With the service robot industry on the rise, so too is the demand for power architectures that are efficient, reliable, and capable of high levels of power density. In this article by Ali Husain from onsemi, you can learn more about how to select the right components to meet the various power functions needed to meet the needs of the growing robotic trends.
This blog post from onsemi, written by Ali Husain, discusses the power structures needed for both professional and domestic robots. This includes industrial robots, autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), maintenance robots, and robot appliances (vacuum cleaners, lawn equipment, etc.)
The 48V power bus has become popular in various applications because it is the highest safe voltage in common use. This allows engineers to reduce the system protections, thus reducing weight, cost and power losses. In robotic applications, motors powered by 48V are also generally smaller and this allows for smaller and lighter joints, thereby increasing machine efficiency, dexterity and reliability while reducing weight and cost. This creates more potential opportunities for robot use to improve automation of processes in all industries.
Many modern robotic applications utilize a 48V bus to transport power around the system. This offers 1/16 of the losses or allows thinner and lighter cables to be used compared with a typical 12V bus. In fixed robot installations, the 48V will be generated by a mains-fed power supply that will incorporate a power factor corrected (PFC) front end.
The designs for many robot applications also include a number of functional elements including connectivity, image sensing, power conversion, and motor control, depending on the application. There are also a number of different power sub-systems such as AC/DC conversion, DC/DC conversion, battery management, multiphase converters, point-of-load (PoL) conversion, linear regulation and motor drivers.
Gain insight into what components to consider when designing a service robot’s power architecture, explore a robot power block diagram, and find solutions for your product with the guided expertise offered in this post by onsemi.