Genteq is a subsidiary of Regal-Beloit Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers of electric motors in the world. Genteq is the rebranding of Regal's GE ECM, GE Capacitors and GE Commercial Motors divisions, which occurred in 2009.
55-644: Genteq develops and manufactures electronically commutated motors (ECM) and capacitors for residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning ( HVAC ) systems. The company is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana , with manufacturing facilities in Mexico . Genteq is the developer of BLAC motor technology, and the DEC Star blower. DEC Star blower technology has been developed into the DEC Star Fan Panel System,
110-436: A coil of wire wound around an iron core. DC running through the wire winding creates the magnetic field , providing the power that runs the motor. The misalignment generates a torque that tries to realign the fields. As the rotor moves, and the fields come into alignment, it is necessary to move either the rotor's or stator's field to maintain the misalignment and continue to generate torque and movement. The device that moves
165-554: A commutator and brushes , also in 1832. Development quickly included more useful applications such as Moritz Hermann Jacobi 's motor that could lift 10 to 12 pounds with a speed of one foot per second, about 15 watts of mechanical power in 1834. In 1835, Francis Watkins describes an electrical "toy" he created; he is generally regarded as one of the first to understand the interchangeability of motor and generator . Induction (asynchronous) motors, generators and alternators ( synchronous ) have an electromagnetic system consisting of
220-422: A microcontroller , or may alternatively be implemented using analog or digital circuits. Commutation with electronics instead of brushes allows for greater flexibility and capabilities not available with brushed DC motors, including speed limiting, microstepping operation for slow and fine motion control, and a holding torque when stationary. Controller software can be customized to the specific motor being used in
275-444: A stator and rotor. There are two designs for the rotor in an induction motor: squirrel cage and wound. In generators and alternators, the rotor designs are salient pole or cylindrical . The squirrel-cage rotor consists of laminated steel in the core with evenly spaced bars of copper or aluminum placed axially around the periphery, permanently shorted at the ends by the end rings. This simple and rugged construction makes it
330-406: A 'Y' configuration. The rotor winding terminals are brought out and attached to the three slips rings with brushes, on the shaft of the rotor. Brushes on the slip rings allow for external three-phase resistors to be connected in series to the rotor windings for providing speed control. The external resistances become a part of the rotor circuit to produce a large torque when starting the motor. As
385-442: A comprehensive approach to building/facility wide energy and demand reductions. Genteq markets its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as to HVAC contractors, distributors and technicians. Regal acquired General Electric ’s Commercial and HVACR Motors and Capacitors businesses in 2004. These acquisitions from General Electric effectively doubled Regal's size. As part of that acquisition, Regal acquired
440-444: A decline in use of brushed motors. These disadvantages are: During the last hundred years, high-power DC brushed motors, once the mainstay of industry, were replaced by alternating current (AC) synchronous motors . Today, brushed motors are used only in low-power applications or where only DC is available, but the above drawbacks limit their use even in these applications. In brushless DC motors, an electronic controller replaces
495-582: A development made by IBEC: Innovative Building Energy Controls, a Kansas corporation headed by Dave Ogle, Kansas Master Mechanical and the developer of the Net Positive RTU using the DECStar technology. DEC Star Fan Panels are both a retro-fit, and new manufacturing application for large energy reductions in commercial HVAC applications. DEC Star blower technology is a key component to the Power Scout program,
550-441: A direct-drive design. Brushed DC motors were invented in the 20th century and are still common. Brushless DC motors were made possible by the development of solid state electronics in the 1960s. An electric motor develops torque by keeping the magnetic fields of the rotor (the rotating part of the machine) and the stator (the fixed part of the machine) misaligned. One or both sets of magnets are electromagnets , made of
605-682: A fixed armature , eliminating problems associated with connecting current to the moving armature. An electronic controller replaces the commutator assembly of the brushed DC motor, which continually switches the phase to the windings to keep the motor turning. The controller performs similar timed power distribution by using a solid-state circuit rather than the commutator system. Brushless motors offer several advantages over brushed DC motors, including high torque to weight ratio, increased efficiency producing more torque per watt , increased reliability, reduced noise, longer lifetime by eliminating brush and commutator erosion, elimination of ionizing sparks from
