Freescale Semiconductor Document Number: AN4548

Application Note Rev. 1, 02/2016

Dual 3-Phase Sensorless BLDC Kit

with MPC5643L MCU
by: Petr Konvicny

Contents

1 Introduction 1 Introduction.............................. .............................. 1

This application note describes design of a dual 3-phase 2 System concept............................ ........................... 1
BLDC motor control drive using a sensorless algorithm. The 3 BLDC sensorless control.........................................2
design is targeted at automotive applications. This cost-
effective solution is based on NXP MPC5643L device 4 MPC5643L - Controller Board
dedicated to automotive motor control and safety systems. configuration........................................................... 8

The system is designed to drive two independent 3-phase 5 Software implementation............... ....................... 13
BLDC motors without a positional feedback sensor. Features 6 Application performance............. ......................... 22
of this design include:
• Sensorless 6-step commutation control of a BLDC 7 FreeMASTER user interface............ .................... 23
motor that can be configured for single-motor or dual- 8 Conclusion.............................................................24
motor application
• BEMF sensing and zero-crossing detection 9 References............................. ................................24
• Application control user interface using the 10 Revision history.................................................... 24
FreeMASTER debugging tool
• Maximal motor current limitation

2 System concept
The system is designed to drive two independent 3-phase
BLDC motors using the NXP MTRCKTDBN5643L motor-
control development kit. The application meets the following
performance specifications:
• Targeted at the MPC5643L Controller (refer to the
dedicated user manual for the MPC5643L, available at
www.nxp.com )
© 2016 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
BLDC sensorless control

• Running on the MPC5643L Control drive board (refer to the dedicated user manual for the MPC5643L Controller
Board)
• Control technique incorporating:
• Sensorless control of a 3-phase brushless DC motor
• Zero-crossing technique
• Closed-loop speed control
• Closed-loop current control
• Open-loop start-up sequence with alignment
• BackEMF voltage sensing
• 50 μs sampling period with the FreeMASTER recorder
• Floating-point implementation
• FreeMASTER software control interface (motor start/stop, speed set-up)
• FreeMASTER software monitor
• DC-Bus over-voltage and under-voltage, over-current, overload protection

Figure 1. Dual 3-phase sensorless BLDC kit with MPC5643L MCU

3 BLDC sensorless control

3.1 Brushless DC motor

The BLDC motor is a rotating electric machine with a standard 3-phase stator similar to an induction motor. The phases
mounted on the stator are connected to form a way or delta connection. The rotor has surface-mounted permanent magnets.
The motor can have more than one pole pair per phase. The pole pair per phase defines the ratio between the electrical

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 BLDC sensorless control

revolution and the mechanical revolution. The BLDC motor is equivalent to an inverted DC brushed motor, where the
magnet rotates while the conductors remain stationary. In the DC brushed motor, the commutator and brushes reverse the
current polarity in such way that the stator and rotor magnetic fields are perpendicular. However, in the brushless DC motor,
a power transistor (which must be switched in synchronization with the rotor position) performs the polarity reversal. This
process is also known as electronic commutation. The displacement of the magnets on the rotor creates a trapezoidal back-
electromotive force (Back-EMF) shape when the rotor is spinning. Neglecting the higher-order harmonic terms, the Back-
EMF in the motor phase (ea, eb, ec) is indicated in the following figure. Each Back-EMF has a constant amplitude for 120
electrical degrees, followed by a 60 electrical degree transition in each half-cycle.

Voltage

Phase A

Phase B

Phase C

efA

efB

efC
Electrical
angle
30º 60º 90º 120º 150º 180º 210º 240º 270º 300º 330º 0º
Sector 1 2 3 4 5 6

Figure 2. 3-phase voltage system for a BLDC motor

The applied DC voltage must be aligned and synchronized with the motor Back-EMF signal, as shown in the above figure. In
other words, the rotor position must be either directly measured by a position sensor or estimated indirectly using a sensorless
technique. This application note describes a technique based on Back-EMF sensing for rotor position estimation. To track the
rotor position correctly some conditions have to be met:
• Speed range from 5–10% to 100% of nominal speed
• The Back-EMF signal must be high enough
• Possibility of the Back-EMF zero-crossing detection
• Other advanced Back-EMF estimation techniques:
• System Observers
• Measurement of a nonconductive phase with multisampling

Whatever a zero-crossing is, the reasons and conditions for its correct evaluation are shown in the following sections.

3.2 Principles of 6-step BLDC motor control

The 6-step BLDC control, also known as the commutation control, provides a mechanism to energize the phases according to
the rotor position with the quasi-square current waveforms. Because only six discrete outputs per electrical cycle are required
(as shown in Figure 2), six semiconductor power switches are sufficient to create quasi-square current waveforms for the

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BLDC sensorless control

phases. Six semiconductor power switches form a 3-phase power inverter, designed using the IGBT or MOSFET switches.
The power for the system is provided by the DC-bus voltage UDCB. The semiconductor switches and diodes are modeled as
ideal devices in this figure.

