By Steve Bush 17th January 2022
Oriental Motor of Japan has created brush-less dc motors for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots.
BLV-R motors, which are the R type of the BLV series, come in 100W (1/8hp) and 200W (1/4hp) types.
A “100W motor with a 30:1 gearbox measures 108.4mm in length and weighs 2.4kg”, according to the company. In this case (photo right foreground ) the motor has a 90mm frame. 200W motors come in one of three frame sizes depending on gearboxes and accessories: 90, 104 or 110mm.
When used with 200W motors, the offset gearbox (black in photo right) allows gearboxes to be mounted back-to-back with one motor forward and one motor rearward to drive paired wheels in narrow vehicles.
Operation is over 15 to 55Vdc ( 24 or 48V nominal) and the paired driver is 75 x 65 x 29mm, weighing 120g – the rest of the BLV series runs from 10 – 38V and has a 45 x 100 x 160mm driver.
“This input range is particularly beneficial for AGV operation,” said the company. “It compensates for voltage drops within the battery and ensures that the AGV maintains normal operation if back [flowing] regenerative energy causes the battery voltage to increase temporarily. The series has accurate torque control all the way down to 1rpm.”
The full BLV-R shaft speed range is 1 to 4,000rpm (other BLVs are 8 – 4,000 rpm).
Some stationary hold torque is available without adding a brake (there is a braked option), and a mode called ATL allows the motors to deliver up to 300% of rated torque continuously untill the driver’s thermal alarm is triggered – used when vehicles need to deliver loads up slopes and ramps in warehouses.
Communication is over the company’s own bus, and the proprietary ‘ID Share’ mode allows commands to be sent to multiple motors simultaneously.
Drivers are available that support Modbus or CANopen communications, with various shaft and gearhead options totalling 109 variations at the time of writing.
Approvals include UL and CE certification.
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