Cirrus Logic introduces new power measurement ics for smart grid applications

Cirrus Logic announced the introduction of the CS5844/80/90 Analog Front End (AFE) IC product line with the industry's highest electrical energy measurement accuracy, bringing designers of single-phase and multiphase utility meters and smart energy products an outstanding combination of proven electrical energy calculation, flexibility, performance and low cost.

According to IMS, a research firm, the number of utility meters will increase to 170 million by 2015. The CS548X/9X is ideal for today's smart utility meter applications and the growing generation of smart energy products that provide consumers and businesses with more accurate information about their power usage. By better understanding a product's power usage, consumers can make informed decisions about how and when to run the product. Emerging applications such as smart meters, white goods, smart appliances, smart sockets and energy efficient power devices for enterprise applications such as servers are important components of the global smart grid initiative and have a significant impact on achieving optimal grid performance.

"Smart energy products continue to evolve and expand rapidly beyond digital utility meters, and Cirrus Logic is a leader in this industry with advanced AFE products that have been in development for more than a decade," said David Biven, Director of Power Products Marketing at Cirrus Logic. "Our newly introduced CS548X/9X product family provides superior measurement accuracy and flexibility to help designers optimize the performance and cost of their applications, further strengthening our company's leadership position."

Unique analog front-end technology approach

Cirrus Logic's approach to developing metrology solutions focuses on application-specific analog-to-digital converters, including Cirrus Logic's EXL Core™ technology. This is a highly innovative digital architecture that is essential for this IC product family to achieve high-performance power computing and metering characteristics. This dedicated AFE product provides designers with an industry-standard metrology solution that not only works across all applications, but also allows designers the flexibility to choose the MCU product that best suits their design environment.

Applications that integrate wireless and/or powerline communications, LCD displays, real-time clock chips or calendar functions, and digital input/output can benefit from the integrated use of AFE and MCUS. Similar system-on-chip solutions that provide multiple performance through a single chip often offer lower performance, fixed functionality, and higher costs, and the benefit of using a dedicated MCU to achieve these features is to provide designers with the flexibility to choose the most cost-effective and suitable MCU product in the right design process.

The highest electrical measurement accuracy

The CS548X/9X product family has a measurement accuracy of 0.1% for both active and reactive power in the 4000:1 dynamic range, providing significantly superior performance over competing products. A pre-programmed power computing engine requires no manual programming and no safety concerns. The two-second calibration time is 10 times that of many competing SOC products, accelerating product cycles and reducing overall costs. The CS548/9X offers system designers a best-in-class product at a lower price and higher performance, while giving them the flexibility they need to adapt to a rapidly changing market.