ON Semiconductor announced the Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Solution Kit (SPSDEVK1), which enables the rapid integration of its innovative Smart Passive Sensors (SPS) into IoT (Internet of Things) applications.

Battery-free SPS wireless sensors can monitor various parameters, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, or proximity, at network edges where wired connections or battery replacement are impossible. Furthermore, upon receiving a query signal from an RF reader—specifically the ON Semiconductor TagReader—the SPS draws energy from the measurement signal to provide fast and accurate sensor readings. In addition, boasting high cost-efficiency, the SPS offers significant benefits compared to other technologies and has the potential to revolutionize low-power IoT sensor design.

The SPSDEVK1 is a complete sensing solution consisting of a UHF SPS reader hub (SPSDEVR1-8), eight UHF antennas (SPS1DEVA1-W), 50 temperature sensors (SPS1T001PCB), a 12V DC power supply, and Ethernet cables. It also includes ON Semiconductor Tag Reader software, an application specifically designed for SPS reading that supports all tag functions to provide a comprehensive system solution.

Tag reader software automatically detects the type of connected tag and can read sensor data graphically over time. In addition, the graphical user interface (GUI) allows all system parameters related to the measurement process to be configured and reconfigured as needed. As a result, with the SPSDEVK1, even novice users can easily and quickly configure the system to measure, collect, and analyze data from multiple wireless, battery-free IoT applications.

Gary Straker, Senior Vice President of the Protection and Signal Business Unit at ON Semiconductor, explained, “This comprehensive turnkey solution eliminates the need for vendor-specific IoT solutions and allows for the rapid configuration and modification of multi-sensor IoT applications, saving significant time and costs. Our innovative SPS sensor not only provides superior long-range reading capabilities compared to NFC but also eliminates the need for batteries, which is a limitation of Bluetooth-based technology. With the SPSDEVK1, both experienced and novice designers can rapidly configure and deploy state-of-the-art energy harvesting sensing solutions at the network edge.”

ON Semiconductor plans to showcase a variety of advanced semiconductor-based solutions for the automotive and other major industries, including this new smart passive sensor turnkey solution, at CES 2018. ON Semiconductor's booth will be located at the Sands Convention Center or the Venetian Hotel (Murano 3302).