ADI Targeted Solutions to Meet Motor Drive Control Design Requirements of Cleaning Robot Drive Control Boards,Xinrun Microelectronics Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

In the evolution of robotics, motor control and transmission systems serve as the core foundation that empowers robots with motility and execution capabilities. The performance of motor transmission and drive schemes directly determines the tension, flexibility and load capacity of each robot joint, as well as the overall operational accuracy and reliability. With the in-depth integration of AI and robotic technologies, control loops are advancing toward an ultra-low latency of 12 ms (surpassing human spinal reflexes) and a sub-1 ms synchronous latency limit. Meanwhile, drive architectures are rapidly evolving toward hybrid drive, extreme miniaturization and high-efficiency thermal management, which impose stringent requirements on the responsiveness of underlying motor drive and control frameworks.

Core Design Challenges of Robot Drive and Control Systems

Complex FOC Algorithm Development and Stringent Low-Latency Requirements

Joint control of robots demands extremely high real-time performance. Traditional FOC solutions require extensive code modification and parameter tuning, resulting in long development cycles and substantial MCU computing resource consumption. Moreover, conventional schemes combining general MCUs with external drivers fail to meet sub-1 ms synchronous motion latency and millisecond-level high-speed response indicators during complex motion control operations.

High-Voltage and High-Current Drive for Major Joints

Key robot joints (such as knees, shoulders and elbows) require high-power drive support. Traditional solutions struggle to deliver high voltage withstand capability while supporting complex closed-loop control with absolute encoders.

Bottlenecks in Joint Braking and Solenoid Valve Control

Robots require reliable joint brake clamping performance. Traditional valves continuously generate excessive heat if maintained at high current after full pull-in actuation. In addition, conventional solutions lack effective intelligent detection mechanisms to accurately identify the moment of full valve seating and switch current states in a timely manner.

Multi-Motor Communication and Wiring Design Constraints

Taking the control of 20 motors as an example, the traditional 'main controller + sub-MCU + driver' architecture requires more than 220 wiring harnesses. This leads to redundant wiring, cramped internal layout and significantly increased design difficulty within compact robot structures.

ADI Full-Spectrum Motor Drive and Control Solutions

Miniature Fully Integrated Solution for Dexterous Hands (TMC6460)

Addressing the challenges of low inductance, difficult control and limited installation space of coreless motors, the fully integrated TMC6460 servo motor drive chip provides targeted solutions for motor drive applications:

Miniaturization and High Integration: With a compact chip size of only 7×7.5 mm, the TMC6460 integrates MOSFETs, 3-channel current sampling circuits and full FOC algorithms into a single chip. It enables direct motor drive without any external power devices, perfectly meeting the ultra-compact PCB layout requirements of robot dexterous hands.

High-Frequency PWM and Code-Free Development: Supporting a PWM frequency up to 200 kHz for low-inductance motors, the chip effectively suppresses operational fluctuations and achieves smoother and more precise motor control. Equipped with E2B technology, multiple TMC6460 chips can be connected in an SPI daisy chain for unified scheduling by the main MCU. Integrated with full hardware-based FOC algorithms and 8-point acceleration/deceleration trajectory control, the chip eliminates complex programming work. Users only need to configure registers via the official ADI GUI tool, greatly shortening the development cycle.

Single-Chip Drive and Control Solution TMC9660 for High-Voltage Servo Joints

External High-Voltage High-Load Drive Support: The TMC9660 integrates hardware FOC algorithms without built-in MOSFETs. It embeds 4.7 V–70 V/2 A gate drivers (GDRV) based on efficient bootstrap topology, supporting up to four NMOS half-bridges. It is an ideal solution for high-voltage and high-current motor drive applications.

Full-Range High-Precision Sensing and Power Supply: The chip integrates high-bandwidth high-precision measurement units, including four 15 MHz high-bandwidth differential/bidirectional current sense amplifiers and four 13-bit/1 MSps ADCs for synchronous sampling. Its built-in power unit supports up to 70 V input with an integrated buck converter, directly powering core circuits and I/O interfaces.

