• • • BATTERIES & CHARGERS • • •
Optimise IoT Device Battery Life with Emulation and
Profiling Software Internet of things (IoT) devices have many uses in consumer, medical and industrial areas
W
ith more IoT devices coming to market, battery duration becomes essential for product quality and customer
satisfaction. Their safety depends on battery performance for many of these applications, such as implantable medical devices. When the expected battery life does not meet real-world requirements, the device can become very dangerous for patients. Battery life requirements are also high for intelligent city or asset-tracking applications. A smart meter in every home or a small asset tracker in every item will need a long-lasting battery, as changing batteries over a large deployment area is not profitable. Therefore, testing and predicting a device’s battery life is more important than ever. With battery emulation and profiling software, device designers can estimate battery life precisely. Moreover, emulation software can evaluate current drain to modify device designs that can extend battery duration.
Importance of battery profiling software
Batteries are nonideal energy sources because they interact with the device, influencing the current drain of the battery. Precise current consumption results are crucial for maximising a device’s battery life. Consider the battery’s features when using a DC source to power the device to ensure that the current consumption results correctly imitate the battery current consumption. There are several reasons why battery profiling and characterisation are essential. Users must know how much energy the battery can hold and deliver as it drains over time. The open circuit voltage (VOC) and internal resistance (IR) change as the battery drains. These need to be plotted so that the battery profiles show the actual performance of the battery in the real world. Figure 1 shows a typical plot example of a battery profile. Verifying the battery’s performance under certain discharge conditions and operating modes is also essential. Factors that influence battery behaviour are:
A general-purpose DC source aims to be a
Figure 1. A battery profile using a battery test and emulation software.
• Temperature
• Load current profiles (constant/dynamic) • Different operating modes, including constant current, power and resistance Battery life depends on these parameters, so making different battery profiles that suit specific discharge situations is essential.
perfect voltage source with no output impedance by using remote sensing feedback to maintain its output voltage constant. However, unlike a battery, its voltage does not decrease with load current. Moreover, feedback regulation is not instantaneous, which causes voltage drop and overshoot when loading and unloading changes. A significant transient voltage drop can activate a device’s low-battery-voltage shutdown. When powering a device with a DC source, emulate the battery’s characteristics for current drain results comparable to those of a battery. A regular DC source differs from a battery, but a DC source that can imitate a battery helps users get more reliable results. Make sure the power supply used has a programmable output resistance.
Extending battery life with
emulation software Using a battery emulator instead of a battery has several advantages for device testing:
Figure 2. Example of a device’s current consumption waveform loaded into an advanced battery test and emulation software.
14 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • FEBRUARY 2025
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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