SLVAE59A February   2019  – April 2022 DRV8242-Q1 , DRV8243-Q1 , DRV8244-Q1 , DRV8245-Q1 , DRV8343-Q1 , DRV8702-Q1 , DRV8702D-Q1 , DRV8703-Q1 , DRV8703D-Q1 , DRV8803 , DRV8804 , DRV8805 , DRV8806 , DRV8860 , DRV8873 , DRV8873-Q1 , DRV8874 , DRV8874-Q1 , DRV8876 , DRV8876-Q1 , DRV8935 , DRV8955

 

  1.   Trademarks
  2. 1Introduction
    1. 1.1 Types of Solenoids
  3. 2Solenoid Driving Typologies
    1. 2.1 Low-Side and High-Side Configuration
    2. 2.2 Half-Bridge and H-Bridge Driver Configurations
  4. 3Basics of Driving Solenoid Loads
    1. 3.1 Current Control
    2. 3.2 Fast Discharging Circuits
      1. 3.2.1 Freewheeling and Clamping
      2. 3.2.2 Passive Voltage Clamping
  5. 4DRV Motor Driver Features for Solenoid Driving
    1. 4.1 Current Sensing and Regulation Solutions
    2. 4.2 Independent Low-/High-Side Driving
    3. 4.3 Half-Bridge Driving
    4. 4.4 Integrated and Gate Driver H-Bridges
  6. 5Summary
  7. 6Revision History

1 Introduction

A solenoid is a coil that produces a linear or rotational movement in a mechanical system by applying a current through the coil. There are several types of solenoids, but generally their main use is to displace objects or maintain a specific state or position, much like a traditional relay. These electromechanical solenoids consist of a copper inductive coil wound around a steel or iron armature, sometimes called a “plunger”. The magnetic field of the energized coil pulls on the armature, and the armature transfers a mechanical force to an external mechanism.

Within each application, solenoids and relays are driven in different configurations. Some example solenoid applications include home appliances, printers, HVAC, irrigation systems, engine and transmission control.

This application report categorizes and describes a few types of solenoids, discusses driver configurations, and highlights semiconductor solutions from TI that can simplify solenoid driver solutions.