Intelligent motion-controlled device for smart industry combines power and simplicity
A powerful single-package device for intelligent motor control from STMicroelectronics combines the power and flexibility of a microcontroller-based drive with ease of use and pace efficiency.
Target applications include smart-manufacturing equipment, power tools and cooling fans, as well as emerging high-tech product categories such as drones, small robots, and home appliances containing high-efficiency motors, such as high-performance portable vacuum cleaners or air purifiers.
The STSPIN32F0’s system in package (SiP) uses power-control libraries and algorithms from the STM32 ecosystem to streamline and simplify the development of intelligent and precision motion controls, says the company.
The STSPIN32F0 combines a microcontroller and an analogue IC in a 7.0 x 7.0mm QFN package. The STM32F0 microcontroller inside the STSPIN32F0 features the ARM Cortex-M0 core, capable of hosting versatile motor-control algorithms such as sensored or sensorless Field Oriented Control (FOC), six-step control. Its high performance enables fast algorithm-execution times, needed for precision control of torque and speed up to high rpm, with bandwidth and headroom to support additional functionality.
The integrated analogue IC embedded in the STSPIN32F0 implements a three-phase, half-bridge gate driver with integrated bootstrap diodes. Gate-drive current of up to 600mA allows designers to select from a variety of power MOSFETs of a rating for the chosen motor. The built-in protection mechanisms include real-time programmable over-current protection, cross-conduction prevention to eliminate potentially damaging shoot-through currents, and under-voltage and over-temperature protection.
According to the company, the integrated operational amplifiers can be used to design cost-effective sensorless or Hall-effect sensor feedback systems.
Saving additional external components and helping to simplify system design, an internal 3.3V DC/DC buck converter and 12V LDO linear regulator provide the voltage rails to supply the MCU, the external circuitry and the gate drivers. The IC can be put into standby mode to disable all the internal circuitry apart from the DC/DC converter that supplies the MCU, so reducing power consumption to a minimum.
The company believes that whether using existing proprietary motor-control IP, or seeking an off-the-shelf motor-control algorithm, the IC, STM32 development ecosystem with software tools, firmware libraries and middleware available on top of the popular motion-control algorithms and six-step control simplify and streamline firmware development.
