Inverters are gaining attention as interest in energy efficiency grows
It is most widely used in the inverter and motor fields.
Infineon Offers Inverter Family That Doesn't Require Coding


The interest in energy efficiency and saving is growing both on a macro level to respond to climate change caused by excessive fossil fuel use and on a micro level to save on electricity bills that are subject to progressive rates. To this end, manufacturers of industrial and home electronic devices are incorporating components made of new high-efficiency materials such as SiC and GaN into their products, or are adopting new circuit structures that can respond flexibly to situations.

The adoption of an inverter circuit has recently become a marketing point for home appliance manufacturers and has emerged as a symbol of energy efficiency. The inverter changes the voltage or frequency of the input power and supplies it to the device. This allows the device to operate only as much as needed.

The ability to operate only as much as necessary leads to the advantage of easy control. The inverter can control the speed of the motor, for example, to maintain the operating speed of the device at an appropriate level. It also supports changing the speed during operation. It also has the effect of extending the life of the device by operating it at a level that does not strain the entire device. However, there is a disadvantage in that development is not easy because the required capacity and specifications vary depending on where it can be used.

Kim Chang-ho, a manager at Infineon Korea’s Industrial Power Control Division, supports component selection and design for inverter configuration. We asked him about the solutions and support measures Infineon provides to accelerate inverter design.



Q. What is an inverter, which is often mentioned in recent home appliance marketing?

A. If a converter is a power conversion device that converts AC to DC, an inverter is a device that converts DC to AC. The 220VAC power we use in our daily lives is AC, and it is converted to DC using a rectifier diode. Conversely, in order to convert DC to AC, a switching element such as an IGBT must be used to create a waveform.

The application areas of inverters include solar power, UPS, wind power, traction for trams, electric vehicles, buses, and chargers, but the drive including the motor accounts for a large proportion of about 40%. The compressor of the refrigerator at home, the motor of the washing machine, the compressor of the dryer, and the motor or compressor of the air conditioner are all composed of an inverter circuit, so they require control.



Q. What products make up an inverter?

A. The inverter consists of a DC link capacitor that stores power as voltage, switching elements such as IGBTs and MOSFETs, gate driver ICs that drive them, and a control MCU.

Switching elements are at the forefront of power conversion, and inverter developers must be familiar with the voltage and current capacities used when selecting elements, and check whether there is a margin. Depending on the power capacity used, circuit board, and heat dissipation conditions, discrete elements may be used, and sometimes modules with multiple IGBTs built in may be used. Gate driver ICs should be selected in the 600V or 1200V range depending on the voltage band and current capacity of the switching element. In addition, it must be confirmed that they have sufficient peak current for gate driving.



Q. What is the level of Infineon’s IGBT and SiC MOSFET technology?

A. Infineon is a leading company that supplies various generations of IGBTs to the market, and is recognized for its electrical characteristics and reliability. SiC MOSFETs are also expanding their market based on the technology applied to IGBTs, with robust reliability and electrical characteristics.



Q. What inverter-related products does Infineon provide?

A. We provide switching elements such as IGBTs, MOSFETs, gate driver ICs, sensors, MCUs, etc. IGBTs are available in both discrete and module forms. There are also 'Intelligent Power Modules (IPMs)' that combine gate driver ICs with IGBTs and MOSFETs. They integrate various components, reducing the PCB footprint and simplifying inverter design.



Q. There are a variety of IPM products in the lineup. What are the uses of each?

A. First, the △Maxi product with large capacity and voltage of 1,200V can be applied to industrial small inverters, fans, and pumps with 3-phase input. △Mini product is suitable for household inverters such as washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners. △Micro product is suitable for small washing machines and refrigerators. △Nano product is suitable for small refrigerators, fans, etc. with low power consumption, and is also suitable for low-voltage motor applications driven by batteries.


Q. What motor control solutions does Infineon provide?

A. Program coding is required to drive a motor. However, the debugging work that results from this requires a lot of manpower and time. However, Infineon's 'iMOTION' digital motor controller family generates an algorithm for driving a motor by simply entering the motor parameters, so you can drive a motor without coding.

Additionally, Infineon provides the 'MCE Wizard' tool for setting motor parameters and hardware conditions and the 'MCE Designer' tool for motor driving and tuning. In particular, the MCE wizard has a wide range of usefulness because it has a built-in scripting function that allows I/O control.



Q. What are Infineon’s goals and plans for the inverter market going forward?

A. Due to the variety of required capacities and control specifications, inverter development is often abandoned and boards are brought in from outside to configure. This is because if inverter failure occurs in the field due to incorrect heat dissipation and capacity selection, it takes a lot of time and effort to resolve. Infineon will continue to develop products that simplify inverter design and contribute to shortening the inverter development time of field developers who experience difficulties such as PCB pattern design errors.



Join us for a webinar from Infineon on Thursday, July 8th at 10:30 AM to learn more about the technologies to consider when designing inverters for small motor control.