|
A motor controller is a device or group of devices that serves to govern in some predetermined manner the performance of an electric motor. A motor controller might include a manual or automatic means for starting and stopping the motor, selecting forward or reverse rotation, selecting and regulating the speed, regulating or limiting the torque, and protecting against overloads and faults. Rotating magnetic field as a sum of magnetic vectors from 3 phase coils An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. ...
Scope of motor controller applications
The scope of motor control technology must be very wide to accommodate the wide variety of motor applications.
Domestic applications Electric motors are used domestically in personal care products, small and large appliances, and residential heating and cooling equipment. In most domestic applications, the motor controller functions are built into the product. In some cases, such as bathroom ventilation fans, the motor is controlled by a switch on the wall. Some appliances have provisions for controlling the speed of the motor. Built-in circuit breakers protect some appliance motors, but most are unprotected except that the household fuse or circuit breaker panel disconnects the motor if it fails. An electric blender Small appliance refers to a class of home appliances that are semi-portable or which are used on tabletops, countertops, or other platforms. ...
An electric blender Small appliance refers to a class of home appliances that are semi-portable or which are used on tabletops, countertops, or other platforms. ...
A major appliance is a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. ...
Office equipment, medical equipment etc. There is a wide variety of motorized office equipment such as personal computers, computer peripherals, copy machines and fax machines as well as smaller items such as electric pencil sharpeners. Motor controllers for these types of equipment are built into the equipment. Some quite sophisticated motor controllers are used to control the motors in computer disc drives. Medical equipment may include very sophisticated motor controllers.
Commercial applications Commercial buildings have larger heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment than that found in individual residences. In addition, motors are used for elevators, escalators and other applications. In commercial applications, the motor control functions are sometimes built into the motor-driven equipment and sometimes installed separately. HVAC systems use ventilation air ducts installed throughout a building that supply conditioned air to a room through rectangular or round outlet vents, called diffusers; and ducts that remove air from return-air grilles Fire-resistance rated mechanical shaft with HVAC sheet metal ducting and copper piping, as well as...
Industrial applications Many industrial applications are dependent upon motors (or machines), which range from the size of your thumb to the size of a railroad locomotive. The motor controllers can be built into the driven equipment, installed separately, installed in an enclosure along with other machine control equipment or installed in motor control centers. Motor control centers are multi-compartment steel enclosures designed to enclose many motor controllers. It is also common for more than one motor controller to operate a number of motors in the same application. In this case the controllers communicate with each other so they can work the motors together as a team.
Vehicle applications All types of engine-driven vehicles from automobiles, airplanes, aircraft carriers and agricultural equipment to zambonis may have electric motors to perform a variety of functions. In electric vehicles, diesel-electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles, electric motors are used to propel the vehicle. The motor controllers in vehicle applications are integrated into the vehicle. An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink, originally developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949. ...
An electric vehicle is a vehicle that is propelled by electric motors. ...
A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric powerplant for providing locomotion. ...
See: Hybrid Vehicle ...
Power tools Power tools such as drills, saws and sanders are widely used by home owners, hobbyists, construction and repair trades people, and industrial workers. Both portable and stationary power tools usually have built in motor controllers and often include an adjustable speed feature. A power tool is a tool with a motor. ...
Hobby equipment A variety of hobbies make use of specialized motorized equipment that is similar to domestic appliances or portable tools.
Radio controlled (R/C) models may include fairly sophisticated motor controllers. The motor controllers are ultimately built into the equipment, but the hobbyist may purchase the controller separately or construct it. This radio control airplane is carrying a scale model of X-33 and is taking part in NASA research. ...
A scale model of the Tower of London. ...
Robotics is another area in which the hobbyist may purchase a motor controller as a separate item or construct it. ASIMO, a humanoid robot manufactured by Honda. ...
Types of motor controllers An electric motor controller can be classified by the type of motor it is to drive such as permanent magnet, servo, series, separately excited, and alternating current. Magnetic lines of force of a bar magnet shown by iron filings on paper A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. ...
Small R/C servo mechanism 1. ...
City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ...
A motor controller is connected to a power source such as a battery pack or power supply, and control circuitry in the form of analog or digital input signals.
Specific motor controller descriptions
H-bridge DC motors are typically controlled by using a transistor configuration called an "H-bridge". This consists of a minimum of four mechanical or solid-state switches, such as two NPN and two PNP transistors. One NPN and one PNP transistor are activated at a time. Both NPN or PNP transistors can be activated to cause a short across the motor terminals, which can be useful for slowing down the motor from the back EMF it creates. An H-bridge is an electronic circuit which enables DC electric motors to be run forwards or backwards. ...
Electromotive force (emf) is the amount of energy gained per unit charge that passes through a device in the opposite direction to the electric field existing across that device. ...
Servo controllers Most servos are controlled using pulse-width modulation (PWM). How long the pulse remains high (typically between 1 and 2 milliseconds) determines where the motor will try to position itself. The controller must know the motor's position in order to know how to move it. To find the position of the motor some designs use Hall effect sensors to directly measure the rotor's position. Others measure the back EMF in the undriven coils to infer the rotor position, eliminating the need for separate Hall effect sensors, and therefore are often called "sensorless" controllers. A variable resistor can also be used to determine the motor's position. Small R/C servo mechanism 1. ...
Pulse-width modulation of a signal or power source involves the modulation of its duty cycle, to either convey information over a communications channel or control the amount of power sent to a load. ...
The magnetic piston (1) in this pneumatic cylinder will cause the Hall effect sensors (2 and 3) mounted on its outer wall to activate when it is fully retracted or extended. ...
The rotor is the non-stationary part of a rotary electric motor or alternator, which rotates because the wires and magnetic field of the motor are arranged so that a torque is developed about the rotors axis. ...
Electromotive force (emf) is the amount of energy gained per unit charge that passes through a device in the opposite direction to the electric field existing across that device. ...
The present popular usage of the term potentiometer (or pot for short) describes an electrical device which has a user-adjustable resistance. ...
Stepper motor controllers motors are moved by rotating which coil to apply electricity to in a circular manner. They are controlled by a timing circuit. This allows extremely accurate control by changing the clock speed for the next firing. Typically these are used in printers where precise positioning is necessary and must be done in the cheapest way possible.
References is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Software - Parallel Port PWM/Encoder Linux Driver - a poor-mans motor controller software driver
See also | 
Feeds |
Contact