Fairchild Semiconductor - Latest Energy Efficiency Solutions to Target the Home Appliance Market outlined at High-Level Industry Forums in China

“Consumers in China, and around the world, are increasingly demanding ‘greener’ electrical home appliances. So, too are governments, as we have seen with the implementation of energy saving standards and energy rating systems worldwide,” said Benjamin Tan, Fairchild’s vice president, Sales and Marketing, China and South East Asia.

‘Greener’ consumer electronics are increasingly gaining market attention. In a recent survey by The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a US based industry association with international affiliations, 53 percent of consumers surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for energy-efficient electronic products, such as home appliances.

Further, in China, the State Council has earmarked US$292 million for a plan to offer consumers in nine affluent, tier-one cities a 10 percent subsidy on purchases of new home appliances. Significantly, consumers will only be eligible to receive the subsidy if they trade-in their old appliance for recycling.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s latest Energy Star standards call for a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) for residential air conditioners that has increased energy efficiency requirements by 30 percent since its introduction in 2006. China has initiated its own energy label regulations with stringent Energy Efficiency Ratios (EERs) and SEERs.

Of the electricity used worldwide, each year, an estimated US$95 billion is wasted (Source: EPRI, E-Source, IR). Fairchild, The Power Franchise®, has been at the forefront in the vigorous developments in power electronics, and has seen the technology emerge as one of today’s key enablers in the energy saving field.

Robin Zhang, chief technical marketing manager of Technical Application & Support Centre for Fairchild,made his presentation, Increase System Efficiency in Power Conversion and Motion Control at The Digital Home Appliance IC Technology Seminar. The presentation discussed how home appliance manufacturers can deploy Fairchild’s high performance products to achievehigher efficiency in home appliances. Zhang outlined practical solutions on how the company’s Green FPSTM e-SeriesTM can be integrated into off-line switch mode power supplies and how this approach can not only optimize efficiency and keep the set simple and compact, but also keep costs low.

Zhang also presented design references demonstrating how the integration of products from Fairchild’s extensive portfolio of modules can achieve energy efficiency benefits targeting conventional and inverter type motor control. He explained how engineers can simplify designs and improve performance by deploying devices such as Fairchild’s Smart Power Module (SPM®) and Power Factor Correction Module (PFCM).

Using examples that addressed applications targeting washing machines, air conditioners and refrigerators, Zhang demonstrated how Fairchild’s SPM® product group can be deployed to address the consumer led demand for ‘greener’ home appliance and meet new regulations.

At The Technical Conference for Chinese Power Supply Engineers in Shenzhen, Kenfa Qian, technical marketing manager of Technical Application & Support Centre for Fairchild, presented, Using PSR to Achieve High-Accuracy Constant Voltage and Constant Current, Enabling High-Performance BCM PFC. Qian’s presentation outlined how the company’s product offerings can enable energy-efficient electronics by maximizing energy savings in power-sensitive home appliance applications.

Qian focused on the energy saving features and green benefits of a number of new product offerings such as Fairchild’s new Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) family of controllers and BCM interleaved PFC Controller. He explained how the FSEZ1016A, the FSEZ1216, the FAN102 and the FAN9612 have been designed to reduce total cost, component count, size and weight, while simultaneously increasing efficiency, productivity and system reliability. Each of these new devices address specific requirements of applications targeting battery chargers for home appliances such as cellular and cordless phones, PDAs, digital cameras and power tools as well as the power supply of high power digital TVs, PCs and servers.

“Fairchild’s participation in these forums validates our industry leadership position and demonstrates how well positioned we are to provide solutions to address the new challenges arising from government and customer led demand for energy efficient home appliances,” Tan concluded. “Semiconductor suppliers, such as Fairchild, IC suppliers, OEMs and electronics manufacturers all play integral roles in making the electronic appliances that people use every day ‘greener’ and more energy-efficient.”