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H Bridge Driver

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DEVID ROY
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15 views3 pages

H Bridge Driver

Uploaded by

DEVID ROY
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DC Motor Control Using H Bridge

A H-bridge is an electronic circuit that switches the polarity of a voltage applied to a load.
These circuits are often used in robotics and other applications to allow DC motors to run
forwards or backwards.

Most of mini DC motors have two terminals because they are series type (armature and field
windings are connected in series) DC motors, refer the figure given below.

FIG: H-Bridge circuit used for controlling direction of rotation of a DC Motor

As shown in figure there are two terminals ‘A’ and ‘B’ of DC motor. Now if we connect
terminal A with +Ve supply and terminal B with –Ve supply or ground the current will flow
from motor from A to B and motor will rotate in one direction – say clockwise (CW) or
forward direction. Now as shown in second figure we change the supply terminals. Now B is
connected with +Ve and A is connected to ground. The current will flow from motor from B
to A and motor will rotate in other direction (counter clockwise – CCW or reverse).

Four switches are connected in between +Ve supply and ground and DC motor is connected
in between two switches as shown. Such circuit arrangement is known as H-bridge because it
looks like letter ‘H’ (H-bridge circuits are most widely used in DC motor drivers). Let us see
how it gives reverse supply to motor.

If SW1 and SW4 are pressed simultaneously then current will flow from +Ve – SW1 – A – B
– SW4 – Gnd. So motor will rotate in one direction. Open (release) SW1 and SW4 to stop
motor. Now if SW2 and SW3 are pressed current will flow from +Ve – SW2 – B – A – SW3
– Gnd. So motor gets reverse supply and it will rotate in another direction.

(Caution: care has to be taken that SW1 and SW3 or SW2 and SW4 must not be pressed
simultaneously otherwise it will short circuit the supply)
Fig. 2: Circuit Diagram of H-Bridge built by transistor for controlling DC motor speed and
rotation

The circuit replaces the switches with NPN type transistors. We all know that transistor
works as switch. For NPN transistor if we give +Ve input to base it will turn ON and if we
give 0 input it will be turned OFF.

So in this circuit if Q1 and Q4 are turned ON simultaneously the motor will rotate forward
and if Q2 and Q3 are turned ON then motor will rotate reverse.

Motor can be rotated forward and reverse using 4 transistors only.

Now let us move to vary the speed of DC motor. The DC motor speed varies as applied input
voltage varies. As you increase applied input voltage the speed will increase and vice versa.
Applying max rated voltage will rotate motor at full speed (caution: do not apply more than
max rated voltage to motor otherwise motor windings may get burnt).

How to apply variable voltage to motor?

One of the very popular methods for generating variable DC voltage is pulse width
modulation (PWM). It is explained in figure given below.
Fig. 3: Graph showing Pulse Width Modulation for controlling speed of DC Motor

Pulse width modulation means varying the width (duty) of pulse. Width means ON time Ton
of pulse. The average output voltage (Vdc or Vavg) is given by equation

Vdc = [Ton / (Ton+Toff)] × Vs

It directly depends upon Ton. As shown in above figure if duty is 50% the average output
voltage Vdc is exactly the half of Vs. If duty is increased to 75%, Vdc also increases to
3/4th of Vs and if duty is decreased to 25%, Vdc reduces to 1/4th of Vs. Thus as pulse width
varies the average output voltage varies. So we have to apply PWM to DC motor to vary its
speed.

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