EPC stated GaN allows high-performance motor drives for high-voltage battery purposes. | Supply: Environment friendly Energy Conversion
Environment friendly Energy Conversion Corp., or EPC, this week launched EPC91104, a high-performance, three-phase brushless DC motor drive inverter reference design. The corporate stated this design is appropriate for powering compact, precision motors in humanoid robots, comparable to these used for wrist, finger, and toe actions.
“Humanoid robots demand motors with precision and compactness, and the EPC91104 is particularly designed to fulfill these wants for purposes like small joint actuation,” stated Alex Lidow, CEO of EPC.
EPC is a developer of enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN) energy gadgets. Based in 2007, the firm stated its eGaN know-how allows it to advance new purposes and industries.
It stated silicon has hit its bodily limits and, subsequently, is not in a position to keep forward of demand for increasingly more environment friendly energy. GaN know-how presents vital benefits over conventional silicon-based gadgets, together with larger effectivity, quicker switching speeds, and smaller dimension, EPC stated.
New board presents effectivity, says EPC
The EPC91104 analysis board makes use of the EPC23104 ePower Stage IC, providing a most RDS(on) (drain-source on-resistance) of 11 mΩ and supporting DC bus voltages as much as 80 V. The design helps as much as 14 Apk steady-state and 20 Apk pulsed present, making certain dependable efficiency for humanoid robotic purposes that require nice motor management and precision, stated EPC.
The corporate listed key options of the EPC91104:
- Vast voltage vary: Operates between 14 V and 80 V, accommodating a wide range of battery techniques
- Compact design: Appropriate for space-constrained robotics
- Superior safety: Consists of overcurrent and enter under-voltage safety, making certain reliability in demanding purposes
- Optimized effectivity: Low-distortion switching reduces torque ripple and motor noise.
The EPC91104 is suitable with controller boards from main producers, together with Microchip, Texas Devices, STMicroelectronics, and Renesas, providing engineers flexibility in growth. It’s outfitted with complete sensing and safety options, making certain speedy prototyping and testing, EPC stated.
For higher-current necessities, comparable to elbow and knee motors in humanoid robots, EPC presents the EPC9176 board in the identical household. With enhanced present capability, the EPC9176 enhances the EPC91104 to cowl a full vary of motor drive purposes in robotics, in accordance with EPC.
The EPC91104 reference design boards are priced at $780.00. The EPC23104 is priced at $2.50/ea in 3Ku reels. The reference boards can be found by way of DigiKey.
Robotics trade prepares for a humanoid growth
Humanoid robots have been not possible to disregard up to now few years inside the robotics trade, and that momentum gained’t be slowing down any time quickly. Goldman Sachs Analysis tasks that the market will attain $38 billion by 2035, up greater than sixfold from its earlier estimate of $6 billion.
2024 was an enormous 12 months for humanoids. In June, we realized that GXO formally deployed a “small fleet” of Digit humanoids at a Spanx facility in Georgia. In November, Schaeffler AG made a minority funding into Agility Robotics and deliberate to purchase Digit robots to be used throughout its international plant community. These marked the primary paying deployments for humanoid robots.
As well as, Determine AI is transport its Determine 02 system to its first paying clients.
The jury continues to be out on whether or not humanoids will achieve the market traction the robotics trade is betting on. Regardless, they’ll obtain piles of funding and analysis within the years to come back. The Worldwide Federation of Robotics named humanoids reaching for brand new markets as considered one of its high predictions for 2025. In a rising ecosystem, part suppliers like EPC may have an essential function to play.
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