Energy harvesting PMIC enables huge BOM cost savings

Nexperia has expanded its range of Power ICs with Energy Harvesting solutions to simplify and improve the performance of low-power IoT and other embedded applications. The NEH2000BY is a high-performance PMIC which recharges a battery or storage capacitor employing energy harvested from ambient sources, such as light (which can be harvested utilising a photovoltaic cell). As a result, the device will allow the development of electronic devices that are smaller, self-powered, and environmentally friendly. Also, this energy harvesting solution can help reduce the environmental impact of the billions of batteries created and discarded each year.

This PMIC makes it far easier to create energy harvesting solutions up to 20x smaller than other competing offerings and does not need manual optimisation for individual applications. Also, the PMIC was developed without inductors, simplifying PCB design and greatly decreasing overall BOM and board size, with a 12mm² assembly area.

To attain the highest conversion efficiency, energy harvesting solutions must be able to adapt as the ambient energy source fluctuates. The device performs MPPT, an adaptive algorithm to optimise how it transfers harvested energy and to attain optimum average conversion efficiency by up to 80%. This unique MPPT algorithm integrates speed with accuracy, enabling the PMIC to adapt to environmental changes in less than a second. This is notably faster than any other currently available solution and maximises the amount of energy harvested over a day, considerably extending the number of application areas. Also, due to its self-optimisation functionality and ability to function autonomously without the necessity for pre-programming, the device makes it simpler for designers to power devices with ambient energy.

The company's energy harvesting solutions allow economical energy harvesting from varied ambient sources in applications consuming up to several milliwatts of power, including wireless IoT nodes, wearable smart tags, and electronic shelf labels.

Dan Jensen, general manager Business Group Analog and Logic ICs at Nexperia, adds: "The NEH2000BY's cost-efficient, user-friendly, and compact nature will allow the adoption of energy harvesting in a larger range of use cases. By eliminating the requirement to change batteries in these applications, NEH2000BY will significantly reduce the amount of hazardous waste produced, with enormous environmental benefits."

The device is offered in a 16-lead, 3mm × 3mm QFN package and functions between -40C and +85C.