Qorvo introduced a new intelligent power control solution that reduces energy consumption, bulk, weight and noise in smart home appliances, AC-powered fans and compressors. This mixed-signal System in Package (SiP) product can reduce bill of materials by as much as 35 percent, even as it enhances performance, reliability and energy efficiency in brushless DC (BLDC) motor and permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) control applications.
The Qorvo PAC5556 Power Application Controller (PAC) delivers extreme power density in a slim, compact 52-PIN 10×10 QFN package. It features a 150MHz Arm Cortex-M4F digital high-performance processor with 128kB FLASH, and integrates a 600V N-channel DC/DC Buck Controller and signal conditioning components, thereby reducing the bill of materials in high-voltage systems that do not require isolation.
PAC5556 is optimized for AC-powered BLDC or PMSM motor control applications such as AC-powered fans, white goods or compressors. PAC5556 also includes optimized hardware support and software libraries for the IEC/UL 60730 Class B Safety standard.
PAC5556 contains a 150MHz Arm Cortex-M4F with 128kB of FLASH that can be used to implement high-performance motor control and supervisory applications. The MCU also contains motor control peripherals such as 12-bit 2.5 MSPS dual auto-sequencer ADC, PWM timers with hardware dead-time insertion, etc.
The product contains an integrated N-CH Buck DC/DC controller, a 5V / 200mA converter and multiple LDOs for system and power management components for the IC and other PCB system power supplies. The Application-Specific Power Drivers provide integrated gate drivers for use with an external inverter. The Configurable Analog Front-End (CAFE) provides signal-chain components such as differential and single-end amplifiers, comparators and DACs.
The integrated power management supplies all necessary voltage rails for the system, including the 12V or 15V gate driver supply for metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) or insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). An additional, high-efficiency 5V DC/DC Buck Converter provides power for other system peripherals.
Qorvo’s Programmable Power Management business unit delivers power management and intelligent motor control expertise to key growth markets. The company’s portfolio of analog and mixed-signal SoCs provides scalable core platforms used in charging, powering and embedded digital control systems for industrial, commercial and consumer applications. Qorvo offers Power Application Controllers (PACs) and DC-DC power management products that significantly improve system reliability, while reducing solution size, cost and system development time.
“We are continually optimizing our product designs to improve performance and increase energy efficiency,” said Larry Blackledge, general manager, Qorvo Programmable Power Management business unit. “The PAC5556 expands our highly-optimized family of PAC devices that can implement BLDC and PMSM programmable motor controllers and drivers in a single, integrated package. This is a game changer for controlling and powering next-generation smart energy AC-powered appliances, devices and equipment.”
BLDC motors are seeing widespread adoption, due to their maintenance-free operation, longer life span, power efficiency and quieter operation. Next-generation systems that are switching from brushed DC motors to BLDCs include smart home appliances, HVAC systems, automobiles, aerospace, defense and medical devices.
In June, Qorvo launched two new gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifier (PA) families for domestic and international Ka-band satcom and X-band phased array radar applications. The solutions, which deliver best-in-class power, linearity and efficiency in a smaller footprint, enable higher system performance while reducing costs.
The QPA2212 for Ka-band applications has high linearity for wideband multi-carrier systems. The power amplifier delivers 20 watts of RF power operating over the 27-31GHz frequency band. There are also 14-watt QPA2211D and 7-watt QPA2210D options. Delivering higher linear power in a single MMIC PA enables cost reduction and performance enhancing opportunities.
The QPA1022 for X-band phased arrays offers power added efficiency of 45 percent at 4 watts RF power in the 8.5-11 GHz range. This is an increase in efficiency by 8 percent over previous products, while providing 24 dB large signal gain. These capabilities translate into maximum power with minimum heat, higher reliability and lower cost of ownership. Designers can create higher-density arrays and achieve greater range for the same power budget. The QPA1022 is available to customers now in packaged and die versions.