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#1733105000182660-477: A great amount of power to RC racers and, if paired with appropriate gearing and high-discharge lithium polymer (Li-Po) or lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, these cars can achieve speeds over 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph). Brushless motors are capable of producing more torque and have a faster peak rotational speed compared to nitro- or gasoline-powered engines. Nitro engines peak at around 46,800 r/min and 2.2 kilowatts (3.0 hp), while
715-434: A motor controller excites the coil windings in the actuator causing an interaction of the magnetic fields resulting in linear motion. Tubular linear motors are another form of linear motor design operated in a similar way. Brushless motors have become a popular motor choice for model aircraft including helicopters and drones . Their favorable power-to-weight ratios and wide range of available sizes have revolutionized
770-402: A smaller brushless motor can reach 50,000 r/min and 3.7 kilowatts (5.0 hp). Larger brushless RC motors can reach upwards of 10 kilowatts (13 hp) and 28,000 r/min to power one-fifth-scale models. Rotor (electric) The rotor is a moving component of an electromagnetic system in the electric motor , electric generator , or alternator . Its rotation is due to
825-689: A variable speed response, brushless motors operate in an electromechanical system that includes an electronic motor controller and a rotor position feedback sensor. Brushless DC motors are widely used as servomotors for machine tool servo drives. Servomotors are used for mechanical displacement, positioning or precision motion control. DC stepper motors can also be used as servomotors; however, since they are operated with open loop control , they typically exhibit torque pulsations. Brushless motors are used in industrial positioning and actuation applications. For assembly robots, Brushless technogy may be used to build linear motors . The advantage of linear motors
880-410: Is a synchronous motor using a direct current (DC) electric power supply. It uses an electronic controller to switch DC currents to the motor windings producing magnetic fields that effectively rotate in space and which the permanent magnet rotor follows. The controller adjusts the phase and amplitude of the current pulses that control the speed and torque of the motor. It is an improvement on
935-462: Is a trend in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration industries to use brushless motors instead of various types of AC motors . The most significant reason to switch to a brushless motor is a reduction in power required to operate them versus a typical AC motor. In addition to the brushless motor's higher efficiency, HVAC systems, especially those featuring variable-speed or load modulation, use brushless motors to give
990-647: Is another reason for their popularity. Legal restrictions for the use of combustion engine driven model aircraft in some countries, most often due to potential for noise pollution —even with purpose-designed mufflers for almost all model engines being available over the most recent decades—have also supported the shift to high-power electric systems. Their popularity has also risen in the radio-controlled (RC) car area. Brushless motors have been legal in North American RC car racing in accordance with Radio Operated Auto Racing (ROAR) since 2006. These motors provide
1045-415: Is applied at each of the connections. The wye ( Y -shaped) configuration, sometimes called a star winding, connects all of the windings to a central point, and power is applied to the remaining end of each winding. A motor with windings in delta configuration gives low torque at low speed but can give higher top speed. Wye configuration gives high torque at low speed, but not as high top speed. The wye winding
1100-401: Is created around the core, which is referred to as field current. The field current strength controls the power level of the magnetic field. Direct current (DC) drives the field current in one direction, and is delivered to the wire coil by a set of brushes and slip rings. Like any magnet, the magnetic field produced has a north and a south pole. The normal clockwise direction of the motor that
1155-412: Is greatest in the no-load and low-load regions of the motor's performance curve. Environments and requirements in which manufacturers use brushless-type DC motors include maintenance-free operation, high speeds, and operation where sparking is hazardous (i.e. explosive environments) or could affect electronically sensitive equipment. The construction of a brushless motor resembles a stepper motor , but
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#17331050001821210-489: Is limited only by the lifetime of their bearings . Brushed DC motors develop a maximum torque when stationary, linearly decreasing as velocity increases. Some limitations of brushed motors can be overcome by brushless motors; they include higher efficiency and lower susceptibility to mechanical wear. These benefits come at the cost of potentially less rugged, more complex, and more expensive control electronics. A typical brushless motor has permanent magnets that rotate around
