APPLICATION NOTE

Microcontrollers in Home Appliance: A Soft Revolution

by L.Perier

INTRODUCTION
The industrial world is now an arena where many manufacturers produce low cost, high
quality products. Cost cutting and outsourcing are no longer sufficient to ensure
competitiveness. Creativity and time to market become a must to survive. As a result,
traditional electromechanical solutions do not fit many new home appliance requirements.
Now microcontrollers (MCUs) offer a strategic advantage for the design of cheap, attractive
and environmentally safe products. For example, new MCUs can operate directly from the
mains and drive power loads with only few external components. They can reduce the energy
consumption, motor size and the cost of the appliance.

In the first chapter, this article analyses the forces driving new appliance concepts. In a
second part, it describes state of the art solutions. The third chapter presents MCUs well
adapted to home appliances and tools for increasing a designers productivity.

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

1 FROM ELECTROMECHANICS TO MICROCONTROLLERS

Home appliance customers are more sensitive to price than performance. Manufacturers are
mainly competing by price cutting traditional solutions based on electromechanical
components. They also optimize the behaviour and especially the energy consumption of their
equipment [1].

Table 1: Equipment price variation 1990/1982 in USA

Air conditioning -2%
Refrigerator +3%
Washing machine +7%
Car +21%
Food +32%
Medical care +62%

Table 2: Energy consumption variation 1990/1972 in

USA
Washing machine -30%
Air conditioning -33%
Disher -36%
Refrigerator -47%
Freezer -59%

Source: Appliance Magazine June 1993

However competition and environmental protection standards are increasing the constraints
level. Customers want more comfortable appliances for less money and these objectives are
difficult to achieve with traditional solutions.

But home appliance is one of the last volume markets with so few electronics. And when
electronics exist, they are usually very basic. More than 2/3 of products do not contain
electronics and when they do, the semiconductor content is low (usually 1 to 3 US$). So there
is a strong potential of improvement with a limited cost impact when embedding more
electronics inside home appliances.

An MCU is an especially good candidate because with an MCU, speed, volume and flexibility
are compatible. One design leads to one product flow, fewer components and more models
[2].

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 MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

2 INNOVATIVE AND SUCCESSFULL APPLICATIONS

Several million MCU based appliances are presently used all over the world. The electronic
content is usually not visible but it includes optimized control and protection features.

This chapter presents some of these appliances. Then it describes state of the art motor drive
techniques. Finally it analyses the cost of these controls and the impact of an MCU on the
testing.

2.1 State of the art appliances

If a light dimmer works well with discrete components, there is no reason to use an MCU. The
MCU is useful if additional features such as soft start, soft stop, touch sensor interface or drive
of a 50/60Hz transformer are required [3].

Figure 1: Light dimmer circuit

FUSE +5V

LINE 1 USER INTERFACE

VDD RESET
19 PA0 4,7M
100 18 PA1 2x4,7M
15
17 PA2 PB0
+5V
16 PA3
TOUCH SENSOR
VERSION 13 PB2
BTA 08-600 SW 100K 14
PB1
12 PB3

100K 200K
0V 11 PB4
ST6210
5 PUSH BUTTON
NMI
200K TEST 6
10 PB5 0V
VSS 20
12V
22K OSCIN OSCOUT +5V

3 PIEZO 4
0V +5V

5V6 22p
8MHz 22p POTENTIOMETER

1N4148 100F
820-1/2W 6V 0V 0V 0V 0V

220nF/400V 0V
NEUTRAL

The majority of European vacuum cleaners have an electronic speed adjustment. Many
include an MCU which controls the air flux temperature and the power transmitted to the motor
through a triac. Standards make it mandatory that the motor is protected if the air flux is
reduced. The air flux temperature is monitored and the power is continuously decreased if the
motor gets overheated. This electronic protection avoids oversizing of the motor.

Inside vacuum cleaners sold today on the market, parameters are stored in the MCU memory
which select different programs, I/O configurations and motor or display parameters. The
same MCU is used in a few boards which are mounted in more than ten different models.

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

In drills and food processors, the load torque can vary greatly, leading to unacceptable speed
variations when using a universal motor. As a result, the speed of the motor is often measured
with a tachogenerator. This sensor is expensive and difficult to install; using an MCU, the
current in the motor is measured and the speed sensor is avoided. Specific control rules are
applied in the MCU software to keep the speed almost constant when the load or the input
voltage vary [4].

