LX Innovations specialises in developing electronics products that are designed with green energy-saving features.
Most electronics products developed are inherently mobile and require a small, portable energy source to power them.
Coupled with design requirements for long battery life and practically zero maintenance, an opportunity to implement several well-practised design strategies presents itself.
Energy-wise applications that LX Innovations considers during the design phase include energy-saving algorithms, discrete electronics versus microprocessor, processing speeds, operating voltage and energy-saving sleep mode.
Energy-Saving Algorithms
During the firmware development phase of an electronics product, a high level of the effectiveness of the algorithm is required and therefore, the O(n) format is often used.
Discrete Electronics vs. Microprocessor
Advanced low-power microprocessors and microcontrollers enable designs that achieve temperature stability, low quiescent and operating currents as well as high flexibility.
Processing Speeds
Newer microcontroller and microprocessor products offer flexibility in the choice of operating speeds available to the designer. Frequently, robust watch-style crystals are supported, and when used appropriately, designs can run for years on a small cell without requiring manual intervention.
Operating Voltage
Modern microcontrollers continue to push the minimum operating voltage boundary down. Some readily-available commercial-type devices are now operating down to 1.8V and less without any compromise on high operating speeds.
Sleep Mode
Sleep mode assists energy saving by reducing the operating current drawn in parts of the controller’s circuitry that are not required.
Typically, a processor is programmed to periodically wake up, perform some small piece of calculation, and then go back to sleep. The sleep/wake proportion directly affects the energy consumption bottom line; switching off until required saves on power consumption.
Energy Harvesting
Energy harvesting is the new buzzword in green electronics products. Energy harvesting can power smart wireless sensor networks used to monitor and optimise complex industrial processes, remote field installations and building systems.
Typical energy-harvesting inputs include solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients and kinetic energy.
Additionally, otherwise wasted energy from industrial processes, solar panels or internal combustion engines can be harvested for useful purposes.
Thoughtful Design: LX Innovations
Designers at LX Innovations believe that the development of superior green electronics products is well within reach for clients.
The additional development effort that used to be required for such a functional requirement is no longer a significant risk consideration or cost barrier.
The approaches discussed here are a sampling of technologies and techniques available to LX Innovations designers to rapidly prototype killer low-power concepts for clients.
