Performance Analysis and Resource Allocations for a WPCN With a New Nonlinear Energy Harvester Model

• Main Authors: Danyang Wang, Fatemeh Rezaei, Chintha Tellambura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2020-01-01
• Series: IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society
• Subjects: Nonlinear energy harvesting; wireless powered communications network; average throughput; bit error rate; resource allocation
• Online Access: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9187234/

Wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs) are commonly analyzed by using the linear energy harvesting (EH) model. However, since practical EH circuits are non-linear, the use of the linear EH model gives rise to distortions and mismatches. To overcome these issues, we propose a more realistic, nonlinear EH model. The model is based upon the error function and has three parameters. Their values are determined to best fit with measured data. We also develop the asymptotic version of this model. For comparative evaluations, we consider the linear and rational EH models. With these four EH models, we investigate the performance of a WPCN. It contains a multiple-antenna power station (PS), a signal-antenna wireless device (WD), and a multiple-antenna information receiving station (IRS). The WD harvests the energy broadcast by the PS in the PS-WD link, and then it uses the energy in the WD-IRS link to transfer information. We analyze the average throughput of delay-limited and delay-tolerant transmission modes as well as the average bit error rate (BER) of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) and binary differential phase-shift keying (BDPSK) over the four EH modes. As well, we derive the asymptotic expressions for the large PS antenna case and the effects of transmit power control. Furthermore, for the case of multiple WDs, we optimize energy beamforming and time allocation to maximize the minimum rate of the WDs. Finally, the performances of four EH models are validated by Monte-Carlo simulations.