FUSE · TEKA Portuguesa, Portugal, developed a prototype microwave oven controller using micro-controller technology, in 7 months with a budget of 45,5 kEUR. TEKA Portuguesa is a

FUSEDEMONSTRATOR DOCUMENT

27872

A Flexible Electronic Controller forMicrowave Oven

Micro controller technology achieves ahigh degree of flexibility for the various

microwave oven models.

Fuse Demonstrator Document

Application Experiment N. 27872 Page 1 of 2319AKTUALDATjjjj-MM-ttFORMATVERBINDEN99-09-02

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I .......................................................................................................................................2

1. Company name and address ..........................................................................................3

2. Company size..................................................................................................................3

3. Company business description .......................................................................................3

4. Company markets and competitive position at the start of the ae ..................................4

5. Product or process to be improved and the reasons to innovate ...................................5

6. Description of the product or process improvements .....................................................7

7. Choices and rationale for the technologies, tools and methodologies ............................9

8. Expertise and experience in microelectronics of the company and the staff allocated tothe project ......................................................................................................................10

9. Workplan and rationale ..................................................................................................11

10. Subcontractor information .............................................................................................16

PART II ................................................................................................................................... 18

11. Barriers ..........................................................................................................................18

12. Steps taken to overcome the barriers and arrive at an improved product or process..18

13. Knowledge and experience acquired.............................................................................18

14. Lessons learned ............................................................................................................19

PART III .................................................................................................................................. 20

15. Resulting product or process, its industrialization and internal replication ...................20

16. Economic impact and improvement in competitive position.........................................21

17. Added value to the portfolio and target audience...........................................................22



PART I

Application Experiment (AE) number

27872

Associated TTN

INESC – Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores

Rua Alves Redol, 9

1000 Lisboa - PORTUGAL

Phone: +351 – 21 – 31 00 251

Fax: +351 – 21 – 31 45 843

Application Experiment Abstract

TEKA Portuguesa, Portugal, developed a prototype microwave oven controller using micro-controller technology, in 7 months with a budget of 45,5 kEUR. TEKA Portuguesa is ahousehold appliances producing company and has about 200 employees, 5 of them involvedin electronic development. All the manufactured products are developed locally. The mainmarkets of TEKA Portuguesa are Portugal, consuming around 58% of its production, andSpain, where the remaining 42% of its production are exported

A micro-controller based electronic controller, that improves microwave oven operation andcontrol, has complemented the previous electromechanical controller enlarging TEKA’smicrowave ovens range. The main advantages are accurate time and output power controlenabling the use of complex functions such as automatic defrosting by weight.

The micro-controller adds a great flexibility to the production allowing several differentsoftware configurations (for instance, different recipes and functions for different microwaveoven models or customisation for OEM clients) with the same hardware thus being extremelycompetitive in small production series.

The microwave oven with the new electronic controller broadens TEKA’s range of productsenabling the increase of the market share with a value added product.

TEKA Portuguesa acquired the ability to develop internally other versions using micro-controller technology.

The payback period of the investment will be about 9,4 months with a return on investment of10,1%.

This application experiment is of interest for every small company producing householdappliances and working with small production series requiring a high degree of flexibility.

Keywords and Signature

Micro-controller. Microwave Oven. Microwaves. Household Appliances



1. COMPANY NAME AND ADDRESS

TEKA Portuguesa – Equipamentos de Cozinha, Lda

Estrada da Mota

3830 Ílhavo

PORTUGAL

Contact Person: António Viegas

Phone: +351 – 234 – 329 500

Fax: +351 – 234 – 324 200

E-mail: [email protected]

2. COMPANY SIZE

TEKA Portuguesa has approximately 200 employees and an annual turnover of 31 millionEUR.

The company is a subsidiary of the TEKA Group based on The Netherlands. The TEKAGroup has factories in Germany (4), Spain (6), Portugal, Hungary, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico andChina producing kitchen appliances and stainless steel industrial equipment. TEKA’scommercial network is represented in 20 countries in Europe, Asia and Americas and theoverall TEKA Group annual turnover is 504 million EUR.

3. COMPANY BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

TEKA Portuguesa was established in 1978, with two associates: TEKA Industrial from Spainand Mr. Anselmo Santos, who was at that time the distributor of TEKA built-in householdcooking appliances in Portugal.

The first products manufactured at TEKA Portuguesa were according to the projectsdeveloped in Spain. As the competition from other brands was becoming more powerful,TEKA Portuguesa started to modify and adapt the products initially developed in Spain inorder to maintain and even increase its market share in Portugal. This process was sosuccessful that after some years the Company was already designing, engineering andmanufacturing its own models of kitchen sinks, built-in cooking tables, built-in ovens, rangehoods and cooking ranges.

