New reference design with edge AI Reference design combines motor control and sensor functions with edge AI

Related Vendors

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA)

SIMTOS (Seoul International Machine Tool Show)

STMicroelectronics simplifies the construction of smart actuators with the help of the Edge-AI Motor-Drive reference design EVLSPIN32G4-ACT, which is based on the intelligent three-phase motor driver STSPIN32G4. The board accelerates the development of systems that combine motor control with real-time evaluation of environmental data and an IoT connection.

The EVLSPIN32G4-ACT combines innovation in the field of motor control systems with computer science and its applications to achieve groundbreaking performance and ensure sustainable profitability. The high-quality sensors contained in the STWIN.box capture information about the status of the actuator units, while fast data recording functions help in the realization of advanced solutions based on Edge AI and Machine Learning. The amalgamation of environmental and control data provides system developers with precise information about the behavior of the application, assists in identifying abnormal states, and enables data-driven algorithms to aid in troubleshooting and performance optimization.

The STSPIN32G4 located on the board combines an intelligent gate driver with power management functions and the STM32G4 microcontroller. Also included is an inverter stage for three-phase motors up to 48 V and 5 A, as well as software for connecting the sensor module and implementing applications. The kit supports users in creating autonomous mechanisms that intelligently respond to events such as temperature changes, barometric pressure, noises, movements, or ultrasonic signals.

With the STSPIN32G4 motor driver, IoT and IIoT devices can be implemented compactly and with power efficiency. Key applications include factory and building automation systems, servo drives, and robots for private and commercial use. The built-in STM32G431 microcontroller contains peripherals for driving three-phase BLDC motors, such as four ultra-fast comparators, three operational amplifiers, and two groups of advanced PWM timers and 12-bit ADCs. The component also integrates bootstrap diodes, a DC-DC converter, and a low-dropout regulator to generate the supply voltages for gate drivers and MCU from the motor voltage without external circuits.

Many useful functions

The EVLSPIN32G4-ACT is suitable for driving motors with powers up to 250 W at 12 V, 24 V, 36 V, or 48 V. Integrated protection circuits for overtemperature, undervoltage, overvoltage, and overcurrent are included, assisting in achieving minimal component expense and compact design. Users can choose between six-step and vector control (Field-Oriented Control, FOC), sensor-based or sensorless rotor position detection, and current measurement with three shunt or a single shunt resistor.

The STWIN.box module can be connected and operated without any further preparation. It contains an extremely power-efficient STM32U5 microcontroller, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC transceivers, along with a wide range of industrial MEMS sensors from ST. These sensors include a 3-axis magnetometer and a modern industrial IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) with built-in AI functionality and MLC (Machine Learning Core) technology, which together enable inertial measurements with 9 degrees of freedom. Additionally, there is a powerful accelerometer, a digital 3-axis vibration sensor with a 6 kHz bandwidth, and a highly precise 2-axis inclinometer with MLC. The built-in environmental sensors also include a digital barometer and an I²C/SMBus temperature sensor, as well as digital and analog MEMS microphones for capturing sound or ultrasound signals.

The software includes data recording firmware with an associated software package, a Bluetooth Low Energy application, and a Python Software Development Kit (SDK). These can be easily integrated into typical computer science workflows for the design of Edge AI and Machine Learning solutions. The high-speed data logger FP-IND-DATALOGMC supports real-time monitoring by capturing and marking high-resolution, precisely timed data sets that combine data from motion control algorithms with that from external sensors.

Based on the described functionalities and the complete support software, the reference design enables the use of Edge AI in motion controls with a combination of sensor and three-phase motor driver technologies from STMicroelectronics. Users can move artificial intelligence closer to the main motion control and realize devices that possess intelligence and decision-making capabilities. This, in turn, allows for faster and more efficient data processing and actuation across a broad spectrum of use cases, including industrial automation technology, smart devices, and generally all applications that demand intelligent actuation.

For more information, click here. (mr)