Energy-efficient design in smart homes: NXP’s solutions are summarized in this article!

When it comes to home energy conservation, we believe there are many ways to save electricity. Even small energy efficiency improvements can quickly add up to significant energy savings once implemented across a wider range of buildings, communities or regions.

That’s why we offer a broad range of energy-efficient solutions, from advanced application processors that support complex system-level use cases , to individual components that increase efficiency and simplify design, such as AC/DC converters and USB-Type C port solutions.

Here’s how we help our customers achieve their energy goals for automated smart homes and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

When designing home appliances and electronic devices, many automated smart home customers need to consider energy efficiency certifications and/or government regulations on energy use in the regions where their products are offered. We help customers meet these requirements by providing solutions including energy monitoring automation, low power consumption (when active or in sleep mode) and universal connectors.

The ENERGY STAR labeling program is a U.S. initiative aimed at guiding consumers to choose more energy-efficient products. Products must meet strict energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to receive the Energy Star label. Because Energy Star products use less energy, they help consumers save money on their electricity bills and help the environment by reducing harmful emissions from power plants. The scheme currently covers household appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, office equipment, light bulbs, water heaters, and electric stoves. The program is also expanding to include smart home energy management systems (SHEMS), which includes devices such as smart thermostats and smart electric vehicle chargers. These smart devices can make energy-efficiency recommendations based on usage habits and automatically control smart home devices based on whether a room or home is occupied.

Directive 2012/27/EU, first adopted by the European Commission in 2012 and updated in 2018 and 2023, requires sites in EU member states to reduce energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030. The idea is that any plugged-in device should consume as little energy as possible. By using energy more efficiently and thereby reducing energy consumption, Europeans will not only be able to lower their energy bills, but also protect the environment, slow down climate change, improve their quality of life and reduce their energy consumption. dependence on external oil and gas suppliers, and supporting sustainable economic growth in the EU. This directive also indirectly promotes the need for solutions that can monitor and optimize energy consumption in real time, helping to reduce energy waste and carbon emissions.

The newly promulgated EU Directive 2022/2380 amends the 2014/53/EU Wireless Equipment Directive and stipulates that all connectable electronic devices, such as smartphones and laptops, need to be equipped with a USB-Type C interface to achieve "universal charging" ". The standardized USB-Type C charging interface enables consumers to use any USB-C charger to charge devices of different brands and share chargers and cables among multiple devices. This not only optimizes the consumer experience and reduces the confusion of chargers and cables caused by different devices, but also helps reduce environmental pollution by limiting the number of chargers that are eliminated due to updated devices. The directive stipulates that all smartphones must use the Type-C interface by December 2024, and all laptops must meet this requirement by April 2026.

Although the EU's USB-Type C interface directive is only enforced within the EU, other regions have begun to adopt similar regulations. For example, India has required all electronic devices to use Type-C as a standard charging port by March 2025. Additionally, in 2023, California became the first state in the United States to require that all electronic devices, including laptops and phones, must use the same USB-Type C cable for charging by 2026.

We not only help our customers meet regulatory standards and achieve energy goals set by the government, but also support them in exploring new areas where energy efficiency, automation and sustainability converge, and developing innovative application scenarios.

Currently, most electric vehicles (EVs) use unidirectional charging technology, which means that power can only flow from the power source to the battery. Bidirectional charging can realize the two-way flow of electric energy from the charger to the battery and from the battery to the charger. Electric vehicles are both consumers and providers of electrical energy. For example, electric vehicles can feed energy back into the grid, helping power companies manage local grids more efficiently, or provide power to homes when electricity prices rise or blackouts occur. Smart charging technology is critical to managing the car's electrical energy input and output, ensuring a smooth and smooth two-way conversion of electrical energy. As a leading partner to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 system suppliers, we already offer a range of electric vehicle charging solutions and have the technology required to create flexible, efficient bi-directional charging solutions .

Electronic devices may continue to consume power even when in off, standby, or sleep mode, and this "long standby" power consumption may accumulate. Examples include devices such as televisions that have remote controls that wait to receive a signal and respond, and devices such as microwave ovens that have digital displays such as clocks or LED status lights. Our high-efficiency AC/DC converters and other components that minimize equipment idle power consumption can help reduce the impact of long periods of idle appliances.

A "wakeable device" is in a "long standby" state, waiting for a voice command to initiate an operation. Smart speakers, streaming devices, and other devices that respond to voice commands can consume several watts of power in standby mode. Considering that millions of households use such devices, the cumulative additional power consumption is considerable. In addition, since most of the voice processing work of these devices is completed in cloud data centers with high energy consumption, power consumption cannot be ignored. Edge computing helps reduce the energy footprint of such devices by leveraging application processors and other components to sense their environment, understand commands, and react to input without the need for costly data transfers to the cloud.

Electrical outlets usually provide AC power, while electronic devices (and their batteries) usually use DC power. This means that every time we plug a device into a wall outlet or charge a battery via a wall plug, an AC to DC conversion is required. However, there is a small loss of electrical energy with each conversion. Our AC/DC conversion solutions are optimized for energy efficiency and meet or exceed all applicable energy conservation requirements in U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and European Union Certificate of Conformity (CoC) standards.

