A Unified Fully Reconfigurable Architecture for Wireless Powered Communication Networks

Abstract

Wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs) are a key enabler for sustainable Internet of Things (IoT) systems, yet their practical performance is constrained by inefficient wireless energy transfer, limited spatial adaptability, and fragile uplink connectivity in blockage-prone and dynamic environments. Emerging reconfigurable antenna technologies, including pinching antenna systems (PASSs), fluid antenna systems (FASs), movable antennas (MAs), and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), provide new opportunities to overcome these limitations, but have mostly been studied separately. In this article, we propose a unified architecture for fully reconfigurable WPCNs by jointly integrating PASS-enabled power beacons, FAS-based IoT devices, MA-assisted base stations, and RIS-aided propagation environments. The proposed framework enables end-to-end reconfigurability across downlink energy transfer, device-side spatial adaptation, base-station reception, and uplink information transmission. We further discuss the integration motivation, system architecture, design and optimization framework, illustrative performance evaluation, implementation tradeoffs, and major practical challenges. This article provides a new perspective for designing next-generation fully reconfigurable WPCNs.