Multi-channel electric cylinder control device and control method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of multi-channel electric cylinder control device, including controller, with the controller signal connection several drivers, respectively with each described driver signal connection concentrator, each described concentrator is equipped with the wiring connector of the wiring terminal adaptation of different types of electric cylinder in each, and the controller is integrally installed with the compatible decoding module of the motor encoder adaptation of each described electric cylinder, each described driver is used to drive corresponding described electric cylinder operation according to the control instruction of the controller.The multi-channel electric cylinder control device disclosed in the application can successfully realize signal connection with different types of electric cylinders, ensuring that control instructions can be normally transmitted and executed.The application also discloses a kind of multi-channel electric cylinder control method, and its beneficial effects are as described above.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of driving cylinders, in particular to a multi-channel electric cylinder control device. The present application also relates to a multi-channel electric cylinder control method. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of motor technology, more and more driving devices have been widely used.

[0003] An electric cylinder is an important driving device, which is mainly driven by a driving motor and can realize linear reciprocating motion or other complex motion of a telescopic rod. Compared with traditional driving devices such as hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, the electric cylinder has the advantages of simple structure, convenient maintenance, stable motion, low noise, high transmission efficiency, high positioning accuracy, high reliability, and high safety, and has been widely used in production workshops, assembly workshops, process lines and other scenes in various industries.

[0004] At present, in order to realize complex control functions and motion forms, multiple electric cylinders are often used simultaneously, such as one electric cylinder responsible for a certain motion of a workpiece, and another electric cylinder responsible for another motion of the workpiece, or multiple electric cylinders need to move in coordination, in sequence, etc.

[0005] However, there are many types of electric cylinders produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers, and different types of electric cylinders usually need to be equipped with a dedicated control system. Different control systems may have different control methods for electric cylinders, such as torque control, speed control, and position control. In actual application, when different types or different brands of electric cylinders are combined for use, multiple dedicated control systems are often required to participate simultaneously. These different control systems are independent of each other and are difficult to achieve ideal cooperative control. In addition, because the encoders used in the driving motors of different types of electric cylinders may be different, the feedback signals from different types of electric cylinders to the controller may have different properties, and it may occur that some electric cylinders can accurately execute the control instructions of the controller while some electric cylinders cannot recognize the signals. At the same time, the shape, structure, number and other parameters of the wiring terminals of different types of electric cylinders may be different, and when multiple electric cylinders are connected to the same controller, normal electrical connection may not be achieved, thereby causing the failure of signal connection.

[0006] Therefore, how to smoothly realize signal connection with different types of electric cylinders and ensure that the control instructions of the controller can be normally transmitted and executed is a technical problem faced by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0007] The application aims to provide a multi-channel electric cylinder control device which can smoothly realize signal connection with different types of electric cylinders and ensure normal transmission and execution of control instructions.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the application provides a multi-channel electric cylinder control device, which comprises a controller, a plurality of drivers connected with the controller, a plurality of concentrators connected with the drivers respectively, a plurality of wiring connectors adapted to wiring terminals of different types of electric cylinders are installed in each of the concentrators, and a compatible decoding module adapted to motor encoders of the electric cylinders is integrated in the controller, and each of the drivers is used to drive the corresponding electric cylinder to operate according to the control instructions of the controller.

[0009] Preferably, the compatible decoding module comprises signal decoders adapted to incremental encoders, Hall sensors, rotary transformers and sinusoidal encoders respectively.

[0010] Preferably, the controller and the drivers are connected through a bus.

[0011] Preferably, the device further comprises a plurality of force sensors connected with the controller and used to detect driving forces of the electric cylinders respectively.

[0012] Preferably, the device further comprises a plurality of position sensors connected with the controller and used to detect positions of extension rods of the electric cylinders respectively.

[0013] The application further provides a multi-channel electric cylinder control method, which comprises the following steps.

[0014] The wiring terminals of the electric cylinders are electrically connected with the corresponding concentrators respectively, so that the electric cylinders are signal-connected with the corresponding drivers;

[0015] The control instructions sent by the controller are received, and target operating parameters related to the electric cylinders are analyzed according to the control instructions, so that the drivers control the corresponding electric cylinders to operate according to the target operating parameters;

[0016] The current operating parameters of the electric cylinders are detected, and differences between the current operating parameters and the target operating parameters are calculated;

[0017] The driving states of the drivers are adjusted according to the differences respectively.

