In the real-life application, how will the drive behave? This question can be solved with FAULHABER brushless DC motors. As the company says it needs no hardware at all. Simulink, a simulation program, can be used to integrate them into modeled applications. They were recently introduced to a library as virtual modules. The simulated behavior functions as an indicator for the actual situations.
Few clicks are all that are needed to “try out” various drives. The development process is greatly facilitated by this.
As an example, let’s look at a transport drone utilized in logistics. High dynamic demands must be satisfied by its drives in order to provide accurate and responsive control over the flying object. They have to react easily, quickly, and with just the right precise force. Therefore, there are very strict expectations for motors that power such high-precision applications.
Saves time and reduces risks
One of the numerous application scenarios where simulation of the drive system during the development phase is a useful tool is the transport drone.
Here, it’s not just about the motor’s activity, which can be rather well predicted using the data sheet’s parameters. Emulation of the sensor system and control is also necessary for a full drive system. Comprehensive trials with physical drives are lowered by using realistic emulation of these components.
As the leading manufacturer of premium micromotors, FAULHABER provides the opportunity to accurately simulate the application scenario at an early stage of development.
A simulation program that is utilized by numerous developers worldwide supports this: Programming is not necessary when using Simulink’s “block diagram environment,” which has a graphical user interface and allows for virtual model simulations. “In an integrated environment, multiple solutions may be tested quickly and easily. Applications engineer Marc Lux says, “This enables the development concept to be adapted to the actual application at a very early stage.”
Integrating sensor system and control
He himself created the basis for testing FAULHABER drives using Simulink. He compiled a component library in which all brushless DC-motors in the product range are stored together with the matching encoders and Motion Controllers.
“A motor consists of an electrical and a mechanical subsystem. The correlations can be described using mathematical equations. In the model, the equations for the subsystems are interconnected, just like the components when assembling a physical motor.”
A realistic speed characteristic can be simulated by modeling typical influences of several sensor systems. Customers can also use the drive models to create their own controllers for brushless FAULHABER motor actuation.
While testing on real motors is still necessary, this model-based approach greatly shortens development time and lowers associated risks.
The library offers torque, speed, and motion control modules for simulating a controlled drive system with FAULHABER components. The foundation is made up of Motion Controllers of Generation 3.0, such as the Models MC 3001, MC 3603, and MC 5005.
The controller settings can be found identical to those found in a physical Motion Controller when combined with a motor from the library and a configurable load inertia. It is possible to, for instance, produce realistic positioning times, modify the controller parameters, or compare the drive’s behavior when other concepts are applied by modeling the entire drive systems.
Practical toolbox
A Matlab toolbox was created by Marc Lux to facilitate the use of the simulation. Matlab is a numerical computing and programming environment. This platform allows scripts to be built that can be used with Simulink for simulation.
The several drive models, tables and scripts for determining controller and motor parameters, and graphical interfaces for easily assembling the simulation’s component parts are all included in the virtual toolbox.
The Simulink library has been available online to FAULHABER customers since the beginning of the year. It is meant to supplement existing tools such as the FAULHABER Drive Calculator. It can be utilized for selecting a driving system as well as for model-based integration into the actual application.
Not least, the simulation can also be used for constructing a digital twin of the drive and to leverage this twin for additional features in the context of IoT and Industry 4.0.
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