Drive automotive motor design in 12 months with AEK-MOT

AEK-MOT, ST’s family of development boards for motor control applications, is responding to market trends. Motor control in vehicles is undergoing drastic changes. There are many more of them, from just ten or so in one car a decade ago to nearly 50 today. And the numbers keep going up. Motor control applications are also more diverse. From powered windows and doors to trunks, electric braking, EV drivetrains, and new actuators, engineers must deal with a vastly wider range of systems. Put simply, roadmaps are a lot trickier, and teams need a solution to keep up with the rate of innovation. Here are three reasons why AEK-MOT can be the secret weapon in a 12-month roadmap.

The best way to tackle the increasing number of applications in cars is to rely on a diverse portfolio that can address them. In a nutshell, why start from scratch when ST has already done the work?

AutoDevKit boards provide software solutions that enable the rapid development and execution of proof-of-concepts. For instance, the AEK-MOT-WINH92 comes with test applications for full-bridge and half-bridge configurations, and a window-lift demo running on an SPC58EC is included out of the box. Similarly, a software library is available with a CAN bus-driving example for the AEK-MOT-TK200G1, enabling developers to learn by studying the code and replicating it.
Or, to put it in a way that will resonate with many, while we cannot promise the demise of documentation, it does mean that engineers have a more intuitive tool to grow their expertise more quickly and efficiently.

As alluded to earlier, benefitting from a comprehensive ecosystem is key, not only as markets use a wider range of motor control solutions, but also because cars are adopting new architectures. For instance, more and more vehicles are moving to a zonal platform, which we are calling the “hidden revolution”. The reason behind this move is simple: it enables the use of high-performance computing units (HPCUs) for AI, and faster communication protocols like Ethernet. It helps manage a myriad of sensors while reducing cable lengths and gauges. According to the S&P Global Mobility, nearly 40% of the new cars manufactured in 2034 will feature a zonal architecture.

Existing AEK-MOT solutions address all these requirements. For instance, the AEK-MOT-TK200G1 is already compatible with zonal architectures, which means that OEMs and carmakers can more quickly adopt the new platform. That’s why ST is also offering integrated and non-integrated motor control solutions, thus helping those moving to zonal systems, which require greater integration, while also addressing the needs of those who just want a specific part number and prefer a non-integrated motor control board.

Similarly, ST has also developed the AEK-COM-10BASET, a gateway between legacy protocols used by most motor driver ICs and the new 10BASE-T1S. We can expect this to be even more prevalent thanks to the Remote Control Protocol (RCP) (see [Open Alliance – TC18 Remote Control Protocol]), which utilizes 10BASE-T1S for deterministic performance, as RCP sits between the Ethernet physical layer and SPI or I2C to communicate with the microcontroller.

The fact that AEK-MOT boards belong to the AutoDevKit ecosystem means that engineers get critical features that are significantly easier to deploy than if they had to write code from scratch. The most popular examples are over-the-air (OTA) update mechanisms, which can be complex to create but are increasingly mandatory. Similarly, AutoDevKit is a great first step in implementing AI for drive modes, which will directly impact what engineers can do with their motor control solutions and how consumers benefit from their ingenuity. Put simply, as carmakers look at their architecture as a whole, OEMs must adopt a holistic approach. Hence, it is essential to utilize a comprehensive solution that enables such a holistic strategy.

The new strategies carmakers are adopting stem from the unique ways vehicles are evolving, as we already saw with the move to zonal architectures. Another transformative phenomenon that OEMs must address is the fact that “software is eating the car”, as Robert Charette put it in an IEEE Spectrum article in 2021, or what we classically refer to as the software-defined vehicle (SDV). The problem is that hiring the coders who will program the car of tomorrow often comes at the cost of hardware expertise. Few software engineers are experts in motor control systems, field-oriented control algorithms, or designing critical features like anti-pinch mechanisms without motor encoders.

Consequently, jumping on the SDV bandwagon means that teams must hire the hardware expertise required to create modern and efficient solutions. One way is to find the talent, which can be a challenging process. The other option is to adopt the AutoDevKit platform, which evolved from ST’s leadership in motor control, microcontrollers, power devices, and other related technologies. Additionally, as recent market and global trends can sometimes disrupt supply chains, relying on ST’s global family of fabs means we are less at risk of local shocks and other random events that may affect companies with a less robust network of assembly lines and distribution networks. And that’s in addition to our 10-year longevity commitment for most of our devices.

The best way to get started is to grab the AEK-MOT-2DC40Y1, AEK-MOT-3P99081, AEK-MOT-TK200G1, or AEK-MOT-WINH92, download AutoDevKit Studio, and start with one of the many demo applications. In the vast majority of cases, it’s the optimal path to conduct a feasibility study and the quickest route to demonstrate to management what it would take to release a feature or product to market. ST also conducts tech workshops and provides support through our field application engineers. Hence, contacting a local representative is often the fastest way to get an answer or advice. We also have an extensive network, in the form of our ST Partner Program, that can fast-track projects.