onsemi redefines brushless DC Motor Control with ecoSpin family

By combining the control and driver functions in a complete system-in-package (SiP) solution, onsemi simplifies the development of high-voltage motor control systems in applications such as HVAC, refrigeration and robotics.

The first member of the ecoSpin family to be launched is the ECS640A, a three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor controller designed for reliable high-voltage operation up to 600V. The small-form-factor ECS640A features a trusted gate driver, Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, three sense amplifiers, three bootstrap diodes and can support either sensored or sensorless motor control architectures.

“The highly integrated solution reduces time to market by eliminating the need for design cycles on applications, simplifying solution reuse when scaling BLDC motor power level requirements,” said Michel De Mey, Vice President of the Industrial Solutions Division, onsemi. “Reliability is improved by replacing many of the larger, more complex devices, while at the same time shrinking the PCB routing area by approximately 20% compared to a discrete implementation, to deliver an overall compact solution.”

The integration in a single IC package (10 x 13mm) redefines BLDC motor control performance by optimising power stage placement and reducing noise. This allows rapid reuse in alternative platforms by simply changing the discrete power devices and updating the software. The reduction in BOM simplifies sourcing challenges stemming from having many different discrete devices.

To optimise performance, the ECS640A supports traditional motor control techniques including trapezoidal and vector control. Advanced commutation algorithms are available on the Cortex M0 platform. These techniques allow for improved control over the motor’s flux and torque over a wide speed range, with as much as a 3 to 5% improvement in power efficiency.

With a compact system design and user-friendly tools to accelerate the design process, the ECS640A brings new levels of ease-of-use to BLDC motor control. The ECS640A is available through onsemi sales support and authorised distributors.