How the Nidec Brushless DC motor Helps Sustain the Environment
The brushless motor has many environmental merits such as being energy-saving, durable, small and light, and generating little noise. These advantages are expanding the demand of our company’s brushless DC motors to be used in home appliances, automobile and many other areas, and the demand is expected to grow even further in the future.
What is the brushless DC motor?
Motors are usually categorized into AC and DC motors. Further, DC motors are categorized into brushed and brushless types. Nidec Corporation is a manufacturer specialized in the latter.
Rotating a motor requires to change the direction of the electric current running in its coil. An AC motor uses alternating current, with which the direction of the current changes. Whereas, a DC motor, which uses direct current whose electric current runs in a same direction, requires a component called “brush” to change the direction of the current running inside the coil.
A “brush,” which directly contacts a rotating component called “commutator,” and which conducts electricity, tends to generate noise, fails to function properly due to wearing, or generate electro-magnetic noise that can cause computers to malfunction.
Brushless DC motors, without using this “brush,” control the direction of the current running in the coil with an electronic circuit. With the circuit controlling the electric current more precisely than other motors, the rotation of motors can be controlled more accurately, which makes brushless motors used in various highly value-added products.
Products with eco-friendly design
We continue to pursue the design of products that are even more eco-friendly brushless DC motors than the current ones.
Abolition of the coating on the thrust yokes of HDD motors
We stopped the use of the coating on the thrust yokes of 2.5-inch HDD motors.
The thrust yoke, using the magnetic power generated between it and magnets, supports the motor’s rotating part. An experiment planning method-based design optimization has successfully stopped the iron loss of the motor, and enabled the replacement of electromagnetic steels (which require the coating) by stainless steel (which does not).
This progress reduced the material loss caused by the preprocessing of the coating by 3%, and made the coating’s liquid waste disposal unnecessary.
Reducing the noise level of the electric power steering motor
Quietly rotating motors are required for hybrid cars and electric vehicles.
Using structural, magnetic field, and other analytical software, we have successfully optimized the magnetic structure and motor installation method, and reduced the noise level from approximately 30dB (conventional products) to approximately 15dB (modified products).
Smaller and more energy-efficient motors for air conditioners
We have been trying to develop smaller and more energy-efficient filter cleaning motors used for air conditioners.
Integrating components and a better component retaining method have successfully made motors smaller, expanded the air conditioners’ magnetic space. This progress enabled us to, while maintaining the current performance level of our products, reduce the motor’s diameter by approximately 24%, lighten its weight by approximately 19%, and reduce the product’s energy consumption by approximately 25%.
