NB-FPGA Wireless Transmitter for Low-Power IoT
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless transmitters for IoT and MTM applications face challenges with unstable natural energy supply, leading to unstable device behavior and high power consumption, especially when using semiconductor devices like CPLD and FPGA.
Innovation Solution
Employing a semiconductor device with non-volatile and rewritable variable-resistance elements, such as NanoBridge-FPGA (NB-FPGA), which can maintain internal states without electric energy, enabling stable operation with low power consumption and fast wake-up speed, even with small capacity electric power sources like capacitors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If natural energy is directly supplied to the wireless transmitter, then power consumption is reduced, but the device behavior becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the circuit connection states in the NB-FPGA using non-volatile variable-resistance elements before power supply interruption. This allows the device to maintain its operational state without continuous power, resolving the contradiction between using natural energy (intermittent power) and maintaining stable device behavior.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a capacitor element is used to supply natural energy, then power supply stability is improved, but the wireless transmitter behavior remains unstable due to charge and discharge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary configuration of the NB-FPGA circuit states before power interruption. The non-volatile variable-resistance elements retain these configurations through the capacitor's charge/discharge cycles, ensuring stable transmitter behavior despite power supply fluctuations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a capacitor element with limited energy storage capacity, accepting that it will discharge and require recharging. The key innovation is that the NB-FPGA's non-volatile memory preserves circuit states through this cycle, making the temporary energy storage sufficient for stable operation.
3Productivity
If semiconductor devices like CPLD or FPGA are applied, then computation capability is improved, but power consumption increases and wake-up speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of memory volatility in semiconductor devices. By using non-volatile variable-resistance elements in the NB-FPGA, the device maintains computation capability while eliminating the need for continuous power to maintain state, thereby reducing power consumption and improving wake-up speed.
4Productivity
If semiconductor devices like CPLD or FPGA are applied, then computation capability is improved, but operation speed at power-on decreases due to configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the configuration action preliminarily by setting the variable-resistance elements to desired circuit states before power interruption. This eliminates the need for time-consuming reconfiguration at power-on, achieving fast wake-up speed while maintaining full computation capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The NB-FPGA-based wireless transmitter achieves stable operation with low power consumption and high wake-up speed, suitable for IoT and MTM applications, using natural energy sources like wind or solar power, and eliminates the need for repeated configuration and electric energy for holding circuit states.
Implementation Method 1
variable-resistance elements each of which is non-volatile and rewritable and is configured to hold each internal state without electric energy
Data Source
AI summary
An Internet-of-things (IoT)/machine-to-machine (MTM) wireless transmitter is obtained that has a semiconductor device including variable-resistance elements each of which is nonvolatile and rewritable and is able to hold each internal state without electric energy, and a modulator for receiving information from the semiconductor device and transmitting the information as a wireless signal.