IT product line
The IT product line is driven by the smart power motor and ink head controllers-drivers for printers. These controllers-drivers use advanced Bipolar CMOS DMOS (BCD) technologies for higher digital integration density, higher power using compact DMOS devices and enhanced analog performance.
Combo motor drivers IC family for Printers
An example of combo motor driver IC application diagram is given bellow. This single chip solution is a complete power system with analog and digital functions used to control ink-jet printers or multifunctional printers (MFPs).
The IC can drive either 4 DC motors or 2 DC and one bipolar stepper motors, enabling the control of all the motors of a printing device (e.g. paper feed, print head position, and scanner). Furthermore, an analog encoder interface (AEI) combined with a dual 8-bit multi-channel ADC offer position control of the motors when operated in conjunction with a code wheel. Last, up to 3 configurable switched buck regulators generate, from the 40 input power supply, a wide range of output power supplies from 1.5V up to 8V, dedicated to the printer controller, the memories, the analog and the GPIOs.
Ink-head drivers IC family for Printers
A mixed low-voltage/high-voltage head driver ASIC for ink-jet printers is given bellow as an example.
The IC is able to independently drive two heads with 960 nozzles per head. The circuit includes two switched regulators and a linear regulator that generate head A and B supply voltages, and auxiliary HV supply voltage for head logic control. Analog information from various sensors is read through programmable gain amplifier (PGA) and a multi-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The chip also includes functions such as on-chip reference voltage, general purpose I/Os, interrupts, and reset control.
The IC is normally mounted on the carriage board of an ink-jet printer while communicating at high speed with the main processor located on the motherboard through a flat cable.
3-P brushless sensoreless motor driver IC family for FAN modules
A 3-P brushless sensoreless motor driver IC for FAN modules is given bellow as an example.
The IC is a 3-phase full-wave drivers for brushless sensorless DC motors. It features 180° sinusoidal drive, high torque output, and silent drive, covering a wide range of motor characteristics, while requiring no external tuning from the user. Speed control can be achieved through either power supply modulation or pulse-width-modulation. Due to the compact packaging and minimum bill-of-material (power transistors incorporated, no Hall sensor, no external tuning), It is best suited for low-cost fan applications requiring high efficiency and low acoustic noise, such as CPU cooling fans. Frequency generator output is also included (FG/2 or FG), enabling for precision speed control in closed-loop applications. The IC includes a lockup protection mode, which turns-off the output current when the motor is under lock condition, and an automatic recovery that enables the fan to run when the lock condition is removed. Motor over-current limitation, short-circuit protection, and thermal-shutdown protection are also included.
