onsemi integrates control and driver motor functions in an SiP
Claiming to have redefined brushless DC (BLDC) motor control, onsemi has introduced the ecoSpin family which integrates an embedded gate driver and a microcontroller engine in system in package (SiP).
The ecoSpin™ BLDC motor control SiP provides scalable operation up to 600V, confirmed onsemi.
By combining the control and driver functions in an SiP, onsemi said it simplifies the development of high voltage motor control systems in applications such as HVAC, refrigeration and robotics.
The company has introduced the ECS640A, the first member of the ecoSpin family. It is a three-phase BLDC motor controller is a single IC in a 10 x 13mm package for high voltage operation up to 600V. Despite its small form factor, the ECS640A features a gate driver, the Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, three sense amplifiers and three bootstrap diodes. It can support either sensored or sensorless motor control architectures.
“The highly integrated solution reduces time to market by eliminating the need for design cycles on applications, simplifying solution reuse when scaling BLDC motor power level requirements,” explained Michel De Mey, vice president of the industrial solutions division, onsemi. “Reliability is improved by replacing many of the larger, more complex devices, while at the same time shrinking the PCB routing area by approximately 20 per cent compared to a discrete implementation, to deliver an overall compact solution,” he added.
The SiP is claimed to optimise power stage placement and reduce noise. It allows rapid reuse in alternative platforms through changes in discrete power devices and software updates. In addition to reducing the bill of materials (BoM), a single SiP simplifies sourcing without having to integrate multiple discrete devices, onsemi pointed out.
To optimise performance, the ECS640A supports traditional motor control techniques including trapezoidal and vector control, said the company. Advanced commutation algorithms are available on the Cortex M0 platform. These techniques allow for improved control over the motor’s flux and torque over a wide speed range, with as much as a three to five per cent improvement in power efficiency.
The ECS640A is available now through onsemi sales support and authorised distributors.
