SA303

SA303U



P r o d u c t I n n o v a t i o n F r o m

out condition is in progress. The SA303 has two

VS connections: one for phase A, and another for

phases B & C. The supply voltages on these pins

need not be the same, but the UVLO will engage

if either is below the threshold. Hysteresis on the

UVLO circuit prevents oscillations with typical

power supply variations.

2.4CURRENTSENSE

External power shunt resistors are not required

with the SA303. Forward current in each top,

Pchannel output FET is measured and mirrored to

the respective current sense output pin, Ia, Ib and

Ic. By connecting a resistor between each cur-

rent sense pin and a reference, such as ground,

a voltage develops across the resistor that is pro-

portional to the output current for that phase. An

ADC can monitor the voltages on these resistors

for protection or for closed loop torque control

in some application configurations. The current

sense pins source current from the VDD supply.

Headroom required for the current sense circuit is

approximately .5V. The nominal scale factor for each proportional output current is shown in the typical performance

plot on page 4 of this datasheet.

2.CYCLE-BY-CYCLECURRENTLImIT

In applications where the current in the motor is not directly controlled, both the average current rating of the mo-

tor and the inrush current must be considered when selecting a proper amplifier. For example, a 1A continuous

motor might require a drive amplifier that can deliver well over 10A peak in order to survive the inrush condition at

startup.

Because the output current of each upper output FET is measured, the SA303 is able to provide a very robust cur-

rent limit scheme. This enables the SA303 to safely and easily drive virtually any brushless motor through a startup

inrush condition. With limited current, the starting torque and acceleration are also limited. The plot in Figure 7

shows starting current and back EMF with and without current limit enabled.

If the voltage of any of the three current sense pins exceeds the current limit threshold voltage (Vth), all outputs are

disabled. After all current sense pins fall below the Vth threshold voltage AND the offending phase’s top side input

goes low, the output stage will return to an active state on the rising edge of ANY top side input command signal (At,

bt, or Ct). With most commutation schemes, the current limit will reset each pwm cycle. This scheme regulates the

peak current in each phase during each pwm cycle as illustrated in the timing diagram below. The ratio of average

to peak current depends on the inductance of the motor winding, the back EMF developed in the motor, and the

width of the pulse.

Figure 8 illustrates the current limit trigger and reset sequence. Current limit engages and I

any current sense pin exceeds Vth. Notice that the moment at which the current sense signal exceeds the Vth

threshold is asynchronous with respect to the input PWM signal. The difference between the PWM period and the

motor winding L/R time constant will often result in an audible beat frequency sometimes called a sub-cycle oscil-

lation.

This oscillation can be seen on the I

cycle may be incompatible with the current limit feature due to the absence of rising edges of At, Bt, and Ct except

when commutating phases. At high RPM, this may result in poor performance. At low RPM, the motor may stall if

the current limit trips and the motor current reaches zero without a commutation edge which will typically reset the

current limit latch.

TIME

NON-LIMITED BACK EMF

LIMITED BACK EMF

LIMITED MOTOR CURRENT

NON-LIMITED MOTOR CURRENT

FiGURE 7. START-UP VOLTAGE AND

CURRENT