DC Servos ─ Application and Design With MATLAB

Fundamental to the control of mechatronic devices, the servomechanism applies feedback from the device in question to regulate its position, velocity, or some other physical attribute. Successful mastery of servo control requires an understanding of a wide range of engineering disciplines, making it difficult and time-consuming to master it all—and even harder to find an all-encompassing guide that shows you how.

DC Servos: Application and Design with MATLABR is designed and written with this problem in mind. It breaks down the practical knowledge required from the various branches of applied science—electrical and mechanical engineering, analog electronics, mechanics, control theory, digital electronics, embedded computing, and firmware design—into a cohesive and usable framework. Today, DC servos are working around the world in countless applications—CD players, ink-jet printers, robots, machining centers, vending machines, eyeglass manufacturing machines, home appliances, and automotive seat positioners, just to name a few.

This book balances coverage of theoretical and practical aspects of application and design of DC servomechanisms. It also provides detailed coverage of feedback transducers, particularly the application of optical encoders to real systems. It covers how to use the MATLAB^R Control System Toolbox specifically for servo design, to make the design process faster and more interactive. It also presents two complete, bench-tested reference designs that can be duplicated using readily available parts, so you can build your own servo and see it in action.

Author Stephen M. Tobin is an expert in motion control and electro-optical instrumentation and a respected consultant in the medical device and manufacturing automation communities. In order to instill confidence in the engineers, scientists, students, and hobbyists designing the ever more complex machines of the 21^st century, Tobin guides the reader on a short journey through "servo school," imparting his lifelong passion for motion control along the way.

Stephen M. Tobin is the founder and president of Optical Tools Corporation. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire in 1983. He spent the first five years of his career in the motion control field, working in step motor and optical encoder design engineering with divisions of Allied-Signal and Dresser Industries. He then turned his attention to the development of electro-optical instrumentation. He joined General Eastern Instruments (now a division of General Electric) in 1988, working on closed-loop optical humidity measurement systems. While employed at General Eastern, he earned his M.S. degree in electrical engineering with a concentration in electro-optics from Tufts University in 1994. He later spent six years developing medical devices at Arthur D. Little, a world-renowned consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Motion control continues to be a lifelong passion for Mr. Tobin, who founded Optical Tools Corporation in 2004 and continues to consult for the medical device and manufacturing automation communities. He holds four U.S. patents and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society.