September 01, 2020 by Luke James
One year on from their first collaboration, HiSilicon and Nowi Energy B.V. have announced the second generation of their Energy Autonomous NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) platform.
In early July, HiSilicon and Nowi Energy showcased the second generation of their Energy Autonomous NB-IoT platform, optimised for ease-of-use and form factor. This follows on just over one year since the two companies collaborated for the first time. With the new platform, new internet of things applications are made possible where physical size is limited.
Building on the success of last year’s collaboration, HiSilicon and Nowi have optimised the design of their NB-IoT platform to resolve customer challenges and satisfy stricter market requirements so that they can broaden their range of potential applications.
The device acts as a sensor hub that can transmit via NB-IoT while operating indefinitely thanks to its energy harvesting capabilities. Based on HiSilicon’s Hi2115 NB-IoT solution and Nowi’s leading NH2 energy harvesting power management integrated circuit, the device eliminates the need for charging batteries or cabling to supply power in applications, potentially making them free of any maintenance requirements.
The platform combines connectivity and energy harvesting in the smallest possible size and offers an open slot onto which various sensors can be placed to meet the needs of various applications. As such, the platform can in theory act as the backbone of a huge amount of connected sensor solutions.
HiSilicon’s 2nd Generation NB-IoT platform can be tailored to fit many applications with minimal effort. Image Credit: BusinessWire.
Many IoT applications now require long deployment lifecycles; however, direct power connectivity is not always possible. This can be a limiting factor for certain applications. As such, energy autonomy is quickly becoming an important factor.
Said Charles Sturman, senior director for product marketing, HiSilicon: “Our collaboration with Nowi addresses these demands as their next generation NH2 device reaches efficiency and size targets which are changing the rule-book on energy harvesting. At HiSilicon, we aim towards a fully connected, intelligent world and such partnerships are crucial to achieve this vision.”
According to HiSilicon, the second generation platform also provides a ‘Plug & Forget’ solution capable of multiple transmissions per day; enables applications that were, due to size constraints, previously unable to use NB-IoT; and enables both indoor and outdoor applications. The platform can also be tailored to fit many sensor applications with minimal effort.
