Smart motor controllers integrate three-phase gate driver and voltage regulator

Infineon Technologies AG has released the IMD110 SmartDriver series of smart motor controllers. The new series combines the iMOTION Motion Control Engine (MCE) with a three-phase gate driver in a small package. The integrated gate driver, based on the company’s unique silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, can drive a wide variety of MOSFETs and IGBTs in variable speed drives.

The family uses the latest MCE 2.0, which provides a ready-to-use motor and an optional PFC control. IMD110 variants are offered for motor drives with and without PFC control. The MCE 2.0 implements highly efficient field-oriented control (FOC) in sensorless or hall-based motor inverters. Key target applications are motors in major home appliances as well as fans and pumps.

The wide operating voltage of the SOI gate driver addresses battery and mains powered motors. In addition to the gate driver, the SmartDriver integrates a voltage regulator that enables several supply schemes and helps to reduce the bill of material (BOM), said Infineon.

The IMD110 devices are pre-certified for applications requiring functional safety according to UL/IEC 60730 (Class B). Devices in LQFP-40 packages are in mass production, and are pin-compatible with LQFP-48 packages.

For fast prototyping of a drive inverter, Infineon offers two new control boards for the iMOTION Modular Application Design Kit (MADK). The modular development platform provides a wide range of control and power board options for motor drive applications up to 1 kW. Infineon will virtually showcase the new IMD110 series at the Embedded Solutions Conference 2021 as well as PCIM Europe 2021.

Infineon also recently expanded its EiceDRIVER portfolio with the new 24-V dual-channel, low-side gate driver with an integrated thermal pad, targeting industrial motor drives and control, power management, and fast electric-vehicle (EV) charging applications