1265-406: Is normally more efficient. Delta-connected windings can allow high-frequency parasitic electrical currents to circulate entirely within the motor. A Wye-connected winding does not contain a closed loop in which parasitic currents can flow, preventing such losses. Aside from the higher impedance of the wye configuration, from a controller standpoint, the two winding configurations can be treated exactly
1320-570: Is surrounded by the stator), or axial (the rotor and stator are flat and parallel). The advantages of a brushless motor over brushed motors are high power-to-weight ratio, high speed, nearly instantaneous control of speed (rpm) and torque, high efficiency, and low maintenance. Brushless motors find applications in such places as computer peripherals (disk drives, printers), hand-held power tools, and vehicles ranging from model aircraft to automobiles. In modern washing machines, brushless DC motors have allowed replacement of rubber belts and gearboxes by
1375-475: Is that they can produce linear motion without the need of a transmission system, such as ballscrews , leadscrew , rack-and-pinion , cam , gears or belts, that would be necessary for rotary motors. Transmission systems are known to introduce less responsiveness and reduced accuracy. Direct drive, brushless DC linear motors consist of a slotted stator with magnetic teeth and a moving actuator, which has permanent magnets and coil windings. To obtain linear motion,
1430-464: The application, resulting in greater commutation efficiency. The maximum power that can be applied to a brushless motor is limited almost exclusively by heat; too much heat weakens the magnets and damages the windings' insulation. When converting electricity into mechanical power, brushless motors are more efficient than brushed motors primarily due to the absence of brushes, which reduces mechanical energy loss due to friction. The enhanced efficiency
1485-446: The armature windings simultaneously. A salient pole ends in a pole shoe , a high- permeability part with an outer surface shaped as a segment of a cylinder to homogenize the distribution of the magnetic flux to the stator. The cylindrical shaped rotor is made of a solid steel shaft with slots running along the outside length of the cylinder for holding the field windings of the rotor which are laminated copper bars inserted into
1540-464: The brush commutator contacts. An electronic sensor detects the angle of the rotor and controls semiconductor switches such as transistors that switch current through the windings, either reversing the direction of the current or, in some motors turning it off, at the correct angle so the electromagnets create torque in one direction. The elimination of the sliding contact allows brushless motors to have less friction and longer life; their working life
1595-1008: The built-in microprocessor continuous control over cooling and airflow. The application of brushless DC motors within industrial engineering primarily focuses on manufacturing engineering or industrial automation design. Brushless motors are ideally suited for manufacturing applications because of their high power density, good speed-torque characteristics, high efficiency, wide speed ranges and low maintenance. The most common uses of brushless DC motors in industrial engineering are motion control , linear actuators , servomotors , actuators for industrial robots, extruder drive motors and feed drives for CNC machine tools. Brushless motors are commonly used as pump, fan and spindle drives in adjustable or variable speed applications as they are capable of developing high torque with good speed response. In addition, they can be easily automated for remote control. Due to their construction, they have good thermal characteristics and high energy efficiency . To obtain
1650-403: The common central body of the rotor. The poles are supplied by direct current or magnetized by permanent magnets . The armature with a three-phase winding is on the stator where voltage is induced. Direct current (DC), from an external exciter or from a diode bridge mounted on the rotor shaft, produces a magnetic field and energizes the rotating field windings and alternating current energizes
1705-485: The commutator, and an overall reduction of electromagnetic interference (EMI). With no windings on the rotor, they are not subjected to centrifugal forces, and because the windings are supported by the housing, they can be cooled by conduction, requiring no airflow inside the motor for cooling. This in turn means that the motor's internals can be entirely enclosed and protected from dirt or other foreign matter. Brushless motor commutation can be implemented in software using
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1760-450: The commutator, making sliding electrical contact with successive segments as the rotor turns. The brushes selectively provide electric current to the windings. As the rotor rotates, the commutator selects different windings and the directional current is applied to a given winding such that the rotor's magnetic field remains misaligned with the stator and creates a torque in one direction. The brush commutator has disadvantages that has led to
