 6G technologies that can boost WIET efficiency, namely, holographic multiple-input multiple-output, near-field beamforming, terahertz communication, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs), and reconfigurable (fluid) antenna arrays. We introduce respective WIET design methods, analyze the promising performance gains of these WIET systems, and discuss challenges, open issues, and future research directions. Finally, a near-field energy beamforming scheme and a power-based IRS beamforming algorithm are experimentally validated using a wireless energy transfer testbed. The vision of WIET in communication systems has been gaining momentum in recent years, with constant progress with respect to theoretical but also practical aspects. The comprehensive overview of the state of the art of WIET presented in this paper highlights the potentials of WIET systems as well as their overall benefits in 6G networks.
Paper Structure (50 sections, 54 equations, 33 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 50 sections, 54 equations, 33 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Contributions and Comparison with Related Works
  3. Structure
  4. Preliminaries on WIET & RF-EH Models
  5. Linear Model
  6. Non-linear Saturation Model
  7. Non-linear Circuit-based Model
  8. Design of Signal Processing & Communications for WIET
  9. Resource Allocation for WIET
  10. WIET-based Resource Allocation
  11. Problem Formulation
  12. Simulation Results
  13. WIET-based Waveform Design
  14. Superimposed Chirp Waveform for WIET
  15. Energy and Information Transfer
  16. ...and 35 more sections

Figures (33)

  • Figure 1: Structure and organization of this paper.
  • Figure 2: A simple rectenna circuit for RF-EH.
  • Figure 3: Average system WIT efficiency (bit/Hz/Joule) versus minimum required WET efficiency.
  • Figure 4: Instantaneous frequency of chirp waveforms with $\xi = 2$Roy2023.
  • Figure 5: Selection of $\widetilde{N}$ strongest subbands out of $N$ available subbands Roy2023.
  • ...and 28 more figures