[0018] Preferably, before receiving the control instructions sent by the controller, the method further comprises the following steps.

[0019] The performance parameters of the electric cylinders are calibrated.

[0020] Preferably, each of the drivers controls the corresponding electric cylinder to operate according to the target operating parameter, specifically including:

[0021] Each of the drivers controls the corresponding electric cylinder's telescopic rod to perform telescopic movement according to the target driving force, target speed or target position parameter.

[0022] Preferably, the driving state of each of the drivers is adjusted according to each of the differences, specifically including:

[0023] According to each of the differences, the speed control parameter related to each of the electric cylinder's telescopic rods is calculated through the PID algorithm, and the telescopic speed of each of the electric cylinder's telescopic rods is adjusted according to the speed control parameter.

[0024] Preferably, further comprising:

[0025] When it is detected that the current operating parameter of each of the electric cylinders exceeds the safety threshold, an alarm is issued and the corresponding electric cylinder is suspended.

[0026] The multi-channel electric cylinder control device provided by the application mainly includes a controller, a driver, a hub and a wiring connector. The controller is the core component and is mainly used to issue control instructions for the electric cylinder according to user operation or host computer instructions. The driver is in signal connection with the controller and is generally provided with multiple drivers, one driver corresponding to one channel of the electric cylinder, mainly used to receive the control instructions sent by the controller and drive the corresponding electric cylinder to operate according to the control content of the control instructions and reach the target operating state. The hub is in signal connection with each driver and is mainly used to be connected with the electric cylinder to form an electrical connection. Importantly, a plurality of wiring connectors are arranged in the hub, and different wiring connectors can be suitable for wiring terminals of electric cylinders of different specifications, so that when the electric cylinder is in signal connection, only the wiring connector in the hub that is adapted to the wiring terminal of the current electric cylinder is needed to realize the electrical connection between the electric cylinder and the hub, and then realize the signal connection between the electric cylinder and the driver and the controller. At the same time, a compatible decoding module is integrated and installed in the controller, which can be adapted to the motor encoder of various types of electric cylinders, so that the feedback signal sent by the electric cylinder to the controller can be decoded and converted through the compatible decoding module, ensuring that the controller can correctly identify the feedback signal of each electric cylinder and each electric cylinder can correctly execute the control instruction of the controller. Therefore, the multi-channel electric cylinder control device provided by the application can successfully realize signal connection with electric cylinders of different types, ensuring that the control instruction can be normally transmitted and executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only constitute a part of the embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor on the basis of the provided drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 A structure diagram of a multi-channel electric cylinder control device in a specific embodiment provided by the present application.

[0029] Figure 2 A method flow chart of a multi-channel electric cylinder control method in a specific embodiment provided by the present application.

[0030] Figure 3 A method flow chart of an independent control mode of the electric cylinder.

[0031] Figure 4 A method flow chart of a combined control mode of the electric cylinder.

[0032] Figure 5 A method flow chart of a synchronous control mode of the electric cylinder.

[0033] Among them, Figure 1 Among them,

[0034] Controller-1, driver-2, hub-3, electric cylinder-4, force sensor-5, position sensor-6, compatible decoding module-11, wiring connector-31. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments only constitute a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A structure diagram of a multi-channel electric cylinder control device in a specific embodiment provided by the present application.

[0037] In a specific embodiment provided by the present application, the multi-channel electric cylinder control device mainly comprises a controller 1, a driver 2, a hub 3 and a wiring connector 31.

[0038] Among them, the controller 1 is a core component, mainly used for issuing control instructions for the electric cylinder 4 according to user operation or host computer instruction.

[0039] The driver 2 is in signal connection with the controller 1, generally provided with multiple at the same time, one driver 2 corresponds to one channel of the electric cylinder 4, mainly used for receiving the control instruction sent by the controller 1, and driving the electric cylinder 4 corresponding to the control content of the control instruction to run, and reaching the target running state.

