LIMITATIONS OF DESIGN SPACE-BASED INDICATORS FOR EARLY ROBUSTNESS ASSESSMENT

This paper seeks to address the gap between qualitative Robust Design principles and parameter optimization. The former often fails to consider the challenging amount of details in embodiment and configuration design, while the latter is the widely accepted main thrust in traditional Robust Design. The gap is addressed by exploring the value of five quantitative robustness indicators for Design Space Exploration based on variables, objectives and constraints: The set level indicators, Design Space Size and Pareto Set Dispersion, and the point level indicators, Neighbourhood Performance, Failure Rate and Distance to Failure. As a background for the discussion of the limitations of these indicators an industrial case is presented. The case is an incremental encoder and includes two configurations for comparison, five objectives, eight variables, and a range of constraints. The design spaces are sampled and they show conflicting objectives, dispersed spaces and variables dependencies. Based on this it is suggested that set level indicators are more suitable than point level indicators of early robustness evaluation, but the available indicators are limited in their considerations of design space discontinuity and conflicts.

Algorithm for Processing Signals of the Incremental Encoder for Calculating the Angles of Rotation of the Torsional Pendulum

В статье приведен алгоритм обработки сигналов инкрементного датчика для оценки свободных колебаний крутильного маятника при исследовании фрикционных характеристик смазочных материалов применительно к стальным канатам с использованием возможности ПО «PowerGraph». Стальной канат является сложной и гибкой стержневой системой, в которой проволоки имеют форму пространственной спирали (винтовой линии) или двойной спирали. При этом внутренние проволоки стальных канатов находятся внутри и недоступны для прямого исследования, измерения и контроля. Анализ фрикционных характеристик смазочных материалов, используемых в стальных канатах, усугубляется многокомпонентностью и сложной структурой объекта исследования. Экспериментальные методы исследования в этом случае представляют один из наиболее эффективных и достоверных способов оценки эксплуатационных свойств изделия в целом. В основу эксперимента положен процесс затухания вращательных колебаний тяжелого груза, висящего на исследуемом стальном канате. Используемый смазочный материал влияет на такой колебательный процесс, и характеристикой такого влияния является декремент затухания колебательного процесса. В качестве датчика угла использован инкрементный энкодер, установленный соосно исследуемому канату и обеспечивающий разрешение регистрации угла поворота до 0,18 градуса.

Comparative Study of the Parallel and Angular Electrical Gripper for Industrial Applications

The aim of this paper is to study the position and power performances of an electrical lead screw-driven industrial gripper mechanism (LSDIGM). This work consists of designing and developing an electrical LSDIGM that has the potential to meet various demands in the automation industry and factories. The performances of both angular electrical gripper (AEG) and parallel electrical gripper (PEG) mechanisms were compared based on their position and power efficiency. The position efficiency of these electrical LSDIGM is computed from the position root mean square error (PRMSE) obtained from errors between the two measured positions (input incremental encoder and output linear encoder). In the experimental setup, a current sensor and a spring were employed to measure the current in the input of the system and the stiffness in the output of the system, respectively. The electrical power in the input of the electrical LSDIGM and the mechanical power in the output of the LSDIGMs were calculated using the current and the spring force, respectively. Finally, the power efficiency of these electrical LSDIGMs was examined and compared at different velocity circumstances.

Improved ANFIS based MRAC observer for sensorless control of PMSM

Detection of the rotor position is an important prerequisite for controlling the speed and developed torque in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). Even though use of incremental encoder and resolver is one of the popular schemes for sensing the rotor position in a PMSM drive, it increases the size and weight of the drive and reduces its reliability. Dynamic modeling of the motor and control algorithms are often used in sensor-less control of PMSM to estimate rotor position and motor speed. Most sensor-less control algorithms use machine parameters like torque constant, stator inductances and stator resistance for estimating the rotor position and speed. However, with accuracy of such estimation and the performance of the motor degrades with variation in motor parameters. Model reference adaptive control (MRAC) provides a simple solution to this issue. An improved Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) based MRAC observer for speed control of PMSM drive is presented in this paper. In the proposed method adaptive model and adaptive mechanism are replaced by an improved ANFIS controller, which neutralize the effect of parametric variation and results in improved performance of the drive. The modeling equations of PMSM are used to estimate the rotor position for speed and torque control of the drive. Simulation studies have been carried out under various operating condition using MATLAB/Simulink. In addition, a comparative analysis of the conventional MRAC based observer and improved ANFIS based MRAC observer is carried out. It is observed that the proposed method results in better performance of the PMSM drive.

