MEMS-switch-based power management with zero-power voltage monitoring for energy accumulation architecture on dust-size wireless sensor nodes

Author

Shimamura, Toshishige ; Ugajin, Mamoru ; Kuwabara, Kei ; Takagahara, Kazuhiko ; Suzuki, Kenji ; Morimura, Hiroki ; Harada, Mitsuru ; Mutoh, Shin´ichiro

Author_Institution

NTT Microsyst. Integration Labs., Atsugi, Japan

fYear

2011

fDate

15-17 June 2011

Firstpage

276

Lastpage

277

Abstract

A power management scheme using a MEMS switch is proposed as a way to accumulate charge even when the energy-harvesting device generates minute current of <;10 pA. Voltage monitoring does not consume any power at all. A node prototype powered by the MEMS switch is implemented. Test chips were fabricated using the 0.35-μm CMOS process and MEMS process. The MEMS-switch power management operation and wireless node operation with nanowatt vibration sensing are confirmed.

Keywords

CMOS integrated circuits; energy harvesting; microswitches; vibrations; wireless sensor networks; zero voltage switching; CMOS process; MEMS-switch power management operation; dust-size wireless sensor nodes; energy accumulation architecture; energy harvesting device; nanowatt vibration sensing; size 0.35 mum; test chips; wireless node operation; zero-power voltage monitoring; Capacitors; Microswitches; Monitoring; Sensors; Transmitters; Vibrations; Wireless sensor networks; Dust-size and wireless sensor node; Energy accumulation architecture; Energy harvesting; MEMS switch; Nanowatt; Power management; Vibration sensing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

VLSI Circuits (VLSIC), 2011 Symposium on

Conference_Location

Honolulu, HI

ISSN

2158-5601

Print_ISBN

978-1-61284-175-5

Type

conf

Filename

5986451