Custom actuator Electronics Design

02.10.2024, Abschlussarbeiten, Bachelor- und Masterarbeiten

Brushless motors are growing in popularity for Robotics applications. In particular, due totheir high power density, these motors can be used with smaller gear ratios to deliver thetorque and speed requirements. For example, the key to MIT mini cheetah's success wasBLDC adaptation within the Proprioceptive Actuator concept [1].

The main challenge with usage of BLDC actuators is the more complex control scheme in comparison to other common motor types. It requires 3 phases to be coordinated in a specific manner to supply needed power. This concept is not new, one of the most popular mainstream approaches is FOC control for BLDC. However, importance should not only be placed on the design of control logic but also on the PCB to be able to deliver high power loads, receive & transmit signals with minimal noice, not overheat, etc.

Task of this thesis is to take existing PCB design and work towards achieving the following goals:

• Design update to increase the Currents capacity of the driver from 15A to 30A
• Introduce several additional PCB layers for more packed layout
• Study the possibility of incorporating novel ICs for more automated 3Phase gate switching, such as DRV8323SRTAT
• Investigate current sensing schemes to be adopted
• Decide on various stress testing for the PCB with the motor, see example of Thermal testing
• Create a stationary setup for testing

What you will gain:

• Hands-on experience and in-depth understanding of Brushless Motors, and theircontrol
• Best practices for PCB Design and Project Collaboration
• Experience building, prototyping
• Hacking electronic signals (via oscilloscope, etc.)
• Insights in our System Development and access to our community

Requirements from candidates:

• Knowledge of Electronics/Power electronics
• Experience with PCB design and soldering
• Knowledge of one of the popular PCB Design software
• Basic Matlab skills
• Plus are:
  • Understanding how Motors work
  • Familiarity with GIT
  • Embedded system programming, knowledge of C language
  • Working skills in Ubuntu operating system

To apply, you can send your CV, and short motivation to:

Supervisor

M.Sc. Vasilije Rakcevic

vasilije.rakcevic@tum.de

[1] P. M. Wensing, A. Wang, S. Seok, D. Otten, J. Lang and S. Kim, "Proprioceptive Actuator Design in the MIT Cheetah: Impact Mitigation and High-Bandwidth Physical Interaction for Dynamic Legged Robots," in IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 509-522, June 2017, doi:10.1109/TRO.2016.2640183.

Kontakt: vasilije.rakcevic@tum.de