Portfolio expanded

TDK Corporation is expanding its Micronas embedded motor controller portfolio with the first members of the new HVC 5x family.

The programmable system-on-chip (SoC) motor controllers are used to drive small stepper motors as well as brushed (BDC) and brushless (BLDC) motors in automotive and industrial applications. The new HVC 5x family represents an application-specific evolution of the popular HVC 4x family, which is designed as a universal motor control solution for all motor types. The new HVC 5221D and HVC 5222C devices, on the other hand, are targeted at individual types to enable more cost-effective applications in a smaller package. Samples are already available. Production start is planned for early 2024.

With the HVC 4x and the first two products of the HVC 5x family, TDK offers a steadily growing portfolio of motor control solutions for intelligent actuators with a special focus on thermal systems in electric and hybrid vehicles. The HVC 5221D features four motor terminals with a peak current of 500 mA each and is designed for stepper and DC motors in expansion and water valves. The HVC 5222C has three motor connections and can thus be used to drive brushless motors with up to 1 A phase current for radiator grille flaps and small fans. Both devices feature seven universal I/O ports and numerous automotive diagnostic and safety functions in a small form factor 24-pin QFN package. All HVC 5x controllers are pin-compatible, facilitating product development and scalability.

Common features of the HVC 4x and HVC 5x families:

• 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 CPU core
• 20 MHz system and 35 kHz watchdog oscillator
• 32 kB or 64 kB flash memory versions with 2 kB or 4 kB SRAM
• 12-bit, 1-μs ADC for various measurements
• Digital peripherals to support motor control algorithms
• LIN transceiver and UART for communication and auto-addressing according to the BSM method
• Automotive qualification according to AEC-Q100 for temperature grade 1

In addition, HVC 4x and HVC 5x products are sourced from various wafer fabs to improve supply security for our customers.

Main applications

• Expansion valves for cooling units
• Water valves for coolant distribution
• Fans for seat cooling and heating
• Air conditioning dampers for distribution of air in the passenger compartment
• Automatic sunshades
• Automatic radiator grille flaps and spoilers to reduce air resistance
• Actuators for cargo bay flaps