Texas Instruments continues to
provide innovative motor drive
solutions that are smarter,
safer, and smaller than ever
before.
One of the latest
technologies, Smart Gate Drive,
offers a combination of
protection features and gate
drive configurability to
improve design simplicity
and bring a new level of
intelligence to motor systems.
Let's take a deeper look at
the features and benefits.
In traditional
gate drive designs,
each FET requires up to
four external components
to control current and prevent
unintentional FET turn-ons.
With smart gate drive
technology, up to 24
of these components
can be integrated
into the motor driver itself.
This significantly reduces
board size, design complexity,
and cost.
As a result, the
gate drives strength,
or gate drive current,
is now controlled
from the motor driver itself.
Controlling the drive strength
plays an important role
in overall system performance.
As shown in this single
phase motor drive example,
some applications require FETs
to be turned on very quickly.
This reduces power dissipation
and increases efficiency,
but could cause unwanted
switch node ringing
and electromagnetic radiation,
otherwise known as EMI.
Other applications require
FETs to be switched
more slowly, which
minimizes EMI but increases
power dissipation.
The great thing is smart gate
drive technology provides
designers the flexibility
to choose the gate drive
string that fits their needs.
In addition, TI's
smart gate drive
technology also
provides added system
protection and reliability.
The FETs are constantly
monitored by the gate driver
to detect faults and prevent
short circuit conditions.
For example, if a FET's
switching transitions
are not properly sequenced,
a shoot through condition
can occur.
This can cause high current
spikes and excessive heat
dissipation, potentially
damaging the FETs.
To prevent this, smart
gate drive technology
monitors the FET's gate
voltage and inserts
a period of dead time
after a FET is turned off,
thereby protecting the integrity
of the FET and gate driver.
If there is a fault
detected, the gate driver
will turn off the FETs
in a controlled manner
to prevent damage to the system.
As an additional
protection feature,
active and passive
pull downs are also
integrated into the driver.
This prevents FETs
from accidentally
turning on while
driving other FETs
or when the device
is powered off.
With its protection, space
saving, and easy to use
features, TI's smart
gate drive technology
brings added benefits to
any motor drive design.
For more information and to
explore TI's smart gate drive
products, please visit
TI.com/motordrivers.
