TDK's "all DC eco-home."TDK's demonstration exhibits showing products and technologies contributing towards an "all DC eco-home."
TDK is involved in the development and production of a range of electronic products, and has separated their booth broadly into the "exhibit zone" and the "demonstration zone." The exhibit zone features a range of new parts in the fields of data recording, wireless transmission, and small passive components. The "demonstration zone" introduces a visual presentation and demonstration of the TDK products and technologies that support "creating, storing, converting, and using" eco-energy, based around the theme of an "all DC eco-home." From the point of view of an electronics manufacturer, the company broadly promotes the idea of contributing to more efficient energy usage.
Supporting "creating, storing, converting, and using" eco-energy at a product level
- s-1.jpg (70 KiB) 查看 2203 次
"Demonstration zone" showing the "all DC eco-home"
At this year's CEATEC, TDK has provided a new product exhibit. In the exhibit zone, this features a range of electronic products such as noise-counter devices, high recording density hard disk drive magnetic heads, together with ultra-small multilayer chip parts, whereas in the demonstration zone, TDK presents an "all DC eco-home." TDK products and technologies that contribute towards "creating, storing, converting, and using" eco-energy are presented in the exhibit.
Yoichi Osuga, a manager at TDK's Corporate Communications Department explained: "The demonstration zone exhibits items that both create and consume electricity, including wind power generators, electric bicycles, and washing machines, and the zone makes use of these to explain the relationship between energy and CO2. However, TDK is at heart an electronics product manufacturer, meaning that we'd like to promote an all DC eco-home at a product level."
Recreating the supply of electricity to an "all DC eco-home" in an easy to understand manner
- s-2.jpg (41.88 KiB) 查看 2203 次
Soft magnetic metals and die-sensitive solar cells
The idea behind an "all DC eco-home" is to directly and efficiently use in domestic appliances the DC eco-energy generated by natural energy, without converting this first into AC.
TDK's demonstration zone shows in an easy to understand way how, in an "all DC eco-home," eco-energy travels from wind generators or large sized batteries, to domestic LCD televisions and washing machines.
(1) Present: Use of a commercial AC100V power source only.
(2) Near future: Use together with eco-energy
(3) Future: With even more adoption of DC.
This compares the quantities of CO2 given off in each scenario.
For example, use together with eco-energy provides a reduction in CO2 emissions corresponding to the quantity generated using natural energy, however this carries with it a conversion loss. On the other hand, a move over to full DC means that electrical products operate without conversion, giving a minimal AC/DC conversion loss. The demonstration shows how energy is managed throughout the day with HEMS (Home Energy Management System) if only DC is used.
Soft magnetic metals for electrical generators and motors, die-sensitive solar cells, and bidirectional AC/DC converters
- s-3.jpg (42.22 KiB) 查看 2203 次
Some products used in the "all DC eco-home" demonstration
TDK products used in the "all DC eco-home" demonstration exhibit include soft magnetic metals for electrical generators and motors*, die-sensitive solar cells*, AC/DC converters for plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles*, large capacity lithium ion batteries*, and both AC/DC and DC/DC power modules for high-voltage DC power supplies.
Soft magnetic metals for electrical generators and motors have low loss for use in high frequency ranges, and being made from powder have minimal wastage, thus helping to reduce the burden on the environment. Die-sensitive solar cells are currently topical as the future of solar power generation, and because they have a flexible base, can be installed on curved surfaces. Bidirectional AC/DC converters for PHEV include on-board rechargers for use with domestic power outlets, and service outlets with which electrical products can be used within the car. A feature of the large capacity lithium ion batteries is that they have been made even smaller and lighter. AC/DC and DC/DC power modules for high-voltage DC power supplies are electrical power solutions from the TDK Lambda Plant, and support concepts such as high-voltage and high efficiency DC power supply systems. TDK expects that these products will help in making the "all DC eco-home" a reality in the near future.
*Reference product