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The IR2136 ICs from International Rectifier are said
to be well-suited for 110- to 360-V input inverters up to 2 kW,
used for a.c. induction, brushless d.c., or switched reluctance
motor drivers. |
According to International Rectifier (IR), the ICs integrate six MOSFET
or IGBT high-voltage gate drivers with a range of protection functions
at a 30-percent lower system cost than opto-coupler solutions. The ICs
are also said to simplify design with as much as a 30-percent lower component
count and shrink gate drive circuit size by up to 50 percent compared
to alternative solutions.
The IR2136 IC family is designed to decrease
the cost and complexity of energy-efficient, electronically-driven variable
speed electric motors
for home appliances such as washing machines and air-conditioners, as
well as light industrial and automotive motor drives.
"Appliance [makers] are transitioning to variable speed motors,
which can save more than 50 percent of the energy and enable new features," according
to Alberto Guerra, director, Appliance Business Unit, International Rectifier. "The
latest water-saving clothes washers use high-voltage gate driver ICs
to implement energy-efficient electronically-driven, variable speed motors.
IR's inverter-driver ICs contain the functionality and protection to
make variable speed motor technology practical for the competitive appliance
market."
The 600-V IR2136 ICs are CMOS- or LSTTL-output compatible,
down to 3.3-V logic for direct interface with a microcontroller or
other logic devices,
and offer 120-mA/250-mA output source/sink current. The ICs reportedly
enable rugged designs with up to 50-V/ns dV/dt immunity and low di/dt
drive current for noise immunity.
According to the supplier, the ICs deliver
higher performance than opto-couplers or transformers, and allow high-frequency
operation with a deadtime as
low as 250 ns and a typical turn-on/turn-off time of 400 ns. The output
drivers feature a high-pulse current buffer stage designed for minimum
driver cross-conduction. The IC integrates cross-conduction prevention
logic to eliminate short-circuit conditions. In addition, matched propagation
delays for all six channels in the single IC package reportedly ensure
consistent high-frequency operation, which can provide better motor
torque performance at low speed and can reduce audible noise. Other features
include: an over-current trip function that terminates all six outputs
and can be derived from an external current sense resistor;
an open-drain fault signal to the main controller that indicates an
over-current or under-voltage shutdown has occurred; an enable function
to terminate
all six outputs simultaneously; and over-current fault conditions are
cleared automatically after a delay programmed externally via an R-C
network.
This information is provided by International
Rectifier, El
Segundo, CA, U.S. |
