Energy harvesting for wireless communication networks is a new paradigm thatallows terminals to recharge their batteries from external energy sources inthe surrounding environment. A promising energy harvesting technology iswireless power transfer where terminals harvest energy from electromagneticradiation. Thereby, the energy may be harvested opportunistically from ambientelectromagnetic sources or from sources that intentionally transmitelectromagnetic energy for energy harvesting purposes. A particularlyinteresting and challenging scenario arises when sources perform simultaneouswireless information and power transfer (SWIPT), as strong signals not onlyincrease power transfer but also interference. This paper provides an overviewof SWIPT systems with a particular focus on the hardware realization ofrectenna circuits and practical techniques that achieve SWIPT in the domains oftime, power, antennas, and space. The paper also discusses the benefits of apotential integration of SWIPT technologies in modern communication networks inthe context of resource allocation and cooperative cognitive radio networks.
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