Explain the construction and working of a Stepper Motor?

Or
Explain the working of single stepping stepper Motor Drive?

Stepper Motor is an electromechanical device which rotates through

fixed angular positions in response to train of input pulses. The Motor phase

windings are excited by DC supply through switches in series with each phase

windings. The angle through which the motor rotates or shaft moves for each pulse

is known as the step angle  expressed in degrees.

Stepper Motor- single phase ON mode (Single stepping Drive)

Construction
STATOR

The motor has a stator which is usually wound for three phases.
The salient poles of the stator are fixed under the stator outer frame. The stator

poles are laminated and assembled in a single stack.

The stator poles are usually made up of soft steel (or) high graded silicon content

steel in order to reduce the hysteresis losses and they are laminated to reduce the

eddy current loss in the stepper Motor.

Each phase is excited separately through a switch by the DC source, which is also

shown in the Fig below.

Winding Arrangement

ROTOR:
The Rotor also has projecting poles which may be laminated (or) solid

soft steel material. It is usually made up of ferromagnetic Material and it may be

single (or) multi stack type. The rotor pole do not have windings.

Principle of Operation /Working

The operation is based on various reluctance positions of rotor with respect to

stator.
When any one phase of the stator is excited, it produces its magnetic field whose
axis lies along the poles of the phase which is excited.

Then the rotor moves to minimum reluctance position. Let us see the operation of
the VR stepper Motor ,when the phases A,B,C are excited in sequence ie., one after
the other with the help of switches S1,S2 and S3. When the phase A-A1 is excited
with the switch S1 closed, then stator Magnet Axis exist along the poles formed due
to A -A1 (ie) vertically.

Then the rotor adjust itself in a minimum reluctance position and occupies along A-
A1  1, 3, rotor poles. This is the initial position (ie) 0°.

When the BB1 phase is excited with the switch S2 closed, and de-energise the
A-A1 phase with the switch S1 opened, then stator magnetic axis shifts along the
poles formed due to B-B1 and the rotor tries to align itself in the minimum
reluctance position and turns through 30° step angle in clockwise direction.

Open the switch S2 and de-energize the B-B1 phase and close the switch S3
and energize the C-C1 phase. So that the stator magnetic axis shifts along the
poles formed due to C-C1 and the rotor tries to align itself in the minimum
reluctance position and rotor rotates by a step angle of 30° in the same direction.
The stepper motor continues to move in steps of 30 degree for each excitation

either in clockwise or counter clockwise direction. The Figure gives the three step

positions The switching sequence continues as follows A,B,C,A  for Clockwise

rotation and A,C,B,A  for Counter Clockwise rotation.

Switching Table-Single stepping Mode/One Phase ON Mode

Explain the Construction and Working of a Half Stepping Stepper Motor

Drive?
Construction same as above
Switching Table Winding Arrangement

In this mode of Operation, we can get a step angle whose value is half of the full

step angle. The excitation followed in this mode is alternate one phase ON and two

phase ON.

When S1 is switched ON rotor attains the position (shown in fig 1). With

S1 in ON position ,now S2 is also switched ON. This causes the rotor to rotate in

clockwise direction and stay at 15 degrees. Now when S1 is turned off, the A pole is

demagnetized and allows the rotor to get aligned completely along BB’. This is how

half step angles are achieved in half stepping stepper motor drive.