In 1985, the Company applied successfully to the European Funds for R&D Projects and, inco-operation with the Propagation and Radiation Department of University of Aveiro,developed its own Microwave Oven. As this was a new product in the TEKA Group, whichwas only manufactured at TEKA Portuguesa, it soon gained more and more importancewithin the Company Portfolio and today represents about 50% of the production of thecompany.

With the Microwave oven project, TEKA started its R&D Department with 2 electronicengineers who participated actively in the project, and promoted the transfer of all developedknow-how to the Company. The first Microwave oven main characteristics were: 500 WOutput Power, Microwave oven function, 30 litres Capacity, Rectangular Tray andElectromechanical controller with timer and power control.

After this first model the R&D Department has been responsible for many modifications andnew models, responding to market trends and customers requirements. Among this newcharacteristics we emphasise the introduction of the Grill function, new ovens with different



capacities, new microwave distribution systems, rotating tray and new output powers up to1000 W.

The company industrial sector is EQ5 (Manufacturing - Machinery, electrical and opticalequipment – Small, house & home products).

Together with its manufacturing activity, TEKA Portuguesa is also responsible for thecommercialisation of TEKA brand products in the Portuguese market.

4. COMPANY MARKETS AND COMPETITIVE POSITION AT THE START OF THE AE

There is now more than 10 years since TEKA Portuguesa has entered the market of kitchenhome appliances. A complete range of products is available representing at present timemore than 30% of its annual turnover. The microwave oven has started production in 1986,being one of the most significant products of TEKA Portuguesa. As we can see in thefollowing graph, sales of manufactured products (MP Sales) at TEKA Portuguesa have beengrowing since 1993. At an higher rate, the sales of microwave ovens (MW Sales) had alsogrown having today a consolidated position in our range of products, which represents now40% of our finished product sales. From the manufactured products, 80% are for export.

Microwave ovens sales x Manufactured product sales

0

2.000

4.000

6.000

8.000

10.000

12.000

14.000

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Year

kEU

R

MW Sales

MP Sales

The main markets of TEKA Portuguesa are Portugal, consuming around 58% of itsproduction, and Spain, where the remaining 42% of its production are exported. In bothmarkets TEKA is a market leader of the so-called built-in appliances. This represents thequality and specialisation of service provided that has made TEKA well known in Spain andPortugal. The main customers are distributors and building construction enterprises. In themicrowave oven business we also have OEM customers that buy customised products.

Regarding free standing appliances, like the microwave oven, TEKA’s market share is ratherdifferent, since TEKA is using the same distributing channels as in the built-in appliances andcompeting with brands strongly implanted in Europe like Moulinex, Philips/Whirlpool and manyother Japanese (Panasonic, Sanyo) and Korean brands (Samsumg, Daewoo).

The following table displays an analysis of the microwave oven production at TEKAPortuguesa showing yearly production increase.

Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Quantity 10.497 18.389 23.205 31.891 38.469 49.141

Product Cost (EUR) 126 117 119 113 99 95

Sales Price (EUR) 135 125 122 119 112 108



Competition is obviously ferocious. The fact is that TEKA has in Portugal and in Spain amarket share of 5% while the other most significant competitors, like Moulinex have 40% inPortugal and 29% in Spain. Nevertheless, market still has the potential for us to grow ourshare. Next table represents the yearly sales in 1996 in several European countries.

Country Portugal Spain Germany France UK

Units/year 140.000 900.000 1.800.000 1.400.000 1.500.000

Saturation 25% 40% 55% 50% 69%

As we can see from this table, taking into account the evolution of the very successful UKmarket, all other markets have space left for any company to grow its share, anticipating avery promising future. Thus, markets like Germany and France are representing a newbusiness opportunities for TEKA, which we have not been able to respond until now.

Due to its simplicity of usage and low cost, the microwave ovens with electromechanicalcontroller that are currently manufactured at TEKA Portuguesa are greatly demanded by themarket. However there are market niches where microwave ovens with electronic controllerwill have more probability of success enabling TEKA Portuguesa to increase its marketshare.

The microwave ovens produced by TEKA Portuguesa are built with high quality materials likestainless steel and high grade plastics (ABS, PP and PPS) that differentiates them from thelow cost microwave ovens from Asian competitors that employ very poor quality materials.

5. PRODUCT OR PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED AND THE REASONS TO INNOVATE

One of the more visible characteristics of the microwave oven, which can drive customer’spreference, is its controller. The controller can be electromechanical or electronic. AlthoughTEKA Portuguesa has modified and created new products by changing almost allcharacteristics of the microwave oven originally developed, the technology of the controllerwas never changed having always been electromechanical type.

The purpose of this project was to change the present electromechanical controller by anelectronic controller that would allow us to be more flexible to changes demanded bycustomers and at the same time add user friendly characteristics to the microwave oven.

