ON Semiconductor intros high-efficiency stepper motor driver IC for office automation equipment

USA: ON Semiconductor has introduced the LV8702V, a new stepper motor driver IC that delivers significantly improved efficiency versus existing products on the market. The device has been specifically designed for office automation equipment applications such as copiers, scanners and multi-function printers.

“The poor energy efficiency of stepper motors utilized in a wide range of electronics applications has for some time been an area of concern to communities the world over and a challenge to power system design engineers,” said Tsutomu Shimazaki, GM of power products for ON Semiconductor’s SANYO division.

“The LV8702V meets this challenge by providing a unique driving system that enables it to achieve no-load power consumption savings of up to 80 percent and a reduction in peak motor current of approximately 77 percent. This solution greatly assists our customers in the development of office automation electronics that meet the global demand for better energy efficiency.”

In addition to reducing overall power consumption, the LV8702V helps reduce heat generation, vibration and noise from the motor in applications such as positioning control in printers. Due to the increased efficiency, the surface temperature of the driver IC and the motor are decreased by up to 46ºC and 28ºC, respectively.

This can overcome the need for cooling fans with the corresponding space and cost savings and enhanced system reliability. The LV8702V stepper motor driver IC detects motor condition through driver waveform monitoring; power consumption is reduced by automatically reducing the current value according to the rotation speed or load of the motor. The new device has an operating voltage range of 9 volts (V) to 32 V. Protection features include output short protection, a thermal shutdown function and a step-out detection function.

The LV8702V joins ON Semiconductor’s AMIS30542/43/22/12 family of highly intelligent stepper motor control solutions with sensor-less motor feedback. This portfolio of product offerings provide designers with cost effective, leading edge performance for a broad range of applications and drive current.  Advanced functions such as stall detection, step-loss, and current drive optimization are now simple to integrate into applications where cost may have previously precluded ‘high-end’ motor control.

The LV8702V is offered in a SSOP44J package measuring 5.6 mm by 15 mm. The device is budgetary priced at $6 per unit for orders in quantities of 2,000 units.