arXiv subjects

Brandon Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Brandon Brown.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Battery-Free and Gateway-Free Cellular IoT Water Leak Detection System

This paper presents a battery-free and gateway-free water leak detection system capable of direct communication over LTE-M (Cat-M1). The system operates solely on energy harvested through a hydroelectric mechanism driven by an electrochemical sensor, thereby removing the need for conventional batteries. To address the stringent startup and operational power demands of LTE-M transceivers, the architecture incorporates a compartmentalized sensing module and a dedicated power management subsystem, comprising a boost converter, supercapacitor based energy storage, and a hysteresis controlled load isolation circuit. This design enables autonomous, direct to cloud data transmission without reliance on local networking infrastructure. Experimental results demonstrate consistent LTE-M beacon transmissions triggered by water induced energy generation, underscoring the system's potential for sustainable, maintenance free, and globally scalable IoT leak detection applications in smart infrastructure.

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arXiv2026

Battery-less Long-Range LTE-M Water Leak Detector

This work presents a self powered water leak sensor that eliminates both batteries and local gateways. The design integrates a dual compartment electrochemical harvester, a low input boost converter with supercapacitor storage, and a comparator gated LTE-M radio built on the Nordic Thingy:91 platform. Laboratory tests confirm that the system can be awakened from a dormant state in the presence of water, harvest sufficient energy, and issue repeated cloud beacons using the water exposure as the power source. Beyond conventional LTE-M deployments, the system's compatibility with 3GPP standard cellular protocols paves the way for future connectivity via non terrestrial 5G networks, enabling coverage in infrastructure scarce regions.

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arXiv2025

Towards Long-Range, Battery-less Water Leak Detection: A LoRa-Based Approach

This paper presents a battery-less, self-powered water leak detection system that utilizes LoRa communication for long-range, real-time monitoring. The system harvests hydroelectric energy through a layered stack of conductive nanomaterials and metals, achieving a peak short-circuit current of over 500 mA and 1.65 V open-circuit voltage upon exposure to water. To address LoRa's higher power demands, an energy management subsystem -- comprising a DC-DC boost converter and a 100 mF supercapacitor -- ensures stable power delivery for the LLCC68 LoRa module. Experimental results demonstrate the system's ability to detect leaks as shallow as 0.5 mm, activate within 50 seconds across varying water depths, and transmit data reliably over LoRaWAN. This solution eliminates battery dependency, offering a scalable, maintenance-free approach for industrial, commercial, and residential applications, while advancing sustainable IoT infrastructure.

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