Motion Control Main Functions
- SetpointSetpoint is the target value that an automatic control system, for example PID controller, will aim to reach generation
- Regulation
Setpoint generation
This consists of generating a trajectory defined by position versus time. It is purely logical and does not relate to the physical world.
Even using the very best drives, you cannot maintain accurate positioning without a feedback loop. The regulation consists of following the generated position settings using classical feed-forwardThis describes an element or pathway within a control system which passes a controlling signal from a source in the control system's external environment, often a command signal from an external operator, to a load elsewhere in its external environment or feedback control-loops (by means of PID"Proportional-Integral-Derivative" A PID controller is a generic control-loop feedback mechanism widely used in industrial control systems. An "error" occurs when an event or a disturbance triggers off a change in the process variable. A PID controller attempts to correct the error between a measured process variable and a desired setpoint by calculating and then outputting a corrective action that can adjust the process accordingly). Regulation is the part which takes care of the physical world of making moving motors.
These two functions can be located on the same hardware (as in a "stand-alone" servo driveA servo drive is a special electric amplifier used to power electric servo motors. It monitors feedback signals from the motor and continually adjusts for deviation from expected behavior) or on two separate hardware devices, linked together by a fieldbus.