Bipolar transistors

Diodes

ESD protection, TVS, filtering and signal conditioning

MOSFETs

SiC MOSFETs

GaN FETs

IGBTs

Analog & Logic ICs

Automotive qualified products (AEC-Q100/Q101)

Collaborative robots (cobots)

Collaborative robots or ‘cobots’ are making the world of human and robot interaction within a shared space rapidly become the norm. Human-robot interactions can now range from simple coexistence and cooperation to full collaboration. Currently most cobots are relatively small, with a maximum payload capacity of between 0.5 to 20 kg while maintaining a good reach and without sacrificing accuracy, speed or repeatability. They often operate with 6-degrees of freedom (6DoF), requiring a separate brushless DC motor on each of the 6 axis. While powered from a mains supply, cobots motors use either a 24 V or 48 V supply.

  • Block diagram
  • Design considerations
  • Product listing
  • Videos
  • Support

Block diagram

AC/DC Power management Sensorsinterface Commsinterdace Signalprocessing Gatedriver Motorcontrol HMIRGB LEDs/ ColorScreen Sensors CPU Single or3-phase grid aaa-035685 CAN Wired / Wireless Highlighted components are Nexperia focus products.

Communications interface

Gate driver

Human-Machine interface

Select a component

To view more information about the Nexperia components used in this application, please select a component above or click on a component (highlighted in blue) in the block diagram.

Design considerations

  • As cobots interact in shared space with humans, there cannot be any high power / live currents or elevated temperatures and ensure fail-safe mechanisms. 
  • BLDC motor is typically used - precise movement and positioning and torque sensing required.
  • Designs are moving from a centralised architecture where all electronics are located in a cabinet to a decentralised architecture where each axis includes a controller
  • Need for custom PCB design to sit in the joint alongside the motor, also increase need for small footprints with large power density

Motor driver evaluation kit: quick start

Join Stein as he walks you through setup, wiring, and key features of this modular, open-source platform designed for BLDC motor control. Open-source firmware and design files are available under MITx licenses via Nexperia.com and GitHub, so you can customise every detail to suit your application.

Motor driver evaluation kit: detailed set-up

Explore what’s inside Nexperia’s fully open-source motor driver evaluation kit – designed to make your testing process more efficient. Join Aanas as he unboxes the kit, walks through its modular design, shows how quickly it sets up (just a USB-C charger), and demonstrates key features like current sensing, fault detection, and hall effect options.