Heuxun enters the motion control market with a single-chip solution that allows easy deployment of the popular real-time Ethernet in motor control applications. The solution, named netMOTION and based on the netX 90 System-on-chip (SoC), combines two Arm® Cortex-M4 microcontrollers in a 144-pin BGA package measuring just 10mm x 10mm. This tiny package is suitable for the limited space, the network, the motor driver and the integration of each other.

netMOTION effectively transforms real-time Ethernet into a motion control solution and is recognized as the microcontroller on the global market with motion control capabilities integrated with real-time Ethernet communication, covering the breadth and depth of multiple network protocol standards. By combining Heuxun’s expertise in real-time communications with the application capabilities of the chip, netMOTION combines two separate worlds into one. The benefits of single-chip solutions include lower latency, higher efficiency, improved synchronization and shorter cycle times, as well as reduced material costs and the ability to bring designs to market faster. netMOTION supports energy efficient concepts that provide deterministic, low-latency, network-synchronized solutions for FOC-based motor control.

CI546 3BSE012545R1

CI546 3BSE012545R1

It is suitable for Hall, encoder or rotary transformer position feedback for three-phase PMSM (permanent magnet) and BLDC (brushless DC) motors. netMOTION’s target applications are systems or machines that require centralized motion control, such as pumps, fans, compressors, valve islands, small actuators and encoders, as well as servo motors with network interfaces. On the networking side, Heuxion’s communication firmware products are ready to support EtherNet/IP’s CIP Sync, EtherCAT, CANOpen DS402’s CoE, SERCOS’s SoE and PROFIdrive’s PROFINET RT/IRT.

The netX 90 chip contains two Arm® Cortex®-M4 processor cores, one dedicated to network communication and the other for applications. The two parts are isolated, so an attack on the network cannot reach the application. Network protocols are defined by loadable firmware that supports 19 different protocols, meaning that one product design can meet multiple market and industry needs. Embedded security features include secure boot, secure update, and secure communication. Hardware accelerators based on the (D)TLS communication protocol ensure that it can establish smooth and secure interconnections. Each half of the chip has its own peripheral connectivity, with real-time communication (also integrated with PHY) on the left and a series of software-defined interfaces for various motion control applications on the right.

Mr. Nico Mading, Manager of SoC Design at netX, said: “netMOTION is a flexible, general-purpose approach to hardware and software-defined systems, the netX ecosystem is growing, and thanks to the Cortex-M4-based microcontroller architecture, customers can also benefit from the mature Arm® ecosystem.”