Aug 30 2010
NXP Semiconductors N.V. has declared the availability of MPT612, an exclusive low-power IC committed to executing the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) function for applications that use PV or fuel cells.
The patent pending algorithm incorporated in the MPT612 IC can offer up to 98% power extraction efficiency in usages such as distributed MPPT, micro inverters and solar battery charge controllers.
The MPT612 solution offered by NXP is established over a low-power 32 bit ARM7TDMI-S™ processor that sustains a number of serial interfaces including SSP, SPI, UART and 12C. The solution includes all the hardware functions such as voltage and current measurement, panel parameter configurations that are needed for a PV application and is designed to send an output signal to manage the external switching. For the purpose of simplifying the expansion and increasing the efficiency of the system the MPT612 solution is provided with the patent pending algorithm and a software collection needed for the application usage and easy to implement application programming interfaces. The API allows easy setting of the required network topology for charge or charge boosting features to allow maximum battery charging even in humid regions during hot summer when the PV MPP voltage will remain at a lower level than that of the battery voltage. It offers up to 15 kb flash memory for temporary applications of the software and provides three levels of flash Code Read Protection (CRP) to protect the user developed code used.
The MPT612 solution supported by tools from Flashmagic,IAR,Keil and a development tool kit by NXP can be configured for a number of DC solar charge controllers, that use MPPT such as battery chargers used in portable devices and home usages, railway and road signals, lightings in garden and driveway. The solution can also be used in electric motors for water pumps and fans that do not use any power storage facility.
Source: http://www.nxp.com/