[0040] The hub 3 is in signal connection with each driver 2, mainly used for connecting with the electric cylinder 4 to form an electrical connection. Importantly, a plurality of wiring connectors 31 are provided in the hub 3, and different wiring connectors 31 can be suitable for wiring terminals of electric cylinders 4 of different specifications, so that when connected with the electric cylinder 4, the electric cylinder 4 can be electrically connected with the hub 3 through the wiring connector 31 in the hub 3 that is adapted to the wiring terminal of the current electric cylinder 4, and then the signal connection between the electric cylinder 4 and the driver 2 and the controller 1 is realized.

[0041] At the same time, a compatible decoding module 11 is integrated in the controller 1, which can be adapted to the motor encoder of various types of electric cylinders 4, so that the feedback signal sent by the electric cylinder 4 to the controller 1 can be decoded and converted by the compatible decoding module 11, ensuring that the controller 1 can correctly identify the feedback signal of each electric cylinder 4 and each electric cylinder 4 can correctly execute the control instruction of the controller 1.

[0042] Therefore, the multi-channel electric cylinder control device provided by the embodiment can successfully realize signal connection with different types of electric cylinders 4, and ensure that the control instruction can be normally transmitted and executed.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the compatible decoding module 11, the compatible decoding module 11 is specifically a composite signal decoder, which is preconfigured with a plurality of different types of decoders, can automatically match the corresponding decoder according to the feedback signal sent by the decoder of the electric cylinder 4 of different types, and then decode and convert the feedback signal sent by the electric cylinder 4. Generally, the compatible decoding module 11 mainly includes signal decoders for adapting incremental encoders, Hall sensors, rotary transformers, sine encoders, SSI encoders (Synchronous Serial Interface), etc.

[0044] In order to facilitate the signal connection and signal interaction between the controller 1 and each driver 2, in the embodiment, the signal connection between the controller 1 and each driver 2 is specifically realized through a bus, such as an Ethercat bus. Of course, other types of buses, such as I2C bus, CAN bus, etc. can also be used. Of course, the signal connection between the controller 1 and each driver 2 can also be realized through a wireless communication mode.

[0045] In addition, in order to facilitate the controller 1 to accurately control the running state of each electric cylinder 4, the force sensor 5 and the position sensor 6 are additionally arranged in the embodiment. The force sensor 5 is generally arranged on the electric cylinder 4 and is in signal connection with the controller 1, and is mainly used for detecting the driving force of the electric cylinder 4 in real time, so that the controller 1 can obtain the driving force state of the electric cylinder 4 in time, and then adjust the running state of the electric cylinder 4 according to the control parameter. Generally, since the electric cylinder 4 is provided with a plurality of electric cylinders, the force sensor 5 is also provided with a plurality of force sensors, and one force sensor 5 corresponds to one electric cylinder 4. Of course, the signal cable of the force sensor 5 can be connected with the concentrator 3 first, and then directly fed back to the controller 1 or indirectly fed back to the controller 1 through the driver 2.

[0046] Similarly, the position sensor 6 is generally arranged on the electric cylinder 4, such as on the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 4, and is in signal connection with the controller 1, and is mainly used for detecting the position of the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 4 in real time, so that the controller 1 can obtain the telescopic position change of the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 4 in time, and then adjust the running state of the electric cylinder 4 according to the control parameter. Generally, since the electric cylinder 4 is provided with a plurality of electric cylinders, the position sensor 6 is also provided with a plurality of position sensors, and one position sensor 6 corresponds to one electric cylinder 4. Of course, the signal cable of the position sensor 6 can be connected with the concentrator 3 first, and then directly fed back to the controller 1 or indirectly fed back to the controller 1 through the driver 2.

[0047] As shown in the method flow chart of the multi-channel electric cylinder control method provided by the embodiment of the application. Figure 2 Figure 2 As shown in the method flow chart of the multi-channel electric cylinder control method provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0048] In the embodiment of the application, the multi-channel electric cylinder control method mainly includes four steps, which are as follows.

