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The unique feature of a stepping motor is that its output shaft rotates in a series of
discrete angular intervals or steps, one step being taken each time a command pulse is
received. The stepping motor therefore allows control of the loads velocity, distance and
direction.
In a stepper motor, when a definite number of pulses are supplied, the shaft turns
through a definite known angle. This fact makes the motor well-suited for open-loop position
control because no feedback need be taken from the output shaft.
A significant advantage of the stepping motor is its compatibility with digital
electronic systems. These systems are becoming increasingly common in a wide variety
application and at the same time are becoming both more powerful and less expensive.
Such motors develop torques ranging from 1 µN-m upto 40 N-m. Their power output
ranges from about 1W to a maximum 2500W.
A stepper motor has the extraordinary ability to operate at very high stepping rates
and yet to remain fully in synchronism with the command pulses.
When the pulse rate is high, the shaft rotation seems continuous. Operation at high
speeds is called ‘slewing’.
If f is the stepping frequency (or pulse rate) in pulses per second (pps) and β is the
step angle, then motor shaft speed is given by
β× f
n= rps = pulse frequency resolution
360°
If the stepping rate is increased too quickly, the motor losses synchronism and stops.
Same happens if when the motor is slewing, command pulses are suddenly stopped instead of
being progressively slowed.
Stepping motors are designed to operate for long periods with the rotor held in a fixed
position and with rated current flowing in the stator windings. It means that stalling is no
problem for such motors whereas for most of the other motors, stalling results in the collapse
of back emf and a very high current which can lead to a quick burn out.
Example 11-2 [5] calculate the stepping angle for (a) a 3-stacks, 16 tooth rotor VR stepper
motor, and (b) a 3-phase, 24-pole PM stepper motor.
Solution: We know that
360° 360°
β= =
mN r No. of stator phases (or stacks) × No. of rotor teeth (or rotor poles)
360° 360°
(a) β = = 7.5° / step (b) β = = 5° / step
3 × 16 3 × 24
Example 39.1. A hybrid VR stepping has motor 8 main poles which have been castleated to
have 5 teeth each. If rotor has 50 teeth, calculate the stepping angle.
50 − 40
Solution: Ns=8×5=40; Nr=50; β = × 360° = 1.8°
50 × 40
Example 39.2. A stepper motor has a step angle of 2.5o. Determine (a) resolution, (b) number
of steps required for the shaft to make 25 revolutions and (c) shaft speed, if the stepping
frequency is 3600 pps.
360° 360°
Solution: (a) resolution = = = 144 steps / revolution
β 2.5°
(b) Now, steps/revolution= 144.
Hence, steps required for making 25 revolutions=144×25=36000.
β× f 2.5° × 3600
(c) n = rps = rps = 25 rps
360° 360°
Problem: What is the required resolution of a stepper motor that is to operate at a pulse
frequency of 6000 pps and travel 180o in 0.025s.
Solution: Given stepper motor travels 180o in 0.025 sec. So to complete one revolution,
stepper motor needs 0.025×2=0.05 sec.
Since 6000 pulses sent to the motor terminal per second, the resolution is the number of
pulses to complete one revolution.
So, resolution= 6000×0.05=300 steps/revolution.
Applications
Such motors are used for operation control in computer peripherals, textile industry,
IC fabrications and robotics etc.
Applications requiring incremental motion are typewrites, line printers, tape drivers,
floppy disk drivers, numerically-controlled machine tools, process control systems and X-Y
plotters.
Usually, position information can be obtained simply by keeping count of the pulses
sent to the motor thereby eliminating the need for expensive position sensors and feedback
controls.
Stepper motors also perform countless tasks outside the computer industry. It includes
commercial, military and medical applications where these motors perform such function as
mixing, cutting, striking, metering, and blending.
Advantages:
1. The rotation angle of the motor is proportional to the input pulse.
2. The motor has full torque at standstill (if the windings are energized).
3. Precise positioning and repeatability of movement since good stepper motors have an
accuracy of 3 – 5% of a step and this error is non cumulative from one step to the
next.
4. Excellent response to starting/stopping/reversing.
5. Very reliable since there are no contact brushes in the motor. Therefore the life of the
motor is simply dependant on the life of the bearing.
6. The motors response to digital input pulses provides open-loop control, making the
motor simpler and less costly to control.
7. It is possible to achieve very low speed synchronous rotation with a load that is
directly coupled to the shaft.
8. A wide range of rotational speeds can be realized as the speed is proportional to the
frequency of the input pulses.
Disadvantages:
1. Resonances can occur if not properly controlled.
2. Not easy to operate at extremely high speeds.
magnetized permanent magnets. A recent type uses a disc rotor which is magnetized axially
to give a small stepping angle and low inertia.
Unlike the VR or PM stepping motors, the step angle (step length) is independent of
the number of phases or stacks and is purely a function of the number of rotor teeth or pole.