The original microwave oven developed in co-operation with Universidade de Aveiro and stillmanufactured in our current production, has an electromechanical controller whosefunctioning is based in a motor and gears to achieve temporisation and microwave powercontrol by duty cycle. The main blocks of this electromechanical controller are represented inthe figure bellow:



Grill

Lamp

Fan

M

Tray

M

Controller

M

Peak Suppressor

∆T

R

Function Switch

Microwaves

AC Power

This is a very simple controller as we intend at that time to be competitive through costs. Onemight say that a set of switches and a timer were sufficient to have a controller that wouldperform the required tasks. An electrical motor that counts the time and mechanicallyactuates micro-switches to implement the control functions constitutes this mechanicalcontroller.

The basic functions of the mechanical controller are:

• Timer: allows for operation during the chosen time;

• Power level control: allows for microwave operation at the selected power.

There also two auxiliary devices that are not part of the mechanical controller but are neededto complement its function:

• Function selection: basically a switch that selects the operating mode which canbe Microwave, Grill or both

• Peak suppresser: which is responsible for the limitation of initial current surge whenthe oven starts.

EINBETTENEINBETTENSeveral disadvantages may be pointed out to this type of controlleralthough this is a very simple one, reliable and inexpensive. For the time being it is notpossible to have a real time clock and functions like memory, temperature monitoring andcontrol, humidity control and weight measurement. Such capabilities would require additionalmechanical components or even some electronic components that would have forbiddencosts.

Moreover, the increase of components would require more room in the microwave oven forthe controller to be fitted. The controller must fit the oven dimensionally and functionally andmust be coupled to the layout of the oven. It must be perfectly adapted to the user of the oven,or in other words, to each market segment. This full range of features, if performed by anelectromechanical controller, would make impossible for us to have a good turn key solution,flexible enough to respond in time to changes and requests from customers.

An example of a microwave oven with an electromechanical controller is presented in thefollowing picture:



6. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT OR PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS

The goal of this project was to introduce for the first time in TEKA Portuguesa the knowledgeand ability to develop and upgrade electronic controller systems, thus allowing us to keep upthe pace with the market by having Microwave ovens with a low cost digital controller. TEKAPortuguesa became the first company of TEKA group to develop in house an electroniccontroller for household appliances.

A generic controller that could be customised was developed in order to gain flexibility with thecontinuous demands of market and some specificity of TEKA Portuguesa customers.

The main functions of the developed electronic controller are basically the same of theelectromechanical controller. The flowcharts presented before also apply to the electroniccontroller.

The major differences between these two types of controllers are related to the user interfaceaspects and the operability:

• The electronic controller has a digital display and a digital timer which are moreprecise than the mechanical indicator and the electromechanical timer, giving theoven a modern and more sophisticated aspect.

• The electronic controller integrates in the same printed circuit board (PCB) theFunction Selector, the Peak Suppresser and the Radio Frequency Interference Filter,thus allowing savings relatively to the microwave oven with electromechanicalmodel.

However there are more advantages that will arise from the use of an electronic controller andthus add more value to the microwave oven. The microwave oven electronic controllermanages the data to show in the display, the data arrived from the keyboard, the data forpower actuators and all the control system, supporting several functions additional, assummarised bellow:

• 24h Clock;

• 60 minutes timer for all cooking functions;

• Microwave power control by time duty cycle, varying from 17% to 100%;



• Cooking sequence programming: possibility of setting a sequence of 3 consecutivecooking cycles (each cycle is defined by a cooking time and cooking mode);

• Memory: possibility of storage of a cooking sequence or recipes;

• + 1 min: sets cooking mode to microwave, cooking time to 1 min and microwavepower to 100%.

The functions will vary according to each oven model. Therefore, the controller is capable ofaccepting different configurations that will allow the setting of several parameters defined foreach different model.

The core of the microwave oven electronic controller is a micro-controller of the PIC family.This micro-controller supports:

• input port for a key matrix, that allows the connection of a numeric keyboard to selectthe microwave oven functions;

• input port for a rotary switch encoder, that allows the change of the cooking time byincrementing or decreasing the value;

• input port for a door switch, to increase the microwave oven security through thedisconnection of the microwave power when the door is opened;

• output ports to control the digital display, that comprises a numeric LED or LCD orVFD display (according to the model) and complementary LED indicators;

• output port to drive the buzzer;

• output ports to drive relays or triacs to control the magnetron’s power supply, thegrill, the cavity lamp, the cooling fan and the turntable motor.

The block diagram of the electronic microwave oven controller is shown in the followingpicture:

Controller

M

Lamp

Grill

Fan

Tray

Microwaves

M

Display

Keyboard

This new product enables TEKA Portuguesa to keep up with its competitors in terms oftechnological advancement with a very flexible electronic controller that permits very smallproduction series (for niche markets, OEM clients, etc.) with a comparatively low cost.

