Power minimization and range extension in monitoring applications

Abstract

The concerns of power minimization and range extension are particularly critical in a wide range of monitoring applications such as perishable item quality monitoring, air quality monitoring and activity monitoring. These systems heavily rely on Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which are often battery-powered. Power consumption at the end node must be reduced to ensure long-term operation without frequent battery replacements or recharging. Many existing systems in the literature rely on transmitting raw data from sensors to the gateway or cloud, leading to high power consumption. Therefore, the primary objective is to minimize the number of transmissions for reducing the power consumption which can be effectively achieved through threshold based activation. Battery lifetime improvement through this approach in perishable item monitoring, activity monitoring and air quality monitoring is 11.46 %, 97.4 % and 11.48 %. IoT devices also face challenges related to limited communication range, particularly in scenarios where the devices are located at extended distances from the receiver or gateway. Therefore, extending the range is crucial to ensure that data can reach its destination accurately and consistently over larger distances. One proposed solution is to design high-gain transmitter and receiver antennas that enhance signal strength. Improving antenna gain boosts the effective radiated power without increasing the actual power consumption, which helps maintain communication over greater distances. High-gain antennas can focus the signal in a particular direction, improving both transmission and reception quality. This contributes to extended range by increasing the signal strength. Another solution to increase the range while optimizing power consumption is the use of Power Amplifier (PA) and Low Noise Amplifier (LNA). By fine-tuning the transmission power of power amplifier, the system can achieve a balance between power consumption and the range extension at the end node.