Power Integrations Revs Up Motor-Drive Offering With BridgeSwitch-2 BLDC IC Family

Integrations (NASDAQ: POWI), the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits
for energy-efficient power conversion, today enhanced its hardware-software
bundle for brushless DC motors (BLDC) with BridgeSwitchT-2, a new
high-voltage integrated half-bridge (IHB) motor-driver IC family targeting
applications up to 1 HP (746 W). The new ICs, which feature high- and
low-side drivers and advanced FREDFETs with integrated lossless current
sensing, deliver inverter efficiency of up to 99 percent. The IHB
architecture eliminates hot spots, which increases design flexibility and
reliability, slashes component count and saves PCB area. BridgeSwitch-2 is
supported by Power Integrations’ MotorXpertT software suite which includes
single-phase trapezoidal control and three-phase sensor-less Field Oriented
Control (FOC) modules, speeding inverter development.

BridgeSwitch-2 ICs handle operational exceptions in hardware, which permits
the use of IEC 60730 Class A safety software, reducing certification time by
months. Quiescent BLDC inverters can be ordered into sleep-mode, reducing
driver power consumption to less than 10 mW; this leaves more power
available under regulated standby power limits to be allocated for loads
such as network access and monitoring.

Cristian Ionescu-Catrina, product marketing manager at Power Integrations,
said: “The low standby consumption of BridgeSwitch-2-based motor drives
enables designers to meet new and emerging EU ERP regulations.
BridgeSwitch-2 ICs are also far more efficient than IGBT based IPMs across
the entire load range.” He continued: “From startup to performance
optimization, the GUI-based tool, terminal emulator and MISRA C-compliant
code library of MotorXpert greatly simplifies the design process, allowing
the motor architecture to be optimized in real-time without repeated
firmware updates. BridgeSwitch-2 is microprocessor agnostic, easing its
adoption into existing systems – this is important as engineers update
designs to meet more stringent standby regulations.”

BridgeSwitch-2 ICs address a power range of 30 to 746 W (1 HP), encompassing
a broad range of applications including heat exchanger fans, refrigerator
compressors, fluid and circulation pumps, gas boiler combustion fans,
washing machine drums and kitchen blenders and mixers. The IHB architecture
reduces component count by 50 percent and PCB space by 30 percent over
discrete designs by eliminating shunt resistors and associated signal
conditioning circuits. Shunt losses are also eliminated, improving
efficiency. Precise motor control is achieved with the built-in real-time
reporting of phase current (IPH) information. Accurate turn-on/off gate
drive and a soft-body diode result in a typical EMI profile 10 dB lower than
existing drivers, so a smaller EMI filter can be selected.

BridgeSwitch-2 ICs feature built-in DC overvoltage protection and current
limits that protect the inverter and the system without relying on system
software. The choice of error-flag or comprehensive fault bus reporting
supports a range of system requirements. Emerging use-cases like failure
prediction are now possible with the high accuracy of the built-in IPH
information and comprehensive reporting via the fault bus. BridgeSwitch-2
motor drives use built-in, hardware-based low- and high-side over-current
protection to meet IEC 60335-1 Class A requirements. BridgeSwitch-2 also
works without an auxiliary power supply, further reducing PCB area and
component count.

Availability & Resources
Pricing for BridgeSwitch-2 ICs starts at $0.48 for 10,000-unit quantities. A
150 W reference design and design report, RDK-974 can be freely downloaded.
For further information, contact a Power Integrations sales representative
or one of the company’s authorized worldwide distributors-DigiKey, Newark,
Mouser and RS Components, or visit power.com.

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.