Inductively Powered Sensornode Transmitter Based on the Interconnection of a Colpitts and a Parallel Resonant LC Oscillator

An inductively powered passive transmitter architecture for wireless sensornodes is presented in this paper. The intended applications are inductively powered internally illuminated photoreactors. The application range of photoreactors is wide. They are used, e.g., for microalgae cultivation or for photochemistry, just to name two important fields of use. The inductive powering system used to transmit energy to the wireless internal illumination system is to be additionally used to supply the here presented transmitter. The aim of expanding the named internal illuminated photoreactors with wireless sensors is to obtain a better insight into the processes inside it. This will be achieved by measuring essential parameters such as, e.g., the temperature, pH value, or gas concentrations of the medium inside the reactor, which for algal cultivation would be water. Due to the passive architecture of the transmitter electronics, there is no need for batteries, and therefore, no temporal limitations in their operational cycle are given. The data transmission is also implemented using the inductive layer in the low frequency range. The data transmitting coil and the energy receive coil are implemented as one and the same coil in order to avoid interference and unwanted couplings between them, and in order to save weight and space. Additionally, the transmitter works in a two-step alternating cycle: the energy harvesting step, followed by the data transmission step. The measured values are sent using on-off keying. Therefore, a Colpitts oscillator is switched on and off. The circuit is simulated using SPICE simulations and consequentially implemented as a prototype in order to perform practical analyses and measurements. The feasibility of our transmitter is therefore shown with the performed circuit simulations, and practically, by testing our prototype on an internal illuminated laboratory scaled photoreactor.

Automated summary

An architecture of an inductively powered passive transmitter for wireless sensor nodes is introduced in this paper. The transmitter is designed for inductively powered internally illuminated photoreactors. By integrating wireless sensors into the transmitter, a better understanding of the processes inside the photoreactors can be achieved. The passive electronics of the transmitter eliminate the need for batteries, allowing for continuous operation. Data transmission is implemented using the inductive layer in the low frequency range, with the data transmitting coil and energy receiving coil being implemented as the same coil for interference avoidance and weight and space saving. The transmitter operates in a two-step alternating cycle of energy harvesting and data transmission.