Servo Mechanics

CONTENTS

S.No Details Page no.

1 Introduction 1-2
1.1 Synchros and Servomechanisms
2 History 3

3 Different Types of Servo Mechanics 4

4 Electrical positioning systems 5-6
5 Applications 7-8
6 Types of servomotors 9-11
7 Brushless DC Servo Motor 12-15

8 Advantages of servo control systems 16

9 Conclusion 17
10 References 18

IV
 Servo Mechanics

1. INTRODUCTION

A Servomechanism, sometimes shortened to servo, is an automatic device that uses

error- sensing negative feedback to correct the action of a mechanism. It usually

includes a built in encoder or other position feedback mechanism to ensure the output

is achieving the desired effect.

The term correctly applies only to those systems where the feedback or error-

correction signals help control mechanical position, speed or other parameters.

Synchros and servomechanisms (control unit)

Synchros and Servo mechanisms serve different purposes, but they are often used in

combination.

Basically a Synchro mechanism consists of a stator and rotor. It is used for electrical

transmission of angular position information.

A servo mechanism receives and obeys an order, for example from a synchro:
(a) It senses the error between the actual signal and the signal as it ought to be;
(b) It corrects the error and changes the actual signal to the signal as it is ought to be.

The main components of any servo system are:

The error detector,

The controller and

And the load.

1
 Servo Mechanics

Fig.1.1

Principle of servo mechanism:

The error detector energizes the controller which positions the load and information

about the latter position is feed back into the error detector. Hence the error detector

constantly compares the order of command (input) with the existing conditions and

issues a correcting order if any discrepancy exists.

2
 Servo Mechanics

2. HISTORY

James Watt’s steam engine governor is generally considered the first powered

feedback system. The windmill fantail is an earlier example of automatic control, but

since it does not have an amplifier or gain, it is not usually considered a

servomechanism.

The first feedback position control device was the ship steering engine, used to

position the rudder of large ships based on the position of the ship's wheel.

The telemotor was invented around 1872 by Andrew Betts Brown, allowing elaborate

mechanisms between the control room and the engine to be greatly simplified.

Steam steering engines had the characteristics of a modern servomechanism: an input,

an output, an error signal, and a means for amplifying the error signal used for

negative feedback to drive the error towards zero.

Electrical servomechanisms were used as early as 1888 in Elisha Gray’s Telautograph.

Electrical servomechanisms require a power amplifier. World War II saw the

development of electrical fire-control servomechanisms, using an amplidyne as the

power amplifier.

Modern servomechanisms use solid state power amplifiers, usually built

from MOSFET or thyristor devices. Small servos may use power transistors.

3
 Servo Mechanics

3. DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERVO MECHANICS

Servos can be classified by means of their feedback control systems:

Type ‘0’ servos: under steady-state conditions they produce a constant value of the
output with a constant error signal;

Type 1 servos: under steady-state conditions they produce a constant value of the

output with null error signal, but a constant rate of change of the reference implies a

constant error in tracking the reference;

Type 2 servos: under steady-state conditions they produce a constant value of the

output with null error signal. A constant rate of change of the reference implies a null

error in tracking the reference. A constant rate of acceleration of the reference implies

a constant error in tracking the reference.

The Servo Bandwidth indicates the capability of the servo to follow rapid changes in

the commanded input.

4
 Servo Mechanics

4. ELECTRICAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS

Servomechanisms

A servomechanism complies with the following:

(1) Is a feedback system

(2) Has large energy gain

(3) The controlled output is a mechanical position or a derived time function of this

position (speed, acceleration).

If the output is a position then we refer to a positioning system.

Performance of a positioning system We distinguish two groups of applications:

(a) Point to point positioning

The requirements which are applicable are the speed to go from point A to point B

together with the accuracy of the positioning and the dynamic behavior.

(b) Trajectory control

In addition to the requirements above accurately and fluently following a

predetermined trajectory is important. Fluent means a speed change of maximum
0.1% during one revolution of the motor shaft.

5
 Servo Mechanics

Requirements of a servo-system

A servo-system should meet the following requirements

(1) Large torque at stand still
(2) high impulse torque so that a large acceleration and a fast response is possible

(3) Large speed control range

(4) Good controllability at (very) low speed
(5) Low torque ripple
(6) High accuracy.

4.4 Servomotor

Important properties of a servomotor are:

(1) High torque

(2) Low inertia
(3) Linear M-n curves.

