Fully integrated servo drives The "All-in-One Motor"

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Brushless DC motors (BLDC) have many advantages, but controlling them with a power stage and sophisticated software is not trivial. It's beneficial when all components are integrated directly into the motor unit.

Klaus Buchenberg is a Field Application Engineer at Codico

Traditional brushed DC motors are very easy to use: connect a DC source to the motor terminals, and the motor runs. If you change the supply voltage, the speed changes as well, or you switch the polarity of the supply and the motor runs in the opposite direction. Brushed DC motors can be easily controlled and are suitable for many applications.

And yet, current brushless DC motors (BLDC) have some advantages over their brushed counterparts, such as higher efficiency, smaller footprint, smoother and quieter operation, greater robustness, and a longer lifespan. However, brushless DC motors (BLDC) are not as easy to control as their brushed siblings – to get them running properly, appropriate knowledge and experience are required. In addition to a DC source, a microcontroller (MCU) with firmware, a power stage, and a rotor angle measurement are needed. And all these components must interact correctly for brushless DC motors to function properly. An expert with the relevant experience is necessary to guarantee this in a foreseeable time. Additionally, numerous tests are required to ensure that the brushless DC motor runs reliably under all operating conditions.

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New in the program: Complete drive systems

Codico offers motors, power stages, MOSFETs, motor-control MCUs, and angle sensors from various manufacturers, thus being able to provide a complete product portfolio. With EZmotion, a new contractual partner from the USA, Codico is now going one step further. The engineers of this manufacturer of complete, integrated servo drive systems use their motor expertise to build a complete system consisting of the following parts:

• BLDC Motor,

• integrated power stage,

• integrated MCU with control firmware,

• integrated angle sensor,

• PC software (GUI).

EZmotion calls these systems "All-In-One Motor" because everything that is needed is already included in the motor (Image 1). This allows developers to equip an application with brushless DC motors with little prior knowledge and minimal effort. The MMS757xxx family consists of integrated servo motors that can deliver up to 188 W and are suitable for many applications.

All-In-One motors offer:

• low entry barrier,

• fast market introduction,

• latest routines for field-oriented control,

• Speed, position, or torque control,

• a system for many applications,

• high integration (small footprint per W),

• high reliability,

• flexible overall system.

Select motor model and get started right away

The motor can be connected to a microcontroller, PC, or another control unit (for example, AI) via a selection of possible interfaces such as I/O (Step/Direction), RS-485 (Modbus), CANopen, or EtherCAT. The fastest way to success is by using EZmotion's "MotionLAB" software for Windows and the RS-485 interface. After installation, just select the appropriate all-in-one motor, and the software already knows all the motor parameters and can start immediately.

If the user has equipped their own motor with an EZmotion module, the software first needs to determine the initial rotor position. Then, enter the desired setpoints for position, speed, torque, and control, click on "Update" and then on "On", and the motor runs and is controlled. In a Waveform Monitor (Image 2), the software displays the actual value and other parameters. Now, individual motion processes and sequences can be programmed.

Advantages of the All-In-One motors:

• Fully integrated, compact design for space-constrained applications such as robot joints and XYZ positioning tables.

• An integrated magnetic position sensor supports precise position control.

• Supports the major industrial fieldbuses, including RS-485/Modbus, CAN/CANopen, and EtherCAT/CoE.

• The support of pulse/standard interfaces allows the servo motors to replace stepper motors without additional modifications to the system.

• Offers various control modes, including Profile Position (PP), Profile Velocity (PV), Profile Torque (PT), Homing (HM),...

• Configurable GPIOs for easy use.

• Parameter identification and auto-tuning of the control loop.

• Extensive protection features, including overcurrent protection (OCP), overvoltage protection (OVP), overtemperature protection (OTP), anti-blocking, thermal monitoring,...

• AccuFilter and Notch Filter to reduce noise and vibrations.

• Easy configuration via the MotionLAB Virtual Bench GUI software.

• Supports customization to individual application requirements.

Typical applications for the motors include printing machines, textile machines, robotics applications, medical technology, automation, or machine tools. With a team of drive experts, Codico is happy to support users in developing their motor application.