| Motion control—the controlled movement of machinery—increasingly relies on electronic components as well as the traditional mechanical linkages, gears, and cams. These hybrid systems provide a unique bridge between larger information systems and controllers at the level of the individual machine. Open architecture systems that are standardized, flexible, and integrated anchor both ends of this connection. Traditional applications of open system environments, such as supply-chain logistics and production scheduling, have not included the lower-level machine controls. This dissertation brings the lower-level controls into an overall open system environment. Using the hierarchical information flow (one of the benefits of open system architecture implementation) that allows for top-down, bottom-up, and sideways information transfer, a supervisory control scheme provides the link between the higher-level functions and the lower-level machine controls. Specific problems in lower-level controls, including system modeling, parameter identification, trajectory generation, and vibration control, are addressed in the supervisory system development. The open character of the system allows advanced control algorithms such as optimal trajectory generation and neural network feedback control to be readily implemented. The benefits of the supervisory controller are demonstrated in an integrated environment for a packaging machine... |