Figure 2: Speed sensorless drill control

BTB 08 600 CW

N 150
0.2 / 2 W
3K
100
M
47 nF
100 uF 4 MHz
SENS GATE
Vs
OSCOUT
5V6 ST6220 hwd
OSCIN
GND
LIM REF 0 CROSS 2x33pF

1N4004
20 k
2M
100 k 100 k

L 2 x 8.2 k / 1W

MCUs are also used extensively in washing machines. An MCU program controls first the
acceleration and the washing speed of the drum. It includes also safety features and washing
patterns to reduce the washing time and the power consumption. Using an MCU, modified
features can be introduced quickly and without new components. Going away from the analog
IC, the parameter tuning is greatly simplified and design improvements such as new washing
patterns are protected. The MCU is usually used in association with electromechanical timers
which drive power pumps or resistances and interface to the user.

A cordless tool requires fast and safe battery chargers. And the faster the charge is, the more
accurate the control has to be, especially with new types of batteries such as NiMH. So
several parameters are controlled which may vary for different battery types. The charger
presented in figure 4 charges NiCd and NiMH batteries in less than one hour. It monitors the
variation of the battery voltage (inflexion point and -deltaV), its temperature and the charge
time. The method is independent to the battery capacity and charge time. All this is done with
a general purpose MCU and as a specific software [5]. Evolutions such as display, charger
gauge, simple/double charger, Alkaline or Lithium-Ion charger can be implemented from this
basis.

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 L4962 80uH
1 +Vbatt
1.5A
5 7
1nF 10K
3 2 +

PACK6V
BATTERY
4 6
1500mAH
100uF
+ UC3843 25V
15K BYV10-40
7 VIN
+ BYV10-40
2A 8 OUT 6
VREF
VFB 2
4 22nF 12K -
11 TO 25V DC 220uF RT/CT COMP 1
25V 4.7uF G 2.2uF
10V N C/SEN 3
D 10V 0.33R
1.5W
- 5
GND I=1.5A

4.7uF
Figure 3: Fast battery charger (15W - CD/DC)

16V

1 VDD VSS 20
2 TIMER PA0 19
2MHz 680
3 OSCIN PA1 18 On
4 OSCOUT PA2 17 1K Temp
5 NMI PA3 16 680 Stop
33pF 33pF 27K
6 VPP/TES PB0 15 LED
RESET PB1 14 6.2K
8 15K 8 7
PB7 PB2 13 BZX55C3V3 3
9 6.8K 6 R12
PB6 PB3 12 2
10 15K
PB5 PB4 11 514 18K
1K 2.2uF
ST62E10 uA741 10V
6.8K 9.1K 6.8K
10V 2.2uF
2.2uF 10V
MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

User friendly interfaces can be implemented without MCU oversizing. MCUs such as ST62
include A/D converters and I/O pin functionality reconfigurable by software. These MCUs drive
directly an LCD [6], LEDs, a triac, an audiotransducer or a keyboard [7] with a minimum of pin
count and components. They enable the design easily and quickly of features attractive for the
customers.

Figure 4: Direct LCD drive

2 x 8 SEGMENT LCD

VCC
COM SEGMENTS
5 6 2 1109 4 3 8 7
R1 R3
470K 470K

R2 R4
470K 15
470K PB4 PB5 14
16 VCC
PB3 PB6 13
17 PB2 PB7 12 D1
18 1N4148
PB1 RESET 11 C3
19 PB0 TEST 10 100nF
20 PA7 PC4 9
21 PA6 PC5 8
22 PA5 PC6 7
23 PA4 PC7 6
24 PA3 NMI 5 C1
25 4MHZ22pF
PA2 OSCout 4
26 PA1 OSCin 3 Q1
KEYBOARD 27 PA0 TIMER 2
28 VDD 1 C2
VSS 22p
ST6215
VCC

In summary, experience suggests many solutions for the design of cheap home appliances,
attractive for users and environmentally safer. These appliances are using MCUs which
enable optimization of the control and the inclusion of user friendly interfaces for a low cost.

2.2 Improved motor drive

The motor and its drive have a high impact on most home appliances features, including cost,
size, noise and efficiency. Electronic control is usually necessary when variable speed or
energy savings are required.
Progressive improvements on material and control techniques lead to the development of
electronic motors, smaller, less noisy and more efficient. These products find applications in
freon-free refrigerators, pumps, air conditioning, fans,... but no dramatic breakthroughs are
anticipated.
The universal motor will be still used if the brushes are accepted. Brushless motors such as
the permanent magnet motor for low speed and the reluctance motor for high speed have also
a bright future. For whatever motor, low cost MCUs exist today to optimize the control.