SAT SBT SCT

UDCB
SAB SBB SCB

Rshunt B
IDCB
UR

UB
UL

UiB

UiA UiC
UA UC
UL UL

UR UR

A C

Figure 3. Power stage and motor topology

Six-step commutation is a very common method for driving a 3-phase way-connected BLDC motor. In the six-step
commutation control, the BLDC motor is operated in a two-phase model. Two phases are energized while the third phase is
disconnected as the space between the magnet poles passes over it and produces zero Back-EMF voltage. The selection of the
two energized phases is carried out by a position sensor or a position observer. This table shows the output current
waveforms for a 3-phase inverter and the switching devices that conduct during the six switching intervals per cycle.

Table 1. 6-step switching sequence

Rotor position Sector number Switch closed Phase current
A B C
0°–60° 1 SAT SBB + – off
60°–120° 2 SAT SCB + off –
120°–180° 3 SBT SCB off + –
180°–240° 4 SBT SAB – + off
240°–300° 5 SCT SAB – off +
300°–360° 6 SCT SBB off + +

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 BLDC sensorless control

To explain and simulate the idea of Back-EMF sensing techniques, a simplified mathematical model founded on the basic
circuit topology (see Figure 3) is provided. The voltage for a 3-phase BLDC motor is supplied by a typical 3-phase power
stage designed using IGBT or MOSFET switches. The power stage switches are controlled by the MCU on-chip flexPWM
module, which creates the desired control patterns. The goal of the model is to find out the dependency between the motor
characteristics and switching angle. The switching angle is the angular difference between a real switching event and the
ideal one. The motor drive model consists of a 3-phase power stage and a brushless DC motor. The power for the system is
provided by a DC-bus voltage source UDCB. Six semiconductor switches (SA/B/C/T/B) deliver the rectangular voltage
waveforms to the motor (see Figure 2). The semiconductor switches and diodes are simulated as ideal devices. The natural
voltage level of the whole model is referenced to half of the DC-bus voltage, which simplifies the mathematical expressions.

3.2.1 Back-EMF zero-crossing detection

Figure 2 shows the motor phase winding voltage waveforms for the right commutation. The right commutation event should
be in the middle of two Back-EMF zero-crossings. So, the Back-EMF zero-crossing signal can simply be used as a rotor
position feedback to estimate the right commutation time instance.

+UDCB

UR

UB
UL

UiB

UiA UiC
UA UC
UL UL

UR UR

A C
GND

Figure 4. ZC detection and commutation diagram

The e1x signals in Figure 2 are the Back-EMF voltages. These are the UiX voltages in Figure 4.
This technique is established on the fact that only two phases of a motor are energized and the third non-fed phase can be
used to sense the Back-EMF voltage.
The following conditions are met:

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BLDC sensorless control

The voltage uC can be calculated:

The voltage uiC is null at zero-crossing, so the resultant form is:

3.2.1.1 Back-EMF measurement

Figure 5 and Figure 6 show the Back-EMF sensing circuit that is realized on each power stage and controller board side.
Each phase voltage is adjusted into the ADC converter range as shown in Figure 5. The user can set up the 3-phase voltage
input ranges easily by the divider ratio.

Back EMF voltage sensing

PA_HSS PB_HSS

R55 R67 R70 TP6 R56 R68 R71 TP7

51K 35.7K 16K VDCB 51K 35.7K 16K VDCB
BEMF_A BEMF_B

3.3V @ 50.05V (51K/3.6K) 3.3V @ 50.05V (51K/3.6K)

R60 3.3V @ 36.025V (35.7K/3.6K) R61 3.3V @ 36.025V (35.7K/3.6K)
3.6K 3.3V @ 18.298V (16K/3.6K) 3.6K 3.3V @ 18.298V (16K/3.6K)

PC_HSS

AGND AGND
R57 R69 R72 TP8
51K 35.7K 16K VDCB
BEMF_C

3.3V @ 50.05V (51K/3.6K)

R62 3.3V @ 36.025V (35.7K/3.6K)
3.6K 3.3V @ 18.298V (16K/3.6K)

AGND

Figure 5. Back-EMF sensing circuit - dividers

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 BLDC sensorless control

AN_11 AN11
R18
120 C18
82pF

GNDA
AN_12 AN12
R22
120 C21
82pF

GNDA
AN_13 AN13
R27
120 C24
82pF

GNDA

Figure 6. Back-EMF sensing circuit - low pass filters

3.3 States of BLDC drive

To start and run the BLDC motor, the control algorithm has to go through the following states:
• Alignment (initial position setting)
• Start-up (forced commutation)
• Run (sensorless running with Back-EMF acquisition and zero-crossing detection)

3.3.1 Alignment
It has come up before that the main task of a BLDC motor for sensorless control is the position estimation. Before starting the
motor, the rotor position is not known. The main aim of the alignment state is to align the rotor to a known position. This
known position is necessary to start rotation in the proper direction and to generate a maximal torque during startup. During
alignment, all three phases are powered. Phase A is connected to the positive DC-Bus voltage, and Phases B and C are
connected to the negative DCBus voltage. The alignment time depends on the mechanical constant of the motor, including
load, and also on the applied motor current. In this state, the motor current (torque) is controlled by the PI controller on every
PWM reload event.