Electric servomotors have a high nominal speed and a low nominal torque so that a

(gearwheel) reduction is required to match the motor to the load. A reduction N will

reduce the output to N times slower rotation and simultaneously the available torque

will be N times larger.

If a linear movement is required then a transfer mechanism (e.g. a worm-wheel) is

required between rotating motor shaft and linear movement of the load.

These days in a number of situations a linear motor is used.

For high-dynamic positioning and torque control electrical servo-systems used only DC-

servomotors or permanent magnet synchronous motors.

6
 Servo Mechanics

5. APPLICATIONS

Position control

A common type of servo provides position control. Commonly, servos are electrical,
hydraulic or pneumatic. They operate on the principle of negative feedback, where the
control input is compared to the actual position of the mechanical system as measured
by some type of transducer at the output. Any difference between the actual and
wanted values (an "error signal") is amplified (and converted) and used to drive the
system in the direction necessary to reduce or eliminate the error. This procedure is
one widely used application of control theory. Typical servos can give a rotary (angular)
or linear output.

7
 Servo Mechanics

Speed control

Speed control via a governor is another type of servomechanism. The steam engine

uses mechanical governors; another early application was to govern the speed of

water wheels. Prior to World War II the constant speed propeller was developed to

control engine speed for maneuvering aircraft. Fuel controls for gas turbine engines

employ either hydromechanical or electronic governing.

Others

Positioning servomechanisms were first used in military fire-control and

marine navigation equipment. Today servomechanisms are used in automatic machine

tools, satellite-tracking antennas, remote control airplanes, automatic navigation

systems on boats and planes, and antiaircraft-gun control systems. Other examples are

fly-by-wire systems in aircraft which use servos to actuate the aircraft's control

surfaces, and radio-controlled models which use RC servos for the same purpose.

Many autofocus cameras also use a servomechanism to accurately move the lens. A

hard disk drive has a magnetic servo system with sub-micrometre positioning accuracy.

In industrial machines, servos are used to perform complex motion, in many

applications.

8
 Servo Mechanics

6. TYPES OF SERVO MOTORS

Fig.6.1 Types of servo motors

1) DC Servo motor

Generally, this motor has a separate DC source in the winding and the armature

winding field. The control can be archived either by controlling the armature current

or field current. Field control comprises some benefits over armature control.

Similarly, armature control comprises some benefits over field control. Based on the

uses the control should be functional to the DC servo motor. This motor offers very

precise and also quickly react to start or stop commands due to the low armature

inductive reactance. These motors are used in related equipment’s and

computerized mathematically controlled machines.

Fig.6.2 DC servo motor

9
 Servo Mechanics

2) AC Servo Motor

AC servo motor is an AC motor that includes encoder is used with controllers for giving
closed loop control and feedback. This motor can be placed to high accuracy and also
controlled precisely as compulsory for the applications. Frequently these motors have
higher designs of tolerance or better bearings and some simple designs also use higher
voltages in order to accomplish greater torque. Applications of an AC motor mainly
involve in automation, robotics, CNC machinery, and other applications a high level of
precision and needful versatility.

Fig6.3 AC Servo Motor

3) Positional Rotation Servo Motor

Positional rotation servo motor is a most common type of servo motor. The shaft’s o/p
rotates in about 180o. It includes physical stops located in the gear mechanism to stop
turning outside these limits to guard the rotation sensor. These common servos
involve in radio controlled water, radio controlled cars, aircraft, robots, toys and many
other applications.
4) Continuous Rotation Servo Motor

Continuous rotation servo motor is quite related to the common positional rotation
servo motor, but it can go in any direction indefinitely. The control signal, rather than
set the static position of the servo, is understood as the speed and direction of
rotation. The range of potential commands sources the servo to rotate clockwise or
anticlockwise as preferred, at changing speed, depending on the command signal. This
type of motor is used in a radar dish if you are riding one on a robot or you can use one
as a drive motor on a mobile robot.

10
 Servo Mechanics

Fig6.4 Continuous Rotation Servo Motor

5) Linear Servo Motor

This motor is also similar the positional rotation servo motor, that is discussed above,
but with an extra gears to alter the output from circular to back-and-forth. These
motors are not simple to find, but sometimes can be found at hobby stores where they
are used as actuators in higher model airplanes.

