The Brushless DC (BLDC) ceiling fan controller with sensorless sinusoidal current control design runs from AC power and can convert 90-265 VAC into 24 VDC.
In the ceiling fan segment, single-phase induction motors have traditionally dominated due to their ability to run directly from commonly available power sources in homes/offices. However, these motors are known for their high power consumption and relatively low efficiency, typically operating at around 30-40% efficiency. Moreover, the speed control mechanism, which involves voltage regulation, introduces additional losses to the system and makes it challenging to maintain a constant speed due to fluctuations in input voltage. To solve this problem Texas Instruments (TI) has launched a Brushless DC (BLDC) ceiling fan controller with sensorless sinusoidal current control TIDA00386 reference design. The design runs from AC power and can convert 90-265 VAC into 24 VDC. The reference design offers a comprehensive solution for ceiling fan applications utilising a 3-phase Brushless DC (BLDC) motor. The design is best suited for various industrial applications such as dental chairs, operation power conditioning, Electrosurgery system, etc.
The design features sinusoidal sensorless control at a frequency of 25 kHz, which ensures minimal torque ripple and reduces audible noise. It operates within a wide universal AC voltage range of 90 Vac to 265 Vac. The tightly regulated 24V dc power supply maintains a ±1% speed regulation across the entire input voltage range. The AC switching mechanism produces only 0.6% ripple on the 24V dc output, optimising acoustic performance. Furthermore, the AC/DC section exhibits high efficiency, exceeding 85% under all load and line conditions, meeting strict energy efficiency standards. The reference design comprises three distinct sections namely the AC-DC section, motor control section and Infrared (IR) remote-based Speed control section.
The AC-DC section of the design is specifically engineered to operate within a universal main AC input range of 90VAC-265VAC. It utilises a flyback AC/DC topology to generate a 24V DC input power from the main AC source. The motor control section of the design is centred around a single-chip integrated circuit (IC) designed to operate at 24Vdc. This IC combines all the essential components required for 3-phase BLDC motor control, including a sinusoidal sensorless motion control engine and a 3-phase H-bridge inverter with pre-drivers. Additionally, it offers a regulated 3.3V output to support external loads of up to 100mA. The Speed control section of the design is based on the value-line MSP430G2201 microcontroller. This microcontroller is responsible for decoding the inputs from the IR remote and generating the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM ) duty cycle commands for controlling the fan speed. It enables the remote-based control of the fan’s speed by receiving signals from the IR remote and translating them into appropriate commands to adjust the PWM duty cycle, thereby regulating the fan’s speed.
This reference design has been tested by TI. It comes with a Bill of Material (BOM), schematics, Gerber file, Printed circuit board (PCB) layout, CAD/CAE symbol, Assembly drawing, Schematic, etc. You can find additional data about the reference design on the company’s website. To read more about this reference design, click here.
