Challenges in Development of Motor Control System for Automotive Applications

Safety, comfort, and ease of driving are three pillars of modern-day car owning experience. OEMs, tier-1s and aftermarket suppliers together strive to build automotive solutions around them. One of the components that has played a pivotal role in achieving safety, comfort and ease of driving is the motor control system.

There are about 100-150 electric motors that drive various modules in an automobile. According to a report by straitsresearch, the automotive motor control market is going to be 58.84 million by 2030. PWM based motor control system market is reported to be the highest contributor to the market.

This exponential growth in the automotive motor control system market has been possible due to consistent strides in technological innovations. And with innovation comes the challenges, especially in the automotive industry where change is the only constant.

So, what are the challenges faced in the development of motor control system? Let’s try to figure it out in the blog.

Need to Build Motor Control System for Different Motors- BLDC, PMSM, AC Induction

There are several kinds of motor used in motion control in an automobile. A low-cost induction motor will be used in applications like power window, wiper, sunroof, seat control etc. However, when you go on to add safety and comfort features such as soft start/stop, anti-pinch function, rain-sensing wipers, a motor control system comes into the picture. Every electric motor used in automobile be it a BLDC, PMSM or a stepper motor, there are substantial differences in the way it needs to be controlled.

The motor control system engineers must choose the control mechanism appropriately to meet both the electrical as well as the mechanical requirements. Each motor has a unique set of requirements when it comes to electronically driving them. The engineers need to consider various design variables while designing the right motor control system.

Motor themselves are inductive in nature and produce electro magnetic interference and radio frequency interference. Motor control system is required to be designed in a way to prevent EMI and RFIU while still being able to withstand over-current and over-voltage to a certain extent.

Another challenge that is associated with motor control system for BLDC and PMSM motor is that rotor position needs to be known before energizing the rotor. This calls for a closed-loop mechanism as well as a strong CPU to process the data. Such constraints are sometimes not acceptable to certain applications where cost and a need for compact solution is paramount.

Final Word

Despite such challenges, engineers are consistently working towards improving both the software and capabilities of motor control system. Whether it is the right MCU to choose or developing a robust motor drive algorithm like FOC, engineers are overcoming the challenges with the right skill set and deployment of tools at their disposal.