A Wireless Data and Power Telemetry System Using Novel BPSK Demodulator for Non-Destructive Evaluation of Structures

A new modality in reliable autonomous nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of structures consists of sensors embedded within the structures for long term structural health monitoring (SHM). This paper contributes to the design of low power wireless data and power telemetry in such systems. Electrical power and data are transferred from the transmitter simultaneously through inductive coupling. A binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme is used for data-cum-power delivery. The external transmitter is implemented using a simple class-E power amplifier using discrete components. A novel low power BPSK demodulator is designed and fabricated in a 0.5mum CMOS process. The new design allows for wider tracking and locking range compared to prior art of squaring loop or Costas loop. The experimental chip results show low power consumption and robust performance.