Abstract
In this thesis, we present the design and evaluation of EcoBN, an ultra low-power wireless sensor node based on Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Technology (BLE). This design uses the state-of-the-art RF-enabled microcontroller unit (MCU). This design achieves possibly the lowest energy consump- tion for sensing systems of its class, thanks to system-level design techniques, the most notable of which is the use of a hysteretic converter with the lowest quiescent current. We discuss the ratio- nale for the selection of components and other design decisions. In addition to the hardware design, we also provide software library support to facilitate application development. Experimental results validate the energy efficiency of our design. In deep-sleep mode, EcoBN draws only 32 μA, while in applications using BLE, the average current consumption is only 0.4 mA, allowing it to achieve signficantly longer battery life for energy-constrained wireless sensor system.