Photographs of the electronic controller prototype are shown below:



More sophisticated functions can be added to the electronic controller, which will thengenerate new models of microwave ovens. These could be the introduction of Memory,Temperature monitoring and control, Humidity monitoring and control and Weightmeasurement. These changes can then be implemented using the same electronic controllerbasis with small changes and a new software program.

7. CHOICES AND RATIONALE FOR THE TECHNOLOGIES, TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES

There were several attempts in the past, to introduce a more sophisticated controller in TEKAmicrowave ovens. They all were unsuccessful, since many times the required flexibility wasnot compliant with the volume asked. We have contacted Italian and Korean factories to giveus quotation on their off-the-shelf controllers that would be, as much as possible, adequate toour microwave oven. They were considered to be competitive in price but when asked forsmall changes, this would raise the price, no longer being a competitive solution. On the otherhand, without the changes and an acceptable price, this would be a turnkey solution with nopossibility for us to introduce or to have in-house control over future changes.

It was essentially because of these problems that our motivation has become strong enoughto step into micro-controller development. For this, several Portuguese companies in the fieldof electronics have been contacted to study and analyse the problem, as we didn’t have thetime and knowledge to do it properly. It was requested that the solution would provide us witha flexible enough controller which in turn would allow us to maintain it by doing the necessaryupgrades envisaged for future developments.

Quantities foreseen, could suggest an ASIC solution to be more cost effective, but thefirmware upgrading could not allow us to take the risk of entering ASIC technology with acontinuous changing product that would react with promptness to market demand. The use ofFPGA’s (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) or other programmable hardware had the samerisk and cost when changing the product. On the other hand the use of discrete logic hadmuch higher assembly costs and was also very difficult to change from one product toanother.

Many of the offers were based on expensive turnkey solutions without any technologytransfer. This was not acceptable for us as we would not learn the essentials on micro-controller development and thus, could not sustain future developments. Moreover this wouldrequire increased costs whenever we need to change or upgrade the controller. A decisionwas made at TEKA in order to create the knowledge base for micro-controller development.



The subcontractor was then carefully chosen in order to meet these requirements. OnlyINESC, through its technology transfer centre of signal and systems processing has fulfilledthem. Training was provided to the necessary extent for TEKA Portuguesa to learn theessentials on micro-controllers development. Design assistance was also provided to theteam that was involved in this experiment.

The choice of a micro-controller solution was in fact the most attractive choice as we didlearn from the contacts with potential service providers. The micro-controller solution canprovide both the flexibility of the OTP (One Time Programming) options that allow thefirmware to have upgrades for every new model of microwave oven, and the ease of learningRISC language. That allows our company to quickly deliver each upgrade to production in ashort time.

Several tools were used in the electronic controller development. These tools were availablefrom the micro-controller supplier (MICROCHIP) at a very low cost and comprised aprogrammer interface, a simulator and an in-circuit emulator (to edit, compile, link, downloadand debug the micro-controller software). The electronic controller design was productionoriented to facilitate its industrialisation process.

Also for production reasons the OTP micro-controller solution has shown to be verycompetitive as it allows us to have a larger diversity of models that differ only in the firmwareand may so be produced, tested and stocked in a single lot reducing the production andinventory costs.

The stocked products are to be loaded with the final firmware just before they are beingdelivered to the microwave oven assembly line according to each client needs and without theneed for complex marketing forecasts once the same stock may follow any distinct modelsorders. Layout of external keyboard will be chosen according to the functionality of eachmodel programmed in the micro-controller. Other technical and commercial reasons as thesmall size, low number of extra components, reduced power consumption, code protectionand low cost have also contributed to our decision.

Being a vital component, the micro-controller would have to be chosen on cost and flexibilitybasis. From the first analysis of this problem we have foreseen that the choice would rely onthe very successful PIC family of micro-controllers from Microchip. Nevertheless, othersolutions were studied but all showed to be less competitive namely, micro-controllers fromToshiba and Hitachi.

A roadmap has been drawn to provide the baseline for technology transfer that wouldcomprise training, designing and testing tasks. The microwave oven will be the first productmanufactured by TEKA to use a micro-controller. Plans are to introduce micro-controllersbased systems on other TEKA products thus, making this roadmap to be of importance forachievement of sustained capabilities, which will be the base of future development projects.

8. EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE IN MICROELECTRONICS OF THE COMPANY AND THE

STAFF ALLOCATED TO THE PROJECT

TEKA Portuguesa is mainly a manufacturer of built-in household appliances for the kitchen.Its more consolidated know-how is in the metalwork techniques, mainly stainless steelsheets. The company masters all the metal manufacturing operations like cutting, bending,rolling, stamping, welding and painting. The equipment used for this operations is composedof press machines up to 1 000 tones, bending machines with capacities up to 2 meter widesheets, TIG, MIG and electric multipoint soldering machines and electrostatic painting cabinet.

