Integrating MCU and MOSFETs for direct drive of compact automotive BLDC motors

Toshiba has started shipping engineering samples of the TB9M040FTG, a new addition to its SmartMCD series. The device integrates a microcontroller (MCU) with power MOSFETs for three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive, enabling direct control of small automotive motor systems operating below 40W.

As vehicle electrification continues to expand, demand for compact three-phase BLDC motors used in applications such as electric valves, HVAC dampers, small pumps, fans, and grille shutters is increasing. These applications require highly integrated solutions to reduce component count and thereby minimise ECU size.

The TB9M040FTG addresses these requirements by integrating a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M23 core, flash memory, a three-phase BLDC motor driver with built-in MOSFETs, a 5V power supply for optional components/sensors, a LIN transceiver, all within a compact 6mm × 6mm (typ.) VQFN36 package.

To further enhance performance, the device incorporates Toshiba’s Vector Engine (VE) co-processor, which accelerates field-oriented control (FOC) processing with very short FOC cycle times, reduces CPU load, and helps minimise software size. It also features back electromotive force (BEMF) detection, enabling sensorless square-wave control.

The device is AEC-Q100 Grade 0 qualified and ASIL-B capable, making it suitable for a wide range of automotive applications with medium functional safety requirements.

Integrated protection features include undervoltage, overvoltage, and overcurrent detection, as well as thermal shutdown, charge pump voltage monitoring, and drain-source voltage (Vds) detection for both high- and low-side MOSFETs.