[0049] S1, the wiring terminals of each electric cylinder 4 are respectively electrically connected with the corresponding concentrator 3, so that each electric cylinder 4 is in signal connection with the corresponding driver 2;

[0050] S2, receiving the control instruction sent by the controller 1 and analyzing the target running parameter related to each electric cylinder 4 according to the control instruction, so that each driver 2 controls the corresponding electric cylinder 4 to run according to the target running parameter;

[0051] S3, detecting the current running parameter of each electric cylinder 4 and calculating the difference between each current running parameter and the corresponding target running parameter;

[0052] S4, adjusting the driving state of each driver 2 according to each difference.

[0053] ​In this embodiment, to ensure precise control of the operating state of the electric cylinders 4 between steps S1 and S2, a step of calibrating the performance parameters of each electric cylinder 4 is also included. Specifically, the performance parameters of each electric cylinder 4 are first set, mainly including the lead screw pitch, maximum stroke, and rated speed. Meanwhile, since the performance parameters of the electric cylinders 4 will affect the operating state and operating parameters, and the force sensor 5 and position sensor 6 need to detect the relevant operating parameters, the corresponding range parameters of the force sensor 5 and position sensor 6 can also be set.

[0054] Furthermore, to ensure the operational safety of the electric cylinders 4, in this embodiment, when the current operating parameters of each electric cylinder 4 are detected to exceed a safety threshold, an alarm will be immediately issued and the corresponding electric cylinder 4 will be suspended. Generally, this safety threshold can be set, i.e., system protection parameters, such as the maximum and minimum movement positions, maximum force range, and minimum force range of the electric cylinder 4. If the electric cylinder 4 exceeds the allowable range of the maximum or minimum movement position or the maximum or minimum force value during operation, the controller 1 sends an emergency stop command to the driver 2, causing the operation of the electric cylinder 4 to stop immediately.

[0055] Generally, when the driver 2 controls the corresponding electric cylinder 4 to run according to the target operating parameters, it mainly controls the telescopic rod of the corresponding electric cylinder 4 to extend and retract according to the target driving force, target speed or target position parameters, so that the driving force of the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 4 gradually reaches the target driving force, the movement speed gradually reaches the target speed, and the position gradually reaches the target position.

[0056] In addition, depending on the actual application requirements, the multi-channel electric cylinder control method can be either manual or automatic.

[0057] When manual control is selected, the controller 1 sends a control command to the driver 2 regarding the target speed of the electric cylinder 4, and the driver 2 then drives the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 4 to extend or retract at the specified speed. Alternatively, the controller 1 sends a control command to the driver 2 regarding the target position of the electric cylinder 4, and the driver 2 then drives the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 4 to move to the target position at the set speed.

[0058] When automatic control is selected, the multi-channel electric cylinder control method has three automatic control modes: independent control mode, combined control mode, and synchronous control mode.

[0059] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The flowchart shows the method for the independent control mode of electric cylinder 4.

[0060] When the independent control mode is performed, a target control channel (i.e., a target electric cylinder 4) is first selected, and then the electric cylinder 4 of each channel is controlled by the driving force control and the position control according to actual requirements.

[0061] If the driving force control mode is used, the controller 1 calculates the deviation between the target driving force value and the detected force value according to the target driving force value set in advance and the force value feedback signal of the force sensor 5 collected in real time, and then calculates the speed control instruction value by the PID control algorithm, and sends it to the driver 2 to control the action of the electric cylinder 4, so as to adjust the running state of the electric cylinder 4 until the detected force value reaches the target driving force value.

[0062] If the position control mode is used, the controller 1 calculates the deviation between the target position and the actual position according to the target position set in advance and the position feedback signal of the electric cylinder 4 collected in real time, and then calculates the speed control instruction value by the PID control algorithm, and sends it to the driver 2 to control the action of the electric cylinder 4, so as to adjust the running state of the electric cylinder 4 until the actual position reaches the target position.

[0063] As shown in Figure 4 , it is a flow chart of the method of the combined control mode of the electric cylinder 4. Figure 4

[0064] When the combined control mode is performed, a first target control channel is first selected, and then the electric cylinder 4 of this channel is controlled by the driving force control and the position control according to actual requirements. After the action of the first target control channel is completed, the next target control channel is set, and the electric cylinder 4 of this channel is controlled by the driving force control and the position control, so as to realize the combined control among multiple electric cylinders 4 in turn.

