Summary of CAPACITECH OFFERS ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGY WITH A UNIQUE FORM FACTOR; FLEXIBLE CABLE-BASED CAPACITORS FOR ENERGY HARVESTING AND IOT DEVICES
Capacitech’s Cable-Based Capacitor (CBC) is a flexible, wire-shaped supercapacitor designed for IoT energy-harvesting systems. Paired with a PMIC and an energy harvester (e.g., indoor solar cell), the CBC stores intermittent harvested energy, enabling battery-free, smaller, and longer-lived IoT devices by avoiding bulky PCB-mounted capacitors. Its novel form factor allows off-board or integrated wiring placement, freeing PCB surface area while delivering sufficient power for tasks like data transmission and offering long cycle life.
Parts used in the Cable-Based Capacitor (CBC) Project:
- Cable-Based Capacitor (CBC) supercapacitor
- Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC)
- Energy harvester (example: indoor solar cell)
- Wiring infrastructure for integration (flexible cables)
- IoT device electronics (microcontroller/radio for data transmission)
- Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or external mounting structure
Power consumption is a crucial factor for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications, as it relies on a battery, which has a limited capacity and short service life, to carry out the device’s operations. IoT devices are often deployed in places that are physically difficult to reach making it difficult and expensive to replace them when they discharge. This is one of the major challenges faced in the IoT market. One engineering solution that is gaining popularity is to leverage energy harvesting technologies and supercapacitors, which are also known as ultracapacitors or electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC).
Capacitech’s physically flexible and high-power energy storage product, the Cable-Based Capacitor, is a supercapacitor that can be paired with energy harvesting technologies to offer IoT hardware developers and manufacturers an alternative to these problematic batteries and their short service life. Utilizing this flexible capacitor technology will make these IoT devices energy independent, free from batteries, and smaller than they would be using traditional capacitor technologies.
In order to replace batteries in IoT applications, a supercapacitor must be paired with a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) and also an energy harvester such as an indoor solar cell. Traditional supercapacitors take up significant space on the circuit board, which limits a designers’ ability to offer certain features or smaller product sizes. Capacitech’s Cable-Based Capacitor possesses a unique, wire-shaped, and physically flexible form factor that can be integrated into the energy harvesters’ wiring infrastructure to alleviate this engineering tradeoff.
The Cable-Based Capacitor (CBC) fulfills the energy storage requirements to utilize the energy harvested, given energy harvester’s intermittent supply and lack of power. Supercapacitors are the ideal solutions as they enable more than “enough power for data transmission and have very long cycle life.” At the same time, traditional supercapacitors face the challenge of being limited for use on printed circuit boards, where space isn’t a commodity. Capacitech’s CBC eliminates this challenge as it features novel placement options so minimal to no surface area is occupied on the circuit board. It is for external purposes (use off the circuit board) as well as for the internal architecture of the system.
- What is the Cable-Based Capacitor used for in IoT?
It stores intermittent energy harvested by an energy harvester so IoT devices can operate without traditional batteries. - Can the CBC replace batteries in IoT applications?
Yes, when paired with a PMIC and an energy harvester, the CBC can enable battery-free IoT devices. - How does the CBC save PCB space?
Its wire-shaped, flexible form factor integrates into wiring infrastructure or is placed off-board, reducing surface area occupied on the PCB. - Does the CBC provide enough power for data transmission?
Yes, supercapacitors like the CBC enable more than enough power for data transmission and offer very long cycle life. - What components must be paired with the CBC for energy-harvesting systems?
A PMIC and an energy harvester such as an indoor solar cell must be paired with the CBC. - Is the CBC limited to external use only?
No, the CBC can be used externally off the PCB as well as integrated into the internal architecture of the system. - Why are supercapacitors preferred for energy-harvesting IoT devices?
Because they handle intermittent, low-power harvesting, provide sufficient power for tasks, and have very long cycle life.
