CPLD based power management system for low power devices

Energy is a precious resource in Wireless Sensor Nodes. With each transmission/reception and computation, energy is being expended and batteries get drained which can result in premature death of nodes and thereby reduced life span of WSN. The problem gets critical when the network is implemented under harsh environmental conditions like forests. Thus energy harvesting from environment becomes an important concern. In this paper, a design is presented for the development of power management system in an energy constraint device like wireless sensor node. The design presented utilizes solar energy to improve the efficiency and extend the duration of operation for sensor nodes. Experimental setup comprises of a PV based array simulator and a CPLD based power management module.