Rotary Actuator Control for Precise and Continuous Machine Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control devices for industrial machines with controlled movement drives require manual operation that is prone to errors and inefficiencies, particularly in switching between precise positioning and long-distance movements, leading to potential collisions and damage due to the need for forceful rotary wheel operation.
Innovation Solution
A control device with a rotary actuator control element that automatically switches between two operating modes based on detected angular velocity and acceleration, allowing for intuitive and error-reduced operation by continuing machine movements after initial actuation without interruption, thus eliminating the need for forceful pushing and reducing wear on components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a rotary wheel with incremental encoder is used for manual control, then the machine can be moved precisely with minimal cogging torque, but the rotary wheel is subject to high loads and requires forceful pushing for extensive movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical incremental encoder with an electronic absolute encoder that reads position from a coded scale on the rotary wheel. This substitution eliminates the mechanical contact and cogging torque issues while maintaining precise position detection, allowing the rotary wheel to be operated with minimal force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses optical or magnetic fields to create a non-contact copy of the position information from the rotary wheel. The coded scale on the wheel is read by a sensor without mechanical contact, transferring position data without the wear and high loads associated with traditional mechanical encoders.
2Speed
If the rotary wheel is pushed forcefully to achieve fast movement, then the machine moves faster and further, but this causes wear and potential damage to the rotary wheel and requires switching between different step sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control where the machine movement is no longer directly coupled to the rotary wheel position in a fixed ratio. The control system can accelerate and decelerate movements independently, allowing fast travel without requiring forceful pushing that would damage the rotary wheel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control system with electronic gearing as an intermediary between the rotary wheel and machine movement. This mediator allows the rotary wheel to be operated gently while the control system manages the actual movement speed and acceleration, protecting the rotary wheel from damaging loads.
3Ease of operation
If a rotary knob with large mass and low-friction pivot bearings is used to reduce pushing force, then the operational ease is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases and more space is required on the control console
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical solution of large mass knobs with low-friction bearings with an electronic system using absolute encoders. The electronic system detects rotary position without mechanical friction, eliminating the need for heavy knobs and complex pivot bearings while reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a control device (2, 2') for industrial machines (3) with controlled motion drives (13) for machine components. A human-machine interface (6) comprises at least one control element (16) for manually influencing or presetting adjusting movements of at least one of the machine components. At least one control element (16) is designed as a rotary actuator control element (17) having an actuating element (18) rotationally mounted about an axis of rotation (22). The rotational movements of the actuating element (18) are evaluated by an electronic evaluation and control device (20). The evaluation and control device (20) is designed to automatically differentiate at least between a first operating mode (BI) and a second operating mode (B2). In the first operating mode (Bl), adjusting movements of a controlled machine component are only performed as long as a rotational movement of the actuating element (18) can be detected by the evaluation and control device (20). In the second operating mode (B2), adjusting movements of a controlled machine component are continued immediately after the end of the rotational movement of the actuating element (18) without interrupting the adjusting movement of the controlled machine components for a time-limited stoppage time (VNL2, VNL3).