Summary of E-PEAS AEM10941 SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING IC
The e-peas AEM10941 is an ambient energy manager IC that harvests solar energy from up to 7-cell panels, storing energy and supplying two independent regulated voltages to extend or replace batteries in wireless applications. It features ultra-low-power cold start, an MPPT-capable boost converter (operating 50mV–5V, cold start at 380mV/3µW), integrated 1.2V/1.8V and 4.1V LDOs, flexible storage management (overcharge/discharge protection, supercap support), optional primary battery switchover, and an integrated balun for dual-cell supercapacitors. Comes in a 5×5 mm QFN28 and requires seven passive external components.
Parts used in the AEM10941 Solar Energy Harvesting IC project:
- e-peas AEM10941 Solar Energy Harvesting IC
- Solar panel (up to 7-cell)
- Rechargeable storage element (Li-ion battery, thin film battery, supercapacitor, or conventional capacitor)
- Passive external components (seven passive parts total)
- External control signal for power gating
- Optional primary battery
- PCB with 5mm x 5mm footprint for QFN28 package
- Balun for dual-cell supercapacitor (integrated in IC, external connections required)
e-peas AEM10941 Solar Energy Harvesting IC is an integrated Ambient Energy Manager (AEM) that can extract DC power from up to 7-cell solar panels, simultaneously storing energy in a rechargeable element and supplying the system with two independent regulated voltages. The AEM10941 is designed to extend battery lifetime and ultimately eliminate the primary energy storage element in a large range of wireless applications, such as industrial monitoring, geolocation, home automation, health monitoring, and wireless sensor nodes.
The AEM10941 harvests the available input current up to 110mA. It integrates an ultra-low power boost converter to charge a storage element, such as a Li-ion battery, a thin film battery, a supercapacitor, or a conventional capacitor. The boost converter operates with input voltage in a range from 50mV to 5V. With its unique cold-start circuit, the AEM10941 can start operating with empty storage elements at an input voltage as low as 380mV and input power as low as 3µW.
The low-voltage supply of the AEM10941 can be used to drive a microcontroller at 1.2V or 1.8V. The high-voltage supply may typically drive a radio transceiver at a configurable voltage between 1.8V and 4.1V. Both are driven by highly-efficient LDO (Low Dropout) regulators for low noise and high stability.
Features
- Ultra-low-power start-up
- Cold start from 380mV input voltage and 3µW input power (typical)
- Ultra-low-power boost regulator
- Open-circuit voltage sensing for MPPT every 5s
- Configurable MPPT with 2-pin programming
- Selectable Voc ratios of 70, 75, 85, or 90%
- Input voltage operation range from 50mV to 5V
- MPPT voltage operation range from 50mV to 5V
- Integrated 1.2V/1.8V LDO regulator
- Up to 20mA load current
- Power gated dynamically by an external control
- Selectable output voltage
- Integrated 8V to 4.1V LDO regulator
- Up to 80mA load current with 300mV drop-out
- Power gated dynamically by an external control
- Selectable output voltage
- Flexible energy storage management
- Selectable overcharge and over-discharge protection for any type of rechargeable battery or capacitor
- Fast supercapacitor charging
- Warns the load when the battery is running low
- Warns when output voltage regulators are available
- Optional primary battery
- Automatically switches to the primary battery when the secondary battery is exhausted
- Integrated balun for dual-cell supercapacitor
- Small footprint, small BOM
- Compact 5mm x 5mm QFN28 package
- Only seven passive external components required
Read more: E-PEAS AEM10941 SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING IC
- What input voltage range does the AEM10941 boost converter support?
The boost converter operates with input voltage from 50mV to 5V according to the article. - At what minimum conditions can the AEM10941 cold start?
The IC can cold start from 380mV input voltage and 3µW input power (typical). - How many regulated outputs does the AEM10941 provide and what voltages?
It supplies two independent regulated voltages: a low-voltage LDO at 1.2V or 1.8V and a high-voltage LDO configurable between 1.8V and 4.1V. - Does the AEM10941 support MPPT and how is it configured?
Yes, it supports MPPT with open-circuit voltage sensing every 5 seconds and configurable MPPT via 2-pin programming with selectable Voc ratios of 70, 75, 85, or 90%. - What load currents can the integrated LDOs supply?
The 1.2V/1.8V LDO can supply up to 20mA and the 8V-to-4.1V LDO can supply up to 80mA with 300mV dropout. - Can the AEM10941 manage different types of energy storage?
Yes, it offers selectable overcharge and over-discharge protection for any type of rechargeable battery or capacitor and supports fast supercapacitor charging. - What happens when the secondary battery is exhausted?
The IC can automatically switch to an optional primary battery when the secondary battery is exhausted. - Is a balun required for dual-cell supercapacitor use?
An integrated balun for dual-cell supercapacitor is provided in the IC (external connections implied). - How many external passive components are required?
The design requires only seven passive external components as stated in the article.
