For Stable, Reliable Drone Gimbal Operation, Take BLDC Motors Out for a Spin
On unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), gimbal motors play a critical role in stabilizing the imaging payload, enabling the gimbal to pan and tilt smoothly and precisely as intended. As UAV-based imaging grows across a wide range of industries, these motors must deliver on a host of requirements. However, gimbal operation presents unique challenges that not every motor can meet, and sometimes gimbal designers may need extra help in addressing them.
At Orbex Group, we’re well-positioned to help address these challenges with compact, high-performance BLDC motors and extensive expertise to provide custom assemblies to suit hard-to-satisfy gimbal requirements.
Start With an Ideal Motor
Orbex ultra-compact high-performance drone gimbal motors feature a pancake-style form factor, with windings optimized for the low-speed operation typical of gimbal applications. They also provide a high torque constant for fast response when needed. Electronic commutation allows them to change speeds quickly and deliver excellent reliability. Orbex gimbal motors are also lightweight — an attractive feature for drones and other airborne craft.
Our standard gimbal motors are available in two sizes: 16 millimeters (OD) by 11 millimeters (H) (EC1611), typically suited for single-mode cameras, and 26 millimeters (OD) by 12 millimeters (H) (EC2612), which is well-suited for IR cameras. Here’s how Orbex gimbal motors address common pain points that challenge gimbal designers:
Torque Optimization. Insufficient torque can cause shaky, compromised camera footage and poor response to motion. Other issues may include failure to support the camera payload, overheating and faster battery drain.
Pancake-style motors have larger bore diameters, which translates to excellent torque density. EC Series motors use high-strength Neodymium (NdFeB) magnets and leverage Lorentz force to provide higher torque. The motors are wound with the maximum number of turns that will fit in the motor geometry to provide the highest torque at the lowest current.
Low Cogging. UAV gimbals are only as good as the images they make possible. When motor cogging occurs, footage becomes unstable. While slotless motors can eliminate cogging, they do so at a price and performance penalty. Orbex gimbal motors have slots, but also feature an optimized magnetic design that nearly eliminates cogging, while having a much higher specific torque and better price point. Their performance is enhanced by a sintered ring magnet designed to maintain continuous pole transitions and reduce the unbalanced forces that typically contribute to cogging torque. The result: highly precise motion and optimal image quality.
Positioning Feedback. To ensure positioning accuracy, the motor must account for various physical and sensor-related factors to rotate the gimbal with precision. For example, traditional feedback encoders are prone to vibrations, contaminants or friction from moving parts within the gimbal that can create jitter and affect image quality. Contactless Hall-effect encoders are not vulnerable to these conditions, but they must be aligned with the rotor phases and also fit constrained spaces. At Orbex Group, we make it easy to integrate a Hall-effect encoder chip for position feedback by including the target magnet on the motor shaft. This allows designers to take advantage of Hall-effect encoder benefits like immediate positioning feedback, space economy and durability.
At Orbex, we can further customize these standard pancake-style gimbal motors with special windings, connector configurations and mounting interfaces to meet demanding application requirements. For defense industry applications, we stay abreast of important manufacturing and supply chain regulations including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which extends to motors, and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.225-7052 concerning magnet materials from foreign entities. Our technical experts are ready to help you incorporate Orbex EC Series motors into your gimbal system.
For more information, please visit our BLDC drone motors page.
