Mechatronic Transfer Function Measurement Without Opening the Feedback Loop
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the transfer function of mechatronic or electromechanical systems is challenging due to internal or external disturbances, requiring external equipment and operator intervention, which disrupts system operation.
Innovation Solution
A device with an electronic control unit and software module that generates sinusoidal excitation signals, models response signals using Fresnel representation and Kalman filters, and calculates transfer functions without unwinding the control loop, using a digital corrector to filter and divide complex numbers for real and imaginary parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external equipment (spectrum analyzer or oscilloscope) is connected to determine the transfer function, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and system operation is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the transfer function measurement capability from external equipment and implements it within the existing electronic control unit through software. The software module generates excitation signals, processes sensor outputs, and calculates transfer functions using the system's own digital signal processing resources, eliminating the need for external spectrum analyzers or oscilloscopes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-diagnosis and self-characterization by using its own internal resources to measure its transfer function. The electronic control unit generates test signals, captures its own response through existing sensors, and computes the transfer function without requiring external measurement equipment or operator intervention.
2Measurement precision
If the feedback loop is opened to conduct maintenance operation, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables transfer function measurement while the system operates normally with the feedback loop closed. The software module continuously or periodically measures the transfer function during regular system operation, eliminating the need to stop the system for maintenance operations and ensuring uninterrupted productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement process utilizes the existing feedback loop rather than requiring its interruption. By injecting excitation signals and measuring the system's response through the closed feedback path, the system can characterize its transfer function in real-time during normal operation, maintaining both measurement accuracy and operational continuity.
3Measurement precision
If operator intervention is required for transfer function determination, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic self-characterization through the software module that autonomously generates excitation signals, processes sensor measurements, and calculates transfer functions without operator intervention. This automated process eliminates the need for manual setup, signal injection, and data analysis that would require skilled operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual operator actions with automated software-based signal generation and processing. Instead of requiring operators to physically connect equipment, inject signals, and analyze measurements, the software module performs all these functions automatically using digital signal processing techniques.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Device comprising at least one electromechanical system and an electronic control unit comprising a feedback loop which connects the input and the output of the electromechanical system and which comprises a digital corrector. The device comprises a software module having an input and an output that are connected, respectively, to the output and to the input of the electromechanical system. For each frequency of a set of frequencies to be analyzed, the software module is programmed to: transmit a sinusoidal excitation signal over its output and retrieve a response signal over its input; model, with a Fresnel representation, the response signal and filter it around the excitation frequency using at least one Kalman filter to obtain a state vector of the filtered response signal; obtain at least one transfer function of the system on the basis of the modeling, of the excitation signal and of the input signal.