Drives for electric machines

Drives for electric machines

We design and build custom drives with advanced control algorithms for both sensored (with transducers such as hall sensors, encoder or resolver) or sensorless applications. Our solutions are aimed at obtaining high dynamic response and high electromechanical conversion efficiency.

Our custom drives are optimized for your application and use innovative fully digital control algorithms, implemented on modern DSC (Digital Signal Controller) processors.

We design inverter with MOSFET or IGBT technology, with architectures based on discrete components or integrated intelligent modules (IPM).

We can provide you fully customized solutions for the control of:

• DC Brushed Motors
• Step Motors
• Brushless Motors
• Torque Motors
• Induction Motors

According to your specific needs, all our drives can be equipped with communication interfaces such as serial sinchronous (SPI) or asinchronous (SCI) ports, field bus CANBUS, ModBus, etc...

DC Brushed Motors.

DC brushed motor drives for small and medium power (0 - 1000 W) applications with independent excitation or permanent magnets. Employed for simple, low-cost actuators, with torque, speed and position feedback control.

Step Motors.

Drives for small power unipolar or bipolar stepper motors, driven by advanced algorithms such as microstepping and efficient modulation techniques and high performance (smart mixed mode), to guarantee performance comparable to those obtained with brushless motors. They are the ideal solution for low power applications (<100 W) that require fast and accurate positioning, such as light robotics, computer peripherals (printers, scanners, etc..) and servomechanisms. The absence of windings on the rotor can reduce the weight and then the moment of inertia allowing for a higher dynamic response.

Example of products developed in previous projects:

• Step motor drive for textile industry applications

Brushless motors.

Drives for brushless motors, both DC or sinusoidal (AC) types, with surface magnets (SPM) or buried (IPM), with windings connected in star or delta. Sensored vector control algorithms, based on transducers such as hall-effect probes, encoder or resolver (we developed an innovative technique of oversampling and zero drift compensation). Fully sensorless applicaitons are also available, using the equations of the machine and dynamic status observers. Implementation of advanced sensorless techniques based on the measurement freewheeling diodes conduction, zero-crossing of the electromotive force or evaluation of the zero-sequence component of the third harmonic.

Example of products developed in previous projects:

• Sensorless drive for gear pump
• Brushless fan drive for automotive application
• Brushless AC motor drive for Hybrid traction application

Torque Motors.

Particular class of brushless motors with a high number of poles for direct-drive applications with high torque requirements. Used in industrial automation and in the automotive sector for the construction of in-hub drive wheels. The drives employ current and position feedback loops with autozero function.

Induction Motors.

Small to Medium power drives with simple control algorithms (constant flux V/f technique), or sophisticated solutions like Field Oriented Control or DTC, allowing high dynamic performances comparable to DC machines. Sensored or sensorless solutions with innovative control algorithms direct or indirect field oriented algorithms, rotor flux estimation via motor equations and dynamic observers. Completely sensorless techniques based on MRAS technique (Model Reference Adaptive Systems) and Luenberger observer.

Example of products developed in previous projects:

• Induction motor drives with field oriented control