HDL-based methodology for VLSI design of AC motor controller

The authors present a methodology for designing a CMOS very large scale integration (VLSI) controller for AC motor control. Step-by-step, top-down methodology based on hardware description languages (HDL) with mixed simulation was used to study digital adaptation and architecture implementation of the control algorithm. An application using the proposed methodology was studied: the direct torque control (DTC) of an AC motor. The DTC is described and VLSI examined. Analogue and digital models were used to describe the algorithm implementation, specific binary format and architecture. The register transfer level (RTL) model for the DTC controller was validated by mixed simulation. The ASIC layout was created using Austria Mikro System standard cell library for 0.8 μm CMOS. Finally, the authors compared this VLSI approach with software implementation and co-design methodology.