A client in the medical industry wanted to replace the analog gauge on their oxygen tanks with an electronic gauge requiring very low power consumption because it's battery-powered. They also wanted the ability to display information beyond the tank pressure.

DMC developed an embedded architecture made for very low-power applications. Optimizations within the firmware leverage the low-power capabilities. Low-power modes on the chip turn off the peripherals unless an event occurs (e.g. the pressure drops low). The device remains in a low-power "sleep" mode consuming little battery power. The chip is woken when needed and uses only a minimum amount of battery.

The end result is a device that remains responsive while consuming very little power, with only micro amps drawn from the device for the majority of its use. The gauge now takes flow into account as well as pressure and displays a time of oxygen remaining at the current settings. Tanks are alarmed for low battery and low pressure, and operators who charge the tanks can now easily determine how much time is remaining on each tank.

Learn more about DMC's Embedded Design and Programming services.