The newly introduced PMICs, AEM00920 & AEM10920, integrate advanced features, including maximising transfer of energy harvested from Photovoltaic (PV) cells, efficiently storing energy in off-the-shelf storage elements, and delivering a reliable power supply for the application circuitry.
According to e-peas, the PMICs reach up to 95% energy conversion efficiency from the harvester to the storage element. The AEM00920 is optimised for PV cells featuring constant voltage regulation between 0.25V and 3.2V, while the AEM10920 has been optimised for PV cells with light dependent maximum power point, ranging from 0.25V to 3.2V, with configurable MPPT ratio from 35% to 90%.
Storage elements like Hybrid Lithium capacitors, small Lithium-Ion batteries or even triple NiMH cells require dedicated protection mechanism that are implemented in these PMICs. A specific 5V boost circuitry has been integrated in both devices allowing designers to add a quick charge boost function to their product design.
On the application side, both devices provide an efficient energy conversion path to the application thanks to the integrated buck DC-DC converter. GPIO configuration enables easy output voltage selection with output voltage range of 2.2V, 2.5V or 2.8V interfacing the most recent connectivity chipsets. Both PMICs offer ultra-low cold-start allowing the application to start even in low light conditions.
New control and configuration features introduced in both devices include a shipping mode to protect the storage element from being drained during shipment. Thanks to their high level of integration, both ICs simplify system development and help minimise bill-of-materials.
Both are available in a 24-pin QFN package with a board footprint of 4x4sqmm. The AEM00920 is available for sampling now, while the AEM10920 will come later in January 2024.
