HOUSTON, (Sept. 9, 1996) -- A new digital signal processor (DSP),
the first designed specifically to improve system performance,
lower system cost, and reduce component count in digital motor
and motion control (DMC) systems was announced today by Texas
Instruments. The device is built around a DSP core, enabling the
use of modern control algorithms that support a motor-industry
trend towards improved control of economical brushless motors
in a broad range of products.
In the example of a horizontal clothes washer, using a 'C240 in the motor drive can help facilitate up to 40 percent energy savings, helping these water and detergent-conservative washers lower their electricity consumption. By allowing the use of smaller AC motors, and reducing or eliminating mechanical-linkage and counterweight components, the 'C240 helps enables the production of lighter and quieter washing machines. DSP-based electronic control in washing machines allows controlled deceleration and acceleration during motor reversals and speed changes, plus about two-thirds less motor torque than fixed-speed DC motors, both of which result in smoother, quieter operation. A 'C240 system can also ramp up more smoothly to fast spin cycles, reducing instances of imbalanced distribution of clothing.
"Because this device integrates such a powerful processor with a comprehensive set of motor-control peripherals, the 'C240 represents a major breakthrough towards enabling low-cost, closed-loop motor control solutions," said Gregg Bennett, industrial DSP marketing manager at TI. The 'C240 includes a 20 MIPS DSP core, the event manager, two serial interfaces, a pair of 10-bit A/D converters, 32 bits of digital I/O, a watchdog timer, and 16K words of flash memory ('F240 version). Bennett continued, "With estimates of more than 10 billion motors being manufactured every year, we see an opportunity to enable cost-effective advancements in a very large market through the power of DSP solutions."
DSP-based electronic motor drive systems enable variable-speed direct drive of inexpensive brushless motors, eliminating or reducing the need for belts, gears, sensors, hydraulics, pulleys and counterweights. The processing power of the 'C240 enables more robust system performance through the use of modern intelligent and adaptive control algorithms, which allows the running of a motor at precisely the necessary speeds, adapting to loading, temperature, and other parameters. This improves the motor's energy efficiency and reliability, reducing noise by improving torque ripple, and lowering system cost by reducing parts count and maintenance costs.
The 'C240's integrated event manager uniquely positions the device
as an optimized DSP solution for digital motor control. The event
manager supports up to 12 pulse-width modulation (PWM) outputs
with PWM and I/O features that include three timers, nine comparators,
dead-band generation logic, and a state-space vector PWM generator.
Also, in the event manager are four capture inputs, two of which
can serve as direct inputs for optical-encoder quadrature pulses.
Dual on-chip, 10-bit analog-to-digital converters provide precise
conversion of information such as current or voltage feedback.
All these features help the 'C240 reduce component count, power
consumption, vibration, and noise.
The TMS320C240 is code compatible with DSPs in TI's TMS320C1x, TMX320C2x, TMS230C2xx, and TMS320C5x device families. The device leverages TMS320 fixed-point DSP software development tools and JTAG emulation support to allow developer to easily migrate motor-control applications from microcontrollers to the new DSP.
The TMS320C240 will be priced at less than $10 in high-volume production (100,000 units). Prices for future, reduced-function 'C24x series configurations at high volume are expected to be as low as $5. An identical configuration with on-chip flash memory instead of ROM, the TMS320F240, will be the first device available to allow easy system prototyping. Flash versions ('F240) will be priced slightly higher than ROM versions ('C240), and are scheduled to sample in the first quarter of 1997, with ramp-to-volume production scheduled for late 1997. The 'C240 is scheduled to ship in volume production in the first quarter of 1998.
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