Not applicable.
Not applicable
The present invention relates generally to motion control systems, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sizing a drive unit for multiple applications with varying voltage requirements.
Power plants are linked to power consuming facilities (e.g., buildings, factories, etc.) via utility grids designed so as to be extremely efficient in delivering large amounts of power. To facilitate efficient distribution, power is delivered over long distances as low frequency three-phase AC current. Despite being distributable efficiently, low frequency AC current is not suitable for end use in consuming facilities. Thus, prior to end use, power delivered by a utility is converted to a useable form. To this end, a typical power “conditioning” configuration includes an AC-to-DC rectifier that converts the utility AC power to DC across positive and negative DC buses (i.e., across a DC link) and an inverter linked to the DC link that converts the DC power back to three phase AC power having an end-useable form (e.g., three phase, relatively high frequency AC voltage). A controller controls the inverter in a manner calculated to provide voltage waveforms required by the consuming facility.
Motors and linked loads are one type of common inductive load employed at many consuming facilities. To drive a motor an inverter includes a plurality of switches that can be controlled to link and delink the positive and negative DC buses to motor supply lines. The linking-delinking sequence causes voltage pulses on the motor supply lines that together define alternating voltage waveforms. When controlled correctly, the waveforms cooperate to generate a rotating magnetic field inside a motor stator core. In an induction motor, the magnetic field induces a field in motor rotor windings. The rotor field is attracted to the rotating stator field and thus the rotor rotates within the stator core. In a permanent magnet motor, one or more magnets on the rotor are attracted to the rotating magnetic field.
The amplifier, inverter, and control circuitry are commonly referred to as a motor drive unit. The motor drive unit, motor, and a possible gearbox coupled between the motor and its associated load are commonly referred to as a motion control system.
When a developer designs a motion control system, the requirements of the system (e.g., torque, power requirements) are defined. Subsequently, motion analyzer software is employed to identify specific motor drive products suitable for the design. In specifying the voltage requirements, the designer typically defines a nominal line voltage and an associated tolerance. Based on the system requirements and the specified nominal voltage with tolerances, the motion analyzer determines performance parameters for the application and matches these parameters against a database of drive products to identify those drive products that can meet the performance parameters.
For example, when a motor is deactivated, power created by the motor during a braking operation is either fed back to the DC bus as regenerative power or dissipated in a shunt. The motion analyzer considers the high voltage (i.e., nominal voltage plus the tolerance) to determine the required shunt or regenerative capacity for the system. The motion analyzer also considers the low voltage (i.e., nominal voltage minus the tolerance) to determine the velocity performance of the motor when delivering power to the load. A lower line voltage reduces the regenerative power dissipation, but also limits velocity performance. Hence, the motion analyzer considers the high and low voltages specified for the nominal voltage to identify suitable components for the application.
The complexity of the process for specifying application requirements and identifying suitable components is made more complicated in the case of a developer designing a system that may be employed in different locations. For example, one system may be installed in the United States where the line voltage for a three-phase system is commonly 220V, 460V, or 480V, while another identical system may be installed in Europe, where the line voltage for a three-phase system may be 380V, 400V, or 415V. Similarly, single phase line voltages vary across the world. To ensure that a design is suitable for both applications, the developer typically performs two different motion analyzer studies, one at each nominal line voltage (e.g., 480V and 415V). These two studies are then manually compared to identify components that meet the requirements for both applications. Compromises or reduced specification requirements may need to be made to arrive at a design suitable for both applications. This comparison/compromise approach is iterative and time consuming. Moreover, a designer may develop the system for one application without realizing the differing nominal line voltage for a different application. When the motion control system is installed in the application with the different nominal line voltage, a failure may occur.
Hence, it is desirable to provide a motional analyzer system capable of considering multiple applications with differing nominal line voltages, so that the drive products identified are suitable for either application.
This section of this document is intended to introduce various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention described and/or claimed below. This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
The present inventors have recognized that a motional analyzer system may be configured to receive upper and lower multiple nominal line voltage parameters and identify drive components suitable for either nominal line voltage application.
One aspect of the present invention is seen in a method for sizing components of a motor control system powered by a power supply. The method includes receiving an upper nominal line voltage parameter for the power supply. A lower nominal line voltage parameter for the power supply is received. A first performance measure of the motor control system is determined based on the upper nominal line voltage parameter. A second performance measure of the motor control system is determined based on the lower nominal line voltage parameter. Components suitable for use in the motor control system are identified based on the at least the first and second performance measures..
Another aspect of the present invention is seen in a program storage device programmed with instructions that, when executed by a processing device, implement the method.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is seen in a sizing tool for sizing components of a motor control system powered by a power supply. The sizing tool includes a component database, an application requirements interface, and a motion analyzer engine. The application requirements interface includes a first field specifying an upper nominal line voltage parameter for the power supply and a second field specifying a lower nominal line voltage parameter for the power supply. The motion analyzer engine is operable to determine a first performance measure of the motor control system based on the upper nominal line voltage parameter, determine a second performance measure of the motor control system based on the lower nominal line voltage parameter, and identify components in the component database suitable for use in the motor control system based on at least the first and second performance measures.
