Animatics - Integrated Motion Control. Animatics is the pioneer and recognized leader of integrated motion control. We are designers and manufacturers of highly innovative motion control products which include the award winning SmartMotor. The Smart Motor is a complete, compact and user friendly motion control system that integrates a brushless dc servo motor, motion controller, encoder and amplifier.

Through the two pins, A and B, of the I/O connector, quadrature or step and direction signals can be fed into the SmartMotor at high speeds and be followed by the motor itself. This feature brings about the following capabilities:

1) Mode Follow

2) Mode Step and Direction

3) Mode Follow with ratio

4) Mode Step and Direction with ratio

5) Mode Cam

In addition to the above embedded modes of operation, the internal counter can be set to either count encoder signals or step signals and be accessible to the internal program or a host through the CTR variable.

When the SmartMotor is in one of the above five modes it may also run internal programs and communicate with a host, all at the same time.

MF1, MF2 and MF4 Mode Follow

Mode Follow allows the SmartMotor to follow an external encoder. In addition to being read in full scale (MF1), the incoming quadrature wave can be read by the internal hardware in 2x (MF2) as well as 4x (MF4) resolution.

MF0, MS0

The MF0 and MS0 commands must not be issued during one of the other follow modes. They are used for an entirely different purpose. If you do not want to directly follow an incoming encoder or step signal, but rater just want to track them and use the counter value within your own program or from a host, then issuing MF0 or MS0 utilizes the maximum resolution available and makes the value available through the CTR function. Issuing MF0 or MS0 will zero that variable and incoming encoder or step signals will increment or decrement the signed, 32-bit CTR function value.

MFDIV=expression Set Ratio divisor

MFMUL=expression SetRatiomultiplier

where -256.0000 < Ratio < 256.0000

After the appropriate MF# command is issued, or the MS command has been issued, a floating point ratio can further be applied by the firmware. Since the SmartMotor is an integer machine, that floating point ratio is accomplished by dividing one number by another.

MFR Calculate Mode Follow Ratio

MSR Calculate Mode Step Ratio

Once a numerator and denominator have been specified, and the appropriate hardware mode is selected, the motor can be put into ratio mode with the MFR or MSR commands (MSR for ratioing incoming step and direction signals). The following example sets up a 10.5:1 relationship:

MF4 ‘Read in full res.

MFMUL=2 ‘10.5:1=21:2

MFDIV=21

D=0 ‘be sure D is zero

MFR ‘Invoke calculation

G ‘Start

Once in a ratio mode the V=# and D=# commands will still work. They will invoke a phase shift of length D at a relative rate determined by V. For that reason, you must zero out D before issuing an MFR or MSR command or you could find unexpected shifting taking place. In applications such as a Web Press, this ability to phase shift can be very useful.

MC Mode Cam

A cam is a basically round but irregular shape that rotates and causes a follower to move up and down in a profile determined by the shape of the cam's exterior.

Since the beginning of industrialization, cams have been used to create complex, reciprocating motion. Cams are most often carved out of steel and changing them, or having them invoke motion a great distance away are impractical. The SmartMotor provides an electronic alternative. Putting an encoder on the rotating part of a machine, sending the signals to a SmartMotor and programming the cam profile into the SmartMotor allows for the same complex, repeating motions to be accomplished, without any of the typical mechanical limitations.

BASE=expression Base length

Part of defining a Cam relationship is specifying how many incoming encoder counts there are for one full cam rotation. Simply set BASE equal to this number.

SIZE=expression Number of Cam data entries

The upper variable array space holds the cam profile data. To instruct the SmartMotor as to how many data points you have specified, set SIZE equal to that number. The cam firmware looks at words (16 bit numbers). The maximum number of words you can use is 100. The cam firmware will perform linear interpolation between those entries, as well as between the last and the first as the cam progresses through the table and back to the beginning. The cam table entries occupy the same space as variables aa through yyy. Set the values in the following way:

aw[0]=1234

aw[1]=3456

...etc.

MD50 Drive Mode

The MD50 command causes the SmartMotor to emulate a traditional servo and amplifier so it can be used with yet another controller sending a standard +/-10Volt analog command signal. A small voltage divider is necessary to convert the +/-10 volts into the 0 to 5 volt signal the motor takes an additional device may be desired to take the single ended encoder signals coming out of the SmartMotor and make them differential for more noise immunity during their travel back to the external controller.

The following binary values can be tested by IF and WHILE control flow expressions, or assigned to any variable. They may all be reported using RB{bit} commands. Some may be reset using Z{bit} commands and some are reset when accessed. The first 8 states are reported in combination by the RS command. RW reports sixteen of these flags in combination.

By writing your program to periodically test these bits, you can make your SmartMotor application very smart" about its own inner-workings and doings.

Bo Motor off status bit 7

Bh Excessive temperature status bit 6

Be Excessive position error status bit 5

Bw Wraparound occurred status bit 4

Bi Index report available status bit 3

Bm Real time negative limit status bit 2

Bp Real time positive limit status bit 1

Bt Trajectory in progress status bit 0

Ba Over current state occurred

Bb Parity error occurred

Bc Communication overflow occurred

Bd User math overflow occurred

Bf Communications framing error occurred

Bk Program check sum/EEPROM failure

Bl Historical left limit

Br Historical right limit

Bs Syntax error occurred

Bu User array index error occurred

Bx Hardware index input level

If you do take action based on some of the error flags, you will need to reset the flag in order to look out for the next occurence, or in some cases depending on how your code is written, in order to keep from acting over and over again, on the same occurence. The flags that need to be reset are listed. Their letter designator is preceded by the letter Z.

Reset system state flags

Za Reset over current violation occurred

Zb Reset parity error occurred

Zc Reset com overflow error occurred

Zd Reset user math overflow occurred

Zf Reset communications framing error occurred

Zl Reset historical left limit occurred

Zr Reset historical right limit occurred

Zs Reset syntax error occurred

Zu Reset user array index error occurred

Zw Reset wraparound occurred

ZS Reset all Z{bit} state flags

The TWAIT command pauses program execution until motion is complete. Instead of using TWAIT, a routine could be written that does much more. To start with, the following code example would perform the same function as TWAIT:

WHILE Bt ‘While trajectory

LOOP ‘Loop back

Alternatively, the above routine could be augmented with code that took specific action in the event of an index signal as is shown in the following example

WHILE Bt ‘While trajectory

IF Bi ‘Check index

GOSUB500 ‘take care of it

ENDIF ‘end checking

LOOP ‘Loop back