我们已经提到了一些我们提供的自动化家居解决方案，这些方案通过增强自动化、提高能效或减少浪费来扩展电能的使用。我们更深入地了解一下这些解决方案的细节。

恩智浦 i.MX应用处理器 是性能可扩展的多核平台，包括基于Arm Cortex架构的单核、双核和四核系列。它们支持高级图形、成像、机器视觉、音频、语音、视频和关键安全应用，并利用我们创新的Energy Flex架构来优化能源使用并帮助减少碳足迹。

在自动化家居领域，i.MX处理器支持高能效家电、安全系统和家居控制系统的开发。它们实现了真正的自动化，具有能感知环境并从我们的行动中学习或做出反应的功能，同时通过低功耗高端音频等功能，实现更沉浸式的体验。Energy Flex架构结合了异构域处理和精细的电源管理，以大幅减少每种应用模式的能源使用。不同的域负责不同的操作任务，如应用处理、实时功能或高速I/O，每个域都可以根据性能需求独立开启或关闭，从而大幅降低能耗。例如，实时域可为低功耗音频用例提供支持，其中音频可以在处理器其余部分关闭时运行。

针对自动化家居，i.MX 8系列推出了 i.MX 8M Mini 和 i.MX 8M Nano 处理器，它们提供多音频接口和低功耗处理能力。此外，系列中的 i.MX 8M Plus 具备显示、连接以及优化的处理能力与电能比例，而 i.MX 8ULP 处理器则是一款超低功耗设备，具备低待机功耗、快速唤醒时间，并支持高能效的常开显示屏。i.MX 8ULP处理器非常适用于智能面板、远程调光器和蓝牙音箱等电池供电设备。i.MX 9系列应用处理器在低功耗运行与处理、视觉、显示和连接需求方面平衡。i.MX 93和i.MX 8M Plus支持涉及摄像头、显示接口、视频监控和手势检测的视觉使能用例，即使在光线较暗的环境下也能保持良好性能。

专为i.MX 8和i.MX 9应用处理器优化的这些单芯片电源管理IC (PMIC)，确保大幅提升物联网和自动化家居设备的效率。 PCA9450 PMIC 系列与i.MX 8M Mini、i.MX 8M Nano和i.MX 8M Plus应用处理器搭配，而 PCA9460 PMIC 系列则与i.MX 8ULP处理器搭配。 PCA9460 还支持特殊模式，能够大幅降低系统的综合深度睡眠功耗(<0.2mW)，助力实现能源之星认证和绿色楼宇或家居的可持续发展目标。PCA9451A则与 i.MX 91 或 i.MX 93 应用处理器搭配。

开发人员选择众多，可以从不同的i.MX应用处理器和PCA94xx PMIC中挑选适合他们需求的组合。例如，他们可以优化自动化家居应用的成本，或者优化物联网应用静态电流(I _Q )，后者指的是系统在待机模式下轻负载或无负载时的电流消耗。

恩智浦创新 GreenChip 电源产品组合可实现更智能、更小巧、更高能效的电源解决方案。TEA2xxx系列交流/直流转换器不仅适用于高能效电源，还能用于电池快充和适配器、系统保护器以及安全无线充电器等多样化的应用场景，兼容笔记本电脑、游戏设备、电视等多种终端设备。TEA2016/2017专为笔记本和游戏设备中的谐振式电源设计，具备功率因数校正(PFC)功能。TEA2376适用于平板电视，在各种负载/范围条件下(包括低负载条件下)与PFC高效交错运行，以满足能效标准，而TEA2220x是一种主动桥接解决方案，简化了交流至直流转换过程，并提高了整体效率。

为配合USB-Type C端口向通用充电器的转型，我们推出了若干优化方案，不仅提升了效率，还缩短了开发周期。 NX20P5090 是一款20V过压保护负载开关(灌电流)，配备IEC浪涌保护，能够承受高达90V或100V的电压冲击； NX5P3363 则是一款5V负载开关，带有过流保护(源)和IEC浪涌保护，能够承受高达+80V的电压冲击； NX20P3483 是一款双向灌电流/源组合负载开关，提供全面保护。 NX20P0407 是一款用于CC和SBU信号的28V数据线保护器，而NX20PO477则是具备湿度检测和防腐蚀功能的28V数据线保护器。

作为i.MX 8ULP处理器推荐的Wi-Fi附件， IW416 是一款高度集成的Wi-Fi 4和蓝牙5.2系统级芯片 (SoC)，可实现低成本的连接解决方案。除了传统的蓝牙功能外，IW416还支持蓝牙5.2功能，包括低功耗 (LE) 传输、远程低功耗传输、2Mbps低功耗传输和定期传播同步传输 (PAST)。

恩智浦为实现可持续自动化家居环境提供一系列解决方案，这些方案适当结合处理器、连接、电源管理以及其他关键组件，帮助您打造新一代的高能效设计。

NXP's energy-efficient, low-power application processors and system optimization solutions are dedicated to helping customers achieve design goals and energy efficiency requirements. We support our customers in obtaining energy efficiency certifications and ensuring compliance with government regulations including Energy Star, EU Energy Directive and USB-Type C regulations. By providing energy-efficient automated home solutions, including bidirectional power transmission, and our Energy Flex architecture, we help i.MX processors improve energy efficiency while providing a more engaging home experience.