Energy Efficient Tasks Allocations Algorithms for Wireless Powered Internet of Things Networks

Internet of Things (IoT) networks are expected to provide on demand sensing services to applications that enable autonomous driving, targets tracking, and smart cities. In particular, users and applications can request sensor devices to monitor a given area, collect data, and/or conduct computation on sensed data. In this respect, a/an controller/operator helps orchestrate the operations of sensor devices where they are instructed to execute tasks such as sensing, transmission, storage, and computation. To realize the full potential of IoT networks, the resources on sensor devices such as computation, energy, and bandwidth must be managed carefully. To date, researchers have considered applying network function virtualization (NFV) in IoT networks. Advantageously, NFV allows an operator to abstract and decouple physical resources into logical units, which are then shared by independent users. In NFV, the resources of devices are allocated to various applications in terms of virtual network functions (VNFs). This creates a so called sensor cloud, which converts an IoT network into a general sensing platform that supports a variety of applications. The limited energy of sensor devices remains a fundamental issue in IoT networks. In this respect, radio frequency (RF) energy transfer is becoming a viable option to prolong their operational lifetime. Specifically, devices can be equipped with an RF-energy harvester to create a so called RF-energy harvesting IoT network. Advantageously, these devices can be powered via RF signals emitted by ambient sources, e.g., WiFi access points, or transmitted by a hybrid access point (HAP).