Power is essential to modern life, and with new advances being developed all the time, society has begun to recognize it is no longer a luxury but a force of change and advancement. As such, the demand for electronics is increasing, and the EIA predicts world energy consumption will increase 56% by 2040. Meeting that demand and reducing environmental impact are both logical responses to this technological boom – Infineon intends to both supply the needs of an ever-expanding industry and to make these solutions more sustainable. The key to getting the best of both worlds? Smarter devices and more efficient systems.
As we transition to smarter living, it’s easy to see smart technology is rife with possibility – smarter systems can coordinate usage as power fluctuates throughout the day, support a stronger and more resilient grid, eliminate or reduce several grid issues, and allow for more appealing designs.
See related product
“The challenges involved in the global design and manufacturing of smart home appliances are three-fold. They involve regional preferences, emerging market power-grid reliability realities, and the economics involved with developing countries rushing to catch up and connect to the Internet of Things (IoT).” – Karthi Gopalan, Infineon Technologies
There’s no denying the advantage of smarter homes. As a quick example before diving in, the use of smart appliances could have mitigated the impact of the 2003 blackout that took out power across the northeastern U.S., affecting 55 million people. Smart technology might have prevented this blackout, something we’ll explore later. But before looking at our power consumption, let’s first examine how we generate power.
See related product
Renewable energy is playing a greater role in power supply, and its ability to minimize environmental impact is astoundingly beneficial. However, reliability is crucial in solar energy usage in our homes. Solar solutions need to serve grid support functions, and they require longevity to minimize replacement and repairs to reduce cost. Solar solutions already struggle with overall efficiency, so each individual piece of the whole has to maximize its own efficiency.
Fortunately, Infineon has a comprehensive portfolio with the best in solar efficiency and reliability. Leading technology like the Superjunction MOSFET, Trench + Field stop IGBT, and coreless transformer drivers ensured Infineon’s No. 1 position in solar application. Other notable developments taking solar to the next level include the ARM® Cortex™-M4 based MCU, which allows for an uncomplicated and highly efficient control design, and the CoolMOS™ C7 MOSFET series, which boasts low switching losses and has the lowest conduction loss per package, resulting in excellent system efficiency.
See related product
There are a number of paths toward increasing efficiency inside the smart home. We can convert modern systems with motors (such as air conditioners or refrigerators) from old brushed motors to modern brushless models. We can also implement high efficiency topologies with the latest parts for power conversion and add more intelligent control that reacts to appliance and grid needs.
The iMOTION MCE™ Digital Motor Controller line and the Infineon XMC1300 Industrial Microcontroller are excellent examples showcasing the capabilities of updated technology. MCE™ computation engines, provide a fast-computation algorithm for digital PFC control and sensorless sinusoidal control of permanent magnet motors, reduce design complexity, increase efficiency, and are very cost-effective. The XMC1300 microcontroller series responds to the real-time needs of motor control, and they boast reduced BOM counts and small form factor with FOC control.
Using more capable parts like these also contributes to design flexibility, and designers can create smaller systems exhibiting less heat loss. Consider the Infineon Intelligent Power Modules. These modules are compact and energy-efficient, and they incorporate innovative power semiconductor and control ICs technology.
See related product
“Today, variable speed drive solutions for appliance applications require higher breakdown voltages that provide more headroom for power line voltage spikes, with additional features such as the sensing and control software advancements that protect against brownout conditions in some geographic segments which represent the main thrust in power electronics and appliances for mature markets. Variable speed drives can reduce the power requirements of a refrigerator compressor by more than 80%, enabling a massive efficiency gain and lower power bills.” – Karthi Gopalan, Infineon Technologies
With smaller systems, users will be able to design more visually appealing systems or even hide them all together. In short, it will be possible to make these systems less intrusive in our daily lives, though they will be no less effective.
WHITE GOODS VARIABLE SPEED WASHER SYSTEM DIAGRAM – SOURCE: INFINEON
Of course, sometimes efficiency is a matter of the power we don’t use. Creating sustainable smart technology isn’t just about using less energy; it also involves being smarter about how we put that energy to use. Smart devices could protect themselves from incoming power surges by isolating themselves, preventing costly damage. Smart devices can also react to grid conditions; if the grid is in danger of failing, appliances could voluntarily reduce their load to keep it alive. These capabilities would have been useful during the aforementioned 2003 blackout in the U.S. – such technology might have decreased the severity of the incident or even prevented it from happening by reducing the air conditioning load that put strain on an injured grid. Clearly, highly connected devices and more powerful embedded microprocessors offer endless possibilities.
These concepts are also applicable to lighting solutions. Consider some Infineon products that really raise the bar in offering flexibility in lighting. CDM10v the Coolest Dimming solution, ideal for numerous dimming applications, permits a range of configurations. Notably, it can be used in place of many traditional components, and it reduces BOM and PCB space, making designs less intrusive while allowing people to get the light they want and reducing overall usage. Similarly, the ICL8105 single-stage flyback controller delivers smooth transitions between operation modes, while the IRS2982S has integrated high voltage start up and primary sensed open circuit protection. These controllers implement flyback power conversion with wide inputs to keep the lights on even if the power grid experiences fluctuations.
Additionally, when combined with sensing solutions, lighting can react to our presence and to ambient lighting conditions. Imagine a lighting system that intuitively knows how much and what kind of light we need, taking into consideration the time of day and providing ideal lighting conditions for both work and downtime. These are the possibilities Infineon offers.
Smart homes have potential, but we shouldn’t ignore security. These systems are highly competent, but they also have more vectors that are not immune to the attacks of skilled individuals trying to compromise the system.
“It is not sufficient that the underlying technologies for connected smart appliances are now adapted and available for global realities; also critical for a secure, connected home is the implementation of industrial-grade anti-hacker security. If a hacker enters a home via any smart connected device, there is a potential for the breach to snowball into a massive personal security issue. It is no longer true that the worst-case scenario is device failure. Now, it is a security breach that can bring disaster to the entire home network.” – Karthi Gopalan, Infineon Technologies
See related product
And imagine if someone cranked appliances to full blast and purposefully caused another widespread blackout or if they manipulated the grid load to compromise frequency and damage generation stations, which happened in 1999 in Brazil, affecting 97 million people – security cannot be an afterthought in modern smart city, smarter planet initiatives.
See related product
Fortunately, industry innovators like Infineon are quick to respond to security needs. Security layers can be implemented to prevent unauthorized access, check update authenticity, and protect sensitive information. The Infineon OPTIGA™ Trust platform, for example, has several security chips that address unique needs with regards to embedded authentication and brand protection and make smart homes safer.
SECURITY FOR THE CONNECTED HOME - SOURCE: INFINEON
Infineon is committed to creating the smart home of the future, and in response to the increased demand for power, they go beyond keeping the lights on. By developing technology optimized for more intelligent homes, Infineon increases efficiency while decreasing environmental impact and security concerns. Build a smarter future with intelligent solutions from Infineon.
Arrow and Indiegogo’s groundbreaking platform helps entrepreneurs go from ideation to production. Join the Arrow Certification Program today.
Contributed Article from Karthi Gopalan:
Karthi joined Infineon Technologies in 2013, as part of the Digital Demand Generation team. She holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. Prior to Infineon, she held various positions in mixed signal design, strategic marketing, to new business incubation and development. She has a passion for technology initiatives for global social impact.