3.3.2 Start-up
In the start-up state, the motor commutation is controlled in an open-loop without any rotor position feedback. The
commutation period is controlled with a linear open-loop starting ramp. The open-loop start should be a short state and at a
very low speed where the Back-EMF is too small, so that the zero-crossing events cannot be reliably detected.

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MPC5643L - Controller Board configuration

3.3.3 Run
Running Sensorless mode includes the Back-EMF acquisition with zero-crossing detection for the commutation control. The
motor speed is controlled using zero-crossing period feedback to the speed PI regulator. The motor current is measured and
filtered during commutation event and used as feedback into the current controller. Its output limits the speed controller
output to achieve the maximal motor current in the required range.

DC bus
current limit + Current limitation
PI controller
–
Actual DC
bus current
Required
speed [RPM] + Speed
PI controller
–
Actual speed
[RPM]
Zero-crossing period
filtered/estimated
Speed_const / T

Figure 7. Speed control with torque limitation

4 MPC5643L - Controller Board configuration

The BLDC sensorless application framework is designed to meet the following technical specifications:
• MPC5643L Controller Board is used (refer to the dedicated user manual for the MPC5643L Controller Board)
• Two 3-phase low-voltage power stages with an MC33937 pre-driver is used
• PWM output frequency = 20 kHz
• current loop sampling period = 50 μs
• speed loop sampling period = 2.5 ms
• 3-phase Back-EMF voltage measurement using three dividers each per inverter leg. Phase voltage is routed to ADC0
and ADC1 as follows:
• Motor 1 - phase A Back-EMF: ADC0/1 - CH11
• Motor 1 - phase B Back-EMF: ADC0/1 - CH12
• Motor 1 - phase C Back-EMF: ADC0 - CH2
• Motor 2- phase A Back-EMF: ADC0/1 - CH13
• Motor 2- phase B Back-EMF: ADC0/1 - CH14
• Motor 2- phase C Back-EMF: ADC1 - CH2
• DC-Bus voltage measurement routed to ADC0 as follows:
• Motor 1 - DC-Bus voltage: ADC0 - CH1
• Motor 2 - DC-Bus voltage: ADC0 - CH3
• DC-Bus current measurement routed to ADC1 as follows:
• Motor 1 - DC-Bus current: ADC1 - CH1
• Motor 2 - DC-Bus current: ADC1 - CH3

The MPC5643L device includes special modules (flexPWM, CTU, ADC, and eTIMER) dedicated for motor control
applications. These modules are directly interconnected and can be set-up in-line with any type of application or
requirements. Figure 8 shows module interconnections. The modules are described below and a detailed description can be
found in the MPC5643L reference manual.

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 MPC5643L - Controller Board configuration

External External
pins pins

External External
pins FlexPWM_1 pins FlexPWM_0 CTU
PWMA0 Master Reload PWMA0 Master Reload PWM_REL TRIGGER_0
PWMB0 OUT_TRIG0_0 PWMB0 OUT_TRIG0_0 PWM_ODD_0 ADC_CMD_0
PWMA1 OUT_TRIG0_1 PWMA1 OUT_TRIG0_1 PWM_ODD_1 NEXT_CMD_0 ADC0
PWMB1 OUT_TRIG0_2 PWMB1 OUT_TRIG0_2 PWM_ODD_2 FIFO_0
PWMA2 OUT_TRIG0_3 PWMA2 OUT_TRIG0_3 PWM_ODD_3
PWMB2 OUT_TRIG1_0 PWMB2 OUT_TRIG1_0 PWM_EVEN_0
PWMA3 OUT_TRIG1_1 PWMA3 OUT_TRIG1_1 PWM_EVEN_1
PWMB3 OUT_TRIG1_2 PWMB3 OUT_TRIG1_2 PWM_EVEN_2 TRIGGER_1
OUT_TRIG1_3 OUT_TRIG1_3 PWM_EVEN_3 ADC_CMD_1
PWMX0 PWMX0 NEXT_CMD_1 ADC1
RPWM_0 FIFO_1
FAULT0 PWMX1 FAULT0 PWMX1 RPWM_1
FAULT1 PWMX2 FAULT1 PWMX2
FAULT2 FAULT2 RPWM_2 EXT_IN External
FAULT3 PWMX3 FAULT3 PWMX3 RPWM_3 EXT_TRG pins
EXT_FORCE EXT_FORCE ETIMER0_TRG ETIMER0_IN
EXT_SYNC CLOCK EXT_SYNC CLOCK ETIMER1_TRG ETIMER1_IN
ETIMER2_TRG
ETIMER3_TRG

eTIMER0
CHANNEL 0
CHANNEL 1
DSPI1 CHANNEL 2 External
AUX_0 CHANNEL 3 pins
AUX_1 CHANNEL 4
SCK AUX_2 CHANNEL 5

eTIMER1
CHANNEL 0
CHANNEL 1
FlexRay CHANNEL 2 External
AUX_0 CHANNEL 3 pins
AUX_1 CHANNEL 4
FR_CA_TX AUX_2 CHANNEL 5