Besides this industrial expertise the company is also skilled in the mechanical developmentprocess with 4 skilled mechanical drawing technicians working with CAD/CAM tools like: ProEngineering® 3D CAD software, CADKEY® CAD software, MURATA® CAM software and a



Numeric Punch Press machine. These tools are used in the project, development, drawingand prototyping procedures.

Since the development of the microwave oven, the company has acquired a considerableknow-how in microwave theory and techniques. During the initial project the company hasacquired all the necessary equipment like oscilloscopes, spectrum analyser and networkanalyser and also a very extensive set of literature related with the field. The maindevelopment activities in the high frequency electronics field in the company are impedancematching, microwave waveguide filter design, multimode and resonant cavity structure designas well as magnetron microwave radiation spectrum measurement. Another task is thedevelopment of the high voltage power supply of the microwave tube where linear powersupply techniques are involved.

TEKA has 4 Electrical engineers, which are working in high frequency design, supporting allthe above mentioned areas. However, these engineers also share other responsibilities,which often have priority, like technical assistance to manufacturing department, testing andapproval service to the purchasing department, co-operation with service and repairdepartment, selection and marketing promotion of satellite receiver sets.

All the engineers have a very limited expertise in microelectronics subjects. Nevertheless,they are acquainted with the basic principals and entering into these issues would providethem with the knowledge of real developments in microelectronics.

9. WORKPLAN AND RATIONALE

The workplan originally developed has been organised in 6 work packages with the mainobjectives of developing the system and training TEKA staff. The work packages, themilestones and deliverables are detailed below.

Work package 1: Management

The goal of this work package was to co-ordinate all the activities and partners (we andINESC), ensuring that the work proceeded as planned, deliverables were produced on timeand that the final objectives were met. TEKA was responsible for this work package.

Task 1.1: Project management

TEKA performed all technical management activities, including setting up meetings andchecking technical progress against the workplan. INESC assisted us, in particular in takingstrategic decisions.

• Planned Effort: 5 person days.

• TEKA’s Effort: 5 person days.

• Subcontractor Cost: 960 EUR

Task 1.2: Dissemination

This task included all the preparatory work for the dissemination of the application experimentresults.



Task 1.3: Reporting

This task was related to the administrative management, including reporting progress on amonthly basis and tracking of the production of deliverables. A final report with theconclusions on the management activities, including dissemination, was produced.





Work package 2: Training

The main objective of this work package is to provide the fundamental knowledge involved inthe design of the hardware architecture, PCB design and production, and softwaredevelopment. That is, the full development cycle of a micro-controller system. INESC wasresponsible for this work package.

Task 2.1: Management training

TEKA staff received training on how to manage the tasks of technological based projects, inparticular in the FUSE context.




Task 2.2: Specification training

INESC trained us on some of the basic techniques in the development of systems withmicroprocessor and micro-controllers, in particular those concerning the basic architecture ofPIC's and its main variants, micro-controller selection criteria (cost, I/O capacity, speed,timers, PWM, communication controllers – USART, I2C bus, etc.), availability and ease ofuse of development tools.




Task 2.3: CAD training

INESC trained us on the fundamental rules of schematics and PCB design, with emphasis inthe positioning of components regarding mechanical issues and ease of assembly andmaintenance. We will then be able to design and produce PCB’s on our own. This trainingwas done at INESC’s facilities.




Task 2.4: Design training

INESC trained us in the use of the development tools for the PIC micro-controllers. Thisincluded the PIC programming language (assembly), the editor, the simulator, the fulldevelopment cycle (editor, compiler, linker, download and debug with the ICE – in-circuitemulator) and to OTP (one time programming) program PIC's.




Work package 3: Specification

This work package comprised the preparation of a detailed document that analysed andspecified the application domains of the product to be developed. Mechanical and electrical



specifications were also produced in order to allow an easy transition from the currentcontrollers to the one to be developed, thus allowing an easy fitting of the controller into anymodel of microwave oven. TEKA was responsible for this work package.

Task 3.1: Application domain specification

The application requirements were defined to ensure that the architecture of the controller tobe developed fully supports the class of applications envisaged.




Task 3.2: Electrical and mechanical specification

The requirements for the system were defined, regarding electrical and mechanical aspects,to ensure a smooth transition from the current to the new controllers.




Work package 4: Design

This work package included the controller design in terms of architecture (both hardware andsoftware). This was done mainly by INESC, but with a close participation by us to check thedesign against specifications in all stages and to learn how such a system is designed.INESC was responsible for this work package.

Task 4.1: Hardware design

We co-operated with INESC in analysing and detailing the functional architecture. A detailedcontroller functional specification was produced. Possible and desirable configurations weredefined. INESC assisted us in terms of validating the feasibility of our applicationspecifications and providing feedback on what was possible with a simple and economicalimplementation and could enhance the system functionality.




