Inverter controller: climbing to a new height, to meet the extraordinary 2020

On January 6, 2020, the high-profile new energy efficiency standard GB 21455-2019 "Room Air Conditioner Energy Efficiency Limits and Energy Efficiency Grades" was officially released, and the implementation date is July 1, 2020. This standard combines the energy efficiency standards of inverter air conditioners and fixed speed air conditioners in the past, and is known as the most stringent energy efficiency standard so far. Most existing fixed speed air conditioners and inverter energy efficiency level 3 products are in the new energy efficiency. The scope of standard elimination. There is no doubt that the air-conditioning market is facing major cleaning, and frequency conversion will become king.

Although it is the air-conditioning industry that is undergoing major changes, the promotion and application of inverter technology in the field of home appliance manufacturing has long been popular, whether it is white household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, or range hoods, dishwashers. For kitchen appliances, even for small appliances such as hair dryers, juicers, and broken wall cooking machines, the frequency conversion technology has been deeply promoted. Various related home appliance product categories and the advantages of frequency conversion technology have been recognized by the market, and the sales ratio has gradually expand.

The manufacturing demand of the whole machine is transmitted to the upstream of the industrial chain, and the frequency controller production field is the first to feel the change and accept a new round of tests. For inverter controller manufacturers, 2020 is destined to be extraordinary.

Keep up with market development trends and quickly seize "favorable terrain"

According to data provided by AVC, in 2019, inverter refrigerators accounted for 57.4% of total sales; inverter washing machines accounted for 70.8% of total sales; inverter air conditioners accounted for 65.8% of total sales in 2019. In the offline market, the proportion of inverter models is higher, and the sales of inverter models in refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners account for more than 80% of sales, which are 84.8%, 88.5%, and 84.1%, respectively. The demand for frequency conversion technology in the home appliance industry is already obvious. As long as the heat does not subside, the production enterprises of frequency conversion controllers will have constant opportunities. In 2019, the overall operating conditions of the inverter controller manufacturers can be said to be quite good.

With the implementation of the new energy efficiency standards for household air conditioners, the frequency conversion progress of the product structure of the air conditioner market will surely increase. In fact, various mainstream air-conditioning production enterprises have fully understood the requirements of the new standards, and have already begun to adjust production plans and make relevant technical reserves very early. In terms of inverter control technology, the air conditioner factory has been struggling for many years, and the new standard "add another fire", is bound to promote the quality and quantity of inverter air conditioners. Most air conditioner factories have the ability to independently complete the design of frequency conversion schemes. Specific to the production of supporting components for frequency converter controllers, the energy invested is different. In August 2019, Gree Electric announced the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhuhai Zero Boundary Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd., focusing on chip design. At present, the development of high-end variable frequency drive chips and host chips is an important project with zero boundaries, and Gree Electric will use this to achieve chip autonomy. Midea is also independently developing and designing semiconductor chips inside IPM modules. At the same time, the IPM module is a key component to realize the air-conditioning frequency conversion control. Midea established the IPM project team in 2010 and the Central Institute IPM Technology Laboratory in 2018. According to related technical personnel from Midea, high integration modules and COOL modules are the direction of Midea's IPM design and production. Among them, high integration modules integrate all the main power chips on the inverter control board, with low energy consumption, low noise, low cost and high reliability. COOL modules achieve low energy consumption by integrating third-generation semiconductors, graphene, and ceramic substrates.

Supporting refrigerator manufacturing, in 2019, Wuxi Hejing Technology Co., Ltd. refrigerator inverter controller production and sales reached 7.5 million pieces, a year-on-year increase of 40%. The company's deputy general manager Wang Yaqi said in an interview with "Electrical Appliance": "Hejing's inverter controller supply has always been one of the best in the refrigerator industry. Hejing is a traditional control board manufacturer with more than 20 years of experience in frequency conversion. The controller is subdivided into fields, masters core design capabilities, has mature supporting solutions, and has been mass-produced for more than 3 years. ”Wang Yaqi is more happy than the increase in sales volume because of market demand expansion. The demand for inverter controllers in factories and compressor plants has increased by 20% to 30% year-on-year. This trend will continue in 2020, and Hejing will strengthen the pre-research and iterative work of new inverter control schemes to better match the whole machine manufacturing. . "

Shanghai Lvlian Software Co., Ltd. further consolidated its position in the production of inverter controllers for washing machines. In 2019, it will produce and sell 2.9 million inverter controllers. Sun Yeshu, the company's technical director, said in an interview with "Electrical Appliance" reporters that Lulian has grown into an industry-approved washing machine full frequency conversion solution provider. ACIM, BLDC, DD, and DDM have all achieved mature mass production and gradually achieved Upgrade from one generation to the second. At the same time, Lulian is steadily advancing its supporting capabilities in dishwashers, cooker hoods, fans, garbage processors, and inverter controllers in the commercial sector.

