iMOTION™ Motion Control Engine (MCE) iMOTION™ MCE - Overview

Overview

All iMOTION™ products include a Motion Control Engine (MCE), which eliminates software coding from the motor control algorithm development process. As the core of all iMOTION™ products, the MCE speeds up the customer development time with its integrated ready-2-use motor control algorithm and production grade software. The MCE implements Field Oriented Control (FOC) and uses space vector PWM with sinusoidal signals to achieve highest energy efficiency.

The integrated state machine handler including fault states and multiple protections like over- and under-voltage, over current and rotor lock helps to safeguard motor and power stage. The MCE can control the motor running either sensorless or with sensor support like analog or digital hall sensors and is available with ready-to-use algorithms for boost PFC implementations. To meet a wide range of applications it is highly configurable and its scripting engine that executes customer scripts with access to the MCE, GPIOs analog inputs and a configurable UART grants flexibility for different applications. The MCE and thereby all iMOTION™ devices can be used in applications requiring functional safety according to UL/IEC 60730 (‘class B’). Powerful tools like the iMOTION™ Solution Designer reduce the implementation effort for a variable speed drive to a simple configuration of the MCE for the respective motor.

Ask the Motor Control ICs Community

Our Developer Community is available 24x7 for you to connect and network with engineers across the globe. Get help from our support engineers, and expert members to solve your design challenges anytime, from anywhere, in any topic, and in your preferred language.

Ask the Community

Highlights

Control algorithm features

Motor control
  • Field oriented control (FOC) based on flux estimator and PLL
  • Space vector PWM modulation
  • Inner current control / outer speed control loop with speed ramp generator
  • Control interfaces: UART, analog, frequency, duty cycle, scripting
Special features 
  • Over-modulation for increased output voltage
  • Field weakening for extending the speed range
  • DC bus compensation for voltage ripple / fluctuation
  • 3 phase and 2 phase PWM (low-side clamping) with dynamic switching
  • Utilization of Interior permanent magnet (IPM) motors reluctance torque
  • Motor current limit profile (low/high speed)
  • Zero vector breaking
  • Calibration of internal clock over temperature range
  • Low speed torque compensation per mechanical cycle (360°, 4/6 pole motors)

Current and position sensing

Current sensing features
  • Single shunt and leg shunt motor current sensing
  • Single shunt configuration: sense DC Link current
  • Leg shunt configuration: sense U and V phase low side current (phase W optional)
  • Phase-shift / low noise phase-shift PWM schemes
    (improved SVPWM output fidelity and lower acoustic noise)
  • Inline phase current sensing (requires referencing to ground)
Rotor position sensing
  • Position sensorless operation based in flux estimation
  • Position sensored operation based on hall feedback

       -  Two or three digital hall switches supported

       -  Two analog hall elements supported

  • Hybrid hall / sensorless operation with programmable switch-over threshold 
  • Forward/reverse catch spin for rotating motor, parking, open loop, direct start
  • Initial angle sensing

Protection

Integrated protection functions  - Motor Motor
Critical over voltage  activates zero vector breaking  x
Flux PLL out of control PLL not locked to rotor angle, maskable x 
Over temperature uses an external NTC x 
Rotor lock activate from min to 25% of rated speed, configurable detection time x 
Execution  CPU load exceeding 95% x 
Phase loss motor phase disconnected or winding short, PARKING state x 
Link break protection UART communication lost x 
Hall invalid protection invalid hall pattern detected x 
Hall timeout protection missing hall transition, rotor lock, configurable detection time x 
Integrated protection functions - PFC PFC
AC over voltage configurable threshold x
AC under voltage configurable threshold x
Frequency fault  AC input frequency out of range x
DC-bus Open Loop Missing or faulty DC-bus voltage measurement x
Integrated protection functions - Motor and PFC  Motor PFC
Over current/ gate kill measured via shunt or as input from gate driver/ external source x x
DC over voltage configurable threshold x x
Parameter load configurable threshold x x
DC under volatage faulty parameter block x x
Current offset calibration checked after startup offset self-calibration x x

Script engine

Scripting engine
  • Lightweight virtual machine with access to MCE and IOs
  • Two background tasks, user programmable in easy to learn language
  • No interference to motor and/or PFC control
Features and functions
  • Two periodic tasks, configurable timing and repetition rate, min cycle time 1ms
  • ~1,500 lines of code, 100 constants, 256 byte for global variables, 128 byte for task-local variables
  • Arithmetic / binary / logical operators, expressions, decision structures (if...else), loop structures (for), bit access
  • Access to motor / PFC parameters and variables (dynamic and read-write type)
  • Coherent update method for motor / PFC control relevant parameters (32 parameters)
  • Access to spare analog / digital I/O
  • Configurable UART interface with FIFO
  • Configurable infrared (IR) reception interface
  • Flash data storage available from scripting
  • Low power standby function
  • iMOTION™ Solution Designer with code editor and debugger
Videos

Find out what iMOTION™ Solution Designer offers you, how projects are created and the work flow in terms of configuration, tuning, dashboards and scripting. The tool guides you through the complete project workflow, achieving the shortest time to market with the lowest R&D efforts.

State of the art sensorless algorithm for permanent magnet motor control is described in this video. Common pitfalls of sensorless control, such as a non-controlled startup are easily avoided with the Motion Control Engine (MCE) inside infineon iMOTION devices. A clean startup, without vibrations and oscillations is demonstrated with a low inertia fan motor. 

iMOTION™ ICs integrate hardware and software functionality required for controlling PMSM motors with field-oriented control (FOC) (with and without sensors). iMOTION™ products are based on Infineon’s patented, field-tested Motion Control Engine (MCE), which eliminates software coding from the development process. As a result, all users have to do to implement a variable speed drive is configure the MCE for the respective motor drive system.

Discover how Infineon’s Modular Application Design Kit, or MADK evaluation platform, covers 3-phase motor drive applications with a power level that goes from 20 Watt up to 10 kilowatt.

Support