Inertial Drive Control Using Shortened Pulses to Reduce Vibrations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inertial drives using traditional sawtooth voltage waveforms experience significant vibrations, especially at small step sizes, leading to undesired backwards motion and reduced precision due to the coupling of vibrations with the step size, making it difficult to achieve precise movements.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using pulse trains with shortened control pulses, where the pulse duration is less than the natural oscillation cycle, allowing for precise control of step size and frequency, and dynamically adjusting amplitudes to minimize vibrations and achieve small step sizes, while maintaining a linear relationship between vibration amplitude and step size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional sawtooth voltage waveforms are used to control inertial drives, then the drive can perform stepping movements, but significant vibrations occur especially at small step sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic pulsed actions with variable amplitude and frequency to control the inertial drive. Instead of continuous sawtooth waveforms, periodic pulses are applied to the actuator, creating controlled acceleration phases followed by deceleration phases. This periodic pulsing enables precise positioning while minimizing vibrations by carefully controlling the timing and amplitude of each pulse cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the parameters of the control signal, specifically the amplitude and frequency of the pulses applied to the actuator. By varying these parameters adaptively, the system can achieve small step sizes without generating significant vibrations. The amplitude is adjusted to control the magnitude of each step, while frequency adjustments optimize the timing to avoid resonant vibrations.
2Manufacturing precision
If small step sizes are used in inertial drives, then high-resolution movements are achieved, but the backwards motion increases in absolute terms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control of the actuator by continuously adjusting the amplitude and timing of applied pulses based on the desired step size and current system state. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the forward acceleration phase is optimized for the specific step size required, while the subsequent deceleration phase is precisely controlled to minimize backwards motion. The system adapts in real-time to maintain optimal performance across varying step sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control mechanisms that monitor the actual position and velocity of the inertial drive system. This feedback information is used to adjust subsequent pulse amplitudes and timing, compensating for any excessive backwards motion. By continuously comparing the desired position with the actual position and adjusting the control signals accordingly, the system minimizes net backwards displacement while maintaining high-resolution positioning capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If the amplitude of sawtooth voltage is reduced for small steps, then smaller step sizes are achieved, but the backwards motion becomes very much greater than the step itself
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic pulsed signals with carefully controlled duration and amplitude to achieve small forward steps while minimizing backwards motion. Each pulse cycle consists of an acceleration phase followed by a deceleration phase, with the timing and amplitude optimized to ensure the object moves forward by the desired small amount and then stops without significant backwards rebound. This periodic pulsing with controlled duty cycle prevents the excessive backwards motion that occurs with traditional continuous waveforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous control of the actuator through overlapping or closely spaced pulses, ensuring that the useful action of moving the object forward continues without interruption. By maintaining a continuous train of appropriately timed and amplitude-modulated pulses, the system achieves smooth, continuous motion at high resolution without the object experiencing large backwards excursions between discrete steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces vibrations at small step sizes, enabling precise control and high-resolution movements by decoupling vibrations from step size, allowing for the use of very small steps and preventing hysteresis, thus improving the operational precision and reducing noise in inertial drives.
Implementation Method 1
When the acceleration of the actuator is low, the runner follows the actuator due to frictional engagement. When the acceleration of the actuator is high, in contrast, the runner slips relative to the actuator as soon as the inertial force of the runner is greater than the frictional force between the runner and the actuator.
Implementation Method 2
a runner E frictionally connected to the actuator D. When the acceleration of the actuator is low, the runner follows the actuator due to frictional engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling an inertial drive on the basis of pulse trains is disclosed. The pulse trains include pulses having sections of different gradients and having variable amplitude and/or frequency. A pulse interval occurs between the individual pulses, wherein the selected pulse duration is so short that is substantially less than the cycle duration of the natural oscillation of the system to be driven.