These and other objects, advantages and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description. The particular objects and advantages described herein may apply to only some embodiments falling within the claims and thus do not define the scope of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention and reference is made, therefore, to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention.
The invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but include modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. Nothing in this application is considered critical or essential to the present invention unless explicitly indicated as being “critical” or “essential.”
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numbers correspond to similar components throughout the several views and, specifically, referring to
The power supply 110 typically provides an AC voltage received from a utility grid. The nominal line voltage of the power supply 110 may vary depending on the location at which the motor control system 100 is intended to be installed. For instance, line voltages for a system in the United States may be selected from 220V, 460V, or 480V for three phase or 115V or 220V for single phase. Line voltages in Europe may be selected from 230, 380V, 400V, or 415V for three phase or 110, 220, 230, or 240 for single phase. A single phase line voltage of 90V is sometimes used in the Far East. A designer may wish to implement the motor control system 100 in multiple locations with differing nominal line voltage power supplies 110.
The power processing device 120 performs various functions, such as power conversion, switching, protection, filtering, etc. A commercially available power processing device 120 capable of performing the described power conditioning and protection functions is a line interface module (LIM) offered by Rockwell Automation, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis. Exemplary line interface modules include models 2094-AL09, 2094-AL75S, 2094-BL02, 2094-BL75S, and 2094-XL75S-Cx.
The drive units 130 generate voltages for powering the motors 140 and their associated loads 150 (i.e., each referred to as an axis). A particular drive unit 130 may serve multiple axes or a single axis. The construction and operation of drive units 130 for performing this function are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Exemplary drive units 130 are drives in the Kinetix 6000 drive family offered commercially by Rockwell Automation, Inc. In general, the drive units 130 produce positive and negative voltage pulses in specific sequences to generate AC voltages having controllable amplitudes and frequencies for the associated motors 140.
Turning now to
Based on the determined operating characteristics, the motion analyzer engine 220 searches the equipment database 240 to identify components of the motor control system 100 suitable for the design. As is known in the art, the motion analyzer engine 220 may suggest multiple compositions (i.e., using different components) for the motor control system 100 and generate operating profiles for each such composition. The user may then evaluate the different suggestions to select the arrangement best meeting the designer's performance goals. The different suggested compositions and their associated performance and operating characteristics are stored in the motion simulation data file 250.
Turning now to
Still referring to
The user selects values for the lower nominal voltage field 320 and the upper nominal voltage field 340 based on the intended applications for the motor control system 100. For example, if the motor control system 100 is a 3 phase system to be used in the United States and Europe, the lower nominal voltage field 320 may be specified as 400V (Europe) and the upper nominal voltage field 340 may be specified as 480V (US). The user may manually enter the values or select values from a predetermined drop down list of choices. The user may also select values for the lower tolerance field 330 and upper tolerance field 350 as appropriate.
Returning to
In selecting suggested compositions for the motor control system 100, and the motion analyzer engine 220 may also compare the voltage range specified by the lower nominal voltage field 320 and upper nominal voltage field 340 to individual voltage ratings specified for each of the individual components in the equipment database 240 to verify their suitability.
Generally, the motion analyzer engine 220 identifies suitable components by determining the performance measures for different motor/amplifier/gearbox combinations. The motion analyzer engine 220 may limit its solution search based on search preferences specified by the user. For example, the user may restrict the solutions to a particular drive family. In light of any such user restrictions, the motion analyzer engine 220 evaluates possible motor/amplifier/gearbox combinations and determines performance parameters for each combination. Subsequently, the motion analyzer engine 220 scores each potential configuration and selects a rating of pass, caution, near fail, or far fail.
Turning now to
In block 400 an upper nominal line voltage parameter for the power supply 110 is received. In block 410, a lower nominal line voltage parameter for the power supply 110 is received. In block 420, a first performance measure (e.g., regenerative loading) of the motor control system 100 is determined based on the upper nominal line voltage parameter. In block 430, a second performance measure (e.g., velocity performance) of the motor control system 100 is determined based on the lower nominal line voltage parameter. In block 440, components suitable for use in the motor control system 100 are identified based on at least the first and second performance measures.
In identifying the suitable components in block 440, the previous steps may be repeated in an iterative fashion for multiple motor control system arrangements.
Allowing the specification of multiple nominal line voltages, and identifying components suitable for use across the specified range of nominal line voltages, as described herein, simplifies the design process. Multiple analyses need not be performed for each application with a different nominal line voltage, and the time consuming process of manually cross-referencing the multiple analyses and determining system compromises may be avoided.
The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.