The two companies have been able to demonstrate the technique by using a compact TCT current generator accompanied by an e-peas AEM30940 PMIC. This current generator is placed onto an electricity cable (carrying a few amps of AC current) and through induction it is able to use harvest energy from the AC current passing through the cable, with the AEM30940 (in combination with a semi-active rectifier) converting and managing the current delivered.
The DC current is then subsequently used to power a connected hardware device comprising multiple sensors and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon connectivity. An LED indicator is included to show that this is in operation.
Follow the link below to see the demonstration.
The 3µW cold start power of the AEM30940, which is much lower than competing solutions, is pivotal in allowing energy to be efficiently harvested from the AC source. Also, thanks to low internal leakage exhibited by this PMIC, it will be able to take care of the storage of extracted energy and provide a regulated voltage to the connected low-power hardware.
The AEM30940’s linear converters provide two independents regulated voltages, eliminating the need of any additional converters. The connected hardware will monitor ambient parameters (temperature, humidity and light levels) and will then transmit this data over the BLE link.
“By using inductance, battery-less control and monitoring units will have the functionality needed to draw energy from electrical cabling that is already deployed. The logistical difficulties of having to periodically replace battery cells can be completely avoided, presenting facilities management with greater convenience and lower operational costs,” said Alexandre Decombejean, Sales Manager at TCT. “The energy harvester attached to the cable is built around a specific soft magnetic material core with high permeability, and will reach an elevated output voltage even with a low current.”
“We have already been able to validate the effectiveness of e-peas technology in harvesting energy from thermal, vibrational, RF and photovoltaic sources. Now, by combining our technology with TCT’s, we have the ability to do so via inductance,” added Christian Ferrier, CMO of e-peas. “This opens up an array of exciting new market opportunities for us as a leader company in energy harvesting and processing solutions.”
