Smart nodes of internet of things (IoT): a hardware perspective view & implementation

Abstract

A lot of efforts have been done on software layer to propose the idea of Internet of Things (IoT). However, the functionality of IoT highly depends on the implementation of its end nodes. And there is little attention about realization of such IoT Smart Nodes. As mixed signal IC researchers, we analyze the urgent needs of IoT Smart Nodes and their implementation challenges. We focus this talk on the two of the most important practical issues: energy harvesting & regulating, and wireless transceiver. A high efficient self-sustained energy harvester inside the Smart Nodes can power numerous possibilities to IoT network. For the various inputs, it should accommodate nonlinear energy sources and achieve Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). As it is considered the most power hungry part, the wireless transceiver in the IoT Smart Nodes needs special focus to minimize its power consumption. The transceiver should adapt its power consumption based on the available amount of the energy and the amount of the transferred data in time