Servo Drives

More and more, today’s servo drives must provide precise control of multiple variables. This control requires precision timing products that can withstand the continuous vibration and shock from motors and the environments in which they operate. SiTime MEMS oscillators are stable, reliable, and robust in harsh conditions, have a wide operating temperature and come in small footprints.

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Precision control in automation — whether in medical robotics, factory automation, textile manufacturing, printing, or autonomous vehicles — has experienced explosive growth over the past decade. Irrespective of the type of motor and application, achieving a high level of precision of multiple variables such as torque, position, speed, and angle have necessitated the use of oscillators instead of crystals to achieve the required precision in these applications.

Encoders have traditionally used crystals in the measurement of speed, torque, and position. To control multiple variables in high precision motors, drivers must continuously receive input from the encoders and instantly take corrective action through feedback to the motors. As motor manufacturers strive to improve precision with faster response, they have begun to implement drivers alongside each motor. This subjects drivers to higher vibration and shock, requiring robust components that can meet design considerations.

SiTime oscillators are robust and can withstand the continuous vibration and shock from motors and the environments in which they are used. Besides enabling good SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), SiTime oscillators offer strong protection against moisture permeability and the ingress of chemical and gas particulates. In addition, they offer the following benefits:

• Wide operating temperature
• Temperature stability
• Small size

SiTime Advantages

All SiTime devices offer the following advantages over quartz crystals, which are particularly important for industrial applications:

• Up to 50x better reliability than quartz oscillators
• Up to 10x better resilience to shock, vibration and electromagnetic interference, due to the smaller size (0.4 x 0.4 mm) and lower mass of MEMS resonators compared to crystals
• SiT9025 EMI reduction features: spread spectrum and configurable rise/fall times
• Factory programmable to any frequency within range
• No activity dips or cold start issues

Resources

• Timing Solutions for Industrial
• MEMS oscillators improve reliability and system performance in motor control applications
• Resilience and Reliability of Silicon MEMS Oscillators
• EMI Reduction Oscillators for Industrial, Automotive and Consumer Applications
• See full list of applications notes and resources for Industrial applications