Author:
Reported by Cliff Keys, Editor-in-Chief, Power Systems Design
Date
09/18/2010
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I joined TI's assembled European Press Conference in Munich last week where Eckhart Mueller, Director, Low power DC/DC Products and Christoph Gromann, Medical Marketing EMEA, Focus End Equipment took us through the latest from this powerhouse of technology.
Before getting into the device detail, Eckhart kicked off by outlining the company's commanding position in the power market according to the Databeans March report.
This single-input DC/DC converter helps extend battery life in portable electronics and provides up to 96 percent efficiency over a wide current range and is claimed as the industry's smallest and highest performance buck-boost converter with a 4-A switch and up to 96 percent efficiency. The TPS63020 power management integrated circuit (IC) helps extend battery life in smartphones, portable medical equipment, DLP® pico projectors and other battery-powered multimedia devices. See: www.ti.com/tps63020-preu
The buck-boost device operates with a wide input voltage range of 1.8 V to 5.5 V and can discharge lithium batteries down to 2.5 V or lower, while maintaining excellent light load efficiency. The single-inductor, 2.4-MHz TPS63020 converter comes in a 3-mm x 4-mm x 1-mm package, and can achieve a complete DC/DC converter solution of 100-mm2, more than 60 percent smaller than the competition. "Designers of handheld electronics continue to try to get more out of their batteries, especially now as they add wireless connectivity with higher data rates and more features to their handheld electronics," said Steve Anderson, senior vice president of TI's power management business unit. "Higher current buck-boost converters, such as the TPS63020, help manage the power in the most efficient, most effective way possible, in the smallest amount of board space."
TI provides the industry's most comprehensive line of buck-boost and step-down DC/DC converters to support any portable power requirement. In 2006 TI introduced its TPS630xx buck-boost converter family. In addition to DC/DC converters, TI offers linear and switch-mode battery chargers for portable electronics, including the new bq24156 switch-mode battery charger for single-cell lithium batteries.
The TPS63020 converter and a 3.3-V fixed output voltage version, the TPS63021, are available in volume now from TI with a suggested resale price of $2.50 in 1,000-unit quantities. Samples, evaluation modules and application notes are available.
TI's technology and Lemnis Lighting's application experience are bringing LED lighting home with a complete LED lighting driver reference board in collaboration with Lemnis Lighting to help address three important issues: cost, dimming and efficacy.
The TPS92010 LED-lamp Reference Board applies TI's semiconductor technology for general LED lighting and Lemnis Lighting's expertise in dimmable lighting applications. The board can help speed adoption of energy-saving retrofit LED light bulbs. The reference board will be available in mid-second quarter and is accompanied by a user's guide that contains the schematics, bill of materials and test results needed to design a dimmable LED lamp. For further details see: www.ti.com/tps92010referenceboard-preu The reference board is based on TI's new TPS92010 LED lighting controller. The TPS92010 offline LED lighting controller implements quasi-resonant flyback power converters to achieve high efficiency of up to 87 percent, small size and lower cost for AC/DC LED lighting drivers. The TPS92010's control technique allows designers to develop replacement light bulbs in tight, small form factors, and helps reduce overall system cost. The device's system-level features, such as overvoltage detection and shutdown, prevent system damage caused by an open LED string. Its over-temperature shutdown feature protects against excessive heat in the system. "The TPS92010 is helping achieve industry-leading lumens, efficacy, color temperature and dimming performance in Lemnis Lighting's Pharox® line of omni-directional LED replacement bulbs (A19-E26/27 form factor)," said Remko Gaastra, chief executive officer of San Francisco and Netherlands-based Lemnis Lighting B.V. "This solution will deliver the optimal balance between power, size and efficiency to help accelerate the trend to replace traditional light bulbs with energy-saving LED bulbs." The TPS92010 is the first of a new family of TI LED controllers designed for general lighting applications, such as residential LED fixtures; retrofit LED bulbs; commercial troffers; down-lights; wall sconces; pathway lighting; overhead lighting; and architectural and display lighting. "TI is now applying years of experience in LED backlighting to deliver efficient power management solutions for the rapidly-growing general LED lighting market," said Tim Goodrow, general manager for TI's Power Supply Solutions group. "The TPS92010 and the TPS92010 LED-lamp Reference Board demonstrate TI's commitment to helping our customers solve their lighting design challenges, and they complement our broad portfolio of power management devices, wired and wireless interfaces, and embedded processors for lighting applications." Building on the successful development of the TPS92010 LED-lamp Reference Board, TI and Lemnis Lighting will continue to collaborate on future cutting-edge driver solutions for LED lighting applications.
The TPS92010 LED-lamp Reference Board will be available in mid-second quarter and is priced at $49.95. The TPS92010 offline LED lighting controller is available now in an 8-pin SOIC package and is priced at $0.43 in quantities of 1,000.
Christoph presented the first device in TI's AFE family which reduces component count and power consumption by up to 95 percent for improved system portability and patient mobility. We are all getting older and living longer, and with rising health costs these devices will see a significant growth.
We can expect to see more from TI in its family of fully integrated analog front ends (AFEs) for portable and high-end electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment, as well as patient monitoring and consumer medical applications. The eight-channel, 24-bit ADS1298 reduces component count and power consumption by up to 95 percent as compared to discrete implementations, with a power efficiency of 1 mW/channel, while allowing customers to achieve the highest levels of diagnostic accuracy [view video]. For information or samples visit www.ti.com/ads1298-preu.
"Until now, high power consumption and bulky designs limited the portability of ECG and EEG equipment," said Art George, senior vice president of TI's High-Performance Analog business unit. "With the ADS1298's low power consumption and high integration, manufacturers can develop equipment that is portable, compact and affordable. This will make it easier for doctors to monitor vital parameters over the long term for more accurate clinical data, while increasing patient comfort with devices that can easily be carried, concealed or worn."
Succeeding four- and six-channel versions offer designers a migration path to varying resolutions and channel combinations for low-noise medical applications. Examples include patient monitoring; rest and stress ECG; fetal monitoring; hospital and public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs); and consumer medical applications, such as sports and fitness monitors.
The ADS1298 is sampling today in a BGA package and is priced at $23.95 in 1,000-unit quantities. The ADS1298 EVM is also available. In addition, customers can leverage TI's ECG Medical Development Kit based on the C5505 DSP with a complete signal chain and software offering to speed time to market for low-power patient monitoring applications.
