Gain is the ratio of output to input—a measure of the amplification of the input signal. A common example is the volume button on a stereo. This button controls the ratio of the input signal (received from the radio station) to the output signal (how loud the sound is from your speakers). When the volume is […]
Servo Drives
What is distributed architecture for servo drives?
Article updated August 2019 || Traditional servo-system architecture consists of a power supply, a motion controller, and servo drives all housed in one location that is typically a control cabinet located away from the machine. Then each motor connects to the control cabinet by two cables … one for power and one for feedback. This […]
What is a servo drive?
Updated August 2019 || Servo systems consist of four main components — a motor, a drive, a controller, and a feedback device … with the latter usually an encoder. The controller determines what the motor must do and then triggers the drive to send the necessary electrical energy to the motor to make the required […]
Realtime control SoCs let designers focus on industrial-drive differentiation
By Brian Fortman | DesignDRIVE Marketing Manager, C2000 Microcontrollers | Texas Instruments Many industrial inverter and servodrive manufacturers rely on field-programmable gate-array (FPGA) or ASIC technology to complete functions unsupported by commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products such as 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs). There are drawbacks to these technologies, though. Case in point: Adding FPGAs and ASICs to […]
FAQ: What is electronic gearing for servo motors?
Gears are often used to establish a fixed speed relationship between a motor and a drive system (such as a ball screw, rack and pinion, or belt and pulley system). For example, when a belt and pulley system is connected to a motor through a 3:1 gearbox, each full rotation of the motor causes the […]
What is PIV servo control?
What is PIV servo control? It typically involves two components: feedforward control, which adds auxiliary velocity and (in some cases) acceleration signals to the servo loop in order to improve command tracking, and either PID or PIV control, which works to maximize the system’s disturbance rejection. The distinction between PID and PIV control is that […]
FAQ: How does EU Regulation 428/2009 apply to AC drives?
AC drives capable of operating at frequencies of 600 Hz or greater are generally referred to as “high-frequency” drives. These drives are considered by the U.S. and the EU to be dual-use devices, meaning that although they are commonly used in civilian applications, such as industrial equipment, they can also be used in military applications or […]
Motion controllers help planes take precision aerial photos of disasters
Quick response to catastrophes such as floods and fires is critical, but disaster sites are often inaccessible and unsafe for inspectors and adjusters who come after first responders. Now Pictometry, an EagleView company, collects and supplies ultra-clear aerial photography to let insurance carriers, restoration companies, utilities, and contractors identify safe-access points, areas of total loss, […]
FAQ: How to tune servo systems for high dynamic response?
The purpose of a servo control loop is to minimize error, and this is often done through the use of PID (proportional-integral-derivative) gains, which correct errors between the target value and the actual value. But the PID algorithm is reactive, and takes time to respond. Case in point: the proportional term requires an error in order […]
Crossover frequency: How is it used in servo motor tuning?
A common method for evaluating a servo system’s stability is to determine the system’s frequency response, which involves measuring the gain margin and phase margin at the crossover frequencies. To understand how gain and phase crossover frequency is used to determine stability, let’s look at exactly what it represents, using a Bode plot. Closed loop systems are difficult […]
