First sensorless, field-oriented control solution optimizes energy efficiency

The STM32 is the first sensorless, field-oriented motor control solution for ARM Cortex based MCUs. The product is suited to cost-sensitive home and industrial applications, such as washing machines, dishwasher pumps, refrigerators and air conditioners, electric vehicles, low- to midrange industrial drives, office equipment, HVAC actuators and fans, and vending machines.

Using less than 30 percent of CPU resources, the STM32 has a complete sensorless vector-control algorithm for three-phase brushless PMSM (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor), which is executed in less than 25 microseconds, providing more processing power for other applications. The code size for the PMSM solution is <16KB. The product provides sufficient power – from the core and dedicated motor control peripherals – to optimize the drive and minimize overall system cost.

The hardware platform can be used for both PMSM and AC induction motors, operating up to 48V. Schematics are provided to minimize hardware design time and kit to allow real-time control and monitoring through an on-board color LCD and joystick, or standalone operation using on-board push buttons and trimmers. A debugger and programmer are also included.

The easy-to-use kit enables engineers to run the included PMSM motor within minutes. The graphical display, meanwhile, allows users to become familiar with the entire sensor less controls, such as PID regulators by re-turning them during runtime, using the joystick and LCD. Moreover, users can start developing their own applications, starting from the optimized C firmware libraries that have been used to build the demo application. The C library source code is provided on the CD-ROM.

The STM32 delivers high performance level and energy efficiency, while retaining the benefits of working with an open, industry-standard ARM architecture.