The purpose-built motor control solution has been optimised for efficiency improvement across vehicle applications such as pumps, fans, sunroof and seat position, seat belt pretensioners, trunk openers and more.
A highly integrated system-in-package solution, it adds the power and analogue functions as well as extensive software libraries required for motor control to NXP’s S32K microcontrollers. It addresses the needs of the emerging software-defined electric vehicle market and enables carmakers to both optimise product development and to maximise software re-use across S32 platform implementations.
Among the many types of electric motors, brushless direct current (BLDC) and permanent magnet synchronous (PMSM) motors are known for their endurance and robustness, small size, low weight and high efficiency, which all contribute to energy savings and range extension for EVs.
The S32M2 enables simplified and more robust motor control functions that can run efficiently while maintaining performance headroom to integrate more functions and capabilities while optimising costs.
OEMs will be able to perform motor diagnostic tests, transmit data to the zonal controller and optimise for higher performance to improve efficiency further and lower audible noise in the final application, which improves occupant comfort. Compared with discrete motor control implementations, the S32M2 enables OEMs to accelerate time-to-market and reduce the printed circuit board footprint, design risks and bill-of-material cost.
“By using NXP’s Model-Based Design Toolkit, automakers can start Simulink simulation early in the development cycle and map the model to the S32M2 hardware,” said Manuel Alves, Senior Vice President and General Manager of General Purpose and Integrated Solutions (GPIS), Automotive Processing, NXP. “Since this is a purely software-defined approach, automakers can optimise software re-use across the S32 vehicle compute platform, while benefiting from feature and performance enhancements which builds on the success of today’s S12 MagniV portfolio.”
With the addition of the S32M2, NXP’s S32 vehicle compute platform will continue to benefit from the Arm software ecosystem. The close and long-standing partnership with Arm and previous joint development efforts will allow NXP to leverage the full potential of the Arm Cortex-M processors in terms of power efficiency and safety capabilities in combination with the new motor control solution.
Based on the system-in-package approach, the S32M2 combines advanced compute with MOSFET gate drivers, physical layer interfaces for CAN FD and LIN communication, and a built-in voltage regulator directly from the vehicle’s 12-volt battery, addressing various motor control applications.
Integrating either an Arm Cortex-M4 or Cortex-M7 core, the S32M2 series covers a broad range of memory options from 128KB to 1MB. These devices are supported with the 64-pin LQFP package, which gives automakers the flexibility to select across different memory sizes while having pin-to-pin compatibility within the same family.
The system-in-package solution also leverages the S32K’s development processes certified to ISO 26262 for ASIL B functional safety, the S32 platform’s proven security subsystems (CSEc, HSE), and the S32K’s comprehensive tools and software ecosystem.
