Electric motors are in use on a large scale for more than 150 years now. The preceding motors were DC motors, followed by synchronous and asynchronous motors. Although these motors are still running today, there is a huge difference between them and new developments. The effort to reduce resource input and to achieve greater energy efficiency of drive systems is not a completely new approach.

According to the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturer’s Association (ZVEI), all the old drive technologies would need to be replaced by modern technologies or modified by electronic speed governors for the purposes of increased sustainability. Frequently the rotational speed is controlled mechanically. This means, that the motor „works harder“ than necessary, whereas modern speed regulators provide the possibility to adjust the rotational speed and to consume only the amount of energy which is effectively needed. The Federal Environment Agency estimates, that 80 percent of the energy-saving potential lies in the usage of electronic speed governors. The advanced development level of electric drive systems as well as the great progress in the field of power electronics and microprocessor technology allows us to implement high-quality electric drive systems. Those innovative developments provide low-loss energy conversion with a minimum of equipment. New electronically commutated, compact electric motors, for example BLDC motors, impress with higher efficiency and less power consumption at the same time. The MinebeaMitsumi subsidiary PM DM in Germany has specialized in the development of innovative BLDC motors. In most cases those motors are internal rotors. Depending on the customer requirements, they are equipped with a closed-loop control, with which the rotational speed, power consumption, speed, position and voltage can be measured, controlled and regulated. A feedback of the rotor position and direction of rotation is given by hall sensors. Therefore, simple positioning tasks are possible.