Silicon Labs Teams Up with e-peas to Engineer a Battery-Free IoT SoC Powered by Energy Harvesting
Silicon Labs, a pioneer in secure, intelligent wireless technology, proudly unveils its groundbreaking xG22E family of Wireless SoCs, marking the company's first foray into designs tailored specifically for the unique demands of battery-free, energy-harvesting IoT applications. This revolutionary product line, inclusive of the BG22E, MG22E, and FG22E, represents Silicon Labs' most energy-efficient SoCs to date. These chips are engineered to facilitate the creation of high-performance wireless devices across various protocols including Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), 802.15.4-based systems, and other proprietary 2.4 GHz communications. This capability is indispensable for manufacturing both battery-optimized and battery-free devices that harness energy from environmental sources such as indoor or outdoor lighting, ambient radio waves, and kinetic motion.
In a strategic move to bolster device makers in crafting comprehensive energy harvesting solutions, Silicon Labs has entered into a vibrant collaboration with e-peas, a renowned leader in Power Managed Integrated Circuits (PMICs). This alliance has borne fruit in the form of two meticulously engineered energy harvesting shields, which are part of the newly introduced, energy-optimized xG22E Explorer Kit. This kit is designed to assist developers in navigating the stringent requirements of energy harvesting by allowing them to tailor peripherals and debugging options to align perfectly with their application needs. This customization facilitates highly precise measurements critical for the optimal design and function of their devices.
The energy harvesting shields, a product of collaborative innovation between Silicon Labs and e-peas, are adeptly tailored for different energy sources and storage technologies. One notable shield incorporates e-peas’ advanced AEM13920 dual-harvester technology which enables simultaneous energy extraction from two distinct sources, such as light and electromagnetic waves, without compromising conversion efficiency. The other shield, developed around e-peas' AEM00300, focuses on efficiently capturing energy from sporadic pulsed energy sources.
Ross Sabolcik, Silicon Labs' Senior Vice President for the Industrial and Commercial Business Unit, emphasized the significance of this development: "As the market for energy harvesting and low-power solutions grows, we continue to invest in advancing our wireless MCU and radio stack capabilities to spearhead the revolution in battery-free IoT environments."
This initiative is notably aligned with the expanding needs of the Ambient IoT, which is poised to overcome the longstanding challenges of powering numerous low-complexity devices without defaulting to traditional energy sources like mains power or batteries. The xG22E family is uniquely equipped with features such as an ultra-fast, energy-efficient cold start capability, which enables devices to wake from zero-energy states and transmit data efficiently before returning to rest. Additionally, these SoCs offer reduced wake-up energy expenditure, smooth transitions between energy modes, and versatile deep sleep wake-up options that further enhance their suitability for prolonged use in energy harvesting applications.
Energy harvesting technologies pave the way for substantial benefits across various sectors by diminishing energy costs, eliminating reliance on batteries, and reducing operational carbon footprints. These technologies are also increasingly integrated into various IoT applications, ranging from electronic shelf labels in retail settings, which reduce battery needs for price and inventory management, to consumer products like solar-powered remote controls and movable light switches.
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