1815-427: The controller implements the traditional brushes' functionality, it needs to know the rotor's orientation relative to the stator coils. This is automatic in a brushed motor due to the fixed geometry of the rotor shaft and brushes. Some designs use Hall effect sensors or a rotary encoder to directly measure the rotor's position. Others measure the back-EMF in the undriven coils to infer the rotor position, eliminating
1870-454: The conventional inrunner configuration, the permanent magnets are part of the rotor. Three stator windings surround the rotor. In the external-rotor outrunner configuration, the radial relationship between the coils and magnets is reversed; the stator coils form the center (core) of the motor, while the permanent magnets spin within an overhanging rotor that surrounds the core. Outrunners typically have more poles, set up in triplets to maintain
1925-424: The favorite for most applications. The assembly has a twist: the bars are slanted , or skewed, to reduce magnetic hum and slot harmonics and to reduce the tendency of locking. Housed in the stator, the rotor and stator teeth can lock when they are in equal number and the magnets position themselves equally apart, opposing rotation in both directions. Bearings at each end mount the rotor in its housing, with one end of
1980-449: The fields based on the position of the rotor is called a commutator . In brushed motors this is done with a rotary switch on the motor's shaft called a commutator. It consists of a rotating cylinder or disc divided into multiple metal contact segments on the rotor. The segments are connected to conductor windings on the rotor. Two or more stationary contacts called brushes , made of a soft conductor such as graphite , press against
2035-571: The increased efficiency of the motor leads to longer periods of use before the battery needs to be charged. Low speed, low power brushless motors are used in direct-drive turntables for gramophone records . Brushless motors can also be found in marine applications, such as underwater thrusters . Drones also utilize brushless motors to elevate their performance . Brushless motors are found in electric vehicles , hybrid vehicles , personal transporters , and electric aircraft . Most electric bicycles use brushless motors that are sometimes built into
2090-488: The interaction between the windings and magnetic fields which produces a torque around the rotor's axis. An early example of electromagnetic rotation was the first rotary machine built by Ányos Jedlik with electromagnets and a commutator , in 1826-27. Other pioneers in the field of electricity include Hippolyte Pixii who built an alternating current generator in 1832, and William Ritchie's construction of an electromagnetic generator with four rotor coils ,
2145-413: The machine shaft that converts alternating current to direct current. In a three-phase induction machine, alternating current supplied to the stator windings energizes it to create a rotating magnetic flux. The flux generates a magnetic field in the air gap between the stator and the rotor and induces a voltage which produces current through the rotor bars. The rotor circuit is shorted and current flows in
2200-560: The market for electric-powered model flight, displacing virtually all brushed electric motors, except for low powered inexpensive often toy grade aircraft. They have also encouraged growth of simple, lightweight electric model aircraft, rather than the previous internal combustion engines powering larger and heavier models. The increased power-to-weight ratio of modern batteries and brushless motors allows models to ascend vertically, rather than climb gradually. The low noise and lack of mass compared to small glow fuel internal combustion engines
2255-410: The mechanical commutator (brushes) used in many conventional electric motors. The construction of a brushless motor system is typically similar to a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), but can also be a switched reluctance motor , or an induction (asynchronous) motor . They may also use neodymium magnets and be outrunners (the stator is surrounded by the rotor), inrunners (the rotor
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2310-407: The motor speeds up, the resistances can be reduced to zero. A salient pole rotor is built upon a stack of "star shaped" steel laminations, typically with 2 or 3 or 4 or 6, maybe even 18 or more "radial prongs" sticking out from the middle, each of which is wound with copper wire to form a discrete outward facing electromagnet pole. The inward facing ends of each prong are magnetically grounded into
2365-421: The motor to run backwards briefly, adding even more complexity to the startup sequence. Other sensorless controllers are capable of measuring winding saturation caused by the position of the magnets to infer the rotor position. A typical controller contains three polarity-reversible outputs controlled by a logic circuit. Simple controllers employ comparators working from the orientation sensors to determine when
2420-406: The motors have important differences in implementation and operation. While stepper motors are frequently stopped with the rotor in a defined angular position, a brushless motor is usually intended to produce continuous rotation. Both motor types may have a rotor position sensor for internal feedback. Both a stepper motor and a well-designed brushless motor can hold finite torque at zero RPM. Because
