Abstract
In this paper, we identify and address the problems of designing effective power management schemes in low-power MCU design. Firstly, this paper proposes an application-based multipower domain architecture along with a variety of working modes to effectively realize the hierarchical control of power consumption. Furthermore, devices in energy IoT (eIoT) do not always work under the main power supply. When the main power supply is unavailable, the standby power supply (usually the battery) needs to maintain the operation and save the data. In order to ensure the complete isolation between these two power sources, it is always necessary to insert a diode in both select-conduction paths, respectively. In this paper, we built a stable and smooth power switching circuit into the chip, which can effectively avoid the diode voltage loss and reduce the BoM cost. In addition, in the sleep mode, considering the relaxed output voltage range and a limited driving capability requirement, an ultra-low-power standby power circuit is proposed, which can autonomously replace the internal LDO when in sleep, further reducing the sleep power consumption under the main power supply. Fabricated in a standard 0.11 μm CMOS process, our comparative analysis demonstrates substantial reduction in power consumption from 1 μA to 0.1 μA.
Highlights
The rapid growth of the energy Internet of Things has driven the vigorous development of microcontrol units (MCUs) [1,2,3]
Whether it is a small node for connection or a sensor hub for collecting and recording data, it is mainly based on the MCU platform [7, 8]
The real-time clock (RTC) block is required in the MCU for energy metering
Summary
The rapid growth of the energy Internet of Things (eIoT) has driven the vigorous development of microcontrol units (MCUs) [1,2,3]. The real-time clock (RTC) block is required in the MCU for energy metering It needs to be working uninterrupted when the meter is in storage or under the power outage. Techniques such as clock gating and power gating [11] can be used to reduce the power consumption of the digital and analog cores; the power consumption of the always-on power management circuits, such as low-dropout regulator (LDO), should be minimized to extend the battery life. State-of-the-art ultra-low-power MCUs on the market can achieve submicrowatt power consumption in lowpower mode; they can only supply a single standard 3.3-V supply voltage [12], which requires additional power switching circuit on-board, increasing the design cost for eIoT applications. We integrate the traditional power switch function into the chip, effectively reducing the system cost and extending the battery life.
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