Fig6.5 Linear Servo Motor

11
 Servo Mechanics

7. BRUSHLESS DC SERVOMOTOR (BLDC motor)

The BLDC motor consists of four parts

1) Rotor (permanent magnet)

2) Stator
3) Electronic communication
4) Sensors for rotor angle position (Hall position sensor)

Fig.7.1 BLDC servomotor

In BLDC motor , the rotor is made of permanent magnet and DC power is supplied to
the armature which is stationary.

In this the electrical or DC power is communicated to the stator by electronically

switching the current in the stator by energizing each pair of diametrically opposite
segments of the stator coils labelled as ‘A’ to ‘D’.

12
 Servo Mechanics

Fig.7.2

Hall position sensor: Three sensors each 120° apart are placed as shown in the figure.
Each sensor senses only one pole, for example North Pole. At any instant time before
starting the motor, North Pole is closest to any one of the sensors and accordingly the
first field is given to the coils to start the motor.
Consider the current flows through the coils ‘A’ and ‘C’, this will setup a field of North
and South Pole as shown in fig.7.3.(i)

Keeping the current flow in coils ‘A’ and ‘C’, switching ON the coils ‘B’ and ‘D’.
Now the rotor will take the position as shown in fig.6.3.(ii) by rotating exactly 45° in
clockwise direction.

13
 Servo Mechanics

In order to move the rotor further, switch OFF the coils ‘A’ and ‘C’ but maintain the

current flow in coils ‘B’ and ‘D’. Due to this the rotor takes the position as shown in

fig.7.3(iii).

In this way the rotor will complete full rotation by switching the coils in a sequential
order.

14
 Servo Mechanics

BRUSHED MOTOR VS BLDC MOTOR

FEATURE BRUSHED BLDC SERVO MOTOR

DC MOTOR
1 Communication Brushed communication Electronic communication
2 Efficiency Moderate High due to no voltage
drop across brushes
3 Maintenance Periodic maintenance is Very less
required
4 Life of motor Shorter Longer
5 Noise High noise due to an electric Very low/Quiet in
arc between the brush and operation
stator wire
6 Control Simple and inexpensive Complex and expensive
7 Control No controller is required Complex and expensive
8 Controller required No controller is required Controller is required
9 Rotor inertia High Low
10 Cost Low High

15
 Servo Mechanics

8. ADVANTAGES OF SERVO CONTROL SYSTEM

(a) Intermediate motor and control costs

(b) Continuous duty

(c) Reversible drives

(d) Speed is proportional to the applied voltage

(e) Torque is proportional to the applied voltage

(f) Very efficient

(g) No power required to hold a static load in position

(h) Flat speed-torque curve

(i) Peak torque available for short periods of time

(j) Smooth rotation at low speeds

(k) Good up to 3000 rpm

DISADVANTAGES

(a) High cost

(b) The limited high power could be supplied to BLDC motor, otherwise, too much heat

weakens the magnets and the insulation of winding may get damaged.

16
 Servo Mechanics

9. CONCLUSION

With the perks of servomechanisms, industries are adapting it at a very faster rate.
The purpose of a servomechanism is to provide one or more of the following
objectives:

(1) Accurate control of motion without the need for human attendants (automatic
control)

(2) Maintenance of accuracy with mechanical load variations, changes in the

environment, power supply fluctuations, and aging and deterioration of components
(regulation and self- calibration)

(3) Control of a high-power load from a low-power command signal (power

amplification) In many applications, servomechanisms allow high-powered devices to
be controlled by signals from devices of much lower power. The operation of the high-
powered device results from a signal (called the error, or difference, signal) generated
from a comparison of the desired position of the high-powered device with its actual
position. The ratio between the power of the control signal and that of the device
controlled can be on the order of billions to one.

(4) Control of an output from a remotely located input, without the use of mechanical
linkages (remote control, shaft repeater).

17
 Servo Mechanics

10. REFERENCES

(1) W. Burger M.Sc. Extra Master, A.G. Corbet Extra Master, in Ship Stabilizers, 1966.

(2) Jean Pollefliet, in Power Electronics, 2018.

(3) IEEE Industry applications magazine,1996.

(4) Introduction to servo system- I.A. Getting.

(5) Bennett, Stuart A History of Control Engineering.

(6) Francis Nickols, Yueh-Jaw Lin, in Creating Precision Robots, 2019.

18