e-peas has introduced the AEM15820, an energy-harvesting power-management IC designed to interface with hybrid photovoltaic cells that operate across both indoor and outdoor lighting conditions. Hybrid PV sources can produce very low power under indoor illumination and scale to much higher levels in direct sunlight, creating a wide operating range that requires efficient conversion and storage management.
The AEM15820 is designed to manage input power from the microwatt level to the watt level within a single device, enabling hybrid PV integration across portable and static consumer products. Target applications include self-charging headphones and charging cases, e-readers, fitness and hiking computers, smart glasses, remote security cameras, power banks, and power modules integrated into bags or accessories.
The PMIC supports operation with rechargeable batteries and lithium-ion capacitors. It features an ultra-low-power cold start specified at 5 µW with a 275 mV input, enabling startup from low-illumination conditions. The device provides a regulated output range of 0.6 V to 3.3 V with up to 100 mA load capability and includes a configurable source-regulation mode to control how the harvester interfaces to the PV source.
Configuration can be performed through GPIO or I2C, including storage-element protection thresholds, source-voltage regulation settings, thermal protection, and load-output behavior. The IC integrates both low-power and high-power boost conversion paths and automatically switches between them to maintain conversion efficiency as available input power changes. A 5 V DC input is also provided to support faster charging from an external supply when available.
The AEM15820 is supplied in a 5 mm × 5 mm QFN40 package, and evaluation boards are available.
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