32bit MCU suits motor-control home appliances

Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. (FMA) has introduced the newest addition to its MB91480 series of 32bit MCUs for high-performance control of home appliances like refrigerators, washers and dryers.

The 80MHz, 32bit MB91F487 provides two multifunction timer units for motor inverter control on a single IC, saving space and increasing functionality. It is the newest member of the FR family of 32bit MCUs, which meets the requirements of new generations of appliances by collecting and using information from multiple sensors.

"The MB91480 series of FR MCUs is ideal for appliances that use motor control, like washing machines. High-speed ADCs and dedicated motor-control wave-form generator functions meet the demand for quieter and smoother operation of the motors in these products," said Akio Nezu, senior manager of the embedded solutions business group, FMA. "These controllers, including the new MB91F487, also meet the requirements of microwave ovens, which have several temperature monitors and steam-cooking capabilities, as well as of air-conditioners, which are being designed with air-purification and humidifier functions."

The new MCU incorporates three ADCs with a total of 18 channels, which allow for sensing minute changes in up to 18 sensors. Together with the PWM controller, the converters enable smooth and detailed control. Also, for inverter control computation, special product-sum operation circuits divide high-speed processing with the CPU and reduce the burden on the CPU.

The MB91F487, which includes 512KBytes of flash ROM and 32Kbytes RAM, operates at voltages from 4V to 5.5V. The MCU comes in 100-pin LQFP packages, and samples are curerntly available at $13 each. Volume pricing starts at $9.20 each in 10,000-unit quantities.