What makes AKM different?

Energy Harvesting

Until now, small amounts of environmental energy around us have been discarded without being harvested and AKM's unique circuit technology has enabled the harvesting of a small amount of this environmental energy by incorporating a "voltage booster circuit that starts up at only 15[mV]" and a "charge/discharge control circuit that operates at only 86[nW] of the harvested energy" into a single chip. Reasons to choose AKM's step-up DC-DC converters are explained in the "Reasons to choose AKM" section.

Can provide a power for operating a system by collecting a small amount of the environmental energy around you.

AKM's step-up DC-DC converter integrates all functions from voltage boosting to charge/discharge control in a single chip with extremely low power consumption in order to collect small amounts of the environmental energy around us.

Ultra-low consumption circuits in AP447x

Boost circuit to start at low voltage/low power (Boost)

The step-up circuit of AKM's step-up DC-DC converters is designed to start up with either a low voltage or low-power generation.

AP4473 for Boost Startup * at Low Voltages

The AP4473 can start a step-up circuit with an input voltage of only 15[mV] for low voltage power generation such as thermoelectric generation.

AP4470 for low-power boost startup *

The AP4470 can start a step-up circuit with an input power of less than 1[μW] (200[mV] for power generation using chemical, optical, vibration, or high-frequency power generation.

(*note)　
"Boost Startup" is defined as activating the step-up circuit in a step-up DC/DC converter (AP4470/AP4473).

A voltage higher than the "Boost Startup" voltage is required to boost up to power supply voltage (3.3V), which is fed to the system.

Boost circuit to start at low voltage/low power (Boost)

Charge and discharge control (SW Control) with only 86[nW] of collected energy

AKM's step-up DC-DC converters incorporate the following circuits to control the charged energy.

Shutting off the system until power supply starts

By connecting the energy storage device and the system with a switch built into the IC, the connection between the system and the energy storage device is disconnected until the boost voltage reaches from 0[V] to the start of power supply (3.3[V]), preventing the system from consuming energy in the middle of the boost.

While conventional technology requires several hundred nW or more to run this charge/discharge control circuit, AKM's unique low-consumption circuit technology enables this to be done with only 86[nW] (=2 6[nA] x 3.3[V]).

Built-in overvoltage protection

An overvoltage protection circuit is also incorporated to prevent the voltage from exceeding the rated voltage of the system, thereby preventing the system breakdown.

Charge and discharge control (SW Control) with only 86[nW] of collected energy