The electric sunshade motor is a specially designed actuator used for the automatic deployment and retraction of internal sunshades in automobiles. This type of motor is a micro-motor, typically installed above the front windshield of the car, and is part of the modern automotive comfort and convenience features.
A. Main Components of the Electric Sunshade Motor
The electric sunshade motor usually employs a DC motor or stepper motor, which are characterized by their compact size, high torque, and precise control.
Motor Stator: It is the stationary part of the motor, typically composed of silicon steel sheets and coils that generate a magnetic field.
Motor Rotor: It is the rotating part of the motor, containing winding and a core, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy. In DC motors, the rotor winding is connected to the external power source through brushes and a commutator.
Commutator: In DC motors, the commutator’s role is to automatically switch the connection between the brushes and the rotor winding during rotation, ensuring that the current direction maintains the correct relative position to the magnetic field, thus sustaining continuous rotation of the motor.
Brushes: They are conductive components that connect the external power source to the internal winding of the motor. They slide on the commutator, providing a stable current supply.
Bearings: They support the rotor, reduce friction, and ensure smooth operation of the motor. The type and quality of the bearings directly affect the motor’s lifespan and noise level.
Housing: It protects the internal components of the motor and also serves as a heat dissipation function. Housing design needs to consider waterproof, dustproof, and corrosion-resistant characteristics.
Control System: It is responsible for receiving operational signals and controlling the start, stop, and speed adjustment of the motor. This may include relays, electronic controllers, sensors, etc.
Reduction Gearbox: Although not all electric sunshade motors are equipped, some designs include a reduction gearbox to reduce motor speed and increase output torque for smoother control of the sunshade’s movement.
Limit Switches: They are used to detect the position of the sunshade to prevent motor overload or the sunshade from exceeding its travel.
Cables and Connectors: Used to connect the motor with the vehicle’s electrical system, ensuring the transmission of signals and power.
Safety Devices: Such as thermal protection, short-circuit protection, and so on, to safely stop the motor in abnormal conditions.
B. Working Principle of the Electric Sunshade Motor
The working principle of the vehicle electric sunshade motors is based on electromagnetic principles, which mainly include the following steps.
Power Supply: When the driver or passenger operates the control switch, the vehicle’s electrical system supplies power to the electric sunshade motor.
Magnetic Field Generation: The motor’s stator coils generate a magnetic field after being energized.
Rotor Rotation: The rotor is subjected to a force in the magnetic field generated by the stator, and according to the Lorentz force law, the rotor begins to rotate.
Commutator Function: In DC motors, the combination of the commutator and brushes ensures that the current direction changes in time with the rotation of the rotor to maintain continuous rotation.
Mechanical Transmission: The rotation of the rotor is transmitted to the sunshade through mechanical transmission mechanisms such as gears or belts, achieving the lifting and lowering of the sunshade.
Limit Control: When the sunshade reaches the fully deployed or retracted position, the limit switch cuts off the power supply and stops the motor operation.
C. Functions of the Electric Sunshade Motor
Automatic Control: The main function of the vehicle's electric sunshade motor is to achieve the automatic opening and closing of the sunshade. Driven by the motor, the driver or passenger can easily control the position of the sunshade without manual operation.
Convenience Improvement: During driving, especially in strong sunlight, the driver can quickly and conveniently adjust the sunshade to reduce glare.
Comfort Enhancement: By precisely controlling the position of the sunshade, the electric sunshade motor can help maintain a comfortable environment inside the car in both summer and winter.
Safety Enhancement: Reducing glare can improve the driver’s line of sight, thereby reducing the risk of accidents caused by obstructed vision.
Space Saving: Compared with traditional manual sunshades, electric sunshade motors are usually designed to be more compact, helping to save interior space.
Integration of Smart Features: Modern vehicle electric sunshade motors can be integrated with other intelligent systems in the vehicle ( such as automatic light sensors) to achieve more advanced automatic adjustment functions.
