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There is a lot of environmental energy around us, and traditional energy harvesting methods have always been through solar panels and wind turbines. However, new energy harvesting tools allow us to use a wide variety of environmental energy sources to generate electricity. In addition, what is important is not the energy conversion efficiency of the circuit. The amount of "average harvested" energy that can be used to power the circuit is more important. For example, a thermoelectric generator converts heat into electricity, a piezoelectric component converts mechanical vibration, a photovoltaic component converts sunlight (or any light source), and a component that generates electricity through chemical action converts the energy of moisture. This makes it possible to power remote sensors or charge storage devices such as capacitors or thin-film batteries, so the microprocessor or transmitter can be powered from a remote location without a local power source.
This in turn creates opportunities for Linear Technology's energy harvesting products to be used as potential solutions. Table 1 below illustrates the products we provide in this area
Table 1: Linear Technology ’s IC solutions for renewable energy applications
Each product listed in Table 1 has specific functions and performance standards, which allows each product to be a practical and optimal solution according to the type of environmental energy. In summary, these include:
1. Low standby quiescent current: the typical value is less than 6µA, the lowest is 450nA
2. Low starting voltage: as low as 20mV
3. High input voltage capability: up to 34V continuous voltage and 40V transient voltage
4. Can handle AC input
5. Multi-output capability and independent system power management
6. Automatic polar work
7. Maximum power point control (MPPC) for solar input
8. Energy can be collected from a temperature difference as low as 1 ° C
9. The solution with the least number of external components and compact board area
Market forces driving growth
Energy regulations, rising operating costs and more and more "green" movements are driving the acceptance of wireless sensor networks (WSN) for energy harvesting applications. Although previous WSN products (industrial machinery, agriculture, structural health monitoring, etc.) left a fragmented market, cross-industry efforts to unify sensor networks using IP platforms are underway to simplify development and attract new vendors to enter the market And encourage innovation. Please note: WSN may also refer to wireless sensor nodes, so whether WSN refers to a single or multiple configurations depends on the context.
WSN is a breakthrough technology that can reduce installation costs by up to 80%, and supports a wide variety of applications that are not supported by wired networks, making buildings more environmentally friendly and smarter. Because sensors can be installed almost anywhere, buildings of any size can optimize their energy consumption, improve safety, and reduce operating expenses. Please note: In buildings, HVAC uses two-thirds of the currently installed WSN, followed by lighting and access control. It is predicted that in the next 5 years, 15 million wireless sensor nodes (data source: ON World Inc.) will be installed. These sensor nodes will need to be powered by batteries or environmental energy, or may be powered by a combination of the two.
A recent research report published by iRAP supports the aforementioned growth forecast. The report is entitled "EN105: Ultra-low power (microwatt) energy harvesting for wireless switches and wireless sensor networks." The report states that 2009 The global market for ultra-low power energy harvesting devices is estimated to be US $ 79.5 million. iRAP further estimates that the market will reach USD 1.25 billion in 2014, with an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 73.6%.
Therefore, we believe that in this field or in the field of renewable energy and energy harvesting, products that meet the needs of specific solutions have a very large market. This is why Linear Technology invests time and resources in developing specific products that have the right features to enable today ’s practical and affordable solutions.
Business opportunities for "green" power supplies
In 2012, any product that targets "green" energy or energy harvesting will have growth opportunities. Energy costs and environmental concerns and the need to extend the battery life of mobile devices have led people to focus on power optimization for a wide range of applications. Our energy-efficient products enable customers to convert energy with higher efficiency, consume lower power consumption and extend battery life.
As consumers look for ways to reduce energy consumption and spend longer outdoors, the market for solar-powered portable electronic devices continues to grow. Because solar power sources are volatile and unreliable, almost all solar-powered devices have rechargeable batteries. Obviously, people ’s goal is to extract as much solar energy as possible to quickly charge such batteries and maintain their state of charge.
However, solar cells themselves are low-efficiency devices, but they do have a maximum output power point, so working at this point is an obvious design goal. The problem is that the I-V characteristic of the maximum output power varies with the illuminance. The output current of a single crystal solar cell is directly proportional to the intensity of illumination, and its voltage at the maximum power output point is relatively constant. For a given illumination intensity, the maximum power output occurs at the inflection point of each curve, at which point the battery transitions from a constant voltage device to a constant current device. Therefore, when the illuminance cannot meet the full power requirements of the charger, the charger design that efficiently extracts energy from the solar panel must be able to control the output voltage of the solar panel to reach the maximum power point voltage.
"Green power" is not limited to generating energy through energy collection, it can also accomplish the same function with less energy. One area that has had an important impact is digital system power management. If the digital power supply is designed correctly, then it can reduce data center power consumption, speed up time to market, have excellent stability and transient response, and improve the overall reliability of the system, such as in network equipment.
