Feedback: Advanced motor designs, gain scheduling
Readers provide feedback on Control Engineering articles on advance motor designs and on gain scheduling. See links, comments, below.
Articles on advanced motor technologies and on gain scheduling drew reader feedback recently. See comments and links to articles, below.
FEEDBACK: Gain scheduling
Concerning your article titled “How gain scheduling works” on page 56 of the January 2011 edition of Control Engineering, I have a suggestion.
Instead of implementing gains scheduling, why not linearize the process feedback to units of volume? If you use the water level to calculate the current volume of water in the tank, the need for gains scheduling goes away. While the gains of the PID are no longer scheduled, the effective gain of the system still changes – so the engineer would have to be careful to tune his PID so that it was still stable in the region where the ratio of tank level to volume was the highest (in this case, the mid-point of the tank). However I would argue that the overall system will be easier to tune, take less time to tune, and be simpler. Plus it allows you to determine the percentage of the tank’s capacity, which will likely be more useful to the operator or controls software than percent of non-linear level.
John Blystone, Instrumentation & Controls Department Supervisor
Louis Perry & Associates Inc.
www.louisperry.com
FEEDBACK: New motor technologies
Great article from Dan Jones on new motor technology. Great to get this by email. [This article was included in the Feb. 10 Control Engineering Machine Control monthly eNewsletter. Others may subscribe to eNewsletters at www.controleng.com/subscribe; browse other motor developments at www.controleng.com/new-products/motors-and-drives.html.]
The article cuts across many industries and should be followed up with some details on the individual companies that were cited. [See additional links added below.] I think there is a lot of interest because motors are so widely used and so poorly understood. The connection to the electric car is also a popular theme.
Thanks for a great job.
Steve Meyer, CEO/Senior Consultant
Solid Tech Inc.
- Related News:
Disturbance-Rejection vs. Setpoint-Tracking Controllers - 26.09.2011 12:47- Advanced motor design: New Motors Reach New Applications - 09.02.2011 18:23
- Feedback: Gain scheduling example, safety concerns - 05.02.2011 17:19
Case Study Database
Get more exposure for your case study by uploading it to the Plant Engineering case study database, where end-users can identify relevant solutions and explore what the experts are doing to effectively implement a variety of technology and productivity related projects.
These case studies provide examples of how knowledgeable solution providers have used technology, processes and people to create effective and successful implementations in real-world situations. Case studies can be completed by filling out a simple online form where you can outline the project title, abstract, and full story in 1500 words or less; upload photos, videos and a logo.
Click here to visit the Case Study Database and upload your case study.
2012 Salary Survey
In a year when manufacturing continued to lead the economic rebound, it makes sense that plant manager bonuses rebounded. Plant Engineering’s annual Salary Survey shows both wages and bonuses rose in 2012 after a retreat the year before.
Average salary across all job titles for plant floor management rose 3.5% to $95,446, and bonus compensation jumped to $15,162, a 4.2% increase from the 2010 level and double the 2011 total, which showed a sharp drop in bonus.