2475-422: The need for separate Hall effect sensors. These are therefore often called sensorless controllers. Controllers that sense rotor position based on back-EMF have extra challenges in initiating motion because no back-EMF is produced when the rotor is stationary. This is usually accomplished by beginning rotation from an arbitrary phase, and then skipping to the correct phase if it is found to be wrong. This can cause
2530-641: The output phase should be advanced. More advanced controllers employ a microcontroller to manage acceleration, control motor speed and fine-tune efficiency. Two key performance parameters of brushless DC motors are the motor constants K T {\displaystyle K_{T}} (torque constant) and K e {\displaystyle K_{e}} (back-EMF constant, also known as speed constant K V = 1 K e {\displaystyle K_{V}={1 \over K_{e}}} ). Brushless motors can be constructed in several different physical configurations. In
2585-562: The rights to use the GE brand through 2009. Nearing the end of that licensing period, Regal rebranded these divisions as Genteq in February 2009. General Electric developed an Electronically Commutated Motor (also called Electronically Controlled Motor), or ECM, technology for use in residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning systems in North America in the mid-1980s. The GE ECM motor
2640-399: The rotor conductors. The action of the rotating flux and the current produces a force that generates a torque to start the motor. An alternator rotor is made up of a wire coil enveloped around an iron core. The magnetic component of the rotor is made from steel laminations to aid stamping conductor slots to specific shapes and sizes. As currents travel through the wire coil a magnetic field
2695-418: The rotor is powering can be manipulated by using the magnets and magnetic fields installed in the design of the rotor, allowing the motor to run in reverse or counterclockwise . The rotating magnetic field induces a voltage in the rotor bars as it passes over them. This equation applies to induced voltage in the rotor bars. where: A torque is produced by the force produced through the interactions of
2750-500: The same. Brushless motors fulfill many functions originally performed by brushed DC motors, but cost and control complexity prevents brushless motors from replacing brushed motors completely in the lowest-cost areas. Nevertheless, brushless motors have come to dominate many applications, particularly devices such as computer hard drives and CD/DVD players. Small cooling fans in electronic equipment are powered exclusively by brushless motors. They can be found in cordless power tools where
2805-433: The shaft protruding to allow the attachment of the load. In some motors, there is an extension at the non-driving end for speed sensors or other electronic controls . The generated torque forces motion through the rotor to the load. The wound rotor is a cylindrical core made of steel lamination with slots to hold the wires for its 3-phase windings which are evenly spaced at 120 electrical degrees apart and connected in
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#17331050001822860-413: The slots and is secured by wedges. The slots are insulated from the windings and are held at the end of the rotor by slip rings. An external direct current (DC) source is connected to the concentrically mounted slip rings with brushes running along the rings. The brushes make electrical contact with the rotating slip rings. DC current is also supplied through brushless excitation from a rectifier mounted on
2915-406: The three groups of windings, and have a higher torque at low RPMs. In the flat axial flux type , used where there are space or shape constraints, stator and rotor plates are mounted face to face. In all brushless motors, the coils are stationary. There are two common electrical winding configurations; the delta configuration connects three windings to each other in a triangle-like circuit, and power
2970-658: The wheel hub itself, with the stator fixed solidly to the axle and the magnets attached to and rotating with the wheel. The same principle is applied in self-balancing scooter wheels. Most electrically powered radio-controlled models use brushless motors because of their high efficiency. Brushless motors are found in many modern cordless tools, including some string trimmers , leaf blowers , saws ( circular and reciprocating ), and drills / drivers . The weight and efficiency advantages of brushless over brushed motors are more important to handheld, battery-powered tools than to large, stationary tools plugged into an AC outlet. There
3025-597: Was the first ultra-high efficiency motor for home heating and air conditioning systems, providing greater home comfort and energy efficiency. The DEC Star blower was added to the Genteq product line in 2014. The DEC Star Fan Panel system began development in 2015, and is currently available now, in 2016 through the IBEC corporation. www.ibec-group.com. Electronically commutated motor A brushless DC electric motor ( BLDC ), also known as an electronically commutated motor ,
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