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The aviation industry’s requirements for the latest, most efficient and lowest-emission aircraft is propelled by an overarching goal towards sustainability and decarbonization. To satisfy these goals, aviation power systems developers are transitioning to electric actuation systems as the trend towards More Electric Aircraft (MEA) continues to grow.
To provide the aviation industry with a comprehensive electric actuation solution, Microchip Technology announced a new integrated actuation power solution that combines companion gate driver boards with the expansive Hybrid Power Drive (HPD) modules in silicon carbide or silicon technology with a power range of 5 kVA to 20 kVA.
The new integrated actuation power solution maintains the same footprint regardless of the power output. The companion gate driver boards are designed to be integrated with Microchip’s HPD modules to provide an all-in-one motor drive solution for the electrification of systems such as flight controls, braking and landing gear. Microchip’s power solutions are designed to scale based on the requirements of the end application, from smaller actuation systems for drones to high-power actuation systems for Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, MEA and all-electric aircraft.
“We developed the companion gate driver boards to be used with our existing HPD modules to bring to market a plug-and-play power solution for MEA,” said Leon Gross, vice president of Microchip’s discrete product group. “With this solution, customers no longer need to design and develop their own drive circuitry, which can reduce design time, resources and cost.”
These high-reliability devices are tested to conditions outlined in DO-160, “Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment.” There are multiple protection features including shoot-through detection, short circuit protection, desaturation protection, Under Voltage Lock Out (UVLO) and active miller clamping.
The gate driver boards are designed to be driven with external PWM signals based on Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) compliant with TIA/EIA-644 for low Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and good noise immunity. The gate driver board provides differential outputs for telemetry signals like DC bus current, phase current and solenoid current by taking feedback from shunts present in the HPD module and DC bus voltage. It also provides direct output of two PT1000 temperature sensors available in the HPD power module.
The companion gate driver boards are low-weight, low-profile and compact solutions to optimize size and power efficiency of actuation systems. The gate drivers are designed to operate throughout the temperature range of −55°C to +110°C, which is critical for aviation applications that are often exposed to harsh environments.
The isolated companion gate driver boards only require a single 15V DC input for the control and drive circuit; additional voltages needed can be generated on the card. This significantly reduces the number of system components and simplifies system cabling.
Microchip provides comprehensive solutions for MEA by integrating power products with FPGAs, microcontrollers, security, memory and timing. Microchip’s solutions are designed to help customers speed up their development, reduce costs and get to market faster.
Original – Microchip Technology
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STMicroelectronics released its annual sustainability report, which provides insight into its 2023 performance related to priority environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors that support long-term value creation for all its stakeholders and sustainable growth for its business.
“Sustainability is at the heart of our value proposition, driving benefits for our company, customers, and society. We’re proud of our progress on innovation, resilience, employee engagement and the advancement towards our ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2, and partially on scope 3, by 2027,” said Jean-Marc Chery, President and CEO, STMicroelectronics. “Together with our partners and empowered employees, we’re accelerating sustainable transformation in technology and beyond.”
ESG highlights during 2023 include:
- A 45% decrease in GHG emissions for scopes 1 and 2 since 2018 in absolute terms (vs a 40% decrease in 2022).
- An increased sourcing of electricity coming from renewable sources to 71% (from 62% in 2022) and the signing of a significant power purchase agreement (PPA) in Italy to produce 250GWh renewable energy per year (3.75 TWh over 15 years) starting in 2024.
- The reuse, recovery, or recycling of 96% of the Company’s waste (1% higher than in 2022).
- A- scores for CDP water security and climate change.
- 12.2% of net revenues (US$2.1 billion) invested in R&D to support innovation.
- Involved in 195 active R&D partnerships worldwide.
- More than 610 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) events and initiatives (a 35% increase on 2022) reaching over 100,000 students and teachers globally.
- 87% of employees would recommend ST as a great place to work, 4% higher than in 2021 (when we last had a full survey).
- In 2023, the company established a strong focus on setting up voluntary, employee-led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to promote inclusion in the workplace. WISE (Women Inspiring Supporting and Empowering), the first ERG for women, has grown fast, with some 1,400+ members in 60 locations.
In 2023, ST maintained a strong presence in major sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability indices, FTSE4Good, EuroNext VIGEO Europe 120, CAC 40 ESG, MIB ESG, ISS ESG Corporate ratings, Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and received an MSCI ESG Rating of AAA.
The 27th annual report contains highlights and details of ST’s sustainability performance in 2023 and presents the Company’s ambitions and longer-term goals in alignment with both the United Nations Global Compact Ten Principles and Sustainable Development Goals and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). It is aligned with Global Reporting Standards (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Boards (SASB), and Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). A third party has verified this report.
More information on ST’s sustainability efforts can be found at https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/about/sustainability.html
Original – STMicroelectronics
