MPE-lab

Applied Electronics

Low power low cost radio with asynchronous wakeup functionality.

This project addresses problems and limitations of today´s solutions for RFID and Sensor Networks. Present-day passive RFID tags are powered over the air. This gives a short range and a high radiation level from the reader causing interference and potential harm to humans. While in Sensor Networks the power consumption must be brought down to minor levels if low cost printed batteries and environment energy scavenging should be used in massive number of sensors at reasonable cost.

Within this project research is conducted in the area of low power low cost radio communication devices and systems. The target is to demonstrate a radio device with sufficient low power consumption enabling it to be always on. This simple idea has great impact on the complexity and performance of the radio device and the system. It enables radio devices to be triggered into an active state over the air interface. Further, it eliminates the need for synchronization, which in turn leads to lower power consumption and simplified medium access (MAC) functionality. A device triggered into active state over the air interface has a response time much shorter than for duty cycle based approach. Our specific research aims are, a VLSI implementation on a single chip with small die area, with a radio range of 10-50 meter, and a power consumption enabling use of a lithium coin cell for the entire lifetime of the product.
This new way of viewing the wireless interface, walking away from the time triggered approach opens up for new application areas. Within the project we will explore new building practices and applications enabled.
The project will lean on Linköping Universit's knowledge in integrated electronics and wireless, and the research environment of the research profile CERES experience in embedded and wireless systems.

This project is a part of the ELLIIT network for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) research at Linköping university, Lund university, Halmstad university and Blekinge university. For more information about ELLIIT please, click on this link. external link, opens in new window

EGON

A new low power radio architecture based on a bi-stable regenerative transceiver with dissonant backscatter is investigated. A characteristic feature of the new technology is its ability to support communication with thousands of units simultaneously; further that each of these units consumes very little energy. This opens up vast application opportunities in the field of cooperating embedded systems. The goal of the project is to develop a radio design that, after further product development, enables the fabrication of active radio units with a battery lifetime of up to eight years and a price level in the same range as passive RFID tags.

Link to more information about and extended abstract for the EGON project opens in new window .