Servo system employing a tracking digital angle encoder

Abstract

An absolute positioning servo for positioning a shaft in response to a digital command input which utilizes a resolver, for providing an analog position indication of the shaft, an analog to digital converter, which provides a digital indication of the shaft position, a comparator for comparing the digital command input signal with the digital indication signal and providing a differential digital error signal which is converted to an analog signal and fed back to position the shaft so that the differential digital error is 0. An analog fine control positioning means is provided which positions and maintains the shaft near the center point of the position represented by the digital command input signal when the digital differential error is 0. A signal representing the difference between the exact analog position of the shaft and the digital approximate position of the shaft is provided at the output of the translator. This is utilized to position the shaft within an angle equivalent of the least significant digital bit. The digital positioning system is utilized to move the shaft to a position within .+-. 1/2 bit of the desired position, then the analog positioning system takes over and positions and maintains the shaft within a lesser fractional portion of a bit to the absolute desired position. A short path positioning means is provided for selecting the shortest path to move the shaft to a new position indicated by the digital command input signal. That is, whenever the shaft is to be rotated to a position more than 180.degree. away, it is rotated in the opposite direction over an angle which then is necessarily less than 180.degree.. A square root function generator is provided following the digital to analog converter for the digital error signal which permits minimum positioning time for the servo system.