[0065] If the driving force control mode is used, the controller 1 calculates the deviation between the target driving force value and the detected force value according to the target driving force value set in advance and the force value feedback signal of the force sensor 5 collected in real time, and then calculates the speed control instruction value by the PID control algorithm, and sends it to the driver 2 to control the action of the electric cylinder 4, so as to adjust the running state of the electric cylinder 4 until the detected force value reaches the target driving force value.

[0066] If the position control mode is used, the controller 1 calculates the deviation between the target position and the actual position according to the target position set in advance and the position feedback signal of the electric cylinder 4 collected in real time, and then calculates the speed control instruction value by the PID control algorithm, and sends it to the driver 2 to control the action of the electric cylinder 4, so as to adjust the running state of the electric cylinder 4 until the actual position reaches the target position.

[0067] As shown in Figure 5 ,​Figure 5 Method flow chart for synchronous control mode of electric cylinder 4.

[0068] When the synchronous control mode is performed, all target control channels that need to participate in the synchronous control are selected first, and then control instructions are sent to each channel of electric cylinder 4 synchronously according to actual needs through two control modes of driving force control and position control.

[0069] If it is the driving force control mode, the controller 1 calculates the deviation of the target driving force value and the detected force value according to the pre-set target force value while collecting the force value feedback signal of the force sensor 5 in real time, obtains the speed control instruction value through the PID control algorithm, and sends it to the driver 2 to control the action of the electric cylinder 4. The running state of the electric cylinder 4 is adjusted in this way until the detected force value reaches the target force value.

[0070] If it is the position control mode, the controller 1 calculates the deviation of the target position and the actual position according to the pre-set target position while collecting the position feedback signal of the electric cylinder 4 in real time, obtains the speed control instruction value through the PID control algorithm, and sends it to the driver 2 to control the action of the electric cylinder 4. The running state of the electric cylinder 4 is adjusted in this way until the actual position reaches the target position.

[0071] The above description of disclosed embodiments enables one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A multi-channel electro-cylinder control device, characterized by, The controller (1), a plurality of drivers (2) connected with the controller (1), a plurality of hubs (3) connected with each of the drivers (2), each of the hubs (3) is provided with a plurality of wiring connectors (31) matched with the wiring terminals of different types of electric cylinders (4) to realize plug and play, and the controller (1) is provided with a compatible decoding module (11) matched with the motor encoders of each of the electric cylinders (4), the compatible decoding module (11) includes signal decoders matched with incremental encoders, Hall sensors, rotary transformers and sine encoders respectively, for real-time adaptation of motor encoder signals of different electric cylinders, each of the drivers (2) is used to generate driving instructions according to target operating parameters of the controller (1) and drive corresponding electric cylinders (4) to operate through corresponding wiring connectors (31) in the hub (3). It also includes a plurality of force sensors (5) connected with the controller (1) for detecting the driving force of each of the electric cylinders (4) respectively, and a plurality of position sensors (6) connected with the controller (1) for detecting the position of the telescopic rod of each of the electric cylinders (4) respectively.

2. The multi-pass electrodynamic loudspeaker of claim 1, wherein, The controller (1) is connected with each of the drivers (2) through a bus.

3. A method of controlling a multi-pass electrodynamic cylinder, characterized by It includes: The wiring terminals of each electric cylinder are electrically connected with the corresponding hub respectively, so that each of the electric cylinders is signal connected with the corresponding driver; Calibrate the performance parameters of each electric cylinder; Receive the control instructions sent by the controller and analyze the target operating parameters related to each of the electric cylinders accordingly, so that each of the drivers controls the telescopic rod of the corresponding electric cylinder to perform telescopic movement according to the target driving force, target speed or target position parameters respectively; Detect the current operating parameters of each of the electric cylinders and calculate the difference between each of the current operating parameters and the corresponding target operating parameters; According to each of the differences, calculate the speed control parameters related to the telescopic rod of each of the electric cylinders through PID algorithm, and adjust the telescopic speed of the telescopic rod of each of the electric cylinders according to the speed control parameters; The control method has three automatic control modes, namely independent control mode, combined control mode and synchronous control mode; When it is detected that the current operating parameters of each of the electric cylinders exceed the safety threshold, an alarm is sent and the corresponding electric cylinder is suspended.

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