EnOcean, a developer of energy-harvesting wireless technology, has announced its first energy-harvesting wireless modules for 2.4 GHz BLE systems. They use the energy harvesting principle, in which energy is obtained from the surroundings, to create self-powered wireless sensor networks. As a special feature, the technology includes miniaturized energy converters that convert motion, light or temperature into electrical energy. Together with an efficient energy management system, the energy harvesting technology facilitates communication between maintenance-free IoT devices based on a variety of wireless standards, such as ZigBee and now BLE. The new modules complement their existing wireless technology on the sub 1 GHz band and ZigBee wireless products on the 2.4 GHz frequency band.
The first product in the EnOcean 2.4 GHz BLE portfolio is the batteryless PTM 215B switch module, now comes with NFC functionality, thereby making it easier to train and configure the switch. The PTM 215B is based on the established form factor of the PTM 21x module, invented by EnOcean, and can be integrated into a large number of existing switch designs. The switch is also available as a white label end product. EnOcean thus enables product manufacturers to develop reliable and self-powered solutions on the 2.4 GHz frequency band for use in smart homes and modern light control all over the world.
With the new 2.4 GHz BLE module, the EnOcean technology can now also be integrated into 2.4 GHz Bluetooth systems. Like the existing ZigBee portfolio, the BLE-based products are also designed for the 2.4 GHz frequency band. The company is thus responding to the latest market trends in lighting applications, since BLE-enabled solutions are gaining in importance. EnOcean GmbH now provides the right switches for BLE-based lighting systems.
For example, manufacturers of BLE-based systems for the 2.4 GHz band can therefore incorporate the energy harvesting technology from EnOcean into their portfolios and develop batteryless, room-based wireless controllers. Thanks to the standardized PTM 21x form factor, switch manufacturers can easily integrate the new 2.4 GHz module into their existing product ranges and use maintenance-free BLE systems that produce energy from motion.
The maintenance-free wireless sensor solutions from EnOcean thus increase flexibility and energy efficiency in smart buildings, while also saving time and money. They plan to add other solar based sensor modules in 2017. These will consist of a door and window sensor, a temperature/moisture sensor and a light sensor.
