BLDC Motor Drive

OPTIONAL
LOGO HERE

OPTIONAL
LOGO HERE

Osman Martinez and Daniel Schwartz

University of Arkansas - Fayetteville

Introduction

Proposed Design

This project was to design and test a brushless

DC (BLDC) motor drive for the newest generation
rover at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. It is
intended to be a one manned electric vehicle(EV)
with 6 independently controlled BLDC motors
mounted to a rocker-bogie style suspension
system. The chassis will be constructed of
aluminum tubing and welded at the joints.

3 Phase Bridge inverter topology

6 power semiconductors used as switches
120 degree conduction with six step control using Hall sensor
feedback from the motor
Controlled via microcontroller
Overvoltage/Overcurrent protection

Figure 3- System block diagram

Figure 1- Mechanical design of the rover

Figure 5- In-wheel motor construction

http://www.learnengineering.org/2014/Brushless-DC-motor.html

Fundamental Requirements
The BLDC in-wheel motors that were used for this
project originated from a bicycle conversion kit so there
was no documentation to speak of on the motor itself.
Before any testing could be done, the motor
characteristics had to be determined.
In addition the initial deliverables were
BLDC motor drive design
Printed PCB of board design
Implement a control algorithm for the drive
Motor speed regulation
Allow for bidirectional control

Figure 7- MATLAB Simulation

TEMPLATE DESIGN 2008

www.PosterPresentations.com

This dead lift test was

done to measure the
current
carrying
capabilities of the
BLDC motor drive as
well as to determine
the limits of the motor
itself.

PCB Layout
Figure 12- Dead lift test data

This battery is made

up of 4 - 60 amp hour,
12V lithium ion battery
packs. Typical full
charge
voltage
is
close to 53V and it is
connected
to
the
BLDC motor drive via
an inline fuse.

Figure 4- 3-phase bridge topology

Figure 13- Battery for rover

Conclusion

Figure 6- Gate signals (120 degree conduction)

Figure 8- PCB BRD File

Figure 6- Single phase circuit

Figure 2 BLDC motor enclosure

Figure 9 Image of board(above)

Figure 10 IR image no load
(upper right)
Figure 11 IR image loaded (right)

Figure 7- MATLAB Simulation Line to Line voltages

Test Stand
When we began testing we noticed a need for a safe
enclosure in which the motor could be placed when
moving. The enclosure we designed will be encased in
Plexiglas so that it will be safe to operate in indoor labs.
The enclosure also proved useful as a lathe when the
wheels were constructed.

Testing

Simulation

The PCB Layout was done with Eagle PCB software.

The final board design features are:
3.3 x 4 inches
One ounce copper pour
All switching transistors are located along one axis
for easy heat sinking
Includes a 5V regulator for powering of the gate
driver chips and the microcontroller

The university rover is a collaboration of a team of

engineering students in mechanical and electrical
engineering working on different projects under the
supervision of a project sponsor. The portion of the
rover that is the topic of this project is the design,
testing and implementation of a BLDC motor drive
which will be implemented as multiple circuit boards to
control the six BLDC motors, each with its
corresponding board that will provide bidirectional
propulsion to the vehicle. This circuit will provide safety
to the semiconductor devices against high magnitude
transients that are a result of the rapid switching of
highly inductive loads which will provide better reliability
of the circuitry and smoother motor operation. The
project objectives were met and exceeded by delivering
multiple working printed circuit board revisions as well
as thermal analysis of the board during heavy load
testing.