Demand for more efficient power supplies is growing rapidly due to both global governmental regulation and the explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT), which connects electronic devices together to collect, share and exchange data. 

There are 1.5 billion batteries, 668 million video game consoles, and 400 million televisions sold annually. Tens of millions of other consumer devices – washers, dryers and refrigerators, as well as commercial equipment such as data centers, medical devices and smart buildings – are also emerging markets for the IoT. 

Power demands are growing steadily each year – due in large part to the growing number of these connected “things.” 

According to ABI Research and the IEA, an estimated 30 to 50 billion devices will be connected to the IoT by 2020.  Add to this the fact that vampire power – the power drain from electronic devices plugged into the wall but not in use – is responsible for $80 billion of losses around the world.

Thus, it becomes even more clear that energy efficiency considerations are now a prerequisite for any electronic device entering the market.  Many consumer electronics manufacturers who just a few years ago would source a power supply as the last step in device engineering, now begin with power consumption specifications before adopting the final device architecture.

To address the growing demand for efficient energy, power semiconductor solutions company Semitrex has developed a new power supply technology called TRONIUM Power Supply System on a Chip (PSSoC). In total, an estimated 3 billion devices are sold annually that could benefit from TRONIUM technology.

A New World Order

The energy crisis situation is urgent enough for the U.S. government to take action. New Level VI energy efficiency standards are set to take effect in early 2016. These standards place stringent limitations to output current in power supplies. 

The DOE standard will require active loads on the broad category of devices using less than 49 watts (cell phones, tablets, palm-held gaming units) to be greater than or equal to 83 percent efficiency (a jump from the current industry average) with stand-by loads to be less than 100mW.  The European Union is taking action as well, with many other governments expected to follow suit. To meet these standards, there needs to be a dramatic shift in the power management industry. 

Semitrex’s TRONIUM technology provides that quantum shift.  TRONIUM has the ability to convert AC power worldwide to virtually any lower voltage with over 90 percent efficiency (across all load ranges) from 20 milliamps up, with less than one milliwatt of standby draw power. This makes the TRONIUM PSSoC 200 times more efficient than the new standards for stand-by power draws.

Power Supplies: The Past

To understand the novel approach Semitrex is taking, a review of past technologies is needed.  Traditional inductor-based transformer power conversion has been around since the 1800s and has only found incremental improvements to efficiency.  These inductors use magnetic fields for voltage reductions. 

Magnetic fields lose electrons as they form and collapse – causing the electronic device to become hot to the touch due to wasted energy. Metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) have become increasingly dense over the years due to design optimizations, which has only increased their heat generation. 

Often, these systems now require a heat sink or other cooling device to ensure there is no damage to the electronic device. Other efficiency efforts have included a larger core made from more expensive materials. 

Though these efforts increase efficiency, there is an increased up-front cost in the equipment from more expensive materials and from an increased component count. These efficiency improvements make the technology bulkier as well, which does not fit into today’s slim, sleek, space-conscious electronics market.

Another typical power supply solution used today is secondary feedback topology.  Secondary feedback has impeded the IoT due to large size requirements, high component count, large conversion ratios, and significant heat signatures. 

Flyback converter technology uses secondary feeback from the secondary side circuit, which requires components such as phototransistors, optocouplers (or opto-isolators), and error amplifiers. 

An opto-isolator is a circuit containing up to 11 discrete devices, which uses a short optical transmission path to transfer electrical signals between the primary and secondary circuits to cross the isolation barrier.  It is this feedback loop that maintains a constant current or voltage output. 

These numerous components require a large footprint.  In addition, secondary side regulation results in output current sensing loss, so there is a lack of efficiency in the design. In fact, flyback converter technology is least efficient at the light to medium loads required by small, integrated electronics – a large percentage of the IoT. 

Power Supplies: The Future

Primary Side Regulation (PSR) is a newer technology that reduces the number of components and increases the efficiency of the power supply.  PSR regulates output voltage and current by sensing the current and voltage from the primary-side windings only. 

