Information

5
Driving nanoWatt XLP into Tomorrow’s Vehicles
With increased electronics penetration across the
broad spectrum of applications within the vehicle, the
number of ECMs continues to expand – taxing the
vehicle's power budget. Some higher end vehicles can
have over 80 ECMs, which means that current loads
are increasing. An increase in battery size to support
the growing power requirements is an alternative to
overcoming this challenge. However, larger batteries do
not always provide a good tradeoff in an environment
where space is limited and weight is critical, due to the
negative impact on fuel consumption.
A better alternative is to use nanoWatt XLP, Microchip's
innovative solution to address the operational power
consumption of the ECMs. Through a unique blend of
design techniques, fl exible power management features
and process technology, nanoWatt XLP technology
allows engineers to manage static, active and average
power consumption.
In those ECMs which consume power when the ignition
is off, using nanoWatt XLP-based PIC microcontrollers,
with industry leading low sleep currents, gives the
system designer the abilty to tackle the power budget
challenges.
www.microchip.com/XLP
PIC MCUs with nanoWatt Technology also support up to
nine oscillator modes, which include:
■
Ultra Low Power Wake-up (ULPW) mode
– Reduces current draw during wake-up.
■
Confi gurable Idle, Sleep and Deep Sleep modes
– Let designers tailor current consumption levels
and clocking options to fi t any power budget.
■
Advantageous two-speed start-up feature
– Allows seamless transition by running from either
of the internal oscillators while an external clock
source stabilizes on start-up. After the external
source has stabilized, the MCU automatically
makes a clock switch, saving precious “up” time.
■

Clock frequency can be switched on the fl y
– Allowing no delay in code execution on transitions
between external clocks and the internal
oscillators.
Low Power Safety
In addition to peripherals, products with nanoWatt XLP
have system supervisory circuits specially designed for
battery powered products.
■
The Deep Sleep Brown-out Reset protects
applications when batteries are depleted and
changed, yet consumes a tiny 45 nA of current
■
The Real-time Clock Calendar module on products
with Deep Sleep can continue to run provide precise
time for less than 500 nA
■
Using a dedicated on-chip oscillator, the standard
WDT and Deep Sleep WDT provide protection against
system failure for less than 500 nA.
Benefi ts of nanoWatt XLP Technology:
■
Sleep currents down to 20 nA
■
Brown-out Reset down to 45 nA
■
Watch-dog Timer down to 400 nA
■

Real-time Clock/Calendar down to 500 nA