http://www.rfwirelesssensors.com A Powercast Blog Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:13:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 http://www.rfwirelesssensors.com/2008/12/rf-powered-wireless-sensor-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Harry Ostaffe Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:14:26 +0000 http://www.rfwirelesssensors.com/?p=1#comment-10 Powercast is actively working with multiple suppliers of energy storage technology - batteries, solid state/thin film, and supercapacitors. Our technology has been used to provide continuous trickle charging for AA/AAA-type rechargeable batteries, and we've demonstrated recharging mobile phone type batteries. Wireless sensors with low duty cycles and long sleep cycles actually spend most of their battery energy sleeping. This type of scenario aligns well with using small form factor energy storage devices and resupplying the power wirelessly on a scheduled basis (e.g. minutes, hourly or daily), or when a sensor reading is needed. The sleep state can essentially be replaced in a large part by the sensor being inactive, so much less power is required. With wireless power we can control when the energy is resupplied to the sensor and are not hindered by uncontrollable sources of energy such as ambient vibration, heat, or light. Powercast is actively working with multiple suppliers of energy storage technology - batteries, solid state/thin film, and supercapacitors. Our technology has been used to provide continuous trickle charging for AA/AAA-type rechargeable batteries, and we’ve demonstrated recharging mobile phone type batteries. Wireless sensors with low duty cycles and long sleep cycles actually spend most of their battery energy sleeping. This type of scenario aligns well with using small form factor energy storage devices and resupplying the power wirelessly on a scheduled basis (e.g. minutes, hourly or daily), or when a sensor reading is needed. The sleep state can essentially be replaced in a large part by the sensor being inactive, so much less power is required. With wireless power we can control when the energy is resupplied to the sensor and are not hindered by uncontrollable sources of energy such as ambient vibration, heat, or light.

]]> http://www.rfwirelesssensors.com/2008/12/rf-powered-wireless-sensor-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Eva Celia Corbett Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:58:57 +0000 http://www.rfwirelesssensors.com/?p=1#comment-5 Most of us sensor developers need capacities of 10 to 100s mah with expectations for recharging under 30 mins. Are you working with any battery companies to store the power? I talked to a "microbattery" company that is launching a 10mah thin and small battery, complete with a wireless RF energy harvester to charge the battery. The company, Planar Energy Devices, already demonstrated the same battery (I think) during the Embedded Systems Conference this last fall and powered a temperature WSN - it lasted for hours, two days straight AND they then showed no degradation by the end of the show. Are you working with them or other battery companies? Most of us sensor developers need capacities of 10 to 100s mah with expectations for recharging under 30 mins. Are you working with any battery companies to store the power? I talked to a “microbattery” company that is launching a 10mah thin and small battery, complete with a wireless RF energy harvester to charge the battery. The company, Planar Energy Devices, already demonstrated the same battery (I think) during the Embedded Systems Conference this last fall and powered a temperature WSN - it lasted for hours, two days straight AND they then showed no degradation by the end of the show. Are you working with them or other battery companies?

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