3in1: System Co-Design for Wireless Power Transfer, Wireless Clocking, and Downlink Communication

There has been a trend in passive IoT systems to move complexity from tag to reader for delivery of power, clock, and data [1, 2]. However, current designs either cannot deliver all these three simultaneously, or fail to do so in a co-optimized way, which leads to poor operating range and long charging time of passive IoT systems. To address this key bottleneck, we present 3in1, the first system co-design that optimizes Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) efficiency, accurate wireless clocking, and downlink communication simultaneously. We propose several novel designs: (i) an optimized multi-tone WPT waveform compliant with ISM band and FCC regulations; (ii) a robust and accurate wireless clocking mechanism integrated within the optimized waveform; (iii) a multi-tone Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) downlink modulation scheme that maintains wireless clocking accuracy and WPT efficiency; and (iv) an ultra-low power receiver capable of simultaneously extracting power, clock, and data from the optimized waveform. Preliminary results demonstrate that higher WPT efficiency, precise wireless clocking, and downlink communication can be achieved simultaneously within a co-optimized waveform. We believe this paves the way for the next generation of passive IoT system design.