EEE 471

Brushless DC Motor (BLDC)

Dr. A Hasib Chowdhury

Dept. of EEE, BUET
August 2014
 Brushless DC Motor (BLDC)
• Conventional dc motors are highly efficient
• Their characteristics make them suitable for use as
servomotors: current and torque, voltage and rpm are
linearly related
• Functions of commutator and brushes implemented by
solid-state switches  brushless dc motor 
maintenance-free motor
• Formal definition: A BLDC is a synchronous electric
motor powered by dc electricity
– has an electronically controlled commutation system,
instead of a mechanical commutation system based on
brushes
 Brushless DC Motor (BLDC) contd.
• Combines advantages of PMDC motor and
synchronous motor
– No excitation losses, and no wear out
– Low reactive current, similar to DC motor, current
proportional to torque
– Measuring shaft torque is easy  by detecting DC current
in DC link
– High supply voltage allowed
• only limited by power transistors in frequency inverter and
winding insulation of motor
– Like DC motor, BLDC needs speed control and speed sensor
 Basic Structures
• It is an inside out dc motor
– Armature on stator instead of rotor  commutator do not
need rotating parts, electronic commutator used
– Rotor is a permanent magnet no power supply needed

Structure of a typical
three-phase BLDC
 Basic Structures contd.
• Stator windings similar to those in a polyphase ac
motor
• Rotor composed of one or more permanent
magnets
• BLDC different from ac synchronous motors 
incorporates means to detect rotor position to
produce signals to control electronic switches
• Most common position/pole sensor is Hall
element, some motors use optical sensors
 Variation in Construction
Several different physical configurations
Conventional (also known as 'inrunner') configuration
• Permanent magnets mounted on spinning armature (rotor)
• Three stator windings surround rotor
Outrunner configuration
• Radial-relationship between coils and magnets reversed; stator coils form
center (core) of motor
• Permanent magnets spin on an overhanging rotor which surrounds core
Flat type
• Stator and rotor plates, mounted face to face  used where there are space
or shape limitations
Outrunners typically have more poles, set up in triplets to maintain three
groups of windings, and have a higher torque at low RPMs
 Variation in Construction contd.
• Two electrical configurations having to do with how windings are
connected to each other (not their physical shape or location)
– Delta configuration
– Wye configuration
• Delta configuration gives low torque at low rpm, but can give
higher top rpm
• Wye configuration gives high torque at low rpm, but not as high
top rpm
• Wye winding normally more efficient
– At any given time, two-thirds of windings in a delta configuration are
running at half the voltage of the other, which has an impact on
efficiency
– Wye winding always powers only two windings in series, so higher
voltages (or lower-resistance windings) can be used
 Variation in Construction contd.
• Two-phase BLDCs also very commonly used for simple
construction and drive circuits

Cross section of a two-phase motor having

auxiliary salient poles
 Advantages Over Brushed DC Motors
BLDC motors and conventional dc motors are similar in static characteristics,
but remarkable differences in some aspects
Conventional dc motor commutation by brushes and commutator
BLDC motor  commutation by using semiconductor devices (eg. transistors)
• Higher efficiency and reliability
• Reduced noise
• Longer lifetime (no brush erosion)
• Elimination of ionizing sparks from commutator
• Overall reduction of electromagnetic interference (EMI)
• Electromagnets can be cooled by conduction to motor casing, requiring no
airflow inside motor for cooling  so motor's internals can be entirely
enclosed
• Maximum power that can be applied to a BLDC motor is exceptionally
high, limited almost exclusively by heat
 Main Disadvantage
• Higher cost BLDC motors require complex electronic speed
controllers to run
• Many practical uses have not been well developed in
commercial sector
• Under high mechanical loads, BLDC motors and high-quality
brushed motors are comparable in efficiency
Comparison of Conventional and Brushless DC Motors
 Drive Circuits
Unipolar drive

A simple 3-phase unipolar-operated motor

(optical sensors as position detectors)
 Drive Circuits contd.
• Phototransistors PT1, PT2, PT3 placed at 1200 intervals
– Exposed to light in sequence through a revolving shutter
• As rotor S-pole faces P2, PT1 detects light and turns transistor Tr1 on
• S-pole, created at pole P1 by current in winding W1, attracts rotor N-pole
to move it in the direction of arrow
• When N-pole comes to position to face pole P1, shutter shades PT1, and
PT2 will be exposed to light  transistor Tr2 turned on
 Drive Circuits contd.
• A current flows through winding W2, creates a S-pole on P2
• Rotor N-pole revolves in the direction of arrow and face P2
• At this moment, shutter shades PT2, and PT3 exposed to light
• These actions steer current from winding W2 to W3
• Thus P2 de-energized, while P3 energized creates S-pole
• Hence N-pole on rotor further travels from P2 to P3 without
stopping
• By repeating such a switching action in sequence, permanent
magnet rotor revolves continuously
 Drive Circuits contd.

Switching sequence and

rotation of stator's
magnetic field
 Drive Circuits contd.
Bipolar drive
• Efficiency highest
when a 3-phase BLDC
motor is driven by a 3-
phase bridge, since
current flows through
each winding
• This drive is called
'bipolar drive' (since a
winding is alternately
energized in south and
north poles)

Three phase bipolar-driven BLDC motor

 Drive Circuits contd.
• 6 phototransistors placed at equal intervals to detect rotor position
• These photo elements exposed in sequence to light through a revolving
shutter
• The relation between the ON/OFF state of the transistors and the light
detecting phototransistors are quite complex.
• The simplest relation is set when the logic sequencer is arranged in such a
way that when a phototransistor marked with a certain number is exposed
to light, the transistor of the same number turns ON.
• Fig.6 shows that when currents flow through Tr1, Tr4, and Tr5, terminals U
and W have the battery voltage, while terminal V has zero potential.
• In this state, a current will flow from terminal U to V, and another current
from W to V as illustrated in Fig.7.
Motor from a 3.5" floppy disk drive. The coils, arranged radially, are made from copper
wire coated with blue insulation. The rotor (upper right) has been removed and
turned upside-down. The grey ring inside its cup is a permanent magnet.
The four poles on the stator of a two-phase brushless motor. This is part of a
computer cooling fan; the rotor has been removed.