Stepper Motor Basics
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Industrial Circuits Application Note Stepper Motor Basics A stepper motor is an electromechanical Disadvantages device which converts electrical pulses into 15° discrete mechanical movements. The shaft 1. Resonances can occur if not A or spindle of a stepper motor rotates in properly controlled. D' discrete step increments when electrical 2. Not easy to operate at extremely B command pulses are applied to it in the high speeds. 1 proper sequence. The motors rotation has 6 several direct relationships to these applied 2 C' C input pulses. The sequence of the applied Open Loop Operation 5 pulses is directly related to the direction of One of the most significant advantages 3 motor shafts rotation. The speed of the of a stepper motor is its ability to be 4 B' motor shafts rotation is directly related to accurately controlled in an open loop D the frequency of the input pulses and the system. Open loop control means no length of rotation is directly related to the feedback information about position is A' number of input pulses applied. needed. This type of control eliminates the need for expensive Figure 1. Cross-section of a variable- sensing and feedback devices such as reluctance (VR) motor. Stepper Motor Advantages optical encoders. Your position is and Disadvantages known simply by keeping track of the input step pulses. Advantages 1. The rotation angle of the motor is Stepper Motor Types proportional to the input pulse. There are three basic stepper motor types. They are : 2. The motor has full torque at stand- N N S N S N still (if the windings are energized) • Variable-reluctance 3. Precise positioning and repeat- • Permanent-magnet ability of movement since good S N stepper motors have an accuracy of • Hybrid 3 – 5% of a step and this error is non cumulative from one step to Variable-reluctance (VR) S the next. This type of stepper motor has been 4. Excellent response to starting/ around for a long time. It is probably stopping/reversing. the easiest to understand from a structural point of view. Figure 1 Figure 2. Principle of a PM or tin-can 5. Very reliable since there are no con- shows a cross section of a typical V.R. stepper motor. tact brushes in the motor. stepper motor. This type of motor Therefore the life of the motor is consists of a soft iron multi-toothed simply dependant on the life of the rotor and a wound stator. When the S bearing. stator windings are energized with DC 6. The motors response to digital current the poles become magnetized. input pulses provides open-loop Rotation occurs when the rotor teeth N control, making the motor simpler are attracted to the energized stator N N and less costly to control. poles. 7. It is possible to achieve very low Permanent Magnet (PM) speed synchronous rotation with a Often referred to as a “tin can” or load that is directly coupled to the “canstock” motor the permanent S shaft. magnet step motor is a low cost and 8. A wide range of rotational speeds low resolution type motor with typical step angles of 7.5° to 15°. (48 – 24 Figure 3. Cross-section of a hybrid stepper can be realized as the speed is motor. proportional to the frequency of the steps/revolution) PM motors as the input pulses. 1 has some advantages such as very low in many different applications. Some inertia and a optimized magnetic flow of these include printers, plotters, path with no coupling between the highend office equipment, hard disk two stator windings. These qualities drives, medical equipment, fax are essential in some applications. N machines, automotive and many more. S N S N S N Size and Power The Rotating Magnetic Field In addition to being classified by their Figure 4. Principle of a disc magnet motor When a phase winding of a stepper step angle stepper motors are also developed by Portescap. motor is energized with current a classified according to frame sizes magnetic flux is developed in the name implies have permanent which correspond to the diameter of stator. The direction of this flux is magnets added to the motor structure. the body of the motor. For instance a determined by the “Right Hand The rotor no longer has teeth as with size 11 stepper motor has a body di- Rule” which states: the VR motor. Instead the rotor is ameter of approximately 1.1 inches. “If the coil is grasped in the right magnetized with alternating north Likewise a size 23 stepper motor has a hand with the fingers pointing in the and south poles situated in a straight body diameter of 2.3 inches (58 mm), direction of the current in the winding line parallel to the rotor shaft. These etc. The body length may however, (the thumb is extended at a 90° angle magnetized rotor poles provide an vary from motor to motor within the to the fingers), then the thumb will increased magnetic flux intensity and same frame size classification. As a point in the direction of the magnetic because of this the PM motor exhibits general rule the available torque out- field.” improved torque characteristics when put from a motor of a particular frame Figure 5 shows the magnetic flux compared with the VR type. size will increase with increased body path developed when phase B is ener- length. gized with winding current in the Hybrid (HB) Power levels for IC-driven stepper direction shown. The rotor then aligns The hybrid stepper motor is more motors typically range from below a itself so that the flux opposition is expensive than the PM stepper motor watt for very small motors up to 10 – minimized. In this case the motor but provides better performance with 20 watts for larger motors. The maxi- would rotate clockwise so that its respect to step resolution, torque and mum power dissipation level or south pole aligns with the north pole speed. Typical step angles for the HB thermal limits of the motor are seldom of the stator B at position 2 and its stepper motor range from 3.6° to 0.9° clearly stated in the motor manu- north pole aligns with the south pole (100 – 400 steps per revolution). The facturers data. To determine this we of stator B at position 6. To get the hybrid stepper motor combines the must apply the relationship P␣ =V ×␣I. motor to rotate we can now see that best features of both the PM and VR For example, a size 23 step motor may we must provide a sequence of type stepper motors. The rotor is be rated at 6V and 1A per phase. energizing the stator windings in such multi-toothed like the VR motor and Therefore, with two phases energized a fashion that provides a rotating contains an axially magnetized con- the motor has a rated power dissipa- magnetic flux field which the rotor centric magnet around its shaft. The tion of 12 watts. It is normal practice follows due to magnetic attraction. teeth on the rotor provide an even to rate a stepper motor at the power better path which helps guide the dissipation level where the motor case magnetic flux to preferred locations in rises 65°C above the ambient in still Torque Generation the airgap. This further increases the air. Therefore, if the motor can be The torque produced by a stepper detent, holding and dynamic torque mounted to a heatsink it is often motor depends on several factors. characteristics of the motor when com- possible to increase the allowable • The step rate pared with both the VR and PM power dissipation level. This is types. important as the motor is designed to • The drive current in the windings The two most commonly used types be and should be used at its maximum • The drive design or type of stepper motors are the permanent power dissipation ,to be efficient from magnet and the hybrid types. If a a size/output power/cost point of view. In a stepper motor a torque is devel- designer is not sure which type will oped when the magnetic fluxes of the best fit his applications requirements rotor and stator are displaced from he should first evaluate the PM type as When to Use a Stepper each other. The stator is made up of a it is normally several times less expen- Motor high permeability magnetic material. sive. If not then the hybrid motor may A stepper motor can be a good choice The presence of this high permeability be the right choice. whenever controlled movement is material causes the magnetic flux to required. They can be used to advan- be confined for the most part to the There also excist some special tage in applications where you need to paths defined by the stator structure stepper motor designs. One is the disc control rotation angle, speed, position in the same fashion that currents are magnet motor. Here the rotor is and synchronism. Because of the in- confined to the conductors of an elec- designed sa a disc with rare earth herent advantages listed previously, tronic circuit. This serves to concen- magnets, See fig. 5 . This motor type stepper motors have found their place trate the flux at the stator poles. The 2 torque output produced by the motor increase the number of steps per is proportional to the intensity of the revolution of the motor, or in other magnetic flux generated when the words to provide a smaller basic (full 8 1 winding is energized.