Jennic First to Demonstrate Ultra Low-Power ZigBee Based Transmissions Using Only 100µJ of Harvested Energy

* 100uJ of energy harvested from the physical action of pressing a switch
* Transmissions compatible with the proposed ZigBee Green Power standard
* Further demonstration of battery-less end devices
* IEEE802.15.4 standards based to serve ZigBee and 6LoWPAN

SHEFFIELD, England--(Business Wire)--
Jennic, a manufacturer of innovative 32-bit wireless microcontrollers has
demonstrated the capability of its JN5148 to perform multiple packet
transmissions from 100µJ of energy harvested from an electro-mechanical switch.
Jennic is the first wireless microcontroller vendor to show ZigBee
communications are possible with such low energy consumption. The demonstrator
shows how a single switch press is all that is required to enable the JN5148 to
carry out system startup and initialisation, followed by a succession of packet
transmissions to increase the probability of packet delivery to the receiver.

Jennic previously announced a series of energy harvesting technology
demonstrators utilising thermal, vibrational, RF and solar energy harvesting
techniques to power end devices in a wireless sensor network. By employing a
powered wireless backbone that contains permanently active Proxy Server Routers,
energy constrained end devices can broadcast data when they are able, relying on
the backbone to intercept the data messages. Today`s announcement sees Jennic
utilising the same approach but with even lower energy budgets.

Jimi Simpson, Jennic Product Marketing, explained, "Utilising the limited and
instantaneous energy from an electro-mechanical switch harvester presented many
design challenges. By optimizing system initialization speeds and developing an
enhanced communications infrastructure to support energy constrained sensor
nodes, Jennic`s engineers ensured sufficient energy was left over for a minimum
of three packet transmissions to increase the probability of packet delivery to
the receiver. The JN5148 totally hit the mark, consuming what in essence equates
to an average of 7mA at 2volts for 7ms, the 100µJ budget."

This latest demonstrator will find particular interest in application of Home
Automation (HA) and Commercial Building Automation (CBA) lighting solutions,
where wireless, battery-less light switches will control the lighting within the
building, minimising the costs associated with cable installation and
maintenance. It also links directly with ZigBee`s Green Power standardisation
efforts for the integration of wireless, battery-less light switches with ZigBee
HA networks.

"The solution, being IEEE802.15.4 standards based, enables the technology to be
applied to ZigBee, 6LoWPAN and our proprietary JenNet solutions. Our Proxy
Server Router approach is the real enabler for energy harvesting sensor nodes
and is a key component of our Green Power architecture." He went on to say; "We
are committed to driving our roadmap of Green Powered wireless networking
solutions and year end will see the first of a series of planned product
releases."

Jennic`s JN5148 wireless microcontroller integrates a high-performance 32-bit
RISC CPU core with mixed-signal peripherals and an IEEE802.15.4, 2.4GHz
transceiver. The 98dB link budget supports indoor communication over distances
of up to 50 metres, whilst 128-bit AES encryption ensures a high level of
security. It offers industry leading current consumption of just 15mA when
transmitting, 17.5mA when receiving, and 200nA in sleep.

Further details can be found under Applications on Jennic`s website
www.jennic.com

Jennic`s Jimi Simpson will be speaking at the IDTechEX Energy Harvesting and
Storage Conference in Denver (3-4th) November. Jennic`s wireless technology,
along with a range of energy harvesting technologies, will be on show in their
partners booths, including Powercast, Infinite Power Solutions, Cymbet,
Micropelt and AdaptivEnergy.

For further information, please contact Jennic at harvesting@jennic.com

Ends

Editor's note:

About Jennic
Jennic is a fabless semiconductor company leading the wireless connectivity
revolution by providing wireless microcontrollers for a broad range of
applications in the energy, environment, asset tracking and consumer markets.
The company`s products include state-of-the-art low power wireless
microcontrollers, modules, development platforms, protocol and application
software, with a focus on IEEE802.15.4, ZigBee and 6LoWPAN standards.
Headquartered in Sheffield, UK, Jennic provides first-class sales and support
worldwide. For more information, visit www.jennic.com

Jennic
Fiona Davis,
Tel: +44 (0) 114 281 2655
Email: press@jennic.com
or
Napier
Debbie Norton,
Tel: +44 (0) 1243 531123
Email: Debbie@Napier.co.uk

Copyright Business Wire 2009