Dramatic simplification of system design, cost reduction, as well as solar energy
Improving the efficiency of energy storage and electric vehicle infrastructure

Analog Devices has launched a groundbreaking power conversion platform featuring a family of mixed-signal control processors. The ADSP-CM41x family is designed to dramatically simplify system design, reduce costs, and improve the efficiency of solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle infrastructure.

As the prices of solar panels and battery systems have dropped significantly in recent years, there is a need for new inverter technologies capable of ushering in the third wave of solar energy efficiency. Consequently, new inverter designs based on disruptive technology have made progress in terms of reducing size, weight, and cost, but further leaps in digital processing are required to fully realize the potential of these designs.

The newly released ADSP-CM41x control processor revolutionizes power conversion design with an unrivaled level of hardware integration specialized for solar energy and other emerging energy applications. Furthermore, the ADSP-CM41x reduces the need for complex external circuitry, providing shorter design times, lower costs, and improved safety, while achieving the precise gain levels required to maximize the impact of modern inverter designs.

Mark Martin, Vice President of Industrial Automation, Energy, and Sensors at Analog Devices, stated, “With the ADSP-CM41x, Analog Devices is helping customers solve these challenges by overcoming fundamental obstacles in power converter design.” He added, “The controller’s unique architecture and performance levels are the key to developing innovative inverter solutions.”

Integrated redundant safety systems and other functions into the chip using 'dual independent cores'

The core of the ADSP-CM41x design is safety based on an innovative 'dual independence core,' which enables the integration of safety redundancy and multiple functions into a single chip. This groundbreaking architecture eliminates the need for external supervisory elements, which are currently the standard, thereby significantly saving development time and system costs.

Equally important is the on-board integration of an optimized hardware accelerator designed to offload work from the processor core and enhance the processing power required for core functions. In addition, the device's on-board arc fault detection feature simplifies the design, while intelligent decision-making capabilities improve stability, thereby increasing validity and accuracy.

In addition, the ADSP-CM41x series features seamless connectivity with many other essential components that make up the power conversion platform, without the need for additional circuit configuration. For example, if you need to measure current in an isolated state, you can consider the AD740x sigma delta-based AD converter, which is small and inexpensive while ensuring more precise measurements, instead of the existing large and expensive sensor module.

In this case, the necessary decimation filter, also known as a SINC filter (or CIC filter), is provided as a peripheral device, allowing for immediate connection and use without the need for additional circuit configuration. Furthermore, to further improve system efficiency, isolated gate drivers with faster switching speeds are required. For this purpose, the ADuM4135 and related AduM413x series isolated gate drivers, based on ADI's iCoupler technology, can be considered; these devices provide a peripheral PWM port capable of high-resolution dead time adjustment for control.