Theoretical Capacity Analysis for Multi-Hop Backscatter Communication Networks

Traditionally wireless sensor networks (WSNs) employ active RF communication where the RF signal has to be generated at nodes, thus consuming a significant amount of energy. In contrast, employment of passive communication, where nodes backscatter a modulated version of the incident RF signal, offers great advantages including reducing the energy cost of communication. Existing example includes a traditional RFID system with active reader communicating directly with passive tags. However, the proposed approach targets future, more advanced systems that support a generic backscatter communication. However, the inherent asymmetry in communication, reliance on external source of RF signal, and limited energy storage renders the traditional WSN schemes inadequate. Consequently, a novel multi-hop framework for passive backscattering communication is presented and analyzed in this paper. This includes theoretical and simulation study of communication capacity and discussion of performance optimization potentials for routing schemes.