Freescale tackles excessive energy consumption with next-generation digital signal controllers

FTF Americas 2011, SAN ANTONIO, USA: According to the US Energy Information Administration, worldwide energy demand is projected to increase more than 35 percent during the next 20 years, making smart energy management solutions increasingly important.

While much of the global focus on green technologies has been directed at smart grid design and implementation, another significant opportunity for energy savings is available today. Even small improvements in the efficiency of power supplies, motors and lighting systems – sources of huge energy demand – through the use of digital control systems could have a major impact on global energy consumption. Freescale Semiconductor is addressing this need with its high-performance digital signal controllers (DSCs).

Freescale announced the first family in its next-generation DSC portfolio, the MC56F84xx, which integrates high-speed analog functionality with an efficient 32-bit digital signal processor core to provide precise and accurate digital control for power supplies (digital power conversion) and motors. The MC56F84xx family’s performance, precision, accuracy and control capabilities help increase system stability for these types of applications.

Increased system stability for motor control applications results in motors that run more efficiently and quietly (in a dishwasher or other appliance, for example). The benefits of increased system stability for power supplies include reduced energy waste and heat. When less heat is generated, designers can reduce costs and system size. For example, a server room with power supplies that generate less heat requires less energy for cooling, and circuit board designs that have less heat to dissipate can be smaller (improved power density), reducing system size and cost and allowing “miniaturization” of the application.

“With increased awareness and concern about worldwide energy use, designers are seeking ways to minimize energy consumption,” said Reza Kazerounian, senior VP and GM of Freescale’s Microcontroller Solutions Group. “Digital signal controller technology is ideal for helping improve energy efficiency, and Freescale’s next-generation DSCs are leading the way. With the MC56F84xx family, we have re-examined and improved every aspect of a DSC – upgrading the core to 32 bits, increasing peripheral flexibility and precision and simplifying design methodologies – to provide our customers a faster, smarter way to manage energy use.”