Drives and Control Solutions

Motors, Control Solutions, Power Transmission and Advanced Motion Technology                                                                 

June 9, 2022

 

MC Nidec DEvelops AC Servo Motor Equipped with Zignear 1 400

Nidec Corporation recently announced that it and Nidec Sankyo Corporation have jointly developed an AC servo motor (resolution: 17bit) equipped with Zignear®, the position detection technology that can be applied to industrial robots and replace encoders.

About this motor:

  • •Uses a similar number of components to a magnetic encoder, with similar location detection and tracking capabilities of an optical encoder;
  • •Boasts the maximum accuracy in mechanical angles for location detection errors (less than ±0.02°)*;
  • •Can operate similarly to a conventional 17bit‐AC servo motor (demonstrated in a system test with a Zignear-equipped motor to drive an automated guided vehicle (AGV));
  • •Is of an identical shape to a conventional magnetic encoder, making replacements between the two easy;
  • •Uses a general-purpose microcomputer to accommodate a wide variety of output formats, including the ABZ phase output that is outputted by an optical encoder, and formats common in magnetic encoders, such as serial
  • •Is intended for industrial robots and AGVs among others.

 

An encoder, which is a sensor used to detect the rotation of a brushless DC motor mainly, is essential in adjusting a motor to an intended location, and keeping its rotation consistent. Conventionally, a brushless DC motor has required an encoder, as it has been difficult to detect its accurate location due to the “inconsistency” in the magnetic sensor, or the installation of a hall sensor and sensitivity in particular. Now, however, after developing an algorithm that corrects such inconsistency, Nidec has successfully improved the location detection accuracy with the use of general-purpose microcomputers.

Despite its high accuracy and capability to operate in a strong magnetic field, an optical encoder tends to become larger in proportion to its accuracy, requiring precise positioning. This is why an optical encoder tends to be costly due to its code wheel and other components, and installation cost, and to deteriorate in an environment full of dust, oil, etc.

Meanwhile, a magnetic encoder operates even in a dusty environment, and is cost-competitive as it works with a relatively inexpensive IC chip, but the encoder’s accuracy is lower than that of an optical counterpart. Nidec’s Zignear®, which requires as small a number of components (only a hall sensor and a general-purpose microcomputer) as does a magnetic encoder, uses software to maintain location detection and tracking capabilities that are equal to those of an optical encoder.

Going forward, in the fields of industrial robot and mobility system that are becoming increasingly innovative and diverse, Zignear®-equipped AC servo motors will contribute to meeting the needs for high-level accuracy, diverse forms of communication, and replacing conventional products.

MC Nidec DEvelops AC Servo Motor Equipped with Zignear 2 400

 

 

To learn more about Zignear®, the location detection technology, click here 

 


Editor's Pick: Featured Article


DCS Put to the Ultimate Test Part 1 Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL 1 400x275

Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.

For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.

What Is Torsion?

 

To learn the answer, click here 

 


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