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Abstract

A completely digital robot control operates at a predetermined sampling rate. The robot arm has a plurality of joints with each driven by an electric brushless or brush-type DC motor which is in turn supplied with drive current by a power amplifier bridge circuit having power switches connected therein to supply motor winding current in the forward or reverse direction. Incremental or absolute encoders and tachometers provide for generating digital position and velocity feedback signals generated synchronously with the sampling rate. Digital motor current feedback signals are also generated synchronously with the sampling rate. Paired position/velocity microprocessors generate torque commands for each of the robot axes at the sampling rate in response to the position commands and the position and velocity feedback signals. Paired torque microprocessors generate motor voltage commands for each of the robot axes at the sampling rate in response to the torque commands and the current feedback signals. Pulse width modulators generate digital motor control signals for each of the robot axes at the sampling rate in response to the voltage commands. The digital control signals for each axis are coupled to control terminals of the corresponding power switches to control on/off switch time and satisfy the motor voltage commands and thereby satisfy the position commands.

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