eTIMER2
CHANNEL 0
CHANNEL 1
CHANNEL 2 External
AUX_0 CHANNEL 3 pins
AUX_1 CHANNEL 4
AUX_2 CHANNEL 5

Figure 8. MPC5643L motor control peripheral modules connection

4.1 FlexPWM
The MPC5643L device includes two PLLs. PLL1 is used to generate the motor clock time domain of 120 MHz. The Clock
Generation Module generates the reference clock MC_PLL_CLK for all the motor control modules (flexPWM, CTU, ADC0
and 1, eTimer0 and 1). The MPC5643L device contains two independent flexPWM modules. Each module can handle one 3-
phase electrical motor and another pair of PWM outputs is also available.
The FlexPWM module zero can synchronize second module while using MRS signal as showed in Figure 8.

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MPC5643L - Controller Board configuration

The FlexPWM0 sub-module #0 is configured to run as a master and to generate the Master Reload Signal (MRS) and counter
synchronization signal (master sync) for other submodules in module 0 and also for FlexPWM1 and its sub-modules. The
MRS signal is generated at every occurrence of sub-module #0, VAL1 compare, that is, a half cycle reload. All double
buffered registers are updated on occurrence of an MRS, therefore, the update of a new PWM duty cycle is done after every
PWM period.
The application uses centre-aligned PWMs. The VAL0 register defines the centre of the period and is set to zero and the INIT
register to the negative value of VAL1. Suppose the PWM clock frequency is 120 MHz and the required PWM output 20
kHz, then the VAL1, VAL0, and INIT registers are set as follows:
• VAL1 = (120000000/20000)/2 = 3000 = 0x0BB8hex
• VAL0 = 0
• INIT = –VAL1 = –3000 = 0xF448hex

The duty cycle is given by setting the value of the registers VAL2 and VAL3. The VAL2 register value is the negative of
VAL3.
• VAL3 = (DC * PERIOD)/2 = (0.1 * 6000)/2 = 300 = 0x012Chex
• VAL2 = –VAL3 = –300 = 0xFED4hex

The synchronization between module 0 and 1 is done by MRS from module 0. This signal is internally connected to “external
sync” input module 1. The module 1 is set to generate the MRS in the middle of the PWM period. PWM signals from module
0 and 1 that are shifted by half of period can be seen in Figure 9. This leads to the uniform use of energy from power source
and less EMI radiation.

FlexPWM0_submod0 3000
counter 0
-3000
FlexPWM0_submod0
MRS
FlexPWM1_submod0 3000
counter 0
FlexPWM1_submod0 -3000
MRS
FlexPWM0
Phase A output
FlexPWM1
Phase A output
Read
motor 0
Read values
CTU trigger 0 event motor 1
values
CTU trigger 1 event

Control loop for

motor 0 and motor 1 M1 M0 M1 M0 M1 M0

Figure 9. MPC5643L PWM timing generation diagram

4.2 Cross Triggering Unit (CTU)

The CTU module works in triggered mode. The MRS from the flexPWM0 submodule0 is selected from the input selection
register (TGSISR) to reload the TGS counter register with the value of the TGS Counter Reload Register (TGSCRR). The
TGS is able to generate up to eight events. Each trigger can be delayed from an MRS occurrence, the delay is set in the TGS
Compare Registers.
The MRS signal is generated after every PWM period. The counter can count up to 6000DEC and the INIT value is zero.

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 MPC5643L - Controller Board configuration

The application uses two trigger events for measuring the Back-EMF, DC-Bus voltage, and DC-Bus current for motor 0 and
1. The other triggers are free and can be used for triggering other application events.
• T0CR = 120DEC - motor 0 analog quantities
• T2CR = 3120DEC - motor 1analog quantities

T0CR and T2CR values are set up with respect to the real delays in the system as shown in Figure 9. The minimal delay
value is given by the dead-time value for a rising edge, the power transistor turn-on delay, and the rise time and settling time
of the Back-EMF RC filter.
The CTU Scheduler subUnit (SU) generates the trigger event according to the occurred trigger event. The following trigger
event is generated:
• ADC command output:

T0CR generates an ADC command event output for motor 0, with the command offset initially set to zero. This is used as the
synchronization signal to the ADC (ADC commands #0 for Back-EMF voltages, DC-Bus voltage, and DC-Bus current
measurement).
T2CR generates an ADC command event output for motor 1, with the command offset initially set to three. This is used as
the synchronization signal to the ADC (ADC commands #3 for Back-EMF voltages, DC-Bus voltage, and DC-Bus current
measurement).

