Optimize Hardware Selection
- Choose microcontrollers specifically designed for low power consumption, such as those with ultra-low power modes.
- Use components that support energy-saving modes, like e-paper displays and low-power sensors.
- Select energy-efficient power management ICs to optimize power supply regulation.
Implement Low-Power Software Techniques
- Utilize sleep and deep sleep modes of your microcontroller to conserve energy when the system is idle.
- Optimize your code to decrease the frequency and duration of processor wake-up times.
- Leverage interrupt-driven design to wake the processor only when necessary, rather than using polling methods.
// Example: Configuring a microcontroller sleep mode
void enterDeepSleepMode() {
// Configure peripherals to stop or sleep
disableUnusedPeripherals();
// Enter deep sleep
SCB->SCR |= SCB_SCR_SLEEPDEEP_Msk;
__WFI(); // Wait for interrupt
}
Optimize Power Supply Design
- Choose a battery that matches your device's power profile and usage scenarios. Consider lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries for higher energy density.
- Use efficient DC-DC converters to manage voltage levels dynamically based on load requirements.
- Implement voltage monitoring to switch off non-essential loads to avoid excessive drain.
Reduce System Clock Frequency
- Adjust the system clock frequency dynamically based on processing demand using dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS).
- Lower the clock speed during idle or low-demand periods to save power.
Optimize Peripheral Usage
- Shutdown or reduce the power supply to peripherals when they are not in use.
- Use low-power communication protocols such as I2C, SPI, or UART efficiently with low-power settings.
- Enable and configure the hardware-based low-power features, if available, in peripheral devices.
Minimize Active Duty Cycle
- Design algorithms and system tasks to minimize active duty cycle by batching tasks together.
- Ensure processing tasks are completed as quickly and efficiently as possible before returning to low-power states.
// Example: Batching sensor readings together
void batchSensorReadings() {
// Activate sensor
powerUpSensor();
// Read data
for (int i = 0; i < NUM_SAMPLES; i++) {
sensorData[i] = readSensor();
delay(SAMPLING_RATE);
}
// Process batch data
processBatchData(sensorData);
// Deactivate sensor
powerDownSensor();
}
Monitoring and Profiling Tools
- Utilize power profiling tools and oscilloscopes to monitor and measure the power consumption of your device in real-time.
- Identify high power consumption areas and refine them for better efficiency.
