Product category:
Drives, motors and power transmission, couplings, clutches
News Release from: Lenze-ACTech | Subject: Motion control
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 06 February 2007
High-performance motion control for
simulation
Motion simulation applications are as diverse as they are challenging.
Motion simulation applications are as diverse as they are challenging They can range from sheer fun, to cost-effective training and lifesaving preparedness
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Feb 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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You can find a motion simulator-based product in locations as different as a theater and an airplane manufacturer plant; a museum, and a military training organisation.
The motion simulator could be a race car for Nascar fans, a helicopter where recruits practice their newly acquired skills, a cabin emergency evacuation trainer for airline personnel...
The Phenix Design group is an Apopka, Florida company that has made a name for itself in this exciting field.
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"We are a general contractor for simulation projects," says owner and president Ron Handy, adding, "We provide the entire scope of services, from requirement analysis, to conceptual design, program and technical management, installation, training, and product 'reality' checks." In business since 1993, Phenix can show a complete portfolio of cases showing how they play a diversity of roles in the process of motion simulation.
Sometimes the company contributes only certain portions, managing and supervising other providers; it may be totally in charge of all the design and manufacture aspects, including the development of software, or be commissioned to present an original concept to be implemented elsewhere.
Handy has found that taking personal responsibility for all of the unforgiving details in design and manufacturing is the way for him to keep the quality level at a constant high point.
"Fair play and honesty in all our work are absolute requirements, " states Handy, who adds, "and we develop relationships with trustworthy subcontractors and vendors who conform to our standards and ethics." How do you control the motion in a motion simulator? Very, very carefully, of course.
According to Handy, you need to incorporate the right inverter (or variable frequency drive) into the design of electrically actuated motion "The drive controls optimizing performance, so to speak, assuring you the best results over a wide speed range." "Some of the drives we tested simply didn't have the right 'feel' throughout the motion range", explains Handy.
"Particularly at low speeds, AC drives can feel mushy and not realistic to the application, while some servo drives can feel a bit 'stiff' and may be simply cost-prohibitive." Phenix's demanding requirements included off-the-shelf availability, small size and simplicity of installation.
Handy, who laughingly gives his title and job description as "Factotum," meaning, a person employed to do all kinds of work, wanted his drives to be pretty complete, offering also ease of programming, best-in-class product support, and yes, competitive price.
"We did get what we were asking for," he states, and explains how the TCF inverters from AC Technology that Phenix has been using in their simulators provide another crucial advantage, bi-directional control using a bi-polar reference.
The "bi-polar" reference input on the TCF allows the speed and the rotation direction of the drive to be controlled by one analog signal, which is -10 to +10 VDC.
In drives without this feature, a 0 to +10 VDC analog signal would be used to control speed, while a separate digital input would have to be used to select forward or reverse direction.
Being able to control direction and speed with one -10 to +10 VDC signal simplifies the control system.
By using the TCF, when the signal is positive (from 0 to +10 VDC), the drive will operate in the forward direction.
When the signal is negative (from 0 to -10 VDC), the drive will operate in the reverse direction.
In both cases the motor speed will be proportional to the signal level (0 VDC is centre of scale, -5 VDC is half speed reverse, +10 VDC is full speed forward, etc).
"There were two objectives behind our choice of a particular kind of inverter," explains Handy, "reducing product cost, and ensuring long-term reliability." In order to get the required level of performance for their simulators, Phenix may have had to rely on more expensive servo drives.
"The value we're getting with the TCF is hard to argue with," summarizes Handy. Request a free brochure from Lenze-ACTech ...
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