Motor brake system

A motor comprising:

• a housing including a rotor and stator;
• a brake assembly adapted to restrain rotation of the rotor, said brake assembly comprising a brake coil;
• a brake controller comprising a brake diagnostics system;
• a brake coil current feedback system operatively associated with the brake coil and adapted to sense an electrical current flowing through the brake coil, wherein said brake coil current feedback system provides a coil current feedback signal to the brake diagnostics system, and wherein a magnitude of the coil current feedback signal indicates a magnitude of the electrical current flowing through the brake coil;
• wherein said brake diagnostics system uses the magnitude of the coil current feedback signal to at least one of:
• (i) determine an operative condition of the brake assembly based upon the magnitude of the coil current feedback signal during a brake operation cycle;
• (ii) reduce a voltage input to the brake coil when the coil current feedback signal indicates that more than a minimum holding current is flowing in the brake coil, wherein said minimum holding current represents a minimum current magnitude flowing in the brake coil required to maintain the brake assembly in a disengaged state.

A motor comprising:

• a motor housing comprising a front wall, a rear wall, and a side wall, wherein said side wall extends between and interconnects said front wall and said rear wall, wherein said front wall, said rear wall, and said side wall define an interior space;
• said motor comprising a rotor and a stator located in said interior space, wherein said stator is fixed in position relative to said housing and said rotor is adapted to rotate relative to said stator;
• a front bearing assembly and a rear bearing assembly located in said interior space;
• an output shaft operably connected to said rotor and rotatably supported relative to said housing by said front bearing assembly and said rear bearing assembly, wherein said output shaft projects through said front wall of said housing such that part of said output shaft is located external to said interior space of said housing;
• said housing comprising a mid-point located halfway between said front wall and said rear wall such that a front region of said housing is defined between said front wall and said mid-point, and a rear region of said housing is defined between said rear wall and said mid-point, wherein said front bearing assembly and a brake assembly are located in said front region of said housing and said rear bearing assembly is located in said rear region of said housing.