Open Loop and Closed Loop

Systems of DC Motor

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 Objectives

At the end of this lecture, student will be able to:

• Open loop and closed loop speed control of DC motor speed

control

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 Open loop systems
• Open-loop system, also referred to as non-feedback system, is a type
of continuous control system in which the output has no influence or
effect on the control action of the input signal. In other words, in an
open-loop control system the output is neither measured nor “fed
back” for comparison with the input.

Example:

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 Closed loop systems
 Closed-loop Control System, also known as a feedback control system is a
control system which uses the concept of an open loop system as its
forward path but has one or more feedback loops or paths between its
output and its input. The reference to “feedback”, simply means that
some portion of the output is returned “back” to the input to form part of
the systems excitation.

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 Closed loop systems
Example:

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 Open loop motor control
•  Assume the DC motor controller as shown. The speed of rotation
of the motor will depend upon the voltage supplied to the
amplifier (the controller) by the potentiometer. The value of the
input voltage could be proportional to the position of the
potentiometer.
• If the potentiometer is moved to the top of the resistance the
maximum positive voltage will be supplied to the amplifier
representing full speed. Likewise, if the potentiometer wiper is
moved to the bottom of the resistance, zero voltage will be
supplied representing a very slow speed or stop.

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 Closed loop motor control
• If we connected a speed measuring transducer, such as a tachometer
to the shaft of the DC motor, we could detect its speed and send a
signal proportional to the motor speed back to the amplifier.
• Any external disturbances to the closed-loop motor control system such
as the motors load increasing would create a difference in the actual
motor speed and the potentiometer input set point.
• This difference would produce an error signal which the controller would
automatically respond too adjusting the motors speed. Then the
controller works to minimize the error signal, with zero error indicating
actual speed which equals set point.

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 Closed loop motor control
• A closed-loop motor controller is a common means of
maintaining a desired motor speed under varying load conditions
by changing the average voltage applied to the input from the
controller.
• The tachometer could be replaced by an optical encoder or Hall-
effect type positional or rotary sensor.

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 Summary
• Closed-loop control systems have many advantages over open-loop
systems. One advantage is the fact that the use of feedback makes
the system response relatively insensitive to external disturbances
and internal variations in system parameters such as temperature.
• The advantages of this type of “open-loop motor control” is that it
is potentially cheap and simple to implement making it ideal for use
in well-defined systems were the relationship between input and
output is direct and not influenced by any outside disturbances. 

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