Self-powered photovoltaic bluetooth®low energy temperature sensor node

Abstract

A wireless self-powered temperature sensor node is presented. This sensor node is powered by a commercially available indoor photovoltaic energy harvester module. The sensor node uses Bluetooth® Low Energy as wireless connection. Both the hardware and firmware have been optimized to obtain a very low power consumption. An auto adaptive energy management routine has been implemented to extend the autonomy of the sensor node. The system consumption and photovoltaic generation have been characterized at different conditions, obtaining a tool to estimate the autonomy of the system. The system has also been tested in a climatic chamber to study the effect of the temperature, a key factor that affects the power consumption, and hence the autonomy of the sensor.