Starter kit simplifies motor control design

Targeting demand for motor control solutions that deliver higher output levels, long-term operation, and safety improvements while meeting size and cost constraints, Renesas Electronics Corp. has expanded its  motor control solutions portfolio with two new sensor-less motor control ICs and a starter kit for brushless DC (BLDC) motor control design. Sensor-less motor control enables stable operation from low-speed to high-speed rotation, said Renesas.

The two system-in-package (SiP) solutions and starter kit are designed to simplify BLDC motor design for a range of cordless battery-powered industrial and home appliance applications. These include power tools, drones, water pumps, vacuums, cleaning robots, fans, and other systems.

The highly integrated SiP solutions, the new RAJ306001 and RAJ306010 motor drive ICs, offer improved low-speed or high-speed rotation and high torque control compared with competitive solutions, said Renesas. Like most integrated solutions, they reduce board space, along with bill-of-materials (BOM) costs, by eliminating the need for many external components to complete the solution.

The RAJ306001 and RAJ306010 are single-package motor control ICs that control three-phase BLDC motors used in a variety of battery-powered devices. The RAJ306001 supports an operating voltage range from 6-30 V, while the RAJ306010 offers an operating range from 6-42 V. Both devices integrate safety functions, including IEC 60730 safety standard support, which can detect errors and stop the motor if an error occurs.

The motor drive ICs integrate an RL78/G1F microcontroller (MCU) and pre-driver in an 8 × 8-mm QFN package. The pre-driver functionality includes three half-bridge gate drivers for six N-MOSFETs, a built-in 5-V regulator, selectable single/double boost charge pump, a shunt current sense amplifier, and integrated protection, including UVLO, overtemperature, overcurrent, overvoltage, motor lock for a Hall IC, and alarm condition indicator.

The SiP form factor eliminates as many as 30 external components, shrinking the solution area by up to 50 percent and with lower control system costs, according to the company.

Block diagram: Hall IC type. See datasheet. (Image: Renesas Electronics)

Making heat dissipation design easier, the new ICs feature self-aligned dead time (SADT) to prevent the shoot through and offer adjustable pre-driver output current capacity – up to 500 mA – to drive large-capacity MOSFETs.

The SADT generator allows MOSFETs to run cooler while maintaining high efficiency, said Renesas. “This allows the ICs to drive MOSFETs at the optimum switching timing – reducing FET switching margin times to approximately 1/10 the time compared with conventional systems and enabling highly efficient motor drive control with reduced heat generation.”

The SiP devices can be combined with Renesas’ complementary analog and power offerings to create solutions for a variety of motor control applications. These “Winning Combinations” include the 24-V Cordless Blender and Portable Power Tools.

The RAJ306001 and RAJ306010 ICs and the Solution Starter Kit (RSSK) are available from Renesas’ worldwide distributors. The RSSK features a complete evaluation environment that includes a development board, motor, and reference firmware, which provides motor control debugging and allows customers to immediately begin evaluating their designs.