Energy harvesters are increasingly being employed to power smart wireless sensor networks to monitor and optimize complex industrial processes and remote field installations. But there is a requirement for managing energy harvesters in order to boost energy efficiency. Remote applications use batteries to store the harvested energy and therefore, PMICs featuring battery chargers are desirable for such applications. Most PMICs nowadays offer direct power delivery to the application, as well as charging the energy storage elements such as Li-Ion batteries or super-capacitors.Â
E-PEAS introduces high efficiency battery chargers: AEM10900, AEM10300 and AEM30300. These are completely dedicated to the charging function. Their functionality and compactness makes them suitable for space-constrained applications. These battery chargers are able to achieve zero quiescent current draw from the battery which means that if the energy harvesting stops for a long time, the energy stored into the battery will not be wasted supplying the PMIC.
The AEM10900 PMIC boost converter is optimized for solar-based energy harvesting implementations. Solar-based harvesting systems use the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) algorithm for identifying the peak power point. The AEM10900 features a super-fast MPPT functionality that ensures that it gets the most energy from the ambient illumination available. It has a 250mV cold start capability, which means it can start charging the battery even when light intensities are very low. It moreover features battery thermal protection, a joule counter to let the user know the amount of energy harvested, plus a shipping mode in which the battery cannot be charged. This PMIC can be applicable in wearable consumer products and body-worn medical monitoring equipment.
The other two PMICs, AEM10300 and AEM30300, both have built-in ultra-low power DC/DC converters and an adaptive energy management system that automatically switches between boost, buck-boost and buck operational configurations as required.
All three PMICs are built for space-constrained applications therefore they need only 3 external components for operation.
Further information can be found at www.e-peas.com.
