Nov 25 2015
Malaysia's national research and development agency in information and communications technology, MIMOS, together with two local collaborators, My Technology and Emerald Systems, has revealed a new integrated circuit (IC) solution that can efficiently control and manage the performance of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM).
Edward V. Bautista, Jr., Senior Staff Engineer (MIMOS) showcasing the GMC, to Datuk Panglima Madius Tangau, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Looking on is Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed The Minister of International Trade and Industry (on the right).
The MCGP021 or Green Motion Controller (GMC) would potentially replace existing controllers for PMSM motor. This product would significantly reduce the time taken to market for existing PMSM motor solution designers.
"With firmware and assembly code requirement removed from the process, motor solutions designers will have more time to focus on other aspects of the system while gaining better cost structure," MIMOS R&D Director for Nano and Semiconductor Technology, Mohd Shahiman Sulaiman said.
"The solution can be used in hybrid cars, air conditioners, automatic gates, washing machines, printers, conveyor belts, lifts and escalators.
"The PMSM motor has a huge market potential. With PMSM motor being used in a large number of consumer appliances, economic opportunity for GMC is tremendous," he added.
Mohd Shahiman said local and International distributors for this product have been identified.
Technical Notes
While traditional solutions for controlling Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) motor use software written for a microcontroller or microprocessor, MIMOS' MCGP02I motion controller solution uses a new design approach in which complex mathematical calculations required for Field Oriented Control (FOC) of PMSM motors are directly implemented using specialised logic gates into an integrated circuit (IC).
A PMSM is a rotating electric machine which uses permanent magnets in its rotor whereby an alternating current flow in its stator windings would generate a rotating magnetic field to cause the rotor to rotate. PMSM motors can be found in consumer appliances such as air-conditioners, washing machines, printers and commercial products such as lifts, elevators and conveyor belts.
The FOC method is the most efficient control method to squeeze maximum performance out of the PMSM motor. This method produces reduced torque ripple resulting in smoother motor performance and quieter operation. There is also no need to write firmware to implement the complex FOC algorithm, thus total development cost of the system is greatly reduced. The programmability of all control parameters enables maximum flexibility and quick design of control systems.
The MCGP02I comes in a 40-pin small footprint QFN package with an integrated on-chip oscillator, ADCs, voltage references and regulator. With the MCGP02I, the complete control system can be constructed with minimal number of components and occupies a small PCB area. The MCGP02I is compact, economical and can be implemented without the need for complicated firmware or assembly code.
This solution is expected to increase the application of PMSM motor development, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises. With PMSM motors being used in a variety of applications, business opportunities for this solution are tremendous.
Click here to view the datasheet.