How you can Design Ultra Low Power Zigbee RF4CE Wireless Systems

Wireless Technologies are evolving from communications to between people and computers to communications between machines. There’s another wave of wireless that’s following a almost ubiquitous integration of mobile phones and wi-fi (Wi-Fi) into our way of life.

This third wireless wave includes wireless sense and control systems that may connect and control all sorts of equipment within our homes and companies – from freezers to light switches, from electronic devices (TV, DVD-player) and controllers to sensors, for recognition or protection, and also to central door locking and window locking within our homes (once we are utilized to within our cars).

Regrettably, using today’s wireless technologies, the majority of individuals wireless sensors and controls require using a significant volume of batteries creating ecological concerns (think toxic chemicals and high metals) in addition to a serious maintenance problem (continuously exchanging batteries). Therefore ultra low power wireless systems that need hardly any power are of curiosity.

Including systems that may elope of merely one cell battery for that existence of the device in addition to wireless systems and sensors that may be operated by energy harvesting (sometimes known as energy scavenging). Creating ultra low power wireless systems and systems that may elope the power that’s available within the atmosphere rather of batteries is an extremely exciting emerging technology.

This past year, the ZigBee organization partnered with some of the largest electronic devices companies on the planet (Panasonic, Philips, The new sony and Samsung) to create what is known ZigBee RF4CE (Rf for Electronic Devices). This industry partnership signals the introduction of a whole new generation of handheld remote control devices – for TVs, for office and home automation, for a lot of other kinds of handheld remote control items that communicate via low power RF rather from the decades old IR (infrared). With these new communication technologies, we soon will be seeing an array of remote devices that aren’t only interoperable among models and brands, but require so very little energy that their batteries won’t ever have be altered or recharged. It’s even easy to design and make remotes that won’t require any batteries whatsoever and can obtain power from energy harvesting.

Challenges of wireless sensor systems

The greatest technical challenge for developing these ultra low power sensor systems is handling the energy consumption without reducing range or functionality, like speed and standards compliance. The resulting removal of battery substitute will simplify maintenance and supply a greater degree of simplicity of use and safety.

Ultra low power consumption

It’s apparent that current consumption – milli-amps – and duty cycling are essential in wireless sensor systems. However, minimizing current consumption is just area of the solution. There are many essential issues answer to developing low power wireless sensor applications, however it all begins with the introduction of an ultra low power transceiver radio chips.

Using a communication controller centric nick design rather of the microcontroller centric design, together with synchronized wake-ups, you’ll be able to reduce overall power consumption by 65% or even more.

Most transceiver solutions require the MCU be switched overall time throughout the transmission of the package. By utilizing GreenPeak Technology’s GP500 communication controller, the MCU is just needed to process the information to become transmitted or received.