CAP-XX Supercapacitor-Based BriteFlash(TM) LED Flash Power Architecture Selected as Finalist in EDN's 17th Annual Innovation Awards
SYDNEY, Australia-- CAP-XX Limited (LSE:CPX) today announced that EDN has selected its supercapacitor-based BriteFlash(TM) LED flash power architecture as a finalist for this year's EDN Innovation Awards. Specifically, the ultra-thin CAP-XX GS206 dual-cell supercapacitor was selected in the Power Sources category for its ability to power multiple high-current LEDs in a camera phone to produce a flash that can take clear pictures in low light or backlit conditions, such as in restaurants, bars or other places where people socialize.
Instituted in 1990, EDN's Innovation Awards honor the people, products and technologies that have shaped the semiconductor industry over the past year. Nominees must have demonstrated innovation that resulted in a significant advance in technology during the past 12 months. "Our 2006 roster of Innovation finalists includes great products across the analog, digital, software and test spaces," states EDN Editor-in-Chief Maury Wright.
EDN will recognize the winners at a ceremony on April 2, 2007 in San Jose, Calif. For information on all nominees in the 17 categories: http://www.edn.com/innovation
"We are honored that EDN has nominated our supercapacitors for this award," said CAP-XX CEO Anthony Kongats. "This achievement recognizes our dedication to developing unique power solutions for mobile devices, which continue to shrink in size but increase in functionality."
CAP-XX BriteFlash(TM) LED Flash Power Architecture for Camera Phones:
To achieve full light intensity, high-current LEDs need up to 400% more power than a phone battery can provide. In CAP-XX's BriteFlash(TM) architecture, a thin, prismatic GS206 supercapacitor (0.55-farad, 50-milliohm) delivers 15 watts of pulse power to the LEDs, compared to a battery which can only deliver 1 - 2 watts. This produces enough flash power to take clear pictures in low light from up to 3 meters away. The battery is only needed to recharge the supercapacitor for 2 seconds between flashes.
"BriteFlash maximizes performance from our Luxeon® Flash LEDs so that cell phone users get superior image quality," said Danny Yu, VP Business Development at Philips Lumileds.
As an alternative to LED flash, some camera phones use xenon flash tubes driven by electrolytic storage capacitors. CAP-XX compared these flash solutions - xenon vs. high-current LEDs powered by a supercapacitor - and showed that the light energy delivered by the BriteFlash(TM) LEDs exceeded that of most xenon flashes. Furthermore, the bulky electrolytic storage capacitor required for xenon flash units 1) compromises slim handset design, 2) causes safety concerns due to the high voltages involved, 3) takes a long time to recharge between flashes (8 seconds in the Sony Ericsson K800 tested), and 4) cannot be used for other power management needs within the phone. On the other hand, a thin supercapacitor 1) fits a slim handset, 2) has low voltage and no safety concerns, 3) takes only 2 seconds to recharge between flashes, and 4) can offload peak power demands from the battery to improve talk time, battery life and audio quality.
For more information on this study: cap-xx.com/news/Press_Release_Comparing_Light_Energy_from_ Xenon_vs_LEDs_in_Camera_Phones.pdf (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)
"We have seen images taken with well-known camera-phone models both with and without CAP-XX's supercapacitor-enabled BriteFlash LED flash and the differences are dramatic," said Tony Henning, Mobile Imaging Analyst, 6Sight(TM) Future of Imaging. "Subjects up to 10 feet from the camera are well-illuminated with the CAP-XX solution and all but pitch black without."
About CAP-XX:
CAP-XX Ltd. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of thin, flat supercapacitors and power architectures for portable electronic devices. Supercapacitors resolve the power and performance limitations of batteries, bridging the gap between the power demanded and that available from a battery.
CAP-XX supercapacitors enable manufacturers to make smaller, thinner, longer-running portable electronics such as cell phones, PDAs, medical devices, AMRs and notebooks. The company, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Markets (AIM) in London, is based in Sydney, Australia, has additional production facilities in Malaysia, and sales offices in London, UK, South Carolina, USA and Taipei, Taiwan. For more information visit www.cap-xx.com or email sales@cap-xx.com
Contacts
Michelle Moody,
Moody & Associates,
214-363-3460,
michellemoody@charter.net
