DEVICES AND METHODS FOR WIRELESS POWER HARVESTING AND BACKSCATTERING COMMUNICATIONS

The present application provides devices and methods for wireless power harvesting (WPH) and backscattering communications. A self-adaptive backscattering device is described which comprises an antenna for receiving and transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals, a non-linear element coupled to the antenna, and a switch for operably coupling the non-linear element to a WPH load. When the switch is on, the non-linear element is connected to the WPH load for harvesting RF signals incident on the antenna to direct current (DC) energy in a WPH mode; when the switch is off, the device switches from the WPH mode to a harmonic backscattering (HB) mode for transmitting harmonic backscattered RF signals through the antenna, and the switch self-adaptively switches between on and off based on harvested DC energy. The described embodiments can be a compact solution suitable for wireless communications in the internet of things (IoT) and wireless sensor network (WSN).