Product category:
Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: AMI Semiconductor | Subject: AMIS-70020
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 29 October 2003
Chip keeps track of blackouts
A compact and highly integrated IC will simplify the design of circuits needed for the accurate and reliable measurement of power failure durations in industrial applications.
A compact and highly integrated IC will simplify the design and reduce the component count, space requirements, and cost of circuits needed for the accurate and reliable measurement of power failure durations in industrial applications Developed specifically for operation in industrial environments, the AMIS-70020 offers autonomous stop/start operation and can measure power failure durations of up to 5h with a 1s resolution
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 26 Mar 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The device is particularly suited to factory automation systems - for instance in inverters and motor drives - and process control systems.
These applications often require accurate knowledge of the elapsed time of a power failure for protection of the factory equipment or the materials that are being processed.
Using the AMIS-70020 power failure elapsed time counter IC, industrial designers will simplify their overall bill of materials (BOM) by eliminating the need for external components including oscillators, diodes, and additional power circuitry.
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During the counting phase, the device can be powered by an external capacitor or a primary lithium coin cell battery to provide maintenance-free operation independent from an external power supply.
The low power design of the device ensures a current consumption of less than 1uA, meaning that the energy stored in a 10mF buffer capacitor is sufficient to measure elapsed time for power failures with durations of up to 5h.
The AMIS-70020 is supplied in an SO8 package and integrates all necessary counter functionality along with an internal 1kHz oscillator, power management circuitry for the recharging of the external capacitor, and a two-wire interface.
When combined with all necessary external components (filter capacitor and buffer capacitor or battery) the overall footprint of the circuit is only approximately 15mm2.
In addition, the two-wire interface provides a simple connection to the standard I/O pins of an external microcontroller without the need for more complex I2C, SPI, SSP or UART interconnectivity.
The AMIS-70020 timer IC starts and stops counting automatically based on a comparison of the voltage input signal with a reference signal.
When voltage input falls below the reference, a power cutoff is flagged and the timer starts counting.
As soon as the input voltage rises above the reference, counting is stopped and the value of the counter and the internal oscillator signal are provided to the microcontroller.
A simple algorithm can then be used to calculate the duration of the power failure.
The AMIS-70020 has been developed as part of AMI Semiconductor's ongoing product roadmap for the industrial sector and is based on the company's advanced, mixed-signal semiconductor process technology.
This technology combines digital and analogue capabilities on a single chip to deliver robust and reliable ICs that are ideally suited to operation in the harsh conditions found in industrial environments.
Operating voltage range for the new device is specified as between 4.5 and 5.5V, and operating temperature is from -10 to +85C.
The device withstands 2kV HBM (human body model) ESD pulses when tested according to MIL-STD-883 method 3015.5.
To simplify the implementation of industrial designs based on the new device, AMIS will offer a starter kit for the evaluation and testing of the AMIS-70020.
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