Task 4.2: Software design

The basic software architecture was designed. Module arrangement was organised so thatthe controller could be programmed to perform the various basic applications envisaged. Alayered approach was followed to separate the basic support software from higher levelapplication software, so that we could easily do the task of tailoring the controller’s softwarefor new applications, according to customer requirements.




Work package 5: Prototype development and production

The objective of this work package was to implement the prototype to use in the experiment.This involves developing the hardware circuit of the controller and its PCB, manufacturing and



assembling components, developing the hardware and assembling the rest of the prototype.INESC was responsible for tasks 5.1, 5.2 and 5.4; we took responsibility for tasks 5.3 and 5.5.

Task 5.1: Hardware implementation

The hardware circuit implementing the hardware architecture was designed. The adequatePIC controller was chosen based on its cost and functionality (number of I/O pins, availabilityof interrupts, timers, etc). Provisions for self-testing were included. The circuit diagrams weretransformed into schematics using an appropriate editing tool.




Task 5.2: PCB development

The objective of this task was to design a PCB in detail so that it could be manufactured. Thiswas done at INESC facilities, using its resources.




Task 5.3: Controller manufacturing

The PCB production and component assembly was subcontracted to specialised companies.This task involved the activities needed to choose the right companies and to subcontract themanufacturing of the controller on time. A pre-series of 5 controllers was envisaged.




Task 5.4: Software development

The software of the controller was developed using the PIC development tools, in particularICE (in-circuit emulator). Basic support software (input, output, state machine implementationand control, synchronisation with other controllers, timing, configuration, communication, etc.)and application modules were implemented.




Task 5.5: Prototype production

This task involved producing the full prototype to be used in this experiment, integrating thecontroller with the microwave oven.




Work package 6: Testing and evaluation

The objective of this work package was to test and to evaluate the system. We wereresponsible for this work package.



Task 6.1: Laboratory testing

A test according to the applicable standards were performed on a microwave ovenincorporating the prototype. The functionality of the system was checked against the initialspecifications. Some corrections and improvements were done to the software and to thehardware.



Task 6.2: Field trials

The prototype included in the microwave oven was also tested in real conditions in TEKA’sown kitchen used by its employees.



MILESTONES

5 milestones have been defined, according to the following table:

Milestone Objective achieved Date (end of month)

M1 System specifications Month 1M2 PCB sent to production Month 4M3 Controllers available Month 6M4 System ready for testing Month 7M5 System tested and evaluated Month 7

DELIVERABLES

5 deliverables were produced, corresponding to the milestones, as described in the followingtable.

Deliverable Title Date (end of month)

D1 System specifications Month 1D2 Hardware documentation Month 3.5D3 Architecture of the controller Month 5D4 Software documentation Month 7D5 Final evaluation report Month 9D6 Article for FUSE Newsletter Month 9D7 Presentation Month 9

WORK PLAN

The original work plan and the actual work done are presented in the following Gantt chart.



The original plan was followed without any significant delays in the technical tasks mainly dueto a very strict follow up of the task’s schedule. An excellent microwave oven marketknowledge and a very detailed initial specification of the electronic controller also enable thecompletion of the technical tasks on schedule.

The same cannot be said regarding the Dissemination and Reporting tasks that wereconsiderably delayed because the initial TEKA’s Project manager left the company and had tobe replaced.

Aside this delay in the administrative tasks we can say that the project was a success fromthe planning point a view. In fact the allocated time and resources were adequate to theproject demands and we could implement this project in a way that set an example for futureproduct developments at TEKA Portuguesa.

The knowledge transfer to TEKA Portuguesa was mainly achieved through an intensivetraining process in hardware architecture, PCB design and production, and softwaredevelopment. The close interaction with INESC’s staff contributed also for the knowledgeassimilation by TEKA’s participants in the project.

10. SUBCONTRACTOR INFORMATION

Several Portuguese companies in the field of electronics have been contacted to proposeways of helping us to develop the electronic controller. It was requested that the solutionwould provide us with a flexible enough controller which in turn would allow us to maintain it bydoing the necessary upgrades envisaged for future developments.

The subcontractor was then carefully chosen in order to meet these requirements. OnlyINESC, through its technology transfer centre of signal and systems processing has fulfilledthem.

A contract was signed between the two parties ensuring a warranty period of 6 months afterthe end of the contract in which INESC would have to introduce all the necessary



modifications needed in the industrialisation process. Other conditions laid down in thecontract specified that TEKA Portuguesa would be the only owner of the developed electroniccontroller and that INESC was obliged to supply all the necessary documentation for theindustrialisation process.

INESC - Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, is a private, non-profitdistributing and public utility association dedicated to research, technological developmentand advanced training in information technology and telecommunications. INESC wascreated in 1980 and has expanded since then, creating new sites in Porto (1985), Aveiro(1986) and Coimbra (1992). This represents more than thousand people (1097), 400 of whomare engineering students, 500 researchers and a round a hundred support staff. Theinstitution is an interface between the telecommunication and information technology sectorsand the Portuguese academic world.



