A Dutch company aims to change the way low-power electronics are designed by creating a separate component for power management to reduce the need for battery power in wireless sensor networks and other applications.
Anagear, based in Rosmalen, The Netherlands, recently came out of stealth mode with its first family of ultra-low-power circuits and a developer kit aimed at providing OEMs and electronics designers with a different way to manage the power in small devices that will save more energy than current methods, said Guus Dhaeze, vice president of sales and marketing for Anagear. "In applications like wireless sensor networks, a lot of those devices are not active all the time -- they are in active standby mode in order to save power," he told Design News.
Generally, the system's microcontroller manages this standby mode, but because of the leakage current in this type of design, "they are not the best products to do this management of power consumption in a device," Dhaeze said.
Anagear’s ultra-low-power circuits are aimed at separating power management in low-power devices from the microcontroller in order to reduce the need for battery power and make way for alternative energy sources, such as solar power. (Source: Anagear)
Enter Anagear's ANG line of analog circuits, which aim to take power management out of the controller and provide a more efficient way to provide a standby mode for small devices.
Anagear's ICs achieve this in three key ways. First, the circuits take over complete control of the power-management system and switch off every other component that is not needed in standby mode. "Even the microcontroller is switched off," he said. The circuits utilize voltage scaling to convert the power of external components to the system to the bare minimum. "If you attach a microcontroller at 1.2 volts, we can deliver at that level. The circuit doesn't consume more."
During standby mode even when the microcontroller is not active, the Anagear circuit can autonomously monitor critical system voltages, such as how much energy is left in the battery and what the internal temperature of the system is. "As long as those signals remain within certain limits, there is no need to alarm the system and wake up the microcontroller," Dhaeze said.
ANG currently has three circuits in its line. The premium offering, the ANG1010 integrated circuit (IC), includes power management and supervisory controller for battery- or photovoltaic-powered systems. This circuit can plug into an indoor solar panel to offer an alternative power source to a battery. "People can connect a small solar panel for indoor use directly to our chip and we harvest the energy, storing it from the solar panel into a hydrorecharageable battery or supercapicitor," Dhaeze said.
Interesting story about the Johnsons, Cabe! I agree that the lifestyle isn't very appealing, even if it's admirable that some people can do it. Living here in Portugal and being a surfer, I have learned to reduce certain kinds of waste (single-use plastic, for example) because I see the effects first hand on the natural environment and the ocean. But to reduce waste to zero would be really hard and a full-time job. Good to try, though...and if companies can start reusing and recycling energy and then making this available to us through electronics and alternative electricity options (here in Portugal, a good bit of energy on the grid is from wind turbines), then it's a good place to start without being too painful for the end user.
Ha, Cabe, yes, I do live most people's holidays, but it isn't all easy...as you can see, I do work a bit. :) But it is a lovely lifestyle and place.
So I exaggerated a bit about the amount of electricity coming from wind here ...but there is still a lot going on here. In this NYTimes article, it says the country is aiming for 60 percent of electricity to come from wind by 2020...and 31 percent of energy overall. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/science/earth/10portugal.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
It's a small country but that still is pretty good! The wind turbines in that photo are just down the road from me. There is a fair amount of solar work being done as well. Not bad for a country that in many other ways is quite behind the times! (I have lived here for three years...believe me, I know!)
Spain has boasted a 100% renewable energy sourcing, but at the detriment of their economy. It still needs subsidizing heavily to compete with the low cost of conventional sources. It's a tough world for energy production.
I did not know that about Spain...but funny, I did pass a large solar array when I was driving from Spain last week back to Portugal with some friends...so I guess that makes sense! But yes, I suppose financing is tricky. Portugal's economy is in the gutter as well. There are opportunities here for many people, however, to be off grid with their own solar power and wind turbines, and I know a few people who manage it successfully. This takes the load off the larger electricity grid.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
By refining topologies and using new fluid technology, Moog's new peak sine drive controller increases available power without increasing controller volume.
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