New NFC tag-side controller from Infineon integrates sensing and energy-harvesting to enable compact, battery-free smart sensing IoT solutions

NFC-based sensing controllers with energy-harvesting capabilities are critical for the development of passive smart devices that can operate with high accuracy, efficiency, and design convenience in a wide range of IoT applications. With the NGC1081, Infineon Technologies expands its product portfolio of NFC tag-side controllers. The new IC is a single-chip solution that enables the IoT industry to develop low-cost, miniaturized, smart edge computing/sensing devices, maximizing the benefits for both end-users and manufacturers. Such devices can be controlled and powered by mobile phones, with potential applications ranging from medical patches and disposable point-of-case testers to data loggers, smart thermostats, and sensor inlays.

The tag-side controller supports a dual power supply function, allowing it to operate in a passive mode (battery-free) based on energy harvesting, or in a battery-powered mode, operating as a self-contained sensing node via a 3 to 3.3 V 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. Together with its naturally galvanically isolated sensing interface, these features open up countless possibilities for creating many innovative sensing use cases that require no batteries and minimal maintenance. This is particularly useful for applications where the power supply needs to be galvanically isolated to meet the safety requirement (more info).