PART II

11. BARRIERS

There were several attempts to introduce at TEKA knowledge that would allow starting ourown developments. Many times this was in conflict with daily tasks of manufacturing. Thiswas the major barrier that we have encountered.

The small number of engineers (2) in the R&D department and the fact that their work wasseverely dominated by the solving of production line problems, made us detect that availabilityas well as time would be the biggest barriers to overcome if we decided to enter into theproposed development. From the technological point of view, the background of our engineersis adequate to the present project. They are electrical engineers with good knowledge ofelectronics principals.

Other foreseen barriers were:

• Lack of flexible micro-controllers in the Portuguese market;

• Low volume production that increases the costs of controller customisation.

12. STEPS TAKEN TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS AND ARRIVE AT AN IMPROVED PRODUCT

OR PROCESS

As stated ahead, TEKA is making a considerable effort in increasing the microwaveproduction, which has been our major goal in the past years. However, we could not becompetitive by just increasing quantities. New technologies must be included in our futureproduction in order to gain new markets and maintain the initial goal of increasing quantities.

So in order to overcome the barriers stated in the last chapter and allow us to introduce newtechnologies, help from a specialised outside entity was considered as the right way of gettingahead this project.

INESC was one of the unique institutions in Portugal that could give us the confidence that allissues necessary to transfer technology would be addressed. Therefore, the proposed workplan took into account all the identified barriers, with tasks specially addressing the transfer oftechnology:

• Training actions in all steps involved in the design of the hardware architecture, PCBdesign and production, software development and testing, that is, the fulldevelopment cycle of a micro-controller system;

• Design and development assistance provided by INESC;

• Selection of a micro-controller with a supplier representative in Portugal that couldalso give technical support to the micro-controller applications;

• Develop the electronic controller hardware in a way that it could be used for differentmicrowave oven models only changing the software.

13. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED

As a result of the experiment, we had a significant gain in our capabilities, namely:



• The ability to develop entirely our electronic products and to improve them throughour R&D department by designing and maintaining electronic controllers in-house.This means that we can use tools to develop new software and hardware;

• The ability to try out new technologies in future having more demanding applications(like ASIC or FPGA technologies).

The initial goals were fully achieved and even exceeded because at project start we weresceptical regarding the knowledge transfer process. At the end of the project we are confidentthat we can improve and replicate the electronic controller development process to otherproducts.

14. LESSONS LEARNED

Among the many lessons learned we emphasise the following:

• Project planning and management – we have learned how to effectively plan aproject in the electronics field and manage its various project phases, controlling thedelays on critical activities and short resources in a systemised way ;

• Project specifications establishment and review – the practice we have acquired onspecifications establishment and review will help us in future development projects ofother products shortening the time required to develop and market new products;

• Key factors in the selection of subcontractors in the electronics field of activity – theexperience acquired in the selection and controlling subcontractor services willgreatly help us to overcome the challenge that we are facing which is the evershortening time to develop new products.

In future projects we could improve the project planning adding some industrialisation phaseswith the co-operation of the subcontractor that has a better knowledge of such matters.

We could also improve the administrative project management allocating more resources tothe reporting and dissemination tasks.



PART III

15. RESULTING PRODUCT OR PROCESS, ITS INDUSTRIALIZATION AND INTERNAL

REPLICATION

The microwave oven electronic controller is in the final phase of the industrialisation process.

The industrialisation process comprehended the following phases:

• Subcontracting of electronic controller production based on INESC’s documentation;

• Internal development and design of a specific control panel for the microwave ovenwith electronic controller;

• Subcontracting of plastic injection mould for the control panel;

• Preparation of internal assembly line for the new product (software download to thecontroller, function and safety testing).

Total industrialisation cost will be 200.000 EUR.

The developed electronic controller technical file with all hardware information will be sent tospecialised PCB assembly companies in order to select the best quality versus price offer.

Other very important issue is regulation compliance. The new microwave oven with electroniccontroller must comply to all applicable European Directives, namely Low Voltage Directiveand Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive. This was checked by tests performedeither at TEKA’s own testing laboratory and in independent accredited laboratories. The newmicrowave oven is also undergoing a certification process by the Portuguese CertificationBody according to the applicable European Standard.

The electronic controller software is fully owned by TEKA Portuguesa as agreed initially withthe subcontractor INESC. TEKA’s staff have acquired the skills to modify and upgrade thesoftware and this will enable us to have different microwave oven models with the sameelectronic controller hardware.

In an initial phase, he software will be downloaded to the electronic controller only at TEKA’sproduction line thus adding an extra production flexibility and software protection. In a latterphase and in the products with higher production quantities it is foreseen that we will use amasked micro-controller thus eliminating the need for software download.

