Appliance half-bridge motor driver eliminates heatsinks, slashes
software certification time and expense
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Power Integrations (Nasdaq: POWI),
the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient
power conversion, today announced the release of its BridgeSwitch™
integrated half-bridge (IHB) motor driver IC family. BridgeSwitch ICs
feature high- and low-side advanced FREDFETs (Fast Recovery Diode Field
Effect Transistors) with integrated lossless current sensing, resulting
in inverter conversion efficiency of up to 98.5% in brushless DC (BLDC)
motor drive applications to 300 W. Superior efficiency along with the
distributed thermal footprint provided by the IHB driver eliminates the
need for a heatsink, reducing both system cost and weight. Integrated
lossless current sensing, bus voltage sensing and system-level thermal
sensing makes this device family ideal for BLDC motors in home-appliance
applications. BridgeSwitch devices target refrigerator compressors, HVAC
system fans and other residential and light commercial pumps, fans and
blowers.
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Appliance half-bridge motor driver eliminates heatsinks, slashes software certification time and expense (Photo: Business Wire)
The 600 V FREDFETs used in BridgeSwitch
ICs incorporate fast, ultra-soft-recovery body-diodes. This drastically
reduces losses during switching and reduces noise generation, which
simplifies system level EMC. The new high-voltage, self-powered,
half-bridge motor driver ICs also feature built-in device protection and
system monitoring and a robust single-wire status update interface which
enables communication between the motor-microcontroller and up to three
BridgeSwitch devices. Each BridgeSwitch device may be configured with
different high- and low-side current limits, eliminating the need for
the microcontroller and external circuitry to protect the system from
open or shorted motor windings. Integrated loss-less current monitoring
provides hardware-based motor fault protection, which simplifies the
task of providing protection under motor-fault conditions to satisfy
IEC60335-1 and IEC60730-1 requirements.
Comments senior product marketing manager Cristian Ionescu-Catrina: “We
have taken a fresh look at the challenges posed by the burgeoning BLDC
market and ever-tightening energy-use regulations worldwide, and
produced an innovative solution that saves energy and space while
reducing the BOM. This eases compliance with safety standards,
simplifies circuitry and reduces development time.”
Other features include up to 20 kHz PWM frequency, and a small signal
output that provides accurate, real-time reporting of FREDFET drain
current which mirrors the positive motor winding current. Safety
features include two-level device over-temperature detection, low-side
and high-side cycle-by-cycle current limit, as well as DC bus
overvoltage and undervoltage protection and reporting. Devices are
compatible with all common control algorithms – field oriented control
(FOC), sinusoidal, and trapezoidal modes with sensor and sensorless
detection, which are described in reference designs DER-654, DER-653 and
DER-749. BridgeSwitch is available in InSOP-24C – a small surface-mount
package offering creepage distances greater than 3.2 mm and enabling PCB
heatsinking via two exposed pads.
Samples of BridgeSwitch ICs are available now and are priced at $1.69 in
10,000-piece quantities. Visit PI’s new motor drivers sub-site for
technical support at: https://motor-driver.power.com/bridgeswitch.
About Power Integrations
Power
Integrations, Inc. is a leading innovator in semiconductor
technologies for high-voltage power conversion. The company’s products
are key building blocks in the clean-power ecosystem, enabling the
generation of renewable energy as well as the efficient transmission and
consumption of power in applications ranging from milliwatts to
megawatts. For more information please visit www.power.com.
Power Integrations, BridgeSwitch, and the Power Integrations logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Power Integrations, Inc. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owner.
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Media Contact
Power Integrations, Inc.
Peter Rogerson,
408-414-8573
peter.rogerson@power.com
or
Press
Agency Contact
BWW Communications
Nick Foot, +44-1491-636
393
nick.foot@bwwcomms.com
Source: Power Integrations, Inc.