Altair Case Studies Sensorless Motor Control Technology Characterization Using VisSim: A Texas Instruments Case Study

	Sensorless Motor Control Technology Characterization Using VisSim: A Texas Instruments Case Study Altair

Sensorless Motor Control Technology Characterization Using VisSim: A Texas Instruments Case Study

Altair

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation Processors & Edge Intelligence - Embedded & Edge Computers
Applicable Industries	Automotive Electronics
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Manufacturing Process Simulation Virtual Reality
Services	System Integration Testing & Certification
Challenge	The C2000 MCU group at Texas Instruments (TI), a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company, was faced with the challenge of characterizing their new software product, InstaSPIN™. This software enables designers to identify, tune, and fully control any type of three-phase, variable speed, sensorless, synchronous or asynchronous motor control system. It uses TI’s new software encoder, a sensorless observer called FAST™ (Flux, Angle, Speed and Torque), which is embedded in the read-only-memory (ROM) of Piccolo devices. Dave Wilson, Senior Motor Systems Engineer with The C2000 Group, was tasked with characterizing the FAST™ observer and developing a datasheet for it. However, the process was slow and tedious due to output variances over time and temperature changes, and it required constant recalibration. Moreover, the hardware he was using was not adequately equipped to test the FAST software. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is Texas Instruments (TI), a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company with a valuation of 13 billion dollars. TI is known for its groundbreaking advancements in power electronics and microelectronics, with applications in a wide range of fields from appliances to automotive control systems. The C2000 MCU group at TI, which focuses on high-end processing applications like sensorless field oriented motor control, is the specific customer group in this case study. They were tasked with the challenge of characterizing their new software product, InstaSPIN™, which uses TI’s new software encoder, a sensorless observer called FAST™. Read More
Solution	To overcome the challenge, Mr. Wilson turned to VisSim, a software he had become familiar with four years prior. VisSim provided him with the tools he needed to model fast and accurate motor analog dynamics as well as digital control. It was then able to automatically create C code from the controller portion of his graphical diagram, and download the code to run on the Piccolo target. Using the VisSim JTAG Hotlink in a new synchronous mode that was released in the latest version 9 of the software, Mr. Wilson could run the motor simulation in lock step with the control running on the target in non real-time to verify the FAST outputs against the ideal values of Flux, Angle, Speed, and Torque from the VisSim model. As a result, FAST can be evaluated for ANY brushless motor, no matter how big or small, by simply supplying the simulated voltage and current values to the FAST observer running in ROM on the target. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation

Processors & Edge Intelligence - Embedded & Edge Computers

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Electronics

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Manufacturing Process Simulation

Virtual Reality

Services

System Integration

Testing & Certification

Challenge

The C2000 MCU group at Texas Instruments (TI), a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company, was faced with the challenge of characterizing their new software product, InstaSPIN™. This software enables designers to identify, tune, and fully control any type of three-phase, variable speed, sensorless, synchronous or asynchronous motor control system. It uses TI’s new software encoder, a sensorless observer called FAST™ (Flux, Angle, Speed and Torque), which is embedded in the read-only-memory (ROM) of Piccolo devices. Dave Wilson, Senior Motor Systems Engineer with The C2000 Group, was tasked with characterizing the FAST™ observer and developing a datasheet for it. However, the process was slow and tedious due to output variances over time and temperature changes, and it required constant recalibration. Moreover, the hardware he was using was not adequately equipped to test the FAST software.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is Texas Instruments (TI), a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company with a valuation of 13 billion dollars. TI is known for its groundbreaking advancements in power electronics and microelectronics, with applications in a wide range of fields from appliances to automotive control systems. The C2000 MCU group at TI, which focuses on high-end processing applications like sensorless field oriented motor control, is the specific customer group in this case study. They were tasked with the challenge of characterizing their new software product, InstaSPIN™, which uses TI’s new software encoder, a sensorless observer called FAST™.

Solution

To overcome the challenge, Mr. Wilson turned to VisSim, a software he had become familiar with four years prior. VisSim provided him with the tools he needed to model fast and accurate motor analog dynamics as well as digital control. It was then able to automatically create C code from the controller portion of his graphical diagram, and download the code to run on the Piccolo target. Using the VisSim JTAG Hotlink in a new synchronous mode that was released in the latest version 9 of the software, Mr. Wilson could run the motor simulation in lock step with the control running on the target in non real-time to verify the FAST outputs against the ideal values of Flux, Angle, Speed, and Torque from the VisSim model. As a result, FAST can be evaluated for ANY brushless motor, no matter how big or small, by simply supplying the simulated voltage and current values to the FAST observer running in ROM on the target.

Impact #1	The use of VisSim resulted in the successful characterization of the FAST™ observer and the development of a datasheet for it. It also led to the generation of the FAST™ TRM (Technical Reference Manual) and a very useful tool called the “FAST Exercizor”. This tool enables TI’s customers to test their motor control requirements using TI’s actual ROM based algorithm without having to hook up an actual motor system. This provides a quick way for customers to test the InstaSPIN™ FOC (Field Oriented Control) without having to build a whole system for it. TI plans to release the tool to its field force and customers in Q1 of 2016.

Impact #1

The use of VisSim resulted in the successful characterization of the FAST™ observer and the development of a datasheet for it. It also led to the generation of the FAST™ TRM (Technical Reference Manual) and a very useful tool called the “FAST Exercizor”. This tool enables TI’s customers to test their motor control requirements using TI’s actual ROM based algorithm without having to hook up an actual motor system. This provides a quick way for customers to test the InstaSPIN™ FOC (Field Oriented Control) without having to build a whole system for it. TI plans to release the tool to its field force and customers in Q1 of 2016.

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Overview

Sensorless Motor Control Technology Characterization Using VisSim: A Texas Instruments Case Study

Operational Impact