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MPC5643L - Controller Board configuration

ADC First Command Conversion ADC ADC ADC A ADC B

command list command interrupt mode module channel channel channel FIFO
ADC command 0 √ dual 1 1 0
ADC command 1 dual 2 11 0
ADC command 2 √ dual 1 12 0
ADC command 3 √ dual 3 3 0
ADC command 4 dual 14 13 0
ADC command 5 dual 3 2 0
ADC command 6 √ dual 1 11 0
ADC command 7 dual 3 1 0
ADC command 8 dual 13 3 0
ADC command 9 dual 2 1 0
ADC command 10 dual 1 3 0
ADC command 11 dual 3 2 0
ADC command 12 dual 1 12 0
ADC command 13 dual 3 1 0
ADC command 14 dual 14 3 0
ADC command 15 dual 1 11 0
ADC command 16 dual 3 1 0
ADC command 17 dual 13 3 0
ADC command 18 √ dual 15 15 0
ADC command 19 √ single A 0 0
ADC command 20 single A 0 0
ADC command 21 single A 0 0
ADC command 22 single A 0 0
ADC command 23 single A 0 0

Figure 10. CTU ADC command list configuration

4.3 eTimer
The eTimer module0.channel1 generates, through OFLAG output, a forced signal for the flexPWM module 0, which changes
the PWM output with regard to the new motor commutation state, as shown in Figure 8. The time base for the counter is
derived from MC_PLL_CLK. The prescaler register divides the MC_PLL_CLK by 128. The time base for commutation
events is:
— fCOMM = (120000000/128) = 937500 Hz
The value of the COMP1 register defines the time of the next commutation event. The eTimer output (OFLAG) is set at the
compare occurrence, and generates an external forced signal for the flexPWM module. The external forced signal updates the
PWM outputs in-step with the preloaded state according to the newly applied sector pattern.

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 Software implementation

The same approach is implemented on the flexPWM module 1 (second BLDC motor). The force signal is derived from
eTimer module1.channel3 OFLAG output.
This ensures both independently controlled motor commutation without any delay. Both events generate interrupt. The PWM
module settings are preset for next commutation sectors in this interrupt service routine and are stored in the double buffered
registers. The flexPWM module waits for the next force signal that rewrites new PWM setup into registers.

5 Software implementation

5.1 Introduction
This section describes the software design of the dual BLDC sensorless control algorithm. Figure 11 shows the application
block diagram.

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Software implementation

3-phase low voltage power stage

+DCBUS
SAT SBT SCT

U
V
BLDC wmech
W
SAB SBB SCB

–DCBUS
IDCBUS
FreeMASTER
START/
STOP UP DOWN

Force
ADC
MRS command
USB GPIO FlexPWM CTU ADC0/1 eTimer0/channel1
Driver Driver Driver Driver Driver Driver
Application control Sector
Zero cross New
Required Dutycycle detection
speed commutation
[RPM] event
PWM
+ Speed PI modulation
controller functions
Required –
current
limit Current
+ limitation
PI
–
controller
Actual speed [RPM] Zero-crossing period
Speed, torque
Actual motor current Motor torque filtered MPC5643L
calculation

Figure 11. System block diagram

The application is optimized for using MPC5643L motor control peripherals to achieve small core impact. The motor control
peripherals (flexPWM, CTU, eTimer, and ADC modules) are internally linked/set up together to work independently from
the core and to achieve deterministic sampling of analog quantities and precise commutation of the stator field. The software
part of the application consists of different blocks that will be described below. The entire application behavior is scalable by
the FreeMASTER tool from a PC.
The MPC564xL device has embedded floating-point unit (FPU), supporting scalar and vector SIMD single-precision
floating-point operations and also signal processing extension unit, supporting SIMD fixed-point operations. Both FPU and
signal processing extension unit use the 64-bit general-purpose register file. The application has been implemented in fixed-
point arithmetic and also in floating point arithmetic.

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 Software implementation

5.2 Application flow

The application is interrupt driven running in real time. The main tasks of the motor control application are periodically
running in one interrupt service routine, driven by the CTU-ADC command interrupt request every 50 μs, see Figure 9. This
includes both the fast current and slower speed control loops. The commutation of the motor stator flux is provided in the
second interrupt service routine driven by an eTimer0.Channel 1 interrupt event for motor 0 and eTimer1.Channel3 interrupt
routine for motor 1. All tasks apart from the commutation function are executed in order, as described in the application state
machine shown in Figure 14, and the application flow charts Figure 12 and Figure 13.

MAIN

state = reset;
event = e_reset;

state_table();

FreeMASTER_Poll();

True
while(1);

False

END

Figure 12. Main task flow

This type of application requires precise and deterministic sampling of analog quantities, and to execute all motor control
functions the state machine routines are called within a periodic interrupt routine. In reference to the state machine, the
interrupt has to be set-up and allowed at the end of the RESET state, where all peripheral settings also have to be done.
Consequently, the RESET state is called before the main loop, as shown in Figure 12. The background loop handles non-
critical tasks, such as the FreeMASTER communication polling and the MOSFET pre-driver fault service routine.

