Terms and Abbreviations

Table 1. Dictionary
Phrase/Abbreviation Explanation
BLDC Brushless Direct Current
PWM Pulse Width Modulation
Dead time Buffer time between enabling transistors connected to different voltages to avoid short circuiting the two voltage levels
EMI Electromagnetic Interference
Duty cycle Used to describe the duration of the on-period of a pulse width modulated signal
Hall effect sensor Magnetic sensor commonly used for indicating the angular position of the rotor in a brushless DC motor in order to correctly apply current to the motor coils
Commutation The act of applying current to the correct coils of an electrical motor in order to make it turn
Steady state The condition of a dynamic system when its states (like speed, current, etc.) have stabilized
Open-loop control Term used about a control scheme where information about the system state or states that is to be controlled is not fed back to the controller to create a closed control loop that adjusts the controller output automatically based on the feedback
PCB Printed Circuit Board
I/O Input/Output. Used as collective term for input and output signals to/from the device.
Shoot-through Term commonly used about short circuiting a transistor between supply voltage and ground, potentially damaging the transistor