maxon EC motor

An introduction to brushless DC motors

maxon EC motor
An introduction to
brushless DC motors
 Design variants: maxon EC motor families
 Common features
– operating principle
– winding connections, iron losses
 Electronic commutation systems
– block commutation with and without Hall sensors
– sinusoidal commutation
 Comparison to DC motors with brushes
© 2010, maxon motor ag, Sachseln, Schweiz

Components of an EC drive system

load
power
supply
Hall
3 motor
mechanical sensors
phases
range line
electrical
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range
commutation
and controller

electronic
encoder range
line command

EC motors - overview

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Brushless DC motor
 names: EC motor, BLDC motor
 motor behavior similar to DC motor
– design similar to synchronous motor (3 phase stator winding,
rotating magnet)
– the powering of the 3 phases according to rotor position

 main advantages: higher life, higher speeds

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 slotless windings
– similar advantages as coreless DC motors
– no magnetic detent, less vibrations

 becomes more attractive: costs, size, magnets

Part 1: maxon EC motor design variants

slotless

slotted
external rotor
 features in common
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– 3 phase winding in the

stator (3 winding
connections)
– rotating permanent magnet
made of NdFeB
– preloaded ball bearings
slotted
– electronic commutation internal rotor

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

maxon EC motor: Coreless design

 design with coreless maxon winding
– internal rotor with 1 or 2 pole pair

 maxon EC motor
– many types: e.g. short – long,
sterilisable, integrated electronics, …
– typically for high speeds

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 maxon EC-max
– Philosophy: reliable EC motor at
reasonable price
 maxon EC-4pole
– Philosophy: the strongest possible motor

maxon EC motor
magn. return:
preloaded laminated iron stack
PCB with ball bearings
Hall sensors

control
magnet
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housing

3 phase knitted balancing rings

maxon winding rotor
el. connections winding
and Hall sensors (permanent magnet)

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

EC-max 30 vs. EC-4pole 30

standard maxon knitted hexagonal
winding magnetic return winding
- different thickness
- FeSi vs. FeNi

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ball bearings
- different size rotor
rotor - different preload: 6N, 8N - 5mm shaft
- 4mm shaft - 4 pole magnet
- 2 pole magnet - balancing rings

EC-max: design characteristics

Philosophy: reliable EC motor at reasonable price

 standard maxon winding

– only star circuit possible
– not optimized with respect to performance (power)
 Hall sensors monitor directly the power magnet
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– no control magnet
– special orientation process of Hall sensors to winding
 no balancing rings
– very high speeds are not possible (up to 12 - 20'000 rpm)
 preloaded ball bearings
 long and short versions per diameter

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

EC-4pole: design characteristics

Philosophy: the strongest possible EC motor

 very high torque and acceleration

– knitted maxon winding
– hexagonal winding on long versions
– 4-pole permanent magnet

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 moderate speeds up to 25'000 rpm
– higher commutation frequency
– higher iron losses
 special orientation process of Hall sensors to winding
 preloaded ball bearings

maxon EC motor: Slotted design

 maxon EC-i
– Philosophy: strong EC Motor at an
attractive price
– dynamic motor, cogging torque
– slotted winding, internal rotor
– several magnetic pole pairs
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 flat maxon EC motor

– Philosophy: flat EC Motor at an
attractive price
– slotted winding, external rotor
– more than 4 magnetic pole pairs
– relatively high torque but limited speed
and dynamics

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

EC flat motor: design characteristics

Philosophy: flat design with attractive price

rotor:
 external rotor => high torque 1
 multi-pole magnetic ring of NdFeB
2 3
=> higher commutation frequency,
=> not very high speeds

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stator: 3 2
 3 phases, several teeth per phase 1

further characteristics:
 Hall sensors detect magnetic ring e.g. EC 32 flat:
 but also often sensorless - 8 magnetic poles
 preloaded ball bearings - 2 teeth per winding phase

