KAWASAKI, Japan, May 14 — Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) has started to ship engineering samples of “TB9M040FTG,” a motor control device with built-in power MOSFETs for three-phase brushless DC motor drives. The latest addition to Toshiba‘s “SmartMCD™”[1] series of motor control devices that integrates a microcontroller (MCU) and a motor driver, TB9M040FTG can directly drive three-phase brushless DC motors and is suitable for controlling small motors used in automotive equipment.
Electrification of the moving parts of vehicles continues to advance, and demand is increasing for small three‑phase brushless DC motors for use in applications such as electric valves, dampers and flaps in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and in grille shutters[2]. This is also stimulating demand for devices with fewer components and downsized electronic control units (ECUs), and for field oriented control (FOC)[3] support functions and sensorless control that secure more advanced motor control and reduce CPU loads.
TB9M040FTG integrates an MCU (Arm® Cortex®‑M23 core), flash memory, a motor driver capable of directly driving three‑phase brushless DC motors, a high‑side driver that can be used for power supply purposes, a local interconnect network (LIN)[4] transceiver, and a power supply system that can operate at the automotive battery level, all housed in a small VQFN36 package (6×6mm (typ.)). It also incorporates a Vector Engine (VE) integrating Toshiba’s proprietary hardware, which helps to reduce CPU loads in FOC‑controlled motor applications and contributes to smaller software programs.
It also features a back electromotive force (BEMF[5]) detection function, enabling sensorless square-wave control.
In combination, these features enable the downsizing of automotive equipment and reduced component counts, while realizing advanced and complex motor control; TB9M040FTG can support a wide range of small automotive motor applications, and LIN communication with the ECU realizes control of small motors within automotive systems.
Toshiba will continue to expand the lineup of its SmartMCD™ series equipped with the functions required for motor drives in automotive systems and to contribute to automotive system downsizing and lower component counts.