Royal Philips Electronics (the Netherlands) introduced a single-chip, power-management unit, the PMU+, with a real-time software control feature that can reduce power consumption by up to 70 percent in smart phones and wireless PDAs.
The software control feature allows the PMU+ to continuously adjust voltages throughout a hand-held device, minimizing power consumption and extending battery life. The PMU+ also includes an on-chip, battery-management system; battery charger; touch-screen interface and other features required for wireless hand-held devices. The chip uses 50-percent-less space and costs 30 percent less than equivalent semiconductors.
The PCF50606 PMU+ costs $5 in quantities over 10,000 units. An alternate PMU+, the PCF50605, has the same power features without the battery-management or touch-screen interface and costs $4 in quantities over 10,000 units. Both chips use a HVQFN56 (8mm x 8mm x 1mm) package. Engineering samples for both chips are available now from Philips. Volume production is scheduled for the third quarter of 2002.
