Apr 28 2015
Sharp’s new PV energy harvesting technology generates six times more power than conventional devices for a given surface area, translating to dramatically higher energy budgets for applications such as building automation, wearable devices, wireless sensors, and low-power displays.
Sharp Devices Europe is pleased to announce a ground-breaking solution in energy harvesting for smart buildings and connected devices. Sharp’s unique photovoltaic technology harvests up to six times more power than conventional amorphous silicon technology and was developed by a team of researchers at Sharp Laboratories of Europe based in Oxford, U.K.
Sharp’s PV energy harvester is perfectly tailored to indoor light environments, providing unmatched performance for building automation, Internet of Things and wearable device applications, wherein a high power budget for sensing and transmitting data is critical. The device can harvest ambient light efficiently down to as little as 10 lux. Its black appearance combined with its high performance and hence small foot-print will enable more aesthetic solutions for design-led products. The PV energy harvester technology has the potential to drastically reduce the usage of batteries while increasing wireless device functionality. Prototypes of the energy harvesting technology are available for evaluation.
Memory-in-Pixel Display (MIP)
Sharp has developed a range of ultra-low power displays based on the memory LCD technology. This technology has enabled Sharp to create a family of monochrome and colour displays suitable for battery powered wearable devices. The key features of the displays are ultra-low power in the microwatt range, excellent indoor and outdoor readability without backlight and easy interface. The already developed portfolio of displays includes different sizes (from 1” through to 4.4”) and resolutions (from 128x128 through 320x240). In addition, the displays also include circular and rectangular active areas to cater for the various form factors. Future development is on-going with targets to increase the resolution, make smaller borders, improve power consumption and readability.
The smart wearable market is at a point of explosion. Sharp’s ultra-low power display technology will enable designers to create smart connected devices without the need to recharge the battery of the device on a daily basis. In addition, the excellent readability and clarity of the display allows the end users to experience an always on display which has not been possible for most smart wearable devices on the market. Sharp’s Memory LCDs have already seen success in several wearable products on the market today. We expect the entry of the traditional watch makers (>99% of the wearable market) into the smart arena to take advantage of the low power and optical quality offering of the display to enable them to continue to leverage their values of long battery lifetime and long lasting design.
Sharp Devices Europe (SDE) & Sharp Laboratories of Europe (SLE)
Sharp Devices Europe GmbH (SDE), a limited company based in Munich, Germany, is a subsidiary of Sharp Corporation in Osaka, Japan. Worldwide, Sharp develops digital core technologies for next-generation electronic products and applications.
SDE together with Sharp Laboratories of Europe (SLE, SHARP owned R&D facility based in Oxford), are working at the forefront of innovation of new products helping their customers to launch revolutionary products.
SDE and SLE are pleased to present at the IDTechEx exhibition two exciting and unique technologies, these are Ultra-low-power Memory in Pixel displays and High-power Indoor Light Energy Harvester cells.
These remarkable technologies make innovative solutions possible, in particular for applications in wearable devices, building automation and the Internet of Things, in which a high performance and efficiency are paramount.
Innovation, quality and the sustainable use of natural resources are the focal points of Sharp's technology and product development work with the aim of improving the quality of all our lives and protecting the environment through one-of-a-kind technologies.