Part 2: Interaction of rotor and stator

 current distribution in phases
– 3 phases: 6 possible current distributions
– 6 winding magnetic field directions rotated by 60°
– 60° commutation
Iout
commutation
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Iin Iin

winding
magnetic field
Iout of winding

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Winding connections

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RY  3  R
 high resistance  low resistance
 low currents k M,Y  3  k M,  low voltages
 higher torque  higher speed constant
1
constant k n,Y   k n,  possibility of induced circular
3
winding currents
internal connection of the 3 phases: no practical consequences

Iron losses
 origin: rotating magnet
 hysteresis losses
– changing the direction of
magnetization needs energy
 eddy current losses
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– rotating magnetic field causes

eddy currents effect of
 effects: additional motor iron losses

heating
– at high speeds less current for
torque generation is allowed
– see operation range diagram

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Part 3: Electronic commutations systems

 common goal: applying the current to get the maximum torque
 perpendicular magnetic field orientation of
- rotor (permanent magnet)
- and stator (winding)
 knowledge of rotor position with respect to winding

commutation

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block type sine

sensorless Hall sensors rotor position encoder (+ HS)

feedback

maxon
DECS controller DES
DEC family
families EPOS

Block commutation
rotor position from Hall
sensor signals
 north

control magnet south

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Hall sensor
1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0 1 1 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 1 1 0
0° 60° 120° 180° 240° 300° 360°
EC-max and EC flat:
rotation angle 
Power magnet is probed directly

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Block commutation
power stage EC motor
controller + (MOSFET) (magnet, winding, sensor)

phase 1 HS1
commutation
logics

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phase 3

HS3
HS2
_ phase 2

rotor position feedback

Multi-pole EC motor: commutation

2 1
15 30 45 60 75 90°

2 3
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3 2

1 1

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Sensorless block commutation

 rotor position detection without
(Hall) sensors EMF
 measuring the back EMF
star point
zero crossing of back EMF
time delay 30°

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difficult at low speeds

 special starting procedure sensorless commutation

only for continuous
similar to stepper motor
operation at high speeds

Sensorless block commutation

virtual star point
 virtual star point in the electronics
 star or delta configuration
controller for
sensorless operation

EMF
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~1kW R R

Y 

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Block commutation
1 1 0 0 0 1 1
 motor with 1 pole pair 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 1 1 0
– position known within 60°
– commutation every 60° 0° 60° 120° 180° 240° 300° 360°
rotation angle 
 motor with P pole pairs
– position known within 60°/ P

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– commutation every 60°/ P

 block shaped phase

currents
– torque ripple
– vibrations, humming

Sinusoidal commutation
rotor position
 must be known very accurately
 typical 2'000 points per rev.
 500 pulse encoder
(Hall sensors for start: absolute
rotor position)

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resolver as an alternative

0° 60° 120° 180° 240° 300° 360°

phase currents rotation angle 
 sinusoidal
 120° phase shift Sinusoidal commutation for
 similar to synchronous motor with smooth running even at the
variable frequency lowest speeds

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maxon EC motor
An introduction to brushless DC motors

Part 4: DC and EC motor: Comparison

DC motor EC motor
 simple operation and  long life, high speeds
control, even without – preloaded ball bearings
electronics  no brush fire
 no electronic parts in the
 iron losses in the magnetic

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motor
return
 brush commutation system  needs electronics to run
limits motor life – more cables
– more expensive
 max. speed limited by
commutation system  electronic parts in the
motor (Hall Sensor)

DC and EC motor: Comparison

maxon motor family RE (DC) EC EC-max
(20 … 100 Watt) EC-4pole EC-flat EC-i

50 000 min-1 10 W/cm3 2 mNm/cm3 10 ms

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25 000 min-1 5 W/cm3 1 mNm/cm3 5 ms

max. speed power density torque density mech. time

(min-1) (W/cm3) (mNm/cm3) const. (ms)
Comparison DC and EC

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