Servomotors

• Servo motors are commonly used in automatic control systems for controlling the position of the shaft, controlling the
angular speed of the shaft etc.

• These motors are low power rating motors and can drive the load directly, hence these motors are usually coupled to
the load through a gear train for power matching purposes.

• Servomotors are used in feedback control systems.

• Servomotors have low rotor inertia and high speed of response.

• The servomotors are also known as a control motors.

Servomechanism

• A servomechanism is a feedback control system whose objective is to control the position of an object.

• The motors used in such control systems are driven by the signal which is derived based on the error information
supplied to the controller.

• These motors used in such servo systems or servomechanism are called servomotors.
Requirement of a Good Servomotor

• Linear relationship between the electrical control signal and rotor speed, over a wide range.
• Inertia of rotor should be as small as possible. A servomotor must stop running without any time delay, if control signal to
it is removed.
• Its response should be very fast. For quickly changing error signals, it must react with good response.
• It should be quickly reversible.
• Low-speed large torque, overload capacity.
• It should have linear torque-speed characteristics.
• The output torque at any speed should be roughly proportional to the applied control signal.
• Its operation should be stable without any oscillations or overshoots.

Comparison of Servomotor with Conventional motors

• Servomotors have the ability to operate with high torque at all speed.
• High starting torque.
• Servomotor can hold the static position.
• Overheating is absent at low speed or at rest.
• It is possible to change the direction of rotation quickly.
• Quick acceleration and retardation.
• Without drift, the servomotor can return to a desired position repeatedly.
 DC Servomotor
• DC Servomotors are DC motors which are controlled by means of servomechanism.
• The DC servomotors are more or less the same as normal DC motor.
• There is some minor constructional difference between the two.
• All DC servomotors are essentially separately excited types.
• This ensures the linear nature of torque-speed characteristics.

In many industries, d.c. servomotors are preferred due to the following features:
• Ease of speed control
• High torque to inertia ratio
• Capability to deliver more than three times of their rated torque
• Linear torque-speed characteristics.
 Construction

• It has a stator and rotor.

• The stator has an outer casing.
• It is called the yoke or frame of the
motor.
• A magnetic material is used for the
yoke as it has to provide return
path for the main flux.
• The yoke also provide mechanical
support for the poles.
• Yoke is covered by two end covers.
• The field system is stationary. It
consist of pole and winding.
• The armature is a rotating member.

• It is made up of circular sheet Steel

stampings.
• Along the outer periphery of the
stampings, slots are provided.
• The armature conductors are
housed in these slots.
• Both commutator and armature are
mounted on the shaft.
• Commutator segments are insulated from each other and from the shaft by mica insulator.
• Brushes are used to connect DC source and armature with the help of commutator.
• The combined action of brushes and commutator converts the impressed DC voltage into AC voltage.
• Depending upon the type of motor the field winding and armature winding are connected.
• In series motor, the field is connected in series with the armature and carry the same current.
• In shunt motor, the field and the armature are connected in parallel.
• In compound motors, there are two field winding one is connected in series and other in parallel with the armature.
• In separately excited DC motor there is no direct connection between armature and field winding. The field is excited by
a separate DC source.
Principle of Operation of DC Servomotor
• DC servomotor is basically a torque transducer which converts electrical energy into the mechanical energy.
• It works on the basic principle that "whenever a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a
mechanical force.
• The direction of this force is given by Fleming’s left hand rule and it’s magnitude is given by F = BIl Newton
where, B is the magnetic flux density,
I is the current and
l is the length of the conductor in magnetic field.
• The torque developed on the motor shaft is directly proportional to the field flux and the armature current.

=φ

= Motor Torque
= Proportionally torque constant
φ = Field flux
and = Armature current

• In addition to the torque developed, when armature conductors rotate in the field flux, they cut the flux and e.m.f. gets
induced in the armature.
• This e.m.f. is called as back e.m.f. in case of d.c. motors.
• It is directly proportional to the shaft velocity rad/sec

=φ
 =φ

= Back e.m.f.
and, = Back e.m.f. constant
= Motor angular speed in rad/sec

As back e.m.f. opposes the supply voltage, the voltage equation of the d.c. motor is given by

+
V = Supply voltage
= Armature resistance

These equations are the basis of d.c. servomotor operation.

Classification of DC servomotor

• Field controlled d.c. servomotors.