Torsional Vibration Extraction of Dual-Period Instantaneous Angular Speed Measurement of the Generalized Incremental Encoder

Torsional vibration is key information in monitoring the condition of the shaft system. Using the vector superposition principle, the relationship between the rotation motion and the torsional vibration of the shaft is analyzed. This paper proposes a generalized incremental encoder model and constructs a piecewise function to describe the principle of the pulse output type speed measuring device. The incremental encoder uses a fixed angular increment to stamp the time component of the angular motion of the shaft, thereby establishing a discrete relationship between the angular motion of the shaft and the time component. The relationship between the angular resolution of the encoder and the torsional vibration signal sampling theorem is deduced. The asymmetric under-sampling of the torsional vibration signals is explained from the perspective of signal sampling. According to the index period invariance of the reconstruction of the encoder disc angle sequence, a double-period instantaneous angular speed (IAS) calculation method is proposed, which uses all the time stamps, avoiding the sampling bandwidth idle caused by the single period method, causing the torsional vibration signal to obtain more detailed information, and its analysis bandwidth is twice that of the single-period method. Simulation and experiment verified the correctness and superiority of the research content. Finally, the calculation method was packaged as a functional module and embedded in an online torsional vibration monitoring device applied to two 1000Mw nuclear power turbine generator sets.

Rotor Position Alignment of FSTPI Based PMSM Drive Using Low Frequency Signal Injection

A PMSM drive with an incremental encoder or using sensorless control requires alignment to a predetermined rotor position (initial position) or initial rotor position detection at start-up. It is desired to lock the rotor to a known state (usually zero angle) at start-up if the initial rotor position detection is not available or difficult to obtain. In this work, a simple and proper zero angle initial rotor position alignment of four-switch three-phase (FSTP) inverter-based PMSM drive is proposed. Low-frequency voltage signal is applied to the d-axis voltage reference of the open-loop FSTPI based PMSM drive scheme without requiring complex trigonometric calculations, PI current regulators and current sensing. Therefore, fluctuated capacitor voltages at the DC-link are obtained allowing current flown through phase a locking the rotor with zero angle, properly. The proposed method has been implemented using a low-cost FSTP voltage source inverter (VSI) for PMSM drive with a floating-point TMS320F28335 DSP. The effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed zero angle initial rotor position alignment method for PMSM driven by FSTP inverter have been demonstrated through experimental results.

Error Considerations for Turbine-Generator Torsional Vibration Monitoring

Turbine-generator torsional vibration is linked to electrical events in the power grid by the generator air-gap torque. Modern power systems are subject to gradual transformation by increasing flexibility demands and incorporation of renewable resources. As a result, electrical transient events are getting more frequent and thus torsional vibration is getting more and more attention. Especially in the case of large steam and gas turbines torsional vibration can cause material fatigue and present a hazard for safe machine operation. This paper freely builds on previous work, where a method for torsional vibration evaluation using an incremental encoder measurement was presented, in that it supplements error considerations to this methodology. Measurement errors such as precision of the rotor encoder manufacturing, choice of the proper sensor, its signal to noise ratio and the error of instantaneous velocity computation algorithm are analyzed. The knowledge of these errors is essential for torsional vibration as there is an indirect and relatively complicated path from the measurement to the final torsional vibration results compared to other kinds of vibration. The characteristics of particular errors of the processing chain are validated both on experimental data from a test rig as well as field data measured on turbine-generators in power plants.