Most primary side regulators use discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) flyback converters.  This means most PSR technology provided to date still requires a micro controller and a tertiary winding on the transformer to operate. Until now, even the best existing technology requires 68 parts.

Over the years, the power supply industry has only been able to make small efficiency increases – until a new type of power supply technology became available.  With 13 patents awarded and over 140 additional patents pending around the world, TRONIUM PSR removes the need for secondary side sensing, or the need for a tertiary transformer winding, greatly reducing the amount of circuitry required.

The Semitrex Difference

TRONIUM is unique in that it uses capacitive voltage preregulataion voltage reduction rather than just transformer technology.  To date, capacitors have been used to reduce power dips and improve power quality in power conditioning applications. 

Semitrex uses capacitor technology to handle the primary voltage conversion in a technology called Muxcapacitor (MXC). MXC technology uses capacitive voltage reduction methods with small energy conversion ratios – making them considerably more energy efficient than traditional technology. 

MXC technology uses small banks of capacitors embedded onto a silicon chip.  Each capacitor is responsible for a small conversion ratio – transferring almost all the energy with little energy loss. Each capacitor only sustains a small portion of the input voltage so it only supports a small portion of the output current, increasing efficiencies at light loads. 

While flyback converter technology was least efficient at stand-by loads, TRONIUM MXC technology remains efficient by shutting down most of the capacitor banks, leaving only a few active to “sense” the next on/off event. The MXC circuits can be used by themselves, or combined with other topologies, like a Buck, SEPIC, Push-Pull or Cuk to generate more current.

Additional efficiency is gained with TRONIUM through its version of PSR Windows. TRONIUM PSR technology does not require a third winding to start sensing. It can start sensing both current draw and voltage from the primary side winding directly.  

An equation is used to account for the full depletion of the secondary winding energy. The information is then used to regulate the secondary output voltage by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). 

PWM is a method that takes digital information and transports it with an analog like pulsing signal. PWM frequency can be adjusted based on the output load required. This is an energy savings because the PWM frequency can be reduced for light load applications. 

Further, since the TRONIUM PSR technology eliminates the need for flyback parts or  optocouplers, the part count is reduced by 50 percent – down to 25 discrete parts. 

Fewer components mean a smaller footprint and reduced overall cost. Additional efficiencies are gained from TRONIUM PSR technology because there is no Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). 

Since the technology runs on capacitive voltage reductions instead of inductors, no magnetic parts are needed.  The entire TRONIUM power supply, called Power Supply System on a Chip (PSSoC) has an efficiency of 92 percent at low loads, even during stand-by mode when the system is simply idling. 

The output voltage of the PSSoC can be adjusted providing just one part for multiple voltage levels. This “Dial-a-Voltage” technology allows the manufacturer to set the voltage level for each manufactured device. 

Voltage outputs between 1.7V and 48V can be achieved using the same chip. This is termed an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which is customized for the application rather than created for general purpose. 

This maximizes the efficiency by setting the output value for each application’s requirements and eliminates the need for more than 2,500 different power supply options currently in the market to meet the variation in voltage requirements. The design is simple and there is a uniform footprint across the global market.

TRONIUM technology is 92 percent efficient at 20 milliamps and increases to a dramatic 97 percent efficiency at 500 mA and above.  This is in stark contrast to a typical flyback converter, which can’t handle that small of amperage and maxes out at 83 percent efficiency. 

TRONIUM packages an energy efficient technology in a small, uniform footprint able to meet the needs of any application’s AC or DC voltage output requirement. Also, because the TRONIUM PSSoC uses an embedded microcontroller, it is automatically a “digital power” device which can be programmed and be controlled in real time through Bluetooth® or wireline applications.

With its TRONIUM PSR, Semitrex is addressing worldwide energy efficiency goals by improving the way that power conversions are made. The company’s suite of innovative power management solutions eliminates energy waste today, while also targeting the higher efficiency power demands of the future – including the IoT.

Simply put, TRONIUM is the new way to power the world.