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Software implementation

ADC-CTU ISR eTimer0_Ch1 ISR eTimer1_Ch3 ISR

timeZC_phx = Save captured Save captured

pETIMER_0–> commutation time commutation time
CHANNEL[1].CNTR.R;
ADCMeasureBEMF();
Update stator flux Update stator flux
sector sector
DCBUS resistor
breaking
PWMCommutationFcn PWMCommutationFcn
[sector](); [sector]();
ZeroCross voltage
calculation
Set new Set new
commutation event = commutation event =
actual period actual period
Fault detection

Application switch state = start True True

state = start
check

False False
State_table();
Calculate new Calculate new
commutation time commutation time

RTFI
Set new Set new
commutation event commutation event

RTFI RTFI

Figure 13. CTU-ADC IRS routine flow chart

5.3 Speed evaluation and control

The application uses eTIMER0.channel1 resp. eTIMER1.Channel3 to achieve a precise commutation of both BLDC motors
as described below.
When the zero-cross event is recognized, the eTimer0.channel1.COMP1 resp. eTimer1.channel3.COMP1 register is filled by
a new calculated value of the next commutation time. When a counter matches the COMP1 register value, the OFLAG signal
forces corresponding flexPWM module with a new set-up without any delay or CPU load.

5.3.1 Speed evaluation

The speed is calculated in the Slow Control Loop, which is part of the BLDC_Fast_ISR routine. The zero-cross detection
algorithm provides the actual commutation period duration for each commutation event. These variables are referred to the
eTIMER0.channel1 resp. eTimer1.channel3. The clock for both eTIMER0.channel1 or eTimer1.channel3 is set up to 937500
Hz. So, to calculate the real-time commutation period:

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 Software implementation

where:
• TREAL is the real commutation period
• TCLK is the period of the eTIMER0.channel1 or eTimer1.channel3
• T is the value measured in the eTIMER0.channel1 or eTimer1.channel3 increments
• fCLK is the eTIMER0.channel1 or eTimer1.channel3 clock rate

If commutation period is known, the period of one electrical revolution can be calculated by:

where:
• Telrev is the real period of one electrical revolution
• N is number of commutations in one electrical period

To calculate the period of one mechanical revolution, the result of above equation must be multiplied by the number of pole-
pairs:

and finally we can calculate the mechanical speed in revolutions per minute:

If the clock rate is 937500 Hz, the number of commutations per electrical revolution is 6, and the number of pole-pairs is 4;
we can get the constant:

Therefore, the speed is calculated as:

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Software implementation

where:
• c is the mechanical speed constant, that is, 14.0625x106.

To achieve a better resolution, the mechanical speed is multiplied by 1000 in fixed-point implementation.

5.3.2 Speed controller

The motor speed PI controller is called in every speed control loop, which is slower than the current control loop. The KP and
KI constants are calculated from either the motor or the whole mechanical system parameters. The speed loop bandwidth was
chosen as 20 Hz and attenuation as 1. Unfortunately, the parameters of the LINIX motor were unknown prior the test,
therefore the constants of the PI controller have been set experimentally.

5.4 Zero-cross detection

The zero-cross algorithm is executed in each BLDC_Fast_ISR routine. The CTU module triggers stator flux sector related
analog quantities, such as the actual DC-BUS and related phase BEMF voltage, the DC-BUS current, and time of
measurement. Figure 2 shows the behavior of the BEMF voltage for each sector. The relevant zero-cross function is called
with respect to the actual stator flux sector.
The zero-cross event occurs when the phase BEMF voltage crosses the UDCBUS/2, and it is half of the actual commutation
period. When this occurs, the next commutation event is calculated from actual zero-cross time and actual zero-cross period.
The result is loaded into the eTimer0.channel1 resp. eTimer1.channel3 compare register to achieve precise commutation of
the stator flux. The algorithm also stores the motor current and the actual zero-cross period. These values are used for speed
and motor current calculations.

5.5 Current limitation controller

The motor current limitation controller is called in every fast control loop, which is after every 50 μs. The parameters of the
armature current PI controller are calculated assuming the armature current loop bandwidth and attenuation and motor
physical constants.

5.6 State machine

The application state machine is implemented using a two-dimensional array of pointers to a function variable called
state_table[][](), with the first parameter describing the current application event and the second parameter describing the
actual application state. These two parameters select a particular pointer to a state machine function, which causes a function
call whenever state_table[][]() is called.

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 Software implementation

RESET Before each execution of

on entry: stateMachine a
– ISR disable faultDetection() routine
on exit: must be called to
reset – ISR enable perform fault check!!!

INIT
executed before main on entry:
RESET – PWM output disable
executed in ISR
READY e_reset
on exit to e_init_done
e_app_off faultDetection()
CALIB IB: e_rest_done
– PWM output
enable

READY INIT RUN

e_app_off
e_ready e_run
e_app_on e_fault e_fault_clear e_app_off e_start_done
e_fault
CALIB FAULT START

e_calib e_fault e_start

e_fault
e_fault e_app_off
e_align_done
FAULT
on entry e_fault ALIGN
– PWM output
disable e_align

Figure 14. Application state machine

The application state machine consists of the following eight states, selected using the variable table state defined as
AppStates:
• RESET state = 0
• INIT state = 1
• FAULT state = 2
• READY state = 3
• CALIB state = 4
• ALIGN state = 5
• RUN state = 6
• START state = 7

To signalize/initiate a change of the state, 15 application events are defined and selected using the variable event defined as
AppEvents:
• e_reset - event = 0
• e_reset_done - event = 1
• e_fault - event = 2
• e_fault_clear - event = 3
• e_init_done - event = 4
• e_ready - event = 5
• e_app_on - event = 6
• e_calib - event = 7

