IN Brief:
- PSC3M6 supports control of up to four brushless DC motors using an integrated 180MHz Cortex-M33 microcontroller.
- PSC3P6 adds digital control functions for power conversion, with both devices supporting high-resolution PWM and fast analogue measurements.
- The devices support SHA-512 and LMS firmware verification, while PSA Level 3 certification remains planned.
Infineon Technologies has expanded its PSOC Control C3 microcontroller family with Main Line devices for multi-motor drives and power conversion, combining an Arm Cortex-M33 processor running at up to 180MHz with integrated analogue control peripherals and firmware security functions. The PSC3M6 and PSC3P6 variants, announced on 19 October, extend the manufacturer’s controller options for industrial drives, robotics, power supplies and renewable energy systems.
The PSC3M6 is intended for applications requiring control of multiple motors, with Infineon specifying support for up to four brushless DC motors in sensored or sensorless configurations. The PSC3P6 addresses digital power conversion, including converter architectures requiring additional control resources. Both devices belong to the C3 Main Line rather than the higher-performance C3 family announced in September.
The new devices share a processor architecture with digital signal processing and floating-point capabilities, allowing control algorithms to execute alongside communications and supervisory functions. Infineon specifies configurations with up to 512KB of read-while-write flash and 128KB of ECC-protected SRAM. Available memory, interfaces and peripheral functions depend on the particular device selected.
Multi-motor operation places competing demands on processing time and peripheral resources. A controller must acquire current, voltage and rotor-position information, calculate the required drive response and update switching signals for each connected motor. When several control loops share one processor, measurement timing and interrupt scheduling become important because delays can influence torque response and control stability.
The PSC3M6 incorporates analogue-to-digital conversion, comparators, operational amplifiers and high-resolution pulse-width modulation functions. Its motor-control resources include interfaces suitable for encoder and Hall-sensor feedback. Infineon also specifies a CORDIC mathematical coprocessor, which can accelerate operations associated with trigonometric calculations used in selected motor-control algorithms.
In a field-oriented motor-control system, measured phase currents and rotor-position information can be transformed into quantities representing different components of the motor’s magnetic field. The controller calculates the voltage commands needed to regulate those quantities and converts the result into switching patterns for the inverter. The quality of that control depends on the timing and accuracy of the measurements, the motor parameters and the characteristics of the external power stage.
Integrating several control functions into one microcontroller can reduce the number of processing devices required for a suitable multi-axis design. It does not remove the need for separate gate-drive circuits, power semiconductors, sensing components or appropriate protection. The number of motors supported in an actual product also depends on the selected feedback methods, available I/O and computational requirements.
Infineon specifies a 12-bit successive-approximation ADC with sampling capability up to 12 million samples per second and high-resolution PWM timing with resolution below 100 picoseconds. These device-level capabilities help designers coordinate measurements and switching events, although the achievable control-loop frequency and accuracy depend on the complete electrical architecture rather than a single peripheral specification.
The PSC3P6 uses related resources for power conversion. It adds a three-pole, three-zero digital filter accelerator intended to support compensation functions in digitally controlled converters. Such functions regulate the response of a power stage to changing loads and input conditions, while maintaining the stability required by the chosen converter topology.
A digital power supply measures quantities such as output voltage and inductor current, compares them with the required operating conditions and adjusts the switching signals driving its power devices. Higher switching frequencies can reduce the size of some passive components, but leave less time for measurement and calculation. Fast switching also increases demands on electromagnetic compatibility, gate-drive behaviour and printed circuit board layout.
Infineon positions the new devices for systems using silicon carbide and gallium nitride switching components. These wide-bandgap semiconductors can support fast switching and demanding voltage or temperature requirements in suitable designs, but their use does not automatically improve converter efficiency. Switching losses, conduction losses, magnetic components, control strategy and thermal management determine the result at system level.
Security functions extend the scope of the Main Line beyond real-time control. The PSC3M6 and PSC3P6 support firmware-verification mechanisms based on SHA-512 and Leighton-Micali signatures, allowing secure boot and firmware updates to use cryptographic methods aligned with relevant requirements of the Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite 2.0.
These mechanisms are intended to protect the authenticity and integrity of executable code. They do not establish that an entire industrial product meets every cybersecurity requirement simply because it incorporates the microcontroller. Secure provisioning, configuration, communications, vulnerability management and maintenance procedures remain part of the finished system’s security architecture.
Infineon describes the PSC3M6 and PSC3P6 as supporting PSA Level 3 enablement, but its product information identifies certification as planned. This differs from the C3M5 and C3P5 devices, for which the company lists PSA Level 2 certification. The distinction is material when security procurement requirements specify a particular independently assessed product or configuration.
The Main Line broadens Infineon’s existing PSOC Control offering without replacing the C3 Performance Line introduced in September. The earlier range incorporates more extensive hardware acceleration for demanding control applications, while the PSC3M6 and PSC3P6 offer another combination of peripheral integration, processing capability and security.
Development is supported through ModusToolbox Motor Suite and Power Suite, providing graphical configuration, libraries and parameter-monitoring functions. Infineon also lists USB full-speed and I3C interfaces for the PSC3M6/P6 variants, alongside conventional embedded communications peripherals.
The company says the PSC3M6 and PSC3P6 are available now, with package options extending to 100 pins. The final component choice will depend on the required number of control channels, memory capacity, interfaces and security functions, with complete motor drives and converters requiring separate electrical, thermal and functional verification.
