Considering budget, cost, and performance from the initial design stage
IoT sensor design is closely related to power efficiency.

Experts have suggested that in order to design power-efficient IoT applications, appropriate designs must be made according to the type of power source, and that power efficiency must be reconsidered from the perspective of the entire system rather than individual power-related components.

The E4ds webinar was held on the 15th with the topic of 'Designing Power-Efficient Solutions and Building Easy Connectivity for IoT Sensors' by Microchip Technology's Senior Vice President, Ki-Beom Kim.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for analog design,” said Senior Vice President Kim Ki-beom. “Compromise and choice are crucial.”

He continued, “Analog design should start early in the design process, taking a systems approach to defining the power budget and considering the cost and performance of the application.”

Power efficiency is a complex topic that involves all components, such as operating and sleep modes, Wi-Fi connectivity and communication, sensors, and power management.

Senior Kim said that in order to design IoT applications with high power efficiency, appropriate design must be made according to the type of power source, and that the power should be designed from the perspective of the entire system rather than individual power-related components.He said that the power efficiency should be reconsidered.

He also mentioned that in order to ensure the power efficiency of the system, it must be considered from the early stages of design.

Applying low-power wired/wireless communication solutions, using secure elements that reduce the controller's computational load, and using MCUs with built-in intelligent peripherals that minimize controller operation in operating mode are also important methods for securing power efficiency.

Today's IoT designs, especially sensor designs, are facing increasing demands for extended battery life, multi-sensor applications, performance enhancements, compliance with communication standards, and data and communication security.

This trend is related to reducing power consumption, which is most important for battery-operated applications.

Each component or solution within an IoT system must be carefully selected and evaluated through a systems approach to effectively manage power consumption.

■ Designed for maximum power efficiency in battery-powered solutions

Senior Kim explained that building power-efficient applications requires a systems approach that prioritizes defining the system architecture and selecting the optimal power-efficient components, regarding the best power-efficient design for battery-powered solutions.

This systems approach is a good strategy to meet the requirements of your application.

There is no single solution that fits all designs.

Without a systems approach, you may not find a suitable solution for your application.

Senior Kim also presented on the power design process.

A typical power design process begins with defining requirements.

movement After defining the sequence, power budget, etc., select the appropriate components or solutions.

Afterwards, performance is simulated using evaluation boards and the like, and the solution is verified.

■ Power Selection Procedure for Power-Efficient IoT Sensor Design

The power source selection process for designing power-efficient IoT sensors begins with ensuring that the environment has access to a power source capable of recharging batteries.

If you have power, you can charge the battery, so check to see what kind of rechargeable battery you need.

At this time, temperature range, capacity, charge/discharge speed, internal impedance, etc. must be considered.

Since charging is not possible without a power source nearby, you will need to check which standard batteries are required.

Likewise, temperature range, capacity, discharge rate, etc. must be considered.

These conditions have a significant impact on signal chain and power management design.

The second is to define the motion profile.

Typically, IoT sensors cycle between sleep and active modes, and the power consumption varies depending on the mode.

Additionally, in active mode, power consumption varies depending on the tasks being performed, such as wireless communication, sensor detection, and OTA.

Therefore, the most important thing is to calculate the power budget required by the application based on the previously defined operating profile.

The third is to estimate the life of the battery.

It is important to estimate the optimal to worst-case operating conditions for each battery, and to also calculate for each applicable wireless or security solution, if necessary.

Finally, along with what we reviewed earlier, the battery sizeYou can choose the right battery by considering the price of the tile.

Meanwhile, having team members who can strategize and develop power-efficient solutions that best fit each design need has many advantages and high value.

To deliver value, Microchip has invested for over 30 years in a unique portfolio of efficient and optimized IoT sensor designs.

We have low-power analog products for power supply and signal chains, ultra-low-power microcontrollers, communication solutions, and IoT security solutions.

To help you design efficient products, Microchip offers technical support including evaluation boards, design review services, technical training, software, and on-site support from subject matter experts.

Microchip has power-efficient analog products for IoT applications.

These products have the advantages of high accuracy, power efficiency, low power consumption and low voltage operation, and stability.

We provide Treelink, MPLAB Analog Designer, and MPLAB Mindy to help you identify the right analog products for your design, and to help you select and simulate analog solutions yourself.

ClockWorks Configurator is a simple online tool that lets you customize oscillators and clock generators to suit your application needs.

Program parts based on frequency, temperature, package size, and more with just a few clicks, and order custom samples within 48 hours.