Vehicle Grade Improvement: The electric sunshade motor is part of the modern car’s comfort and high-tech configuration, which can enhance the overall grade and market competitiveness of the vehicle.
Easy Maintenance: Although the design of the electric sunshade motor needs to consider long-term reliability, its maintenance is relatively simple, helping to reduce the maintenance costs for car owners.
Environmental Adaptability: The electric sunshade motor can work stably under various environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures and humidity.
Energy Saving and Efficiency: Compared with other types of drives, the electric sunshade motor is usually designed to be more energy-efficient, helping to reduce the overall energy consumption of the vehicle.
D. Key Design Considerations for the Electric Sunshade Motor
Size and Weight: Considering the limitations of the car’s interior space, the design should be as lightweight as possible, which also helps to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle.
Torque and Speed: Based on the weight of the sunshade and the required lifting speed, accurately calculate and design the motor’s output torque and acceleration to achieve smooth and rapid movement.
Durability: The motor must be able to withstand long-term use without wear or failure, pay attention to the use of high-quality materials and components, and conduct rigorous durability tests.
Safety and Reliability: Ensure that the motor can work stably under various environmental conditions, and pay attention to safety features such as overload protection and short-circuit protection to ensure the safe and stable operation of the motor.
Integration: The motor should be easy to integrate with the vehicle’s electrical system and other control units to achieve advanced functions and diagnostics.
Maintainability: The design should facilitate maintenance and repair, including easily replaceable parts and a simplified fault diagnosis process.
Environmental Adaptability: The motor and components should resist ultraviolet rays, and chemical corrosion, and adapt to extreme temperature and humidity.
Cost-effectiveness: While meeting performance requirements, the design and manufacturing costs of the motor should also be controlled within a reasonable range to ensure the competitiveness of the product in the market.
Standard Compliance: The design and manufacturing of the motor should comply with automotive industry safety and quality standards, such as ISO standards or other regional regulations.
User Interface: The operation of the motor should be seamlessly integrated with the user interface (such as switches or buttons), providing an intuitive and convenient user experience.
Feedback Mechanism: The design may include position sensors or limit switches to provide accurate feedback on the position of the sunshade, ensuring correct and safe operation.
E. Key Manufacturing Equipment for the Electric Sunshade Motor
Precision Machining Equipment
CNC Lathe: It is used for machining precision parts such as motor shafts and rotors.
Wire Cut EDM: It is used for manufacturing precision slots and shapes of motor stators.
Grinding Machine: It is used to improve the surface finish and dimensional accuracy of motor parts.
Electric Motor Winding Equipment
Automatic Winding Machine: It is used for precisely winding motor coils to ensure uniformity and consistency.
Assembly Equipment
Automatic Assembly Line: Including automatic coil embedment machines, automatic pressing machines, etc, used for embedding the wound coils into the stator and assembling various parts of the motor.
Welding Equipment
Laser Welding Machine: It is used for welding the motor coil joints to ensure the quality and consistency of the welding.
Insulation Treatment Equipment
Vacuum Impregnation Machine: It is used for insulation treatment of the winding to improve the motor’s insulation performance and moisture resistance.
Testing and Inspection Equipment
Motor Test Bench: It is used for testing the performance of the motor, including speed, torque, efficiency, etc.
Electrical Safety Tester: It is used for detecting the insulation resistance and pressure resistance performance of the motor.
Environmental Simulation Test Equipment
Temperature and Humidity Chamber: It is used to simulate different environmental conditions and test the reliability and durability of the motor.
Automated Quality Inspection Equipment
Automatic Vision Inspection System: It is used to detect issues during the motor assembly process, such as component misplacement, poor welding, and so on.
Packaging Equipment
Automatic Packaging Machine: It is used for automatic packaging of finished motor products to ensure consistent packaging and efficiency.
Shenzhen HONEST can provide the above single-machine equipment as well as automatic or semi-automatic production lines. You are welcome to consult us according to your actual production needs, and we will provide you with company and equipment introduction materials as well as preliminary quotations.
