Power Consumption Measurement Techniques
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Maximize the Battery Life of Your Internet of Things Device
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical electronic devices that interoperate in diverse applications from consumer health and fitness to industrial control and automation to reduce human error and increase efficiency. A typical IoT device contains at least one sensor, a processor, and a radio chip that operates in different states and consumes currents from tens of nanoamps to hundreds of milliamps in a matter of tens of microseconds.
Power management is a primary concern in IoT device design. The battery life in these devices can vary from as short as days, such as in consumer wearables, to as long as 20 to 30 years in sensor nodes that are located in remote locations where replacing the battery is difficult. Although these devices are enabled by the introduction of components that operate on very low power levels, the ability to accurately describe the power consumption of each, as well as overall operation on a system level, is essential in reducing energy consumed and optimizing battery life.
This e-guide describes the top 11 power management challenges that you can face when designing, validating, or testing your IoT device and offers some tips on how to simplify the process and ultimately enable the success of your IoT device:
- Measuring a Wide Dynamic Range of Current Levels
- Determining Ultra-Low Deep Sleep Current
- Measuring Transmit and Receive Current
- Capturing Short Transients and Fast Transitions
- Ensuring Sufficient Measurement Bandwidth for Your Sample Rate
- Triggering to Isolate Specific Events
- Recording Device Operation Over Extended Time Intervals
- Analyzing Power Consumption from Complex Waveforms
- Supplying an Accurate Voltage to Your Device
- Providing a Stable Voltage for All Device Operating Conditions
- Replicating Battery Output Characteristics Accurately