Highly integrated motor control ICs improves motor efficiency, reduces board size and quickens motor control application development
Introducing two new system-in-package (SiP) solutions that simplify brushless DC (BLDC) motor control design for a wide range of cordless battery-powered applications such as power tools, drones, water pumps, vacuums, cleaning robots, fans and other systems.
Combining multiple functions into a SiP solution, the new RAJ306001 and RAJ306010 are single-package motor control ICs that control three-phase BLDC motors and deliver improved low-speed or high-speed rotation. This results in a turnkey design for easy, efficient and safe BLDC motor control.
The ICs integrate an RL78/G1F microcontroller (MCU) and pre-driver into an 8x8mm QFN package. The highly integrated SiP form factor reduces as many as 30 external components, shrinking the solution area by up to 50 per cent and with lower control system costs.
Designed with heat management in mind, the new ICs feature self-aligned dead time (SADT) to prevent shoot-through and offer adjustable pre-driver output current capacity – up to 500mA – to drive large-capacity MOSFETs, which makes heat dissipation design easier. 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.
“Cordless devices offer many conveniences for users and with the prevalence of motor-based devices such as power tools cutting the cord, demand is high for motor control solutions that deliver higher output levels, long-term operation and safety improvements while adhering to size and cost constraints,” said Chris Stephens, Vice President of Communications & Motor Control, Industrial and Communications Business Division at Renesas. “Smaller, lighter and more reliable with long life than brushed DC motors, BLDC motors are a very effective solution to these challenges, and we are excited to introduce our new sensor-less motor control ICs, which pack the increased control, high-precision and high-efficiency levels customers require in a smaller package.”
The RAJ306001 or RAJ306010 ICs can be combined with complementary analogue and power offerings to create comprehensive solutions for a variety of motor control applications, showcasing the unique capability of the new motor control ICs.
Key Features
- MCU and pre-driver integrated into a single 8×8 mm QFN package, including a charge pump, linear regulators, current detection, programmable slew rate control and BEMF detect circuitry for sensor-less operation
- High integration optimises board space and reduces control system BOM costs
- Supports operating ranges from 6-30V (RAJ306001) and 6-42V (RAJ306010)
- SADT generator allows MOSFETs to run cooler while maintaining high efficiency
- Sensor-less motor control enables stable operation from low-speed to high-speed rotation and could eliminate the Hall ICs
- Integrated safety functions, including IEC 60730 safety standard support, can detect errors and halt the motor if an error occurs
The RAJ306001 and RAJ306010 Motor Control IC and RAJ306010 RSSK are available now from Renesas’ worldwide distributors.
A new Renesas Solution Starter Kit (RSSK) is also available for developers working on a motor control solution using the RAJ306010 ICs. The new easy-to-use RSSK features a complete evaluation environment that includes a development board, motor, and reference firmware, offering easy motor control debugging for quick evaluation of motor control design, executing real-time analysis and tuning to accelerate development.
Domel, Inc., a global supplier of electric motors, vacuum motors, blowers, and components, is integrating Renesas’ new motor control IC technology into a cordless vacuum system.
“Our collaboration with Renesas allows us to offer our customers complete vacuum motor systems with best-in-class in performance, quality and reliability such as our first venture – a cordless vacuum solution with over 300W airpower performance using our new BLDC vacuum motor and Renesas’ motor drive and battery management solutions that operates up to an hour at full speed between charges,” said Peter Korošec, President and CEO at Domel.
