Feature News

Industry-leading THINERGY(TM) Micro-energy Cells Store Low-power Ambient Energy From Harvesting Systems

LITTLETON, Colo., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Infinite Power Solutions, Inc. (IPS), a global leader in the development and commercialization of solid-state, rechargeable, thin-film micro-energy storage devices, today announced it will demonstrate its Micro Power Module (MPM) solution for providing continual power to micro-systems, such as embedded wireless sensors, during the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) this week in San Jose, Calif. at both its booth #1643, and at the Texas Instruments Pavilion booth #830. Unlike other rechargeable battery solutions, this unique MPM, when combined with ambient energy harvesting, will provide maintenance free, continuous power to wireless sensor nodes and other micro-electronics--for the life of the system (approximately 10-20 years).

Commenting on today's announcement, Tim Bradow, IPS' vice president, technical marketing and business development, notes, "The MPM is a compelling energy management and energy storage solution that leverages ambient energy harvesting to make autonomously powered wireless devices a practical reality. This micro-power solution is a safe, reusable and clean energy source that delivers a lifetime of power to micro-electronic systems without the prohibitive cost of battery maintenance. This is truly unique in the world of micro-batteries."

These unique MPMs from IPS feature two functional elements - near loss-less energy storage and highly efficient energy management electronics--all in a footprint less than a small Post-it(R) Note, and only a few millimeters thick. For the energy storage element, IPS leverages its industry-leading THINERGY(TM) Micro-Energy Cell (MEC(TM)) products to provide unmatched battery performance, cycle life and service lifetime. IPS' patent-pending, Passive Power Management Unit (PPMU(TM)) serves as the energy management element. The ultra-efficient PPMU provides a simplified electronic interface between the ambient energy harvester and the THINERGY MECs.

The PPMU is unique in that it has no front-end regulation and charges the MEC "passively" when not in over-charge condition, consuming less than 3 nA of quiescent current. It also provides the proper care and feeding of the cell (over-voltage and under-voltage protection), greatly simplifying the design-in process. For perpetual power, the system designer only needs to provide a two-wire input from an energy-harvesting source, such as a solar cell, piezo element, thermal-electric generator, or simple RF harvesting circuit. In fact, multiple energy sources (AC or DC) may be used simultaneously to maximize charge within energy-rich ambient environments. The output of the PPMU provides regulated (2.1V - 3.6V) and unregulated output voltage (approximately 4V) for direct connection to any integrated circuits. The output current is 30 mA or more, depending on the number of MECs used.

With these industry-leading THINERGY MECs and PPMU electronics, the MPM will efficiently store energy captured from ambient energy harvesting systems producing less than 150 mW, including ultra-low power and highly variable energy that is difficult to capture. Even with uncontrolled charging sequences from variable energy harvesters like piezo elements, these MPMs provide unparalleled charge efficiency and accommodate hundreds of thousands of partial charge/discharge cycles, which is approximately 100 times more cycles than what typical rechargeable batteries offer today.

IPS reports that its MPMs will be available for purchase by qualified customers starting May 2009. Today's news follows on IPS' announcement that it demonstrated a major breakthrough by achieving in excess of 3.0 mAh of discharge capacity (exceeding 12 mWh, or approximately 43 Joules of energy) within a single cell of its micro-energy storage technology. IPS recently began shipping its THINERGY thin-film MECs to early-access customers from its new Littleton, Colo.-based 36,000 square-foot-facility, which is the world's first, and only, volume manufacturing facility for solid-state thin-film batteries.

IPS will be exhibiting at the Embedded Systems Conference (Booth #1643 and at the Texas Instruments Pavilion, Booth #830), which is being held through April 2 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. Editors interested in meeting with IPS executives during this time are encouraged to contact Marie Labrie at MCA, via email at mlabrie@mcapr.com.

About Infinite Power Solutions, Inc.

Infinite Power Solutions, Inc. (IPS)--a U.S.-based, clean-technology company--is the global leader in developing, marketing and manufacturing solid-state, rechargeable thin-film micro-energy storage devices for a variety of micro-electronic applications. Founded in 2001, IPS is privately held with corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities in the western suburbs of Denver, Colo. The company has completed the build-out of the world's first volume manufacturing facility dedicated to the production of its revolutionary thin-film micro-energy cell (MEC(TM)) products (often referred to as thin-film batteries). IPS has recently commenced pre-production activities at this state-of-the-art facility to address growing demand among customers in the wireless sensor, active RFID, powered smart card, medical device, consumer electronics, automotive and civil/military/aerospace markets. Additional information about IPS is available at www.InfinitePowerSolutions.com.

THINERGY, MEC and PPMU are trademarks of IPS. Post-it Note is a registered trademark of 3M.