Software for motor drive development supports faster time to market
GlobalSpec News Desk | April 22, 2024Toshiba Electronics Europe has updated and extended its design framework for brushless DC (BLDC) and permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives, adding new features that automatically capture motor parameters and simplify optimizing settings. By easing these challenges when starting a new project, the latest tools accelerate application development and reduce time to market for energy-efficient variable-speed drives.
To help optimize the settings for field-oriented control (FOC), the latest version of Toshiba’s MCU Motor Studio (MMS v3.0) introduces a new technique for estimating rotor position based on flux observation. TheSource: Toshiba Electronics Europe flux observer combines the estimated α- and β-axis flux components to compute the rotor electrical position and reduces the complexity of the initial proportional-integral (PI) gain settings, as required for conventional position estimation methods used in PI control loops, allowing users to progress quickly to developing the motor application.
Accompanying MMS 3.0, Toshiba has revealed a new tool, Motor Tuning Studio (MTS v1.0) that simplifies capturing motor and drive control parameters. MTS comprises firmware loaded on the motor MCU and an accompanying PC-based tool. The firmware calculates the rotor resistance, the d/q axis inductance, the moment of inertia and magnetic flux. Created for Toshiba TMPM4K and TMPM3H MCUs, it also supports software vector control in normal motor-drive operation.