Highly Integrated BLDC Motor Driver Shrinks 48-V Motor-Drive Systems By 30% in Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Published  February 23, 2021   0
DRV3255-Q1 Highly Integrated BLDC Motor Driver

Texas Instruments has released DRV3255-Q1, a highly integrated Grade 0 brushless DC (BLDC) motor driver for 48-V high-power motor control systems like traction inverters and starter generators in mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs). This new motor driver integrates active short-circuit logic and dynamic fault response. It enables designers to simplify their designs and shrink their motor system size by as much as 30%.

With this new device, the designers can supply as much as 30 kW of motor power, while reducing board space and bill-of-materials cost in 48-V motor-drive systems. The DRV3255-Q1 motor driver is designed according to TI’s TUV SUD-certified functional safety development process and meets the most stringent safety requirements, hence enabling up to Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) D.

The TI Functional Safety-Compliant DRV3255-Q1 comes with an active short-circuit logic feature that gives system designers the flexibility to arrange metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) connections based on system needs and helps prevent catastrophic system failures due to overvoltage. Additionally, the dynamic fault response automatically switches the motor driver to active short-circuit mode in overvoltage conditions, thereby protecting the motor and electrical components of a vehicle from overvoltage stress while optimizing system performance.

Features of DRV3255-Q1 Motor Driver

  • Reduce board space by as much as 30%
  • Improve response times while protecting 48-V motor-drive systems from harsh conditions
  • Streamline ISO 26262 compliance up to ASIL D
  • AEC-Q100 Test Guidance for automotive applications
  • Functional Safety-Compliant targeted
  • Three N-Channel half-bridge gate driver
  • Device configurations options
  • Integrated configurable Active Short Circuit (ASC) function
  • Serial peripheral interface (SPI) with CRC
  • Supports 3.3-V and 5-V logic inputs
  • Advanced protection features

The DRV3255-Q1 is available from TI in a 64-pin quad flat package and the price range starts at US$3.99 in 1,000-unit quantities.