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Software implementation

• e_calib_done - event = 8
• e_align - event = 9
• e_align_done - event = 10
• e_run - event = 11
• e_app_off - event = 12
• e_start - event = 13
• e_start_done - event = 14

5.6.1 RESET state

State RESET is the first state which is executed after the MCU exits the power-on reset state and enters into the main()
function. It is executed only once at the start of the main function to provide system variables and all peripherals settings.
Before configuring all peripherals, all interrupts are disabled and enabled at the RESET state end, with respect to interrupt
driven application as described before. This routine also includes initialization and setting of the MC33905 System Basis
Chip that provides power supply for the MPC5643L controller board and MC33937 MOSFET pre-driver. Both routines use
SPI peripheral and must be called after the DSPI and SIU configuration routines.

5.6.2 INIT state

State INIT is similar to the RESET routine one pass routine, which allows users to set up application variables, and at the end
the transition event is set to the READY state if there is no fault event. It is executed directly after the RESET state or after a
RUN state when an application is stopped.
Transition to the FAULT state is performed automatically when a fault occurs.
Transition to the READY state is performed automatically at the end of the INIT routine.

5.6.3 FAULT state

The application goes to this state immediately when a fault is detected. The system allows all states to pass into the FAULT
state by setting event=e_fault.

5.6.4 READY state

This state is used as an application initial state. The application only checks fault inputs and the application switch status to
enable an application.
Transition to the RESET state is performed by setting the variable event to event=e_reset, which is done automatically when
the user sets switchAppReset true using FreeMASTER.
Transition to the INIT state is performed by setting the variable event to event=e_app_on, which is done automatically on the
rising edge of switchAppOnOff=true using FreeMASTER, or a second way to change its value is to switch on the external
switch on the MPC5643L controller board.

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 Software implementation

5.6.5 CALIB state

The CALIB state provides calibration of the analog quantities used by the sensorless motor control algorithm. The analog
offsets are calibrated for all six voltage vectors applied to the 3-phase bridge. When the calibration is done for all six sectors
(voltage vectors), the alignmentTimer, svmsector, and torqueRequired variables are initialized and the PWM_Alignment()
function is called to set the PWM output. The variable event is set automatically to event=e_calib_done, this enables
transition to the Alignment state.
Transition to the FAULT state is performed automatically when a fault occurs.
Transition to the INIT state is performed by setting the variable event to event=e_app_off, which is done automatically on the
falling edge of switchAppOnOff=false using FreeMASTER, or the other way to change its value is to switch off the external
switch on the MPC5643L controller board.

5.6.6 ALIGN state

The ALIGN state provides the motor rotor alignment process as it has been shown in Alignment. The user can set up the
variable ALIGNMENT_TIME and the propriety motor current depending on the minimal mechanical system behavior
(mechanical system inertia, motor time constants, and so on) time to assure the correct motor rotor position. The alignment
current is controlled via the PI regulator, updated every PWM cycle. The required alignment current can be adjusted by the
torqueRequired variable. When the counter alignmentTimer reaches zero, switchAlignDone is set to true and variables used
for the next state are initialized, and the variable event is automatically set to event=e_align_done. This enables transition to
the START state.
Transition to FAULT state is performed automatically when a fault occurs.
Transition to INIT state is performed by setting event to event=e_app_off, which is done automatically on falling edge of
switchAppOnOff=false using FreeMASTER or the other way to change its value is to switch off the external switch on the
MPC5643L controller board.

5.6.7 START state

The START state provides the start rotor rotation sequence as has been shown in Start-up. The motor current PI controller
function Ureq=GFLIB_ControllerPIpAW(torque_err, &i_controllerParams1) is called every PWM cycle. Its parameters
(Proportional gain, Integral gain, Lower and Upper Limits) can be set in the i_controllerParams1 structure. The PI controller
function is part of the MPC5643L Motor Control Library and its detailed description is shown in the MPC5643L_MCLib
manual.
Transition to the FAULT state is performed automatically when a fault occurs.
Transition to the INIT state is performed by setting the variable event to event=e_app_off, which is done automatically on the
falling edge of switchAppOnOff=false using FreeMASTER, or the other way to change its value is to switch off the external
switch on the MPC5643L controller board.

5.6.8 RUN state

The RUN state provides the motor speed and current regulation sequence as has been described in Run. The zero-cross
detection function ZCdetection[svmSector]() is called every PWM cycle to manage the correct motor commutation process.
In the slow control loop performed every 1 ms, the speed and current control loops are performed.
Transition to the FAULT state is performed automatically when a fault occurs.

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Application performance

Transition to the INIT state is performed by setting the variable event to event=e_app_off, which is done automatically on the
falling edge of switchAppOnOff=false using FreeMASTER, or the other way to change its value is to switch off the external
switch on the MPC5643L controller board.

5.7 Library functions

The application source codes use the Auto Math and Motor Control Library Set for the MPC564xL family of
microcontrollers with 32-bit fixed-point or with single precision floating-point arithmetic depending on the implementation.
The library contains three independent library blocks GFLIB, GDFLIB, and GMCLIB. GFLIB includes basic mathematical
functions, such as Sine, Cosine, LUT, ramp, and so on. Advance filter functions are part of the General Digital Filters Library
and standard motor control algorithms are part of the General Motor Control Library.

