What if your washing machine could automatically detect the type of laundry and adjust its settings accordingly? Recently, NXP Semiconductors unveiled its smart washing machine demonstration model for the first time in Beijing. This innovative appliance showcases NXP’s advanced solutions, including RFID/NFC technology, power management ICs, 32-bit MCUs, TRIACS, capacitive touch interfaces, and LCD displays. It also integrates various green smart appliance components such as power meters, temperature sensors, I2C buffers, and GPIO expanders, all working together to create a highly intelligent and efficient system.
Mei Runping, Global Senior Sales Director for NXP's Appliance Applications Market, emphasized that this is the first time the semiconductor industry has brought together such a comprehensive product portfolio into a single home appliance. “The trend toward smarter appliances is growing rapidly,†he said. “But our exploration of two-way communication capabilities is just beginning.†He added that NFC will become an essential feature in mobile phones and computers, and with proper software support, it can be easily integrated into home appliances. This would enable seamless interoperability between smart devices and household appliances.
One of the most impressive features of the demo is the Fabric and Detergent Recognition function. The washing machine can read RFID tags embedded in buttons to identify fabric types and colors, helping users avoid mixing white and dark clothes. It then optimizes the wash cycle based on the detected fabric and detergent properties. Another key feature is the NFC-enabled maintenance function: authorized technicians can use an NFC-enabled phone to remotely diagnose the machine, adjust its settings, and access applications that communicate directly with service centers.
[Image: NXP smart washing machine realizes NFC and fabric fiber recognition for the first time]
According to NXP, the top 10 global home appliance companies currently control about 55% of the market. By 2015, demand for semiconductors in this sector is expected to grow by 15% annually, reaching $2 billion. Meanwhile, the small appliance market is more fragmented, with the top 10 manufacturers capturing less than 40% of the market. Profits tend to come from high-end products like espresso machines. To address these opportunities and challenges, NXP has restructured its organization, forming a vertical application department focused on AEA (Appliance/Energy/Automation) to better serve the IoT era.
In addition to fabric recognition and NFC, the demonstration model features a user interface capable of managing complex washing programs. The system uses the 32-bit LPC1227 microcontroller based on the ARM Cortex-M0 platform. Mei Runping noted that RFID and NFC are now expanding into the home appliance space, enabling smart washing machines to offer a wide range of settings for different temperatures, cycles, and fabrics—all controlled from a single board.
Compared to traditional 8-bit MCUs, the LPC1227 offers about 50% higher code density. It includes an internal RC oscillator with 1% accuracy, which can drive high-current GPIOs. It also features a deterministic partitioning algorithm in ROM and has passed IEC 60730 safety certification. During the demo, NXP showed how the LPC1227 can directly drive the BTA316 TRIAC and ACT108 without requiring additional driver circuits.
Other highlights of the demonstration include:
1. The GreenChip TEA1721 switching power supply controller, which integrates MOSFETs and consumes less than 10 mW in standby mode. The system can quickly wake up and return to full operation.
2. The smart washing machine can monitor and display its own power consumption and send this data remotely to service centers or energy providers.
3. It supports IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communication with smart meters or energy gateways. The demo model uses FCC and ETS standard modules with the ultra-low-power JN5148 wireless controller, supporting multiple protocol stacks such as ZigBee PRO, JenNet-IP (6LoWPAN), and RF4CE.
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