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 15 PA3 PA2 14 C7 C4
P3 P4 D4
16 47n 200uF
D3 R20 PA4 PA1 13 5.1V
T4 17
13V 2.2K BC327 PA5 VSS 12
18 PA6 VCC 11
C3 R9 19 PA7 PA0 10
100uF R19 C9
15K 10K 20 XTAL PB7/TIM20 9
27pF X1
8MHz 21 EXTAL PB6/TIM21 8
C1 R2
D6 270K 22 PB5 7
4X3A 600V D5 NRES U1
100u380V STTA806DI 27pF 23
P2 CKOUT PB4 6
C10 24
C8 PC4 PB3 5
C5 25 PC3 PB2 4
100nF 100nF R4 26 R12 R13
R18 4.7K R1 PC2 TST/VPP 3
12K/2W R16 D2 R7 27
Figure 5: DC Permanent magnet motor control

STGP10N50 2N2222A 6.8K PC1/TIM1 PB1 2 3.9K 3.9K

D10 T3 R3 T2 28 PC0 PB0 1
R17 1K
12K/2W BYT11-600 R6 1N4148 C6 100
220 D1 1nF ST6265
1N4148 R5 47K
P1 F1 R11 R15 T1 SW2 SW1 D7 D8
8.2K BC337
R10 22K LED LED
3A 0.47/3W
0.47/2W

VR01988
MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

2.3 Cost evaluation

In most appliances, a motor or a programmable timer is usually more expensive than an
electronic board. However even if a MCU is a bit more expensive than a traditional control, the
performance/cost ratio is strongly in favor of the MCU approach. The overcost of optional
features such as an LCD or a tachogenerator feedback is also limited because it does not
lead to an MCU oversizing.

Table 3: Typical cost a small appliance motor drive (drill)

Block Components MCU board
Active IC 1.7$
Triac
Passive Supply 0.8$
Snubber
Capacitors
Resistances
Resonator
Mechanics Heatsink 1.0$
PCB
Total board 3.5$
Universal motor 10.0$
Grand total 13.5$

Table 4: Typical cost of option examples

Block Components Cost
LCD display Display 1.2$
Zebra strip
Tachogenerator Sensor 1.1$
Wiring
Diodes
Transistor
Passive Components

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 MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

2.4 Test for quality

The same MCU can also improve the quality of the finished appliance. During the final test,
the MCU can be used in a special test mode. Then the behaviour of the different sensors
and actuators is analysed and stored in the MCU. This data is later transmitted to a PC via a
serial port and a PC identifies immediately any possible defects.

A washing machine manufacturer proclaimes to have decreased his test times by 20% to 30%
when including such autotest features in the program.

Once connected to the board, the PC can also load parameters in the RAM or in the
EEPROM of the MCU to compensate for some variations in sensors or to indicate the reset
conditions of the MCU for the target application.

In summary, this second part shows that MCUs are used with success in Europe for home
appliances. They enable the design of flexible equiment, cheap to manufacture and test. They
open the door to improved motor control which reduce the noise, energy consumption and the
size of the appliance. In addition, the manufacturing efficiency reduces the system cost.

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

3 AN MCU SIMPLE AND SECURE

This chapter describes MCUs well adapted to home appliances: the ST62 family. These
MCUs are safe when operating directly on the mains in a power environment and they include
the features required for appliances.

3.1 Hardware features:

Home appliances include strong noise sources such as power motors, micromotors, relays,
valves and the power supply. An MCU works in sequential logic, so there is a potential risk
that it becomes unpredictable at reset and during other disturbances.

ST62 operation is safe even in hostile environments. These MCUs include protection on the
I/O pins, a hardware watchdog circuit to restart the MCU if the program flow is lost and other
cells shown figure 6. These characteristics simplify the circuitry and make the difference
between a product which works in the lab or at customers [11]. They avoid also the usage of
expensive shields, PCBs and capacitors networks.

Figure 6: Noise immunity by design on ST62

SPREAD
SPECTRUM SAFE RESET
WIDE
SERIAL BUS H/W WATCHDOG
TRIGGER VOLTAGE
RANGE

FILTERING
A/D
ST62
OSCILLATOR
SAFE GUARD
i
PROTECTION OSCILLATOR

ANTI CONTROLED NOISE

CROSSTALK SLOPE REJECTION

The ST62 can be seen as an analog programmable controller which interfaces sensors, stores
data, controls feedback loops and drives power loads. Inside an ST62, the Analog-to-Digital
Converter (ADC) and the timers measure sensor information. The same timer provides
accurate and stable time bases adjustable for long and short durations without additional
components.