So the step angle for hybrid stepping motor is given by:
360° 360°
β= =
Nr No. of rotor teeth (or rotor poles)
Hybrid stepper motor produces both excitation torque (varying as the sine of the
displacement angle of rotor) and reluctance torque (varying at twice the sine of the
displacement angle of rotor) as shown in Fig. 39.1-1(c).
Diametrically opposite pairs of stator coils are connected in series such that when one
tooth becomes a N-pole, the other one becomes a S-pole. Although shown as mechanical
switches in Fig. 39.2(e), in actual practice, switching of the phase current is done with the
help of solid-state control.
into a position of minimum reluctance of rotor teeth 2’ and 4’ lining up with stator teeth 3 and
6, respectively, as shown in Fig. 29. 2(c). The rotor rotates through full-step of 30o in the
clockwise (CW) direction.
If switch S3 is closed and S1 and S2 are kept open, the phase C is energized to make
magnetic flux with its axis along the stator poles of phase C. The rotor is, therefore, attracted
into a position of minimum reluctance of rotor teeth 1’ and 3’ lining up with stator teeth 2 and
5, respectively, as shown in Fig. 29. 2(d). The rotor rotates through an additional angle of 30o
in the CW direction.
If switch S1 is closed and S2 and S3 are kept open, the phase A is energized to make
magnetic flux with its axis along the stator poles of phase A. The rotor is, therefore, attracted
into a position of minimum reluctance of rotor teeth 2’ and 4’ lining up with stator teeth 4 and
1, respectively. The rotor rotates through a further angle of 30o in the CW direction.
By now the total angle turned is 90o. As each switch is closed and the preceding one
opened, the rotor each time rotates through an angle of 30o.
By repetitively closing the switches in the sequence 1-2-3-1 and thus energizing stator
phases in sequence ABCA etc., the rotor will rotate CW in 30o steps.
If the switch sequence is made 3-2-1-3 which makes phase sequence CBAC (or ACB),
the rotor will rotate counter-clockwise (CCW).
The 2-phase-ON mode provides greater holding torque and a much better damped
single-stack response than the 1-phase-ON mode of operation.
(d) Microstepping
It is also known as mini-stepping.
It utilizes two phases simultaneously as in 2-phase-ON mode but with the two
currents deliberately made unequal (unlike in half-stepping where the two phase currents
have to be kept equal).
The current in phase A is held constant while that in phase B is increased in very small
increments until maximum current is reached. The current in phase A is then reduced to zero
using the same very small increments. In this way, the resultant step becomes very small and
is called microstep.
For example, a VR stepper motor with a resolution of 200 steps/rev (β=1.8o) can with
microstepping have a resolution of 20,000 steps/rev (β=0.018o).
Stepper motors employing microstepping technique are used in printing and
phototypesetting where very fine resolution is called for. As seen, microstepping provides
smooth low-speed operation and high resolution.
Possible Questions:
1. What are differences between a stepper motor and a conventional motor?
Or, compare a stepper motor with a conventional motor.
2. Write some applications of stepper motors?
Example 11-2 [5] calculate the stepping angle for (a) a 3-stacks, 16 tooth rotor VR stepper
motor, and (b) a 3-phase, 24-pole PM stepper motor.
Example 39.1. A hybrid VR stepping has motor 8 main poles which have been castleated to
have 5 teeth each. If rotor has 50 teeth, calculate the stepping angle.
Example 39.2. A stepper motor has a step angle of 2.5o. Determine (a) resolution, (b) number
of steps required for the shaft to make 25 revolutions and (c) shaft speed, if the stepping
frequency is 3600 pps.
Example 11-3[5] A hybrid stepping motor has 50 variable reluctance rotor teeth. Calculate
the stepping angle (stepping length) in degrees.
Problem: What is the required resolution of a stepper motor that is to operate at a pulse
frequency of 6000 pps and travel 1800 in 0.025s.
References
[1] B. L. Theraja, A. K. Theraja, “A Textbook of ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY in SI Units
Volume II, AC & DC Machines”, S. Chand & Company Ltd., (Multicolour illustrative
Edition).
[2] A. F. Puchstein, T. C. Lloyd, A.G. Conrad, “Alternating Current Machines”, © 1942,
Asia Publishing House, Third Edition (Fully revised and corrected Edition 2006-07).
[3] Jack Rosenblatt, M. Harold Friedman, “Direct and Alternating Current Machinery”,
Indian Edition (2nd Edition), CBS Publishers & Distributors.
[4] A. E. Fitzgerald, Charles Kingsley, Jr. Stephen D. Umans, Electric Machinery, 5th
Edition in SI units, ©1992 Metric Edition, McGraw Hill Book Company.
[5] Irving L. Kosow, Electrical Machinery and Transformers, Second Edition, Prentice –Hall
India Pvt. Limited.