BLDC motor control options

Many different types of induction motors have been available on the market for decades, including ac induction, brushed dc, and brushless dc (BLDC) motors. Many MCU-based solutions are available, using 8-, 16-, and 32-bit MCUs. Most solutions promote costsensitive and fast time-to market designs. The sensor version can be implemented with simple firmware algorithms because the BLDC rotor position information is readily available upon startup, but this version comes with higher cost and additional manufacturing steps. Some motor control solutions require only the combination of one 16-bit timer and one A/D converter module for reliable BLDC operation, keeping the program heuristic simple and fast and enabling the motor to start up smoothly to demand speed. Motor control solutions should allow for quick evaluation of motors with different operating voltages and speeds, while an on-chip discrete comparator is used for cycle-by-cycle PWM shutdown in case of an overcurrent event.