5.8 Setting the software parameters for a specific motor

The default software parameter settings have been calculated and tuned for a hardware set-up with the LINIX 45ZWN24-90
motor.
All application parameters dedicated to the motor or application ratings (max. voltage, velocity, and so on) are defined in the
BLDC_appconfig.h file and commented to help the user modify the parameters according to their own specific requirements.
All hardware specific parameters dedicated to the hardware boards and processor (pin assignment, clock setting, peripheral
settings, and so on) are defined in the MPC5643L_appconfig.h file.

6 Application performance
The fixed-point implementation takes 18.4 μs average and 25.4 μs maximum. The floating-point implementation takes 5.6 μs
average and 9.5 μs maximum for one motor application, which is maximum 20% of CPU load by fast loop calculation
frequency 20 kHz. Dual motor application takes 10.8 μs and 17.8 μs maximum.
Application code was compiled using a Green Hills compiler with optimization options listed in Table 2. The timing was
measured on the e200z4 core at a 80 MHz system clock frequency using optimal flash read/write wait state control and
address pipelining control settings.

Table 2. Compiler options

Compiler Option Description
-Ospeed Optimize for speed.
-Opeep Peephole optimization.
-Opipeline Pipeline optimization (pipeline instruction scheduling).
-isel Automatic generation of isel integer conditional move
instruction.
-sda Small data area optimization with a threshold of 8 bytes.
-auto_sda Automatic link-time allocation of data to small data area.

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 FreeMASTER user interface

7 FreeMASTER user interface

The FreeMASTER debugging tool is used to control the application and monitor variables during run time.
Communication with the host PC is via USB. However, because FreeMASTER supports RS232 communication, there must
be a driver for the physical USB interface CP2102 installed on the host PC that creates a virtual COM port from the USB.
The driver can be installed from www.silabs.com.
The application configures the LINflex module of the MPC5643L for a communication speed of 19200 bps. Therefore,
FreeMASTER also has to be set to this speed.

Figure 15. FreeMASTER control page for controlling the application

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Conclusion

7.1 Application start

• Install the USB driver to create a virtual COM port for emulation of RS232 communication (“CP210x USB to UART
Bridge VCP Drivers“ from www.silabs.com - downloaded from this link)
• Connect a USB cable to the MPC5643L controller board and to the host PC
• Connect the power supply to the power-stage. The controller board is supplied from the power stage. The BLDC motor
used is designed for 24 V phase voltage.
• Start the FreeMASTER project located in \FreeMASTER_control\MPC5643L_BLDC_Sensorless_Dual.pmp for dual
BLDC motor application or MPC5643L_BLDC_Sensorless_Single.pmp for single BLDC motor application.
• Enable communication by pressing the “STOP” button in the toolbar in FreeMASTER, or by pressing “CTRL+K”
• Successful communication is signalized in the status bar. If communication is not established, check the USB
connection between the PC and the MPC5643L controller board and the communication port and speed. The
communication port and speed can be set up in menu Project\Options (or by pressing “CNTR+T”). The communication
speed has to be set to 19200 Bd.
• If no actual faults are present in the system, all LED-like indicators in the "Application Faults" field shall be dark red.
If there is a fault present, identify the source of the fault and remove it. Successful removal is signalized by the
switching off the respective LED-like indicator.
• If all of the LED-like indicators are off, clear the pending faults by pressing the "FAULT CLEAR" button.
• Click the On/Off button or switch over the ON/OFF switch on the MPC5643L controller board to run the application.
The BLDC motor starts running. The mechanical speed can be changed by writing to the desiredSpeed variable.

8 Conclusion
The described design shows simplicity and efficiency in use of the MPC5643L microcontroller for independent two BLDC
motor controls, and introduces it as an appropriate candidate for different low-cost two motor applications in the automotive
area. Both types of implementation show the mentioned microcontroller is developed to achieve application safety
requirements.

9 References
1. 3-phase BLDC Sensorless Motor Control Development Kit with MPC5643L, available at http://www.nxp.com/
AutoMCDevKits
2. MPC5643L Microcontroller Reference Manual (document MPC5643LRM )
3. MPC5643L Controller Board User Manual (document MPC5643LMCBUM )
4. 3-Phase BLDC/PMSM Low Voltage Power Stage User Manual (document 3PHLVPSUG )
5. MC33937 Three Phase Field Effect Transistor Pre-driver Data Sheet (document MC33937 )
6. Automotive Math and Motor Control Library Set for MPC564xL, http://www.nxp.com/AutoMCLib
7. FreeMASTER Run-Time Debugging Tool, http://www.nxp.com/FREEMASTER

10 Revision history
This section documents the changes done to this document.
Table 3. Revision history
Revision Date Substantive changes
0 08/2012 Initial release.
1 02/2016 Updated Figure 1, added Figure 15, and various small updates.

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 Revision history

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Document Number AN4548

Revision 1, 02/2016