Active Gain Control (AGC) Technology

To provide sufficient margin for the motor torque required, motor control drivers (MCDs) generally supply a motor drive current greater than the peak current at the maximum load. This means that extra current continues flowing all the time. In order to minimize unnecessary current consumption, a sensor or a microcontroller is used to monitor the changes in load conditions, thereby adjusting a motor drive current according to the load conditions. This feedback process requires extremely complicated control. Toshiba offers motor driver ICs incorporating AGC technology, which sense a motor's load torque and automatically optimize a motor drive current. This makes it possible to prevent a motor from going out of step while simplifying high-efficiency motor control.

AGC technology automatically adjusts a motor drive current according to a motor's load conditions in order to reduce extra current, thereby considerably reducing the amount of heat generated by the motor driver IC and the motor. This helps reduce overall heat generation in a system and the resulting degradation.