The system designer of the network equipment has to improve the data throughput and performance of the system and increase the functions. At the same time, they are also under pressure to reduce the overall power consumption of the system. The challenge in the data center is to reduce overall power consumption by readjusting the workflow and transferring jobs to underutilized servers so that other servers can be shut down. To meet these requirements, it is necessary to know the power consumption of end-user devices. A properly designed digital power management system can provide users with power consumption data, allowing smart energy management decisions to be made.
In addition, a major benefit of digital power system management is to reduce design costs and speed time to market. Complex multi-track systems can be developed efficiently using a comprehensive and intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) development environment. This type of system can be changed through the GUI instead of soldering to the "white wire" anchor point, which also simplifies online test (ICT) and board debugging. Another benefit is that since real-time telemetry data can be used, it is possible to predict power system failures and take preventive measures. Perhaps most importantly, DC / DC converters with digital management capabilities allow designers to develop "green" power systems that meet the target performance with the lowest energy consumption at the point of load, circuit board, rack or even installation stage Computing speed, data rate, etc.) requirements, thereby reducing infrastructure costs and total cost of ownership over the life of the product.
Linear Technology ’s LTC3880 is a dual-output synchronous step-down DC / DC current mode controller with integrated power FET gate driver and comprehensive power management capabilities that can be used with I2C PMBus. The product's precise reference and temperature-compensated current mode analog control loop provide ± 0.5% DC accuracy, very easy compensation (calibrated to be unaffected by operating conditions), cycle-by-cycle current limiting, fast and accurate current sharing, And voltage and load transient response, and there is no error related to ADC quantization found in other products that use "digital" control. The LTC3880 includes a 16-bit data acquisition system that provides digital readback of input and output voltage and current, duty cycle, and temperature. The device also provides a fault recording function activated by an interrupt marker and a "black box" recorder, which stores the working state of the converter before a fault occurs. Linear Technology's LTpowerPlay ™ development software and GUI interface facilitate the development of multi-track systems.
How much power can energy harvesting provide?
The most advanced and off-the-shelf energy harvesting products (for example in the field of vibration energy harvesting and indoor photovoltaic cells) generate power in the order of milliwatts under typical operating conditions. Although this magnitude of power may seem limited, the operation of energy harvesting components over the years may mean that such products are roughly equivalent to long-life main batteries in terms of energy supply and energy cost per unit. . In addition, systems that use energy harvesting technology will generally be able to recharge after the battery is depleted, while some systems powered by the main battery are not possible.
Environmental energy sources include light, thermal differences, vibrating beams, transmitted RF signals, or just any other energy source that can generate charge through the transducer. Table 2 below shows how much energy can be produced from different energy sources.
Table 2: Energy and the energy it can produce
In a large number of applications, such energy values ​​are meaningful in terms of system deployment. Here are just a few application examples:
1) Aircraft corrosion sensor
2) Automatic dimming window
3) Bridge monitor
4) Building automation
5) Electricity meter
6) Gas sensor
7) Health monitor
8) HVAC control
9) Light switch
10) Remote pipeline monitor
11) Watch
12) Water meter
in conclusion
There are many business opportunities for energy harvesting as an alternative energy source in "green power". A good example of this type of business opportunity is the solar-powered electronic equipment market. As companies seek ways to reduce energy consumption, the market continues to grow. For example, take a look at a smart meter. Smart meters are deployed on the smart grid and hope to be powered by environmental energy to reduce the energy cost of system operation. A viable and abundant energy source is solar energy. However, because solar energy is volatile and unreliable, almost all solar-powered devices have rechargeable batteries. Therefore, an important goal is to extract as much solar energy as possible to quickly charge these batteries and maintain their charge status, when the solar energy is not available, use the battery as an energy source.
Conversely, if smart meters use batteries as the main energy source, then power conversion and management electronics must have very low quiescent current in standby mode to extend battery life. Fortunately, Linear Technology offers a wide variety of ICs with quiescent current values ​​typically less than 25µA.
Automotive Wire Harness Protection
Braided sleeves are commonly used for automotive wire harness protection. They provide excellent protection against abrasion, chemicals, and heat, making them ideal for automotive applications.
1. Abrasion resistance: Braided sleeves are designed to withstand constant rubbing and friction, protecting the wires from wear and tear caused by vibrations, movement, and contact with other components.
2. Chemical resistance: Automotive wire harnesses are exposed to various chemicals, such as oils, fuels, and cleaning agents. Braided sleeves offer excellent resistance against these chemicals, preventing damage to the wires.
3. Heat resistance: Automotive engines generate high temperatures, and the wires in the wire harness can be exposed to extreme heat. Braided sleeves made from high-temperature materials, such as fiberglass or aramid fibers, can withstand these high temperatures and provide effective insulation.
4. Flexibility: Braided sleeves are highly flexible, allowing them to easily conform to the shape of the wire harness. This flexibility makes installation easier and ensures that the wires are adequately protected throughout their entire length.
Automotive Wire Harness Protection,Plastic Pipe,Aluminum Sleeves,Corrugated Tubing
Dongguan Liansi Electronics Co.,Ltd , https://www.liansielectronics.com