Sometimes, after watching robot videos or live competitions, people feel the urge to build their own robots. However, most people lack the professional knowledge to know where to begin. Here are three commonly used types of motors in robots.
Three types of motors commonly used in robots
Today, we'll introduce some basic knowledge about robots, taking you step by step to understand them. Let's start by discussing the types of motors commonly used in robots. There are three main types of motors commonly used in robots: ordinary DC motors, servo motors, and stepper motors.
1. A rotating electrical machine whose output or input is direct current (DC) electrical energy is called a DC motor. It is a motor that can convert DC electrical energy and mechanical energy into each other. When it operates as a motor, it is a DC motor, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy; when it operates as a generator, it is a DC generator, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.
2. Servo Motor. A servo motor, also known as an actuator motor, is used as an actuator in automatic control systems to convert received electrical signals into angular displacement or angular velocity output on the motor shaft. They are divided into two main categories: DC and AC servo motors. Their main characteristic is that they do not rotate when the signal voltage is zero, and their speed decreases uniformly as the torque increases.
3. Stepper Motor: A stepper motor is an open-loop control element that converts electrical pulse signals into angular or linear displacement. Under non-overload conditions, the motor's speed and stopping position depend only on the frequency and number of pulse signals, and are unaffected by load changes. That is, applying a pulse signal to the motor will cause it to rotate one step angle. This linear relationship, coupled with the stepper motor's characteristic of having only periodic errors and no cumulative errors, contributes to its performance.
In areas such as speed and position control, stepper motors offer a very simple control method. Beginners are generally unfamiliar with microcontroller-controlled motors; they can start by using the PWM signal output from a microcontroller to control a DC motor. Further advancement involves trying to control a stepper motor for higher control precision. For motion control in small vehicles, DC motors or stepper motors are generally used, while servo motors are typically used in robotic arms to achieve precise rotation angles and trajectory planning.
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