Motor Controls

Motor control is an area of constant development. This is not surprising with an estimated 12% of the world’s electricity usage going to electric motors. Even modest efficiency increases of a few percent can save millions of tonnes of CO2 over a decade. Additionally, the number of motors in use is booming, which, combined with the increasing cost of copper and shipment, puts pressure on manufacturers to minimise unit cost.

Motor manufacturers themselves are introducing new technologies such as reluctance drives or widening the applications of efficient drive technologies. These new approaches require increasing circuit complexity to be effective. This, coupled with a move to sensorless drive control, means that the challenge offered by the motor-control industry is being taken up by many of the world’s leading component suppliers.

To speed motor-control proof-of-concepts, Future Electronics have developed the PowerDrive Future-Blox platform (see page 11) which uses a common format for both AC Induction and Brushless DC motor-drive types.

This issue of FTM brings together a snapshot of the latest components targeted at controlling motors. These products range from the latest generation of low on-resistance FETs and FET drivers, to the ever-present controller, such as the Z8FMC16 MCU that supports high-performance Brushless DC motor control by integrating the required peripherals.

At the same time, FTM features the less glamorous but indispensable component developments such as current-sense resistors (see the WSL and WSR series on page 16), as every component contributes to a crucial design advantage in the competitive motor-control market.

 

 

 

 

Single-chip inverters enhance appliance cost and performance

Fairchild Semiconductor has introduced three surface-mount inverter ICs for space-constrained motor-drive applications from 50W to 125W.

The FSB50325S, FSB50250S and FSB50450S each combine six Fast Recovery MOSFETs (FRFETs) with three half-bridge gate drivers, using High Voltage IC (HVIC) technology to implement under-voltage protection, reduce EMI and maximise reliability.

The use of FRFETs for switching duties ensures a more rugged solution with a larger Safe Operating Area (SOA) compared to other power modules or singlechip solutions. The FSB50325S is rated for 250V applications, while the FSB50250S and FSB50450S are rated to 500V.

All three devices are delivered in thermally-efficient surface-mount packages with a 29mm x 12mm footprint, allowing appliance designers to meet stringent targets for energy efficiency, overall assembly dimensions, cost, and timeto- market. All devices have a high isolation-voltage rating of 1500Vrms for one minute, and feature three divided negative DC-link terminals for current-sensing applications.

 

FEATURES CMOS- and TTL-compatible Active-high interface Optimised for low losses Moisture Sensitivity Level 3 (MSL3) Part of Fairchild Smart Power Module (MotionSPM™) portfolio

APPLICATIONS Appliance motors Water pumps Fans

 

 

www.fairchildsemi.com/spm