The main business of Changshu Tianyin Electromechanical Co., Ltd. is refrigerator compressor starter and protector. In order to keep up with changes in market demand, Tianyin adjusted its product direction around 2012 and began to develop inverter controllers. In just a few years, at all costs, it quickly completed from technology research and development to program design to mass production and supply. Leaping Development. After the rapid development in previous years, it continued to grow steadily in 2019. The production and sales of Tianyin refrigerator inverter controllers increased by more than 25% compared with 2018, and has grown to an important business segment that accounts for nearly one-third of the company's overall business ratio. In terms of market share, the company has also become one of the major manufacturers of refrigerator compressor inverter controller industry. The company's head of frequency conversion business said in an interview with "Electrical Appliance" that Tianyin's technical level and product quality are well-known in the industry. Therefore, when it launched the frequency conversion controller, it did not encounter much resistance. At present, Tianyin has mastered the core technology of the inverter controller and has completely independent intellectual property rights. The development of the inverter controller does not depend on the technical solutions of chip manufacturers or third-party suppliers at all.

Seize the opportunity and desperately strengthen the core technology

From the perspective of market demand, with the upgrading of home appliance products, the assessment of supporting capabilities of inverter controller production enterprises, in addition to quantity, quality, and technological advancement. In order to stand out from many suppliers, inverter controller manufacturers must calm down in the process of welcoming growth and practice "inner skills".

According to Wang Yaqi, in 2019, the development and production of the inverter controller of Hejing Technology refrigerators showed several characteristics: first, high standardization, one board is suitable for refrigerators of various volume sections; second, the integration of devices, the size of the board becomes smaller, the number of devices The number becomes smaller and the production efficiency is improved. Thirdly, the chip is domestically produced, and cooperates with the whole machine factory to test the domestic chip on the frequency conversion controller; thirdly, the detection method is diversified, and the working conditions of the compressor and the refrigerator are multiple simulated. In terms of broadening the application fields, Hejing Technology has also made bold attempts. In addition to refrigerators, it actively develops and produces inverter controllers for washing machines, air conditioners, kitchen appliances, and other products. With the technology and cost as the traction, OEM to ODM change.

"Precise speed regulation, energy saving and high efficiency" is the slogan proposed by Topband for the production of inverter controllers. The person in charge of the company said that the frequency conversion control technology is a technology that adjusts the load by converting the power supply frequency to reduce power consumption and reduce motor losses. It is the core technology of motor control. Therefore, precision and efficiency are the essence of the development and production of frequency conversion controllers. Where. After more than 20 years of accumulation, Tuobang has formed an industry-leading inverter control technology platform, fully mastering the key core algorithms, can provide mature inverter control solutions, has a wide range of speed regulation (adjustable from 1Hz to 2000Hz), and speed regulation accuracy High (minimum 0.1Hz closed loop operation), good dynamic response (100ms up to 50Hz) and other advantages, currently in the refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner, treadmill, dishwasher, broken wall cooking machine, electric bicycle and other fields have a good match Case.

The frequency conversion control technology is developing to a deeper level. In this regard, Sun Yeshu felt deeply. He said: "Now is the time to practice 'inner skill'. It is an era of cost-effective design. The market has very high requirements for technology and innovation. The track is there, and it is not fast and stable. It is difficult to survive if it is not good. The frequency conversion technology improves the performance of the product and helps the whole machine production enterprise optimize the product performance. Lianlian has made many technical breakthroughs and is becoming a mainstream supplier recognized by the industry, which stems from our service capabilities. And professionalism. The inverter controllers we produce are mature, reliable, seamlessly compatible, and capable of rapid iterative development. "

Ready to prepare for the opportunities and challenges of 2020

In the context of favorable policies issued by the country and the upgrade of consumer demand, the business opportunities presented by the market have excited the manufacturers of inverter controllers. At the same time, as the China-US trade war continues in 2019, China's home appliance manufacturing industry has been greatly affected. In the face of adversity, the tortured home appliance manufacturer has firmed its belief in the localization of core components. For enterprises, it is a test and an opportunity to leap forward. In 2020, seize the opportunity to gain a foothold in the field of inverter controller manufacturing and seek development. For the supporting factories in which it is located, it is critical to formulate a clear strategic plan.

Hejing Technology will continue to increase R & D investment and maintain its technological leadership in the industry. In 2020, it is planned to add two inverter control production lines to meet market demand. In addition, Hejing Technology will maintain continuous innovation of production and inspection equipment, further improve production efficiency, set up a frequency conversion project team, integrate and coordinate the frequency conversion schemes and frequency conversion technologies of the complete machine plants, press plants and Hejing Technology to form Specialized and extremely strong technical guarantee system.

In addition to enhancing technological innovation and technology leadership, in 2020, Lianlian will further strengthen, optimize and improve the competitiveness of supply chain system management. "The strategy for the future is to stick to our magic weapon of success-focusing on customer operations, improving the company's output capabilities, and meeting customer needs for current and future products." Sun Yeshu said.

"Quality and cost are the most important concerns of refrigerator manufacturers. Therefore, the technical breakthrough of Tianyin inverter controller will lock these two key points." The relevant person in charge of Tianyin said, "In 2020, Tianyin will firmly strengthen the frequency conversion of supporting refrigerators. The ability of the controller to further improve quality and reduce costs, and steadily increase production capacity according to market demand, while doing some expansion work to other product areas in the refrigeration industry. "

Disclaimer: This article comes from online media and does not represent the company's views and positions.