Overview of Motors and Motor Driving

In recent years, worldwide annual production of motors has been in the vicinity of ten billion units, and the power consumed by motors is said to account for roughly 50% of total global electric power consumption. These may sound like preposterous numbers, but when one begins to count all the various motors one uses regularly–from the motors in the hard disk drives and optical drives as well as the cooling fans of PCs, to the many motors used in washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, hybrid vehicles, and on and on–they likely begin to seem reasonable. And as one example of new measures to address environmental problems, it has been expressly stated that automobiles will be electrified, primarily in Europe and North America, so that demand for motors is strongly trending upwards.

On the other hand, strict energy conservation regulations have been established to address global energy issues, and as a matter of course, energy-saving measures for equipment using motors is a vital concern. In addition to energy conservation of the motors themselves, highly efficient motor driving and control methods are also immensely important.

As explained above, motors are used in various fields and in diverse applications. Thus there are many types of motors, and also many kinds of motor driving and control methods. This chapter provides an overview of motors and motor drives.

• ・Motor Types and Categories
• ・Introduction: Four Features to Seek in a Motor Driver
• ・Summary of Motor Driving Systems in Various Fields
• ・Construction of Small Motors