High-frequency control of a DC-DC converter and motors in a single FPGA

Motor control applications using small fast-spinning motors such as e-turbos, UAVs, surgical instruments and high-speed pumps, and the advent of SiC and GaN switching transistors, are driving a need for compact drives with high-frequency control loop updates. This paper demonstrates how a single FPGA can be used to centralize interfacing, control and diagnostics for multi-axis motor control and power conversion. Two alternative FPGA system architectures are presented. The first centres control in a processor, while the second retains the processor but concentrates control in FPGA IP to combine the advantages of processor-based diagnostics and communication with sensor sampling and control loop updates at 100kHz or higher.