Shenzhen, January 20, 2022 – In the near future, IoT devices will be able to directly obtain energy through Bluetooth, WiFi, and mobile phone signals, resulting in smaller, longer-life, and lower-cost use. The loss-proof electronic tag used to track the location of items will not require battery replacement, every endangered migratory bird can carry ultra-remote monitoring equipment, and the number of batteries that cannot be environmentally degraded will be greatly reduced, which is the picture depicted in OPPO's "Zero Power Communication" white paper.
Zero-power communication terminals exist in the form of electronic tags, which are attached to small items that are easy to lose such as keys and glasses, which is convenient for quick search for items
OPPO Research Institute officially released the "Zero Power Communication" white paper, based on the current unmet Internet of Things communication needs, for the first time to explain the technical positioning and development prospects of zero power communication technology, and give direction guidance to the coexistence and integration of its and future communication networks, further promoting the popularization and landing of "zero power communication technology".
Zero-power terminals have features such as battery-free, extremely small size, ultra-low power consumption, and extremely low cost
At present, the vast majority of electronic equipment relies on batteries for energy, and there are no small problems in terms of overall size, production cost, service life, ease of use, recycling and other aspects. Zero-power communication can collect and utilize RF energy in the environment, bringing features such as battery-free, extremely small size, ultra-low power consumption, and extremely low cost to zero-power terminals. It can not only reduce costs and increase efficiency for vertical fields such as intelligent warehousing, intelligent logistics, and smart agriculture, but also bring cutting-edge technology experiences such as wearable devices and smart homes to more users.
Tang Hai, chief 5G scientist of OPPO, said: "From 1G to 4G, it has undergone four technological changes of analog, digital, data and broadband, and the pursuit of higher transmission data rate is the theme of "unchanged" mobile communication technology. But as we move into the next decade, the industry as a whole will need to rethink what the new needs and drivers will be? OPPO believes that in addition to pursuing higher data transmission rates, next-generation communication technologies should also focus on how to allow more people to enjoy the convenience of technology and create positive and more sustainable values for society. Zero-power communication technology can help the micro-electronic products on the market to get rid of the battery, greatly reducing the maintenance cost and pollution hazards of the terminal, and is one of the core technical solutions that OPPO pays attention to in the B5G/6G stage. ”
At present, the passive communication technology represented by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has problems such as short communication distance, high cost, and the need for additional radio frequency sources, and it still faces great challenges in special applications such as the industrial Internet in harsh environments, low-cost and high-capacity logistics and warehousing scenarios, low-cost and low-power smart homes, and very small size wearables.
Unlike traditional passive communication technologies, zero-power terminals can collect RF energy from wireless signals emitted by existing ambient RF sources such as TV towers, FM towers, cellular base stations, and WiFi access points, and backscatter communication by modulating incoming wave signals. Therefore, when designing a zero-power communication network, it is necessary not only to consider the unlicensed frequency band and the authorized frequency band, but also to study its coexistence with 4G/5G systems.
Based on different deployment scenarios and usage needs, the white paper formulates a combination of cellular-based, side-line-based, and hybrid cellular-based communication for zero-power communication. Among them, the cellular-based zero-power communication system is suitable for industrial Internet of Things scenarios with harsh environments, huge quantities and high maintenance costs, reducing manpower and equipment investment; side-line communication between terminals meets the needs of low-cost short-distance communication, and realizes intelligent reading, environmental monitoring, intelligent control and other functions in smart home and wearable scenarios; in addition, the two systems can also be flexibly adapted and combined to create communication conditions for more application scenarios.
Zero-power communication is mainly based on RF energy harvesting technology, backscattering technology and low-power computing technology.
At present, OPPO has successfully built a zero-power communication system and completed the verification of the principle of zero-power communication technology. In addition to technical self-research, OPPO also leads the research proposal of zero-power communication in the international standard organization 3GPP as the main standard promoter, and successively expounds the zero-power communication technology concept in academic conferences such as the Future Forum and ICCC, contributing to the communication industry ecology. At the IMT-2030 "6G Vision Outlook" seminar that ended in September 2021, OPPO initiated and organized a zero-power communication theme forum, inviting schools and enterprises to discuss the application scenarios, technical requirements and key technologies of zero-power communication. Looking at the 6G era, OPPO believes that zero-power communication will be combined with hotspot technologies such as intelligent hypersurface, symbiotic communication, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and artificial intelligence to play the full potential of the system.
OPPO publishes two white papers that continue to explore the field of communication technology
The successive release of the "6G AI-Cube Intelligent Network" and the "Zero Power Communication" white paper confirm OPPO's continuous exploration and efforts in the field of communication technology. In the future, we will promote the implementation of zero-power communication technology in 3-5 years, achieve a smarter, more convenient and green communication experience, and practice the brand belief of "science and technology for people, good for the world".