Implementation of PI and MPC-Based Speed Controllers for a Drive with Elastic Coupling on a PLC Controller

Abstract

This paper presents some of the issues related to the implementation of advanced control structures (PI controller with additional feedback, Model Predictive Controller) for drives with elastic coupling on a programmable logic controller (PLC). The predominant solutions to electric drive control include the use of rapid prototyping cards, signal processors or programmable matrices. Originally, PLC controllers were used to automate sequential processes, but for several years now, a trend related to their implementation for advanced control objects can be observed. This is mainly due to their compact design, immunity to disturbances and standard programming languages. The following chapters of the paper present the mathematical model of the drive and describe the implementation of the proposed control structures. A PI controller with additional feedback loops and a predictive controller are taken into consideration. Their impact on the CPU load was analysed, and the work was summarised by a comprehensive experimental study. The presented results confirm that it is possible to implement advanced control structures on a PLC controller for drives with elastic coupling while maintaining a sufficiently low load on its CPU.