Backscatter Then Forward: A Relaying Scheme for Batteryless IoT Networks

Abstract

In this letter, we introduce a novel relaying scheme together with a joint energy beamforming (EB) and time allocation optimization to meet requirements about energy efficiency and hardware constraints of batteryless IoT networks. First, we propose an intelligent relaying scheme using RF-powered gateways as relay nodes to deliver information from batteryless IoT devices to a hybrid access point (HAP). The HAP can also transfer energy to the gateways and batteryless devices using EB techniques. The energy from HAP will be then used to supply power for gateways and as a communications means to transmit data for batteryless devices. We then formulate a sum-rate maximization problem by jointly optimizing the EB vectors, time scheduling, and power allocation. Since the optimization problem is non-convex, we exploit EB characteristics for data backscattering and employ variable substitutions and semidefinite relaxation techniques to transform it into a convex one. After that, a low-complexity method is proposed to obtain the optimal solution in a closed-form. Simulation results confirm that the proposed scheme can achieve significant sum-rate gain.