Toshiba’s New Three-Phase Brushless Fan Motor Driver IC Has a Rotation Speed Control (Closed Loop Control) Function

March 29, 2018

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation

TC78B025FTG

TOKYO—Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") today announced the launch of "TC78B025FTG," a three-phase brushless motor driver IC with a rotation speed control (closed loop control) function, for application in small fans used in home appliances and industrial equipment. Mass production will start from April.

The cooling fans used in servers and other must be small and rotate at high speeds with uniform accuracy. Uniformity is best achieved by using a speed-feedback method to suppress fluctuations in rotation speed caused by changes in power supply voltage and load. Until now, this has required the use of microcomputers, but Toshiba’s new solution achieves flexible rotation speed control without external microcomputers by incorporating a non-volatile memory (NVM). This also allows easy system configuration.

In addition, TC78B025FTG implements a 1-Hall drive system and current sense resistor-elimination system to reduce the number of external components and contribute to the space saving on boards. Industry-leading [1] low ON resistance (0.2Ω (typ.) (total of high and low sides)) reduces the IC’s self-heating during operation, so extending support to large current drives.

Main features

  • Built-in rotation speed control (Closed loop control) function

Rotation speed control uses the speed-feedback method to suppress rotation speed fluctuations caused by changes in power supply voltage and load. The IC’s non-volatile memory (NVM) supports a wide range of speeds, from hundreds to tens of thousands rotations per minute.

  • Board space saving and size reduction

Mounting on the constricted board space of small fans is secured by adoption of a small package (4mm × 4mm). The 1-Hall drive and current detection resistor-free system (ACDS [2]) reduce external components.

  • High efficiency drive

Toshiba’s motor drive technology (InPAC [3]) realizes efficiency driving across a wide rotation range without adjustment burden. In addition, since the output ON resistance is as low as 0.2Ω (typ.), self-dissipation during IC operation can be reduced to achieve a high efficiency drive.

Applications

 Cooling fans for servers, game machines, etc.

Main Specifications

Product name TC78B025FTG
Power supply 4.5V to 16V
voltage (Operating range)

3.5A (Peak)

Drive mode Sine-wave drive; 150-degree commutation
Other features Output ON resistance (total of high and low sides): 0.2 Ω (typ.)
Standby function

Supports speed control by PWM signal input or analog voltage input

Supports Hall element and Hall IC

Error detection functions: thermal shutdown; over current protection; motor lock detection

Package

VQFN24 (4mm×4mm×0.9mm) 

Notes
[1] For IC used for 12V fan motors with a package size of 4 mm×4 mm. (As of March 29, 2018, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation survey.)
[2] Advanced Current Detection System: A current control method that does not require a sense resistor.
[3] Intelligent Phase Control: Toshiba’s new control technology that automatically adjusts the phase between the motor voltage and motor current, enabling efficient motor driving over a wide range of rotation speeds.

Customer Inquiries:

Mixed Signal IC Sales and Marketing Department
Tel: +81-44-548-2821

*Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

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