Motor driving board to streamline prototyping of automotive applications

Toshiba has partnered with MIKROE to integrate its SmartMCD for dual brushed DC motors into the SmartMCD TB9M001FTG board. The board enables automotive system engineers to design the TB9M001FTG smart motor control driver for automotive applications, including electric sunroofs, wipers, powered windows, and adjustable seats, to streamline the prototyping phase.

With a focus on performance, flexibility and ease of integration, the AEC-Q100 (Grade 1) qualified SmartMCD device meets ASIL-A requirements. It includes robust safety features, such as built-in error detection for overcurrent (low-side driver and high-side driver), overvoltage, undervoltage, and thermal shutdown protection.

The device features a built-in microcontroller (MCU) with an Arm Cortex-M0 core. It also integrates 16kB of RAM and 192kB of Flash memory, with an additional 16kB of Data Flash – all with error-correcting code (ECC) for single-error correction and double-error detection (SEC/DED).

The SmartMCD device integrates four low-side relay drivers, enabling forward and reverse control of two brushed DC motors when using single-pole double-throw (SPDT) relays. It also includes two high-side drivers for supporting 5V and 12V loads to external components, a LIN-transceiver for in-vehicle communication, and a fully integrated power management system that generates all the required voltage levels from the car battery.

The SmartMCD TB9M001FTG board’s compact design, measuring 130mm x 73mm, includes all the circuitry required for motor control and operational testing, including multiple configurable general-purpose input/output (GPIOs) with several connection options, selectable by jumpers. An on-board debugger, which is compliant with the CMSIS-DAP on-board emulator standard, enables out-of-the-box operation, testing and debugging of the target device.