We also need to develop a new control panel for the microwave oven with the electroniccontroller. This requires subcontracting a design company, the plastic parts development byTEKA’s staff and subcontracting of mould execution and parts injection moulding.

The following picture displays one possible development of a microwave oven prototype thatwill use the developed electronic controller.



The estimated start production date for the first microwave oven with the electronic controllerproduced at TEKA is middle of September of 1999.

Using the knowledge acquired in the present project, TEKA will be able to develop futurevariants to this electronic controller and even develop new models for company’s otherproducts like Built-in Gas Ovens.

16. ECONOMIC IMPACT AND IMPROVEMENT IN COMPETITIVE POSITION

The main goal of this project was to improve the range of the microwave ovens manufacturedby TEKA Portuguesa by introducing an electronic controller based on microprocessortechnology.

The produced models are a reflection of the market in which they are delivered (Spain andPortugal). The use of a mechanical controller is adequate to our cost and simple marketingstrategy. However to increase sales, production cost as well as margins a higher added valueproduct is required. On the other hand, to address new markets like Germany and France, werequire more competitive products in response to higher segments in these markets, that is,more sophisticated features in the microwave oven. Complementing the older controller isthus essential to maintain and even increase our share in traditional markets (Spain andPortugal) as well as for the introduction of our products in new markets like Germany andFrance.

Estimated sales for the next 3-year are represented in the next table in the situation wherethere is no technological update to our product.

Year QuantityCost

(EUR)Sales Price

(EUR)Turnover(kEUR)

1999 70.000 75 102 7.140

2000 80.000 70 95 7.600

2001 150.000 65 88 13.200

With the introduction of this new controller quantities are foreseen to grow as it is shown innext table because TEKA group will stop buying the electronic microwave ovens from othermanufacturers and start buying from TEKA Portuguesa, thus increasing its sales. Cost andsales price are shown in average.



Year QuantityCost

(EUR)Sales Price

(EUR)Turnover(kEUR)

Turnoverincrease

1999 10.000 85 115 1.150 16%0%

2000 30.000 80 108 3.240 43%0%

2001 50.000 75 101 5.050 38%0%

The investment figures presented below were calculated based on the assumptions thatfunding will be provided by FUSE, that new moulds for the microwave oven control panel areto be constructed and that a new front cover is provided to be compatible with both themechanical and electronic controller.

• FUSE project investment .......................................................... 45,5 kEUR

• Product industrialisation investment ....................................... 200,0 kEUR

• TOTAL INVESTMENT ..............................................................245,5 kEUR

• COMPANY INVESTMENT ....................................................... 200,0 kEUR

The estimated lifetime of the microwave oven with electronic controller is 3 years consideringthat this type of product has a very short lifetime due to the constant market evolution. Soconsidering the turnover data and the FUSE investment figures presented above, the totalprojected increase in profitability (considered as being equal to the project cash flow) due tothe new product was calculated in the following table:

Year 1 2 3 Total

Increase in profitability (KEUR) 315 855 1.315 2.485

• ROI for the Total investment: 10,1%;

• Pay Back Period for the Total investment: 9,4 months.

With this investment TEKA Portuguesa adds an important value to its main productmicrowave oven by improving the time for customisation of the product.

Without this innovation our market share would be compromised in short term and theknowledge acquire by the company will enable future developments of the product to keep upwith market evolution.

The main added value for the customer is the increased product functionality that arises fromthe use of an electronic controller enabling a much more accurate cooking time control andincreased number of functions.

17. ADDED VALUE TO THE PORTFOLIO AND TARGET AUDIENCE

This project could be an example for small companies in the household appliances businesshaving limited engineering capacity that are faced with the need to develop modernelectronics controlled appliances with low development costs and high customisationflexibility.

The features of the controller developed in this application experiment are the ones typicallyused in many applications that need an electronic control, namely, digital and analogue inputs,power outputs and a modular digital core suitable for algorithmic control based on any kind ofphysical measures.



It is thus, a successful demonstrator that shows how companies can upgrade theirequipment from analogue control towards a modular digital one. We have identified severalareas that would be suitable for the dissemination of the present demonstrator:

• Precision Instruments (Prodcom 33)

• Tools and Machinery (Prodcom 29)

• Electric Equipment (Prodcom 31)

On the areas of precision instruments and tools and machinery this can be a very goodexample for those companies that do not have yet entered into microelectronics and need toupgrade their technology. This example shows how electronics is combined in a cost-effective way with traditional devices of machinery manufactured by non-electroniccompanies.

On the other side companies operating in the field of electrical equipment often manufactureelectric boards delivering them as OEM for machinery companies. It is also a nice example ofhow these companies can start offer more modular and competitive products.

Documents

FUSE · TEKA Portuguesa, Portugal, developed a prototype microwave oven controller using micro-controller technology, in 7 months with a budget of 45,5 kEUR. TEKA Portuguesa is a