Motor energy-saving design development trend and technological innovation to achieve industrial energy saving
As energy conservation becomes the focus of global attention, the energy efficiency of motor design is increasingly becoming an issue of concern. Motor-driven products continue to cooperate with the development trend of the industry, helping designers to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption, improve reliability, reduce component count, etc., and play an active role in achieving energy conservation.
Motor market development trend
After a hundred years of development, the application field of electric motors has been very extensive. The application of ON Semiconductor's motor drive products in the automotive and industrial sectors is a microcosm of the main trend in the motor market.
The first is the trend of automotive electrification, in which automotive manufacturers integrate high-efficiency motors to replace traditional internal combustion engine power, usually with brushless DC (BLDC).
Instead of belt and gear drive, it is used for auxiliary components under the hood, such as pumps, valves, heating and air conditioning, fans, etc. Due to the excellent performance of BLDC motors, other applications that have traditionally adopted brushed direct current (BDC) motor solutions have also begun.
Another trend is that the increase in application assembly rate has increased the number of motor installations, such as motorized heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air flap control (mainly for brushed DC and unipolar stepper motors), which is also beginning to be used in lower-end cars. HVAC system.
The application of BLDC motors in industrial and telecommunications is also becoming more and more common. Typical applications include fans, blowers, pumps, and compressors. BLDC motors are more energy efficient than AC motors or switched reluctance motors. BLDC motors enable low-cost variable speed applications, especially for integrating sensorless commutation algorithms, eliminating the need for external sensors.
New requirements for energy-saving trends for motor drive applications
Energy costs are often the most important part of the life cycle cost of a motor. Therefore, using a more efficient motor can save a lot of energy.
Energy saving trends The new requirements for motor drive include several aspects. First, the energy efficiency is determined by the selected motor technology and motor structure. Therefore, it is required to select the motor that can convert the electrical energy into mechanical energy to the highest proportion. Second, choose a driver circuit that minimizes the power consumption of the driver and increases energy efficiency. Third, it is necessary to achieve optimized energy consumption by improving motor drive intelligence.
In addition, some applications require the use of brushless motors (using stepper or brushless DC motors) in the system; sensorless commutation (without potentiometer or Hall sensor feedback), embedded motion control algorithms (for low Power applications), the highest energy efficiency, reduced audible noise, improved electromagnetic interference (EMC) performance. In addition, there are some applications where the drive circuit and the motor are placed next to the electromechanical actuator and connected to the central control unit via a bus (LIN, I2C, etc.).
ON Semiconductor's innovative solutions for improving the energy efficiency of motor design
Stepper motors are an increasingly popular choice for fast, accurate and dynamic motion control applications. With the development of motor technology, intelligent drive/controller-specific standard products (ASSP) have emerged to drive these motors efficiently. These devices offer designers a more flexible solution, create space for innovative features, and discover many new applications.