• Armature controlled d.c. servomotors.
• Series split field d.c. servomotors
• Permanent magnet armature controlled d.c. servomotors
Field controlled d.c. servomotors
• The electrical signal is externally applied to the field winding.
• Hence current through the field winding is controlled, in turn controlling the flux.
• This motor is also known as separately excited motor or variable magnetic flux motor.
• The control signal is generated by a controller by comparing the actual output with the reference input.
• Such a signal is not enough to drive the d.c. motor. Hence it is amplified by an amplifier called servo amplifier.
• Such a signal obtained from a servo amplifier is applied to the field winding.
• With the help of constant current source, the armature current is maintained constant.
• When there is a change in the voltage applied to the field winding , the current through field winding changes.
• This changes the flux produced by the field winding responsible for the change in the motor characteristics.
• The motor has large ratio where is the field inductance and is and is the field resistance.
• Due to this the time constant of the motor is high.
• Control signals hence field controlled d.c. servomotor is uncommon in practice.

Features of Field Controlled d.c. Servomotor are:

1. It is preferred for small rated motors
2. It has large field inductance to resistance ratio. The ratio of inductance to resistances determines the time constant and
hence the time constant of field controlled d.c. servomotor is large.
3. The overall operation is an open loop system.
4. The control circuit is simple to design

Armature controlled d.c. servomotors

• In an armature controlled d.c. servomotor, the control signal available from the servoamplifier is applied to the armature
of the motor.
• The field winding is supplied with constant current hence the flux remains constant.
• So these motors are also called as constant magnetic flux motors. It is easy to keep field current constant rather than
armature current.
• This is because presence of back e.m.f. in the armature.
• In some case constant field is obtained
with the help of permanent magnets.
• A control signal Va(t) available from the
servoamplifier, is applied to the armature.
• This signal is based on the feedback
information, supplied to the controller.
• Due to this, armature current Ia changes
which inturn changes the torque
produced.

• This changes the output of the motor as per the requirement.

• As flux is kept constant, the torque developed is proportional to the armature current.
• The Lf and Rf are the resistance and inductive values of the armature, respectively.
• The inductance is usually small and can be neglected.

Features of Armature Controlled d.c. motor are:

1. It is suitable for large rated motors.
2. The value of armature inductance is small. Hence its time constant is small. Hence motor can give quick response to the
changes in the control signal.
3. The overall operation is a closed loop system.
4. The back e.m.f. provides internal damping which makes the motor operation more stable.
5. The efficiency and overall performance is better than field controlled motor.
Series split field d.c. servomotors
• The direction of rotation can also be altered by using split field DC motor.
• Where the field winding is divided into two parts, one half of the winding is wound in clockwise direction and other half in
wound in anticlockwise direction.
• The amplified error signal is fed to the junction point of
these two halves of the field.
• The magnetic field of both halves of the field winding
opposes each other.
• During operation of the motor, magnetic field strength
of one half dominates other depending upon the value
of amplified error signal fed between these halves.
• Based on that,the motor rotates in either clockwise or
anticlockwise direction.

Permanent magnet armature controlled d.c. servomotors

• Permanent magnet armature controlled d.c. servomotor is also an

armature controlled motor in which field is supplied by permanent
magnets.
• Field control is not possible in the case of permanent magnet DC
motor as the field is a permanent magnet here.
Transfer function of field controlled DC motor

• In this mode armature current is kept

constant and the field circuit is
controlled

The flux in the air gap

Φ(t)  K f i f (t)
Torque is given by

T  Φ(t)I a (t)
T  K' K f I a (t)i f (t)
T  Ki f (t)
Where K'  constant
K  K' K f I a (t)
The field circuit voltage equation is
di f (t)
Vf (t)  R f i f (t)  L f
dt
The developed torque
d (t)
T(t)  J  B  (t)
dt
Take Laplace transform
T(S)  KI f (S)
Vf (S)  (R f  SL f )I f (S)
T(S)  (JS  B) ω (S)
ω (S)
θ(S) 
S

ω (S)
Transfer function of field controlled DC motor

θ(S) K

Vf (S) S(SL f  R f ) (SJ  B)
Transfer function of armature controlled DC motor
• In armature controlled mode, the field current is kept
constant and armature current is varied by controlling
the armature supply voltage.