The 8-bit core treats the data which is stored inside the memory RAM or EEPROM. The
multifunction I/O pins drive directly a triac, an LED, an LCD or a serial port. This port flexibility

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 MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

is a major factor for adaptation of a single product to different models only by software
selection.

The ST62 are designed in CMOS technology. So they have a low consumption and they can
be supplied from the mains through a low cost RC style circuit.

Figure 7: Block schematic of ST6265

PWM A/D
RAM EEPROM TIMER
128 128 TIMER CONVERTER

8 BIT DATA BUS

WATCHDOG
PORT PORT PORT
SPI ROM A B C
TIMER 8 BIT CPU
4K

20 or 28 pins package VR01988C

The One-Time-Programmable versions contain an EPROM memory instead of the ROM.

Programmed by the user, they enable the immediate test of any modifications and avoid the
cost and delays induced by a ROM mask. The typical overcost versus ROM parts is between
1.5 to 2 for similar quantities. These OTPs are a key element to accelerating the time to
market of new designs.

Some ST62 include also an EEPROM memory to store parameters in the production flow or
during the product life time, even in case of power fail.

With MCUs such as ST62, an home appliance designer can implement sophisticated controls
for a low cost. He can develop innovative solutions, quickly adaptable to the market evolution.

3.2 Software features

The move from electromechanics to MCUs is delicate and a new design is never
straightforward. Easy-to-use development tools are mandatory to accelerate training and
design. ST62 tools are designed for this purpose. They include application notes, program
libraries and low cost demonstration or programming circuits such as a Power Kit and several
Starter Kits.

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

High level languages can also accelerate the design. Fuzzy logic is used today extensively in
Asia and Europe. For instance, it optimizes the charge of a battery, it minimizes the water and
the energy consumption in a washing machine, it filters the IR sensor in a passive presence
detector and it regulates the temperature in an air conditioner and in different compartments of
a refrigerator.

The fuzzy logic approach is especially powerful in home appliances to help a designer with an
analog background to develop an MCU based control. Using tools such as fuzzyTECH ST6
Explorer Edition, a designer can develop, test and optimize a regulation loop quickly. For
instance, the fuzzy logic motor control described in the bibliography [12] has been done in few
weeks.

Figure 8: Graphical interface of fuzzyTECH ST6 Explorer Edition

In summary, this third part shows that simple MCUs well adapted to power environments such
as home appliances are now available. When development tools optimized for these
applications are chosen, a designer takes full advantages of these MCUs: he learns fast the
product and tests quickly his solutions.

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 MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

SUMMARY
In the present global market, companies can not rely solely on price and brand recognition to
remain competitive. They have to be innovative and quick to market.

Practical experience demonstrates that microcontrollers (MCUs) are now mature for home
appliances. A company which masters both traditional techniques and MCUs has a major
advantage to answer to new market trends.

MCUs such as ST62 match well home appliance requirements. They are secure in the power
environment and include cells which minimize the board cost. With OTPs, they give the
flexibility to develop rapidly low cost appliances adapted to market evolutions.

These products are driven more by imagination than material.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] Appliance magazine June 1993
[2] Power Semiconductors and Micros - K.Rischmuller
[3] Microcontroller and Triacs on the 110/240V Mains / AN392
[4] Sensorless Motor Drive with the ST62 MCU + TRIAC / AN416
[5] From NiCd to NiMH Fast Battery Charging / AN417
[6] Direct Software LCD Drive with ST621x and ST626x / AN594
[7] Using ST6 Analog Inputs for Multiple Key Decoding / AN431
[8] Improved Universal Motor Drive / AN422
[9] Controlling a Brush DC Motor with an ST6265 / AN414
[10] Versatile and Cost Effective induction motor drive with digital 3 phase generation / AN424
[11] Designing with Microcontrollers in Noisy Environments / AN435
[12] An Approach to Motor Control with Fuzzy Logic / AN419

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MICROCONTROLLERS IN HOME APPLIANCES

Notes:

Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics

assumes no responsability for the consequences of use of such information nor for any infringement of
patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or
otherwise under any patent or patent rights of SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics. Specifications mentioned
in this publication are subject to change without notice. This publication supersedes and replaces all
information previously supplied. SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics products are not authorized for use as
critical components in life support devices or systems without the express written approval of
SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics.

1994 SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics - All Rights Reserved

Purchase of I2C Components by SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics, conveys a license under the Philips
I 2C Patent. Rights to use these components in an I2C system, is granted provided that the system
conforms to the I2C Standard Specifications as defined by Philips.

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