Flexible integration is key for brushed DC motors

Flexible integration is key for brushed DC motors

Brushed DC motors have many vital roles to play in modern vehicles. In fact, the 6.5% CAGR predicted by Data Bridge Market Research for these devices will be predominantly driven by automotive applications. Their low cost makes them popular in vehicles where the average car has 15-20 brushed motors deployed within the cabin and under the hood.

Like every component in a vehicle, brushed motors are coming under scrutiny for space and cost savings. The simplified motor control chain consists of the microcontroller, a pre-driver, and the H-bridge. If the pre-driver is integrated with the microcontroller, there is less flexibility when design changes or upgrades are needed and re-deploying the design in other vehicle models is more difficult.

The alternate approach of combining the pre-driver and H-bridge in the same package is far simpler to do and requires less engineering resources, yet it achieves the streamlining goal better than the previous approach.

In its TB9053FTG and TB9054FTG devices, Toshiba has integrated two H-bridges and the pre-driver in a single package, allowing a pair of 5A motors or a single 10A motor to be driven. With this approach the microcontroller and code can be leveraged in multiple implementations.

A new window will open