STMicroelectronics' New VIPer0P Chip Solves Power Waste in Consumer Electronics, Lighting, and Industrial Use

STMicroelectronics (ST) is launching a new power supply chip to solve the troublesome 'vampire power' problem.

The new IC meets international standards for zero standby power and provides the world's first smart method for managing wake-up functions in home appliances, lighting, and industrial equipment.

New offline converter IC with standby power

As part of long-standing efforts to minimize power wasted in standby mode (electricity vampires), the IEA initiative—a proposal to reduce standby power consumption in home appliances to less than 1W by 2010 and to 0.5W by 2013—was adopted worldwide. Now, with the application of cutting-edge technology, it has become possible to reduce standby power consumption to less than 5mW, and IEC standards stipulate that standby power consumption for home appliances and office equipment should be zero.

Thanks to regulations, standby power consumption per appliance is decreasing, and the number of appliances used worldwide is increasing. ST's new VIPer0P IC helps reduce wasted power and CO2 emissions.

This is because it reduces the effective standby power of home appliances such as clothes dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, coffee makers, and microwave ovens to virtually zero. Additionally, this chip can be used in lighting control, industrial equipment, and air conditioners. VIPer0P enhances user convenience by providing unrivaled patented smart management features that no other converter on the market can offer, allowing products to be woken from standby mode via a touchscreen or remote control.

Matteo LoPresti, Group Vice President of ST’s Industrial and Power Conversion division, stated, “Developers of the world’s leading consumer electronics brands can meet the most demanding eco-friendly design specifications by using ST’s VIPer® integrated power ICs with avalanche durability. With the addition of VIPer®, we have combined the VIPer family’s exceptional design ease, energy efficiency, and durability with advanced Zero Power technology.”

VIPer0P will be featured in upcoming new home appliances from key customers and is currently in mass production in SO16N surface mount packages. Prices start at 54 cents per unit for orders of 1,000 units.

Convenient system wake-up implemented by providing unrivaled smart management features

VIPer0P features a unique smart architecture that allows it to supply standby power to the system's host microcontroller even in idle mode. Consequently, the system can be woken up via key UIs such as touchscreens and remote controls.

In other words, there is no need to use a dedicated high-voltage mechanical switch to wake it from standby mode. The power consumed by VIPer0P in idle mode is less than 5mW (when the power supply is 230Vac). According to Section 4.5 of the IEC 62301 standard for household appliances, this is considered zero power with best-in-class performance.

When a switch is used to control standby mode, the power consumption in idle mode can be further reduced to 4mW. Since switching can be performed at Safety Extra-Low Voltage (SELV), large high-voltage components are not required.

VIPer0P is an offline power converter IC that can be configured as a flyback, buck, or buck-boost switching mode power supply (SMPS). As the latest product in ST's high-voltage VIPerPlus series, VIPer0P features avalanche-resistant power MOSFETs that support a best-in-class breakdown voltage of 800V.

Therefore, developers can ensure superior reliability with a wider safety margin. In addition, the VIPer0P is equipped with various protection features such as short-circuit protection, Vcc clamping, thermal cutoff, and soft start. The oscillator controlling the switching frequency is jittering to minimize electromagnetic interference.

Additionally, there is an integrated high-voltage startup circuit, a fault amplifier with a 1.2V reference and separate ground for direct feedback connection, a separate ground for direct feedback connection, and a sense-FET for energy-efficient current sensing. These simplify the design and minimize external components, saving material costs and board space. Furthermore, the VIPer0P's self-supply design eliminates the need for an auxiliary winding, simplifying transformer selection.