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Automotive Water Pump

Case Study - Automotive Water Pump: Sensorless 3 Phase DC brushless

The brief: to develop a range of high specification automotive water pump controllers. By using advanced electronic control of the cooling of a vehicle, engine efficiency increases of up to 3% can be achieved by optimal control of the engine temperature.

The Challenge

Reliability and ruggedisation is paramount in any automotive project and to achieve this requires a simple concept and approach. Additionally there is the requirement for high efficiency and the ability to operate at high under bonnet temperatures. High production volume and low unit cost make this a complex challenge. Input voltage ranges from 12 - 60V with powers approaching 600W (de-rated for extreme temperatures)

water Pump 1MLE Value Add:
We designed a controller using state of the art electronics and software. To obtain the level of control and performance required MLE used a Texas Instruments DSP control chip optimised for this application. Inverter driver components and robust FET's provide the power switching to commutate the motor currents (up to 50A). Configuration software running on a PC allowed control dynamics to be changed ‘on the fly' as the motor was running.

The technical issues
One of the key issues with any power system is the thermal management of the heat generated in the switching components. Added to this is the logistics of providing reliable interconnect to the power devices.

Water Pump 2MLE Value Add:
To create a cost effective solution we employed the skills we gained from working in high specification defence projects to design a surface mounted ceramic power substrate. This approach allows for high current interconnect, predictable performance & EMC, from a module that can be assembled using high volume surface mount reflow production equipment.

 

 

 

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