Automotive-Grade Protection and Diagnosis: It provides configurable high-side/low-side N-FET overcurrent protection, short-circuit protection, global thermal shutdown and UVLO protection based on VDS and R-SHUNT monitoring, ensuring joint operational safety under extreme working conditions.

Independent Embedded MCU: A dedicated on-chip MCU is integrated to process closed-loop feedback from multi-turn absolute encoders (including BISS-C, SSI, EnDat and other mainstream protocols).

Joint Braking and Solenoid Valve Control Solution

ADI’s MAX22216/MAX22217 eliminates core pain points of brake heating and inaccurate control timing in robot joint brake systems. The MAX22216 supports 1.7 A RMS current, while the MAX22217 supports 0.55 A RMS current. Both devices feature advanced voltage/current drive modes with 12-bit resolution and integrated PI controllers, and support dithering functions.

Furthermore, the built-in plunger motion detection technology (Dip-detection) accurately captures the instant of solenoid full pull-in, and automatically switches to current hold mode at the optimal timing. The operating current is further reduced during sustained operation, minimizing solenoid power consumption and drastically lowering heat generation.

High-Voltage High-Power Drive Modules

ADI provides forward-looking solutions for hundred-watt-class high-power joints and advanced thermal management requirements:

High-Power Dual-Axis Servo Module (TMCM-2611-AGV): A BLDC-specific dual-axis servo drive platform that operates stably at up to 14 A RMS and 48 V DC. It delivers precise and smooth motor control for humanoid robots to support complex motion actions.

High-Performance Gate Drivers (TMC6100/TMC6200): The TMC6100 provides a peak drive current of 1.5 A, while the TMC6200 integrates a three-phase MOSFET gate driver. Both devices deliver robust performance under high-current loads to ensure stable and precise robot motion.

High-Speed 150 V Protected NMOS Static Switch Driver (LTC7000/LTC7001): Equipped with an internal charge pump to optimize the switching performance of external N-channel MOSFETs and maintain permanent conduction state. The high-performance driver handles large gate capacitances with ultra-fast switching transitions, making it ideal for high-frequency switching and static switch applications requiring rapid turn-on/turn-off response.

Comprehensive Peripheral Drive Ecosystem

Beyond core drive and control chips, ADI builds a complete and powerful peripheral auxiliary control and sensing ecosystem.

Multi-Protocol Absolute Encoder Decoding Chip TMC8100: Customized for non-standard protocols, it features a 25 MHz high-speed SPI interface and supports EnDat, Tamagawa, SSI, BiSS-C and other mainstream encoder protocols. It eliminates the need for FPGA-based decoding development, significantly reducing system costs and shortening development cycles.

Passive Absolute Magnetic Encoder ADMT4000: The chip integrates three magnetic sensors: a GMR rotation counting sensor for recording shaft turns, a GMR quadrant detection sensor, and an AMR angular position sensor. Combining multi-turn counting and high-precision angle measurement, it achieves a typical accuracy of ±0.25° across 46 rotations (0° to 16,560°), providing accurate absolute position feedback. It eliminates the homing procedure after power reset and ensures position retention during unexpected power failure, which is critical for robot operational reliability.

EtherCAT Slave Controller TMC8462: Designed for industrial and robot network communication, it integrates all core modules required for EtherCAT slave operation, including two 100 MBit PHYs, dual switching regulators and 24 V high-voltage industrial I/O interfaces.

Industrial Ethernet PHY Transceiver ADIN1200/ADIN1300: The ADIN1300 is a low-power single-port gigabit Ethernet transceiver with ultra-low latency, optimized for industrial Ethernet applications. It integrates an energy-efficient Ethernet (EEE) PHY core, analog circuits, clock buffers, management interfaces, subsystem registers and MAC control logic to support reset management, clock configuration and pin assignment.