New NFC tag-side controller integrates sensing and energy-harvesting functions

The new NGC1081 from Infineon is a single-chip NFC tag-side controller which enables the IoT industry to develop low-cost, miniature edge computing and sensing devices. 

Such devices can be controlled and powered by mobile phones, with many potential applications in personal medical equipment, maintenance and configuration of machinery, home appliances and consumer devices, and in connected sensor products. The NGC1081’s intuitive wireless connection with a mobile phone enables innovative cloud-based business models. 

The NGC1081 can also be used to provide a galvanically isolated sensing interface for applications with direct human body contact. 

The tag-side controller supports a dual power-supply function: this allows it to operate in a passive battery-free mode through energy harvesting, or in a battery-powered mode, operating as a self-contained sensing node backed by an external power supply. In passive mode, the entire sensing system, including the IC and its connected sensors, can draw power via energy harvesting from the NFC field of a mobile phone. 

These features open up the potential to support sensing use cases that require no batteries and minimal maintenance. This is particularly useful for applications in which the power supply needs to be galvanically isolated to meet safety requirements.

The NGC1081 NFC tag-side controller is based on a low-power Arm^® Cortex^®-M0 core. It also includes an NFC front-end that complies with the ISO 14443 Type A standard, and a motor control driver that employs an H-bridge circuit with a drive capability of up to 250 mA. The device also features a sensing unit based on a 12-bit SAR ADC with four analog inputs and a 10-bit DAC with one analog output. 

In addition, the sensing unit features a current-to-voltage converter, and an integrated temperature sensor.

Watch:  NGC1081 the reliable solution for battery-free IoT devices