Position Controlled Drive Mechanism With Adaptive Safety Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive mechanisms are prone to sensor failures, leading to increased costs and potential material damage or human injury due to the reliance on safety sensors.
Innovation Solution
A position-controlled drive mechanism featuring an electric motor with a rotatable shaft, a movable stop, and a sensor generating displacement signals, controlled by a controller that operates in multiple modes, including direct positioning, position holding, object detection, and movement assistance, with safety features to prevent damage or injury by monitoring and adjusting motor voltage or current supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety sensors are used in drive mechanisms, then safety monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety monitoring function from dedicated safety sensors and implements it through the controller's existing position control system. The controller monitors motor current, voltage, and position data to detect anomalies indicating safety hazards, eliminating the need for separate safety sensors while maintaining safety monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller is designed to perform multiple functions: position control, motion control, and safety monitoring. By making the controller universal and capable of handling both operational control and safety functions, the patent reduces overall device complexity while maintaining comprehensive safety monitoring.
2Reliability
If safety sensors are used in drive mechanisms, then safety monitoring capability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety monitoring function from dedicated safety sensors and implements it through the controller's existing position control system. The controller monitors motor current, voltage, and position data to detect anomalies indicating safety hazards, eliminating the need for separate safety sensors while maintaining safety monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller performs safety monitoring using its own existing sensors and processing capabilities. Instead of requiring external safety sensors, the system uses its own operational data (current, voltage, position) to detect safety issues, making the system self-sufficient for safety monitoring and reducing component costs.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used for position feedback, then position control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the motor's own operational characteristics (current, voltage, position data) to infer position information. The controller analyzes motor phase currents and back-EMF signals to determine rotor position, eliminating the need for separate position sensors while maintaining precise position control through the motor's inherent feedback capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A position controlled drive mechanism and a control method for positioning a drive mechanism are introduced. A sensor generates a displacement signal indicative of a displacement of a movable stop driven by an electric motor. A controller controls rotation of the electric motor. The controller also calculates a position of the movable stop based on the displacement signal. The controller includes at least two modes of operation in which the controller controls the electric motor to rotate its shaft to reach a selected position of the movable stop; controls a voltage or current supplied to the electric motor to maintain a current position of the movable stop; controls the electric motor to rotate the rotatable shaft in a selected direction until an external object hinders the rotation of the rotatable shaft; and controls the electric motor to assist an externally initiated rotation movement detected by the sensor.