Nexperia unveils calculator for energy-harvesting PMICs

Nexperia has launched its Energy Balance Calculator for energy-harvesting power management ICs (PMICs). This web-based tool will help battery management engineers select the optimal Nexperia energy-harvesting PMIC by providing precise data that can maximize the battery life in their applications.

(Source: Nexperia)

With the tool, engineers can preview the energy compensation in an application using Nexperia’s energy-harvesting PMICs. Nexperia kicks off the launch with the initial product, the NEH2000BY PMIC.

Nexperia told Electronic Products that it is committed to broadening its energy-harvesting portfolio and as the company expands its PMIC portfolio, the new devices will be added to the energy-harvesting calculator. This will enable “engineers to make informed decisions and select the ideal Nexperia PMIC for their specific requirements.”

Nexperia’s energy-harvesting PMICs feature a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm, which enables efficient energy harvest from the environment for a variety of consumer electronics and IoT devices. To use these PMICs at their full potential, the calculator works with real-world technical parameters and calculates the energy delivered to the load and the energy compensation, Nexperia explained. This information provides insights into potential battery life extension or achieving energy autonomy, added the company.

The tool also provides an efficiency curve that helps engineers further visualize system efficiency and precision.

NEH2000BY energy-harvesting PMIC

The NEH2000BY PMIC, introduced nearly one year ago, recharges a battery or storage capacitor using energy that is harvested from ambient sources, such as light (which can be harvested using a photovoltaic cell). The NEH2000BY, housed in a 16-lead, 3 × 3 mm QFN package, can be used to develop electronic devices that are self-powered, smaller and environmentally friendly.

“To achieve the highest conversion efficiency, energy-harvesting solutions must be able to adapt as the ambient energy source fluctuates,” Nexperia said.

The NEH2000BY uses MPPT to optimize how it transfers harvested energy and to achieve optimum average conversion efficiency by up to 80%. This unique MPPT algorithm allows the PMIC to adapt to environmental changes in less than a second, which is reported to be significantly faster than other currently available solutions at the time, while maximizing the amount of energy harvested over the course of a day. It features a self-optimization functionality and the ability to operate autonomously without the requirement for pre-programming, which makes it easier for designers to power devices with ambient energy.

Efficiency curve of the NEH2000 energy-harvesting PMIC (Source: Nexperia)

Nexperia’s energy-harvesting solutions enable energy harvesting from various ambient sources in applications consuming up to several milliwatts of power, including wireless IoT nodes, wearable smart tags and electronic shelf labels. This will enable engineers to rethink their designs to be more environmentally sustainable and economical, the company said.