Future of Mobility Powered by FPGAs
Posted 03/28/2024 by Lattice Semiconductor
Hyperloop technology, a futuristic transportation concept, promises to redefine the future of mobility with its high-speed, low-pressure system. At its core, the Hyperloop utilizes a network of sealed tubes through which pod-like vehicles travel at incredible speeds, propelled by electric propulsion and magnetic levitation. Ensuring the seamless operation and safety of such a complex system requires advanced control and monitoring capabilities, and this is where FPGAs step in.
FPGAs offer unmatched flexibility, security, and performance to handle the intricate tasks of managing propulsion, navigation, and communication within the Hyperloop network. With their inherent reprogrammability, industry leading security feature, and real-time data processing capabilities, FPGAs play a pivotal role in optimizing the efficiency and reliability of Hyperloop transportation systems, ultimately paving the way for a faster, safer, and more sustainable way of travel.
Swissloop prototype at the Rollout Event in Zurich 2023
Swissloop, a student organization supported by ETH Zurich conducting research on Hyperloop technology and its application in the real world, has been leveraging Lattice FPGA solutions for a number of years. With their new prototype “Bertrand Piccard” powered by a Lattice FPGA solution, the team recently won five awards during the 3rd European Hyperloop Week (EHW) in Edinburgh, Scotland, including the complete system, the electrical, as well as the sense and control awards.
“Bertrand Piccard” is Swissloop’s latest development featuring a linear switched induction motor (LSRM) and an electromagnetic suspension (EMS). The LSRM accelerated the 250 Kg prototype with an acceleration of up to 1.6 g to a top speed of 60 km/h. The propulsion system is powered by three custom-made inverter units. The inverter provided the propulsion system with 720 V and six rectangular wave currents with up to 120 A. The EMS used for levitation and lateral stabilization had its own custom-made inverter systems. The two inverter systems posed a significant challenge for the controls. Lattice MachXO3™ FPGAs are perfectly suited for Swissloop’s embedded applications, offering power efficiency and “instant-on” capabilities that allow them to be the platform’s first-on, last-off devices providing system control and power management functionality, ensuring stable levitation with precision.
Top view from the Pod with numerous custom-made PCB
The levitation systems consist of eight electromagnets, demanding controls for each individual magnet at all times to control the levitation height and ensure a safe distance to the track, avoiding any collisions. A single MachXO3 FPGA can handle all control loops and the data acquisition, all in parallel for the levitation systems, playing an equally important role for the propulsion system. With the help of binary light gate sensors, the position of the Pod was determined with submillimeter accuracy. The difficulty of positioning the Pod and controls also increased with higher speeds, and the predictive control functionality of the Latice FPGA within the propulsion systems were used to achieve the top speed.
The combined levitation and propulsion systems acquired, filtered, and processed with throughputs of up to 1M Samples/s in parallel on two MachXO3 FPGAs. During development of controls, the team made heavy use of testbenches and simulators such as ModelSim Lattice-Edition. Fast reaction time in case of an error, as well as synchronization of signals for EMC purposes made FPGAs more suitable than a microcontroller.
Further, MachXO3 FPGAs delivered safety-critical firmware, which requires precise timings, such as controlling the relays of the battery or gate signals for power switches. This helped the Swissloop team with deterministic and precise timings on the most safety-critical systems on the Pod, which resulted in winning the “Sense and Control Award.”
2023 version of General Purpose Control Board with Lattice MachXO3™
For the Swissloop team, the 2022/2023 season ended on a high note – winning five awards, including all electrical awards. And the team is motivated to continue to push the boundaries of hyperloop technology and excited for the 4th EHW to take place in their home country in Zurich. The team already made remarkable progress, including designing a new generation of the General Purpose Control Board, featuring a 512 Megabit pseudostatic RAM connected with the FPGA, Ethernet capabilities, and a USB Type-C controller for programming and powering the board.
For more information, visit the MachXO3D FPGA product page, and to learn more about how Lattice low power FPGA technology can help with your next breakthrough application development, reach out to speak with the team at Lattice.