Search by company

Single-chip driver takes on multi-axis positioning

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team May 6, 2003

The AMIS-3062x is a new family of microstepping motor driver products for remote and multiple axes positioning applications.

The AMIS-3062x from AMI Semiconductor is a new family of microstepping motor driver products for remote and multiple axes positioning applications.

The single-chip solution integrates bus connection, positioning electronics and a motor driver in a single SOP20 package.

Today, the family consists of two products; one has a LINbus interface and the other a serial bus interface.

Both versions are designed for small-positioning automotive applications such as headlamp levelling and swivelling, cruise control and idle control.

The devices can also be used in a wide range of industrial applications such as x-y-z tables, robots, climate control and process control.

The AMIS-30621 with LIN interface is ideally suited to remote, single or multiple axes positioning applications.

The device can be used in dedicated mechatronics solutions that are connected remotely to a LIN master.

Compared with solutions with centrally placed drivers, the LINbus system not only saves wiring cost but also has better EMC performance, which is key for applications in harsh environments such as automotive systems.

The AMIS-30622 with serial interface is able to act as peripheral device next to a microcontroller on a single PCB, and is ideally suited for positioning of multiple axes.

This smart driver chip with high-level command interface and integrated positioner allows modular hardware and software design.

Flexibility of motion parameters like maximum speed, acceleration and driving current, allow the on-chip position controller to work with different motor types, load conditions and positioning ranges.

The AMIS-3062x product family also features a hold current, very low standby current and optionally stall detection.

Bart De Cock, Product Manager for Motion Control Products said: "Our main goal with this design was to enable mechatronics solutions by combining some major strengths of AMIS such as mixed signal high-voltage integration, power applications and LIN IP blocks.

A typical application contains a microcontroller which is now, to a large extent, able to delegate the low-level motor-driving activity to this dedicated chip.

This reduces tedious software coding and eases hardware partitioning of multiple axes applications".