It’s no secret that software is at the heart of motion control systems, making possible all the basic motion control functions as well as new features and functions that enhance system design and operation. Fundamentally, motion control is about positioning in three-dimensional space, which is executed by mechanical components such as motors and drives with a motion controller serving as the brains of the system. And this is where software comes into play.
Motion control software is a suite of tools and functions enabling designers to program basic motion control tasks, and then some. At its foundation, today’s motion control software suites will have a number of basic functions allowing designers to design, implement, and test a motion control system.
First, the software has some type of development environment allowing for programming and designing the basic motion trajectories and associated machine logic. These basics can include function trajectory generation and common motion control functions such as linear interpolation, circular interpolation, continuous path control (or path interpolation), jerk acceleration/deceleration, triggered motion, and synchronous control.
Another function is a way to configure and tune a controller. These can come in the form of graphical user interfaces where parameters defining machine kinematics and setting up axes of motion can be done, as well as tuning the controller to the system, which involves optimizing the servo loops.
A typical software package also features real-time diagnostic functions to analyze controller performance with feedback from the system and adjusting control command signals and tracking errors between commanded output and real-world output.
Lastly, there are offerings of higher-level functions to simplify programming. These include APIs and libraries supporting a variety of programming languages and also allowing for integration with machine HMIs, for example.
These basic functions are integrated with other tools for modeling and simulation. Simulation functions are a key part of many motion system software packages. That’s because they allow a model of a motion system to be tested virtually before a final version of the control software is ready for real-world use.
Modeling and simulation software helps do a number of things. These include verification of early concept design and system performance, evaluating system architecture, integrating the simulation into model-based system engineering workflows, and analyzing model-based reliability and safety.
Software is continually evolving to meet the needs of the in-demand applications of the moment. Hence, much new motion control software is aimed at robotics applications because that is an area of growth and will be for the foreseeable future. Plus, the push for “smart manufacturing” and Industry 4.0 initiatives means that motion software for robotics has begun to include more AI and machine learning which expands capabilities. Some of the improvements in motion software include better algorithms that let robots perform more complex tasks with higher accuracy.
What’s more, companies have been styling their offerings as “automation platforms” which conceives of offerings not as individual components but as integrated packages consisting of hardware (motors, controllers, drives, actuators, sensors, etc.) and software and software ecosystems. These include motion programming, simulation, and code generation, as well as integrating AI features, cloud access, and edge computing into the software suite. In particular, companies have begun to add AI-based functions to motion control software suites as a new way to further optimize efficiency and performance of machines and equipment.
Some software packages let users repurpose a previously used setup or select from a cloud-based library of templates, models, modules, and examples. At the higher level, there is model-based systems engineering (MBSE) which allows work flow from concept to full prototype testing.
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