Abstract: An electronic line shaft includes a motor drive and a processing unit operable to execute a wizard for configuring the motor drive. The wizard is operable to receive mechanical characteristic data associated with the motor drive, determine a noise parameter based on the mechanical characteristic data, and determine at least one control parameter of the motor drive based on the noise parameter.

Abstract: A method for determining motor velocity includes generating an edge signal including a plurality of edges. The edge signal indicates rotational travel of a motor. Edge counts in the edge signal occurring during periodic sample intervals are determined. The edge counts are filtered over a predetermined number of samples. A velocity feedback signal is generated for the motor based on the filtered edge counts. A drive unit for controlling a motor includes an edge detection unit, a position accumulator, and a velocity filter. The edge detection unit is operable to receive a motor position signal and generate an edge signal including a plurality of edges. The edge signal indicates rotational travel of the motor. A position accumulator is operable to determine edge counts in the edge signal occurring during periodic sample intervals. The velocity filter is operable to filter the edge counts over a predetermined number of samples generate a velocity feedback signal for the motor based on the filtered edge counts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for use with a controller for controlling a machine wherein a torque reference value is provided, the method for identifying an error representative of the difference between the torque reference value and the torque applied to the machine and using the error value to modify machine operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for use with a motor controller that receives a command velocity and that applies voltages to drive a motor at the command velocity, the apparatus comprising a dual inertia lost motion assembly including a motor and a load couplable to the motor, the lost motion assembly characterized by at least some lost motion between the motor and the load, the motor and load together characterized by a total assembly inertia, an acceleration error determiner for generating an acceleration error that is the difference between a derivative of the command velocity and a motor acceleration value and a low pass acceleration error filter filtering the acceleration error and having a gain set as a percentage of the total assembly inertia, the acceleration error filter providing the filtered signal to the controller, the controller using the filtered signal to adjust the applied voltages.

Abstract: The present method can determine the inertia of an electric motor and the load driven by the electric motor in situations where the electric motor accelerates or decelerates in a non-linear manner. During acceleration and deceleration, the torque produced by the electric motor is sampled periodically and the average values for the acceleration torque and deceleration are calculated. The rates of acceleration and deceleration also are determined. These values are employed to derive a value indicating the inertia.

Abstract: A virtual encoder is provided as a software component of a motor drive that integrates a command speed to produce a desired position drive signal. The desired position drive signal is converted to an actual position drive signal that is constantly maintained within a predetermined integer error margin of the desired position drive signal.