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    Toll Collect Data Logger
    Ultra-low-power management system for wireless toll payment tags

Smart toll tags rely on continuous listening to detect toll booth signals - even when operating from a tiny lithium coin cell. To make a decade of battery life possible, these devices require an extremely power-efficient management system that can wake up instantly when needed, yet consume almost no energy during long idle periods.

Cyient Semiconductors provides a compact, ultra-low-power ASIC that manages listening, wake-up detection, and data retention while staying within a footprint of only 0.4 mm². The result is a durable, maintenance-free toll tag that supports 10 years of operation without battery replacement.

At the core of connected industry

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Smart metering (gas/water/electricity)

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Smart metering (gas/water/electricity)

Secure, low-power communication for real-time utility monitoring

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Time-of-flight
for robotics

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Time-of-flight
for robotics

Precision sensing for navigation and obstacle detection in automation

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Lighting, building automation, and HVAC

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Lighting, building automation, and HVAC

Fire detection, CCTV/video surveillance cameras, intruder alarm, thermostats & controls

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NFC and RFID systems

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NFC and RFID systems

Seamless smart infrastructure integration with telecom expertise

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Encoders for robotics

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Encoders for robotics

High-precision motion control for automation and industrial robotic applications

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Test equipment

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Test equipment

Automated test equipment for semiconductors, digital multimeters, network analyzers, digital oscilloscopes

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Factory automation & control

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Factory automation & control

Flow, level, pressure, and temperature measurement

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Motor drives

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Motor drives

AC variable speed drives, DC drives, servo drives, stepper drives, soft starters/brakes

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Power & energy

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Power & energy

AC/DC supplies, converters, inverters, battery chargers, UPS, generators, and renewable energy (hydro/solar/wind)

Success in action

How we’ve helped leaders in Industry 4.0 and robotics

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LED driver array for industrial printers

Designed an advanced LED driver array using TSMC 0.18µm technology, enhancing industrial printing with precise current control and on-chip diagnostics.

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Laser distance measurement system for Industry 4.0

Developed a System-on-Chip (SoC) for laser distance measurement with precise laser driver pulse steering and a Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) photodiode front end, achieving accurate distance measurements for automation and manufacturing.

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High precision GPS receiver

Designed a high-precision GPS receiver using TSMC 65nm technology, ensuring accurate location tracking even in challenging environments, enabling applications like surveying and asset tracking.

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Smart metering with acoustic front end

Developed an ultra-sound transceiver using TSMC 0.18µm CMOS technology for accurate flow metering and acoustic sensing, enabling precise water, heat, and electricity usage measurement in smart meters.

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High-performance EPC Gen2 RFID UHF reader

Developed a highly integrated RFID reader IC suitable for fixed and mobile applications. The complete UHF radio transceiver is integrated on-chip, including the digital modem and an ARM Cortex M0+ core. The design features a low-noise, high-linearity optimized receiver to support backscattering communication, ensuring reliable performance in diverse environments.

From design to silicon:
full-spectrum semiconductor expertise

Custom semiconductor design and turnkey ASIC solutions, built for Industry 4.0 and robotics

SDS Fulll bleed card

The requirements

The design introduces several strict constraints:

  • 10-year battery life from a lithium coin cell
  • Continuous listening and data-retention mode to detect toll booth signals
  • Small silicon footprint
  • Wake-up detection that remains active at all times
  • Seamless transition between low-power data-retention and operational modes
  • Built-in monitoring to track battery health over the tag’s lifetime
  • Robust internal references to ensure predictable low-power operation
These requirements ensure the toll tag remains always ready to respond - while remaining extremely power efficient.
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Bringing the solution to life

Cyient Semiconductors developed a specialized, highly efficient power management ASIC tailored for ultra-low-power tolling applications. The system intelligently balances continuous listening with aggressive power saving, allowing the tag to remain active for a decade on a single cell.

Key Features:
  • Low Drop Out (LDO) regulators providing stable internal voltages covering multi-decade load variations
  • Always-on wake-up event detector monitoring incoming signals
  • Automated switching between ultra-low-power listening mode and full operation
  • Low-voltage detector for end-of-battery-life indication
  • On-chip relaxation oscillator and precision bandgap reference
  • Just 1 μA total current in listening, retention, and sleep modes
Together, these features create a resilient, maintenance-free tolling tag that responds instantly when required — without draining the battery.

Where it’s used today

This ASIC is central in latest-generation wireless toll tags, enabling:

•    Long-life operation for automotive toll payment systems
•    Compact smart-tag designs with minimal external circuitry
•    Always-ready listening without sacrificing battery life
•    Reliable battery-health monitoring through end-of-life detection

Its mix of extreme power efficiency and compact integration supports widespread deployment in tolling and vehicle access applications.

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industrial automation? 

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