Actel

Using FPGAs in Motor Control Applications

FPGAs are increasingly being used in motor control applications due to their robustness and customizability. Microcontrollers have typically been used to implement motor controls, with computation algorithms executed by software. Some of the challenges in this implementation are response time, a fixed number of PWM channels, limited communication interfaces and pre-determined analog triggering. The solution is to use an FPGA.

Actel offers the following Solutions for Motor Control:

Features and Benefits

Back to top
Performance
  • Robust, customizable pulse-width modulation (PWM) enables more precise control algorithms
  • Faster, more deterministic control loop than available in software solutions to reduce current ripple and noise
  • Immediate response to user I/O (i.e., emergency braking alert)
  • Hardware acceleration of control algorithms
  • High-speed flash memory provides faster access to lookup tables
Single-Chip Integration
Watch the SmartFusion Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGA Motor Control with Power and Control Design Video
Video SmartFusion Motor Control
  • Single-chip solution
    • Increased reliability, smaller form factor and board space
  • Functional integration
    • System manager and motor control in a single chip
    • Data logging and subsystem diagnostic
    • Fusion mixed signal FPGA can support multiple axis motors simultaneously
  • SmartFusion FPGA supports multiple types of analog data acquisition such as direct sampling of voltage, current and temperature
  • Single platform supports multiple standards for local and remote communications
Motor Control Needs SmartFusion Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGA Benefits
PWM Frequency Control On-board PLL and clock generators can target a wide range of motor frequencies
Sensing and Protection Easy-to-set internal threshold flags to control and protect the motor (i.e., over-current, over-temperature, etc.)
Real-Time Monitoring System Internal real-time counter to log/record drive parameters and characteristics
Configuration Storage On-chip flash memory stores system parameters for fast starts and efficient drive operation. Reprogrammable during run-time.
Damping To coast and brake, use dedicated on-board PWM IP.
BEMF — Zero Crossing Reduce component count with sensorless operation
Multiple Drive Support Parallel and flexible operation enables simultaneous control of multiple motors (i.e., multi axis systems).

FPGA Solutions for Motor Control

Back to top

FPGAs allow implementation of an intensive computational motor control algorithm, such as field-oriented control in hardware, thus shortening the loop time and increasing overall system response time. FPGAs provide a programmable interface for various communications protocols, abundant I/Os and I/O standards to implement fault monitoring or supervisory tasks. Solutions using an intelligent mixed signal FPGA incorporating a 32-bit microprocessor allow management and dynamic triggering of analog data capture in a software-controlled flexible manner.

FPGA Solution for Motor Control

Design Resources

Back to top
SmartFusion Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGA Motor Control Development Kit SmartFusion Motor Control Development Kit
Intelligent mixed-signal capabilities of Actel SmartFusion FPGA enable a single-chip solution for motor control applications. The Motor Control Development Kit demonstrates the unique advantages of SmartFusion devices and their flexibility in controlling up to four permanent magnet motors on a single platform. The Motor Control Development Kit hardware includes a main motor control board, a motor driver daughter board, and one included PMSM motor, with an optional four-motor configuration.
 
TRINAMIC TMCM-AC-840 Motor Control Daughter Board Kit TRINAMIC TMCM-AC-840 Motor Control Daughter Board Kit
The TRINAMIC TMCM-AC-840 Daughter Board Kit delivers a SmartFusion intelligent mixed signal FPGA motor control prototyping platform for stepper and brushless DC motors (BLDC). The kit connects either to the Actel SmartFusion Development Kit or the SmartFusion Evaluation Kit and features one TMC603A pre-driver IC with BLDC power stage, one TMC262 coolStep™ stepper motor driver IC and two motors.
 
Mini Motor Control Daugher Card Miniature Motor Control Daughter Card
Actel offers a demonstration platform that showcases an IGLOO low power FPGA as a controller for miniature brushless DC and stepper motors. The platform consists of a miniature motor control daughter card for the Actel IGLOO Icicle Evaluation Kit.
 
  • Intellectual Property — Required intellectual property (IP) depends on the application requirements
    • CorePWM: The essential IP is the PWM. Actel offers this robotic 8-channel PWM IP module, which is ready for plug-n-play development.
    • ARM® Cortex™-M3: Embedded in SmartFusion mixed signal FPGAs
    • 8051 Cores: 8051 compliant IP with peripheral IP available
    • CAN IP: Provides easy integration benefits to support CAN interface that is widely deployed in the industrial control applications.
    • SmartFusion IP cores
    • Fusion IP cores