The air gap flux is a constant

Φ(t)  K f I f (t)
Torque developed
T(t)  K t i a (t)
Back emf
e b (t)  K b ω (t)
Armature voltage
di a (t)
Va (t)  e b (t)  R a I a (t)  L a
dt
The developed torque is used to accelerate the rotor against the rotational moment of inertia and friction
d  (t)
T(t)  J  B  (t)
dt

d  (t)
ω(t) 
dt
Take the Laplace transforms
T(S)  K t I a (S)
E b (S)  K b ω(S)
Va (S)  E b (S)  R a I a (S)  SL a I a (S)
T(S)  J s Ω(S)  Bω (S)
 (S)  S  (S)
The simplified block diagram of the
The block diagram of the armature controlled motor
armature controlled motor
ω (S)
Applications of DC Servomotor

• Position control
• Air craft control systems
• Process controllers
• Electromechanical actuators
• Robotics
• Machine tools
 AC Servomotors
• The a.c. servomotor is basically two phase induction motor.
• The output power of a.c. servomotor varies from fraction of watts to few hundred of watts.
• The operating frequency is 50 Hz to 400 Hz.
• The rotor of ac servomotor has high resistance to obtain linear torque–speed characteristics.

For low power applications, a.c. servomotors are preferred due to the following features:
+ Simple construction
+ Low cost
+ Less maintenance.
+ Linear torque-speed characteristics.
+ Higher stability

Construction of AC Servomotor

Stator
• AC. servomotor is basically consisting of a stator and a rotor.
• The stator core has a cylindrical shape made up of steel stampings.
• Stampings are stalked together to the required length.
• The slots are arranged in the inner periphery of the stampings.
• The stator has two distributed windings, uniformly distributed and displaced by 90° in space, from each other.
• The two windings are known as reference winding and control winding.
• These two windings form the two phases of servomotor.
• The reference winding is excited by a constant voltage AC supply.
• The control winding is excited by variable control voltage, which is obtained from a servo amplifier.
• The control voltage is 90° out of phase with respect to the voltage applied to the reference winding.
• This is necessary to obtain rotating magnetic field.
• The drag cup motor has an outer stator core carrying the winding and an inner stator core.
• The outer stator core is supported by the motor frame.
• Both inner and outer stator cores are cylindrical in shape and made up of laminated steel sheet.
• The iner stator care is supported by the motor frame.

Rotor
The rotor is generally of two types.
+ Squirrel cage rotor
+ Drag cup type rotor

Squirrel cage rotor

• The Squirrel cage rotor have large length and small diameter so its resistance is very high.
• Its air gap is kept small.
• The resistance of drag type rotor is very high and hence have high starting torque.
• The rotor consists of a cylindrical laminated core with parallel slots for carrying the rotor conductors.
• The rotor has small number of slots than the stator and must be a non-integral multiple of stator slots, so as to prevent
magnetic locking of rotor.
• Each slot contains uninsulated heavy bars of copper, aluminium or alloys.
• The rotor conductors are short-circuited at the end by a end-rings of copper or aluminium or alloys.
• The rotor conductors and its end-rings forms a closed circuit which resembles a squirrel cage.
• Thus induction motor with this kind of rotor construction is known as squirrel-cage induction motor
• Squirrel cage rotor can also be designed with solid cylinder of steel without any conductors or slots at all.
• The motor operation depends upon the production of eddy currents in the steel rotor.

Drag Cup rotor

• To reduce the inertia, a drag cup type of rotor
construction is used.
• It is in the form of a hollow cylinder with one end
open.
• As it is very thin and light, it has very small inertia,
and considerable torque can be obtained.
• There are two air gaps in this construction.
• Compared to squirrel cage rotor, drag cup rotor has
higher effective airgap.
• A stationary iron core is placed between the
conducting cups to complete the magnetic circuit.

• The drag cup is made up of non-magnetic material like copper, aluminium or an alloy.
• The slotted rotor laminations in this construction.
• These are wound for as many number of poles as possible so that operating speed of motor is very low.
• Such a construction is used in very low power applications.
• The resistance of drag type rotor is very high and hence have high starting torque.
Principle of Operation of AC Servomotor
• The operating principle of two phase a.c. servomotor is same as
that of normal three phase induction motor.
• The control voltage applied to the control winding and the
voltage applied to the reference winding are 90° out of phase.
• Hence the flux produces by current through control winding is
also 90° out of phase with respect to the flux produced by the
current through the reference winding.
• The resultant flux in the air gap is hence rotating flux sweeps
over the rotor, the e.m.f. gets induced in the rotor.
• This e.m.f. circulates the current through the rotor.
• The rotor current produces its own flux called as rotor flux.
• This flux interacts with the rotating magnetic field, producing a
torque on the rotor and rotor starts rotating.

• In the two phase a.c. servomotors, the polarity of the control voltage determines the direction of rotation.
• A change in the sign of the control voltage reverses the direction of rotation of the motor.
• Since the reference voltage is constant, the torque and the angular speed are the functions of the control voltage.
Torque-Speed Characteristics of AC Servomotor

• The usual torque-speed characteristics of an induction

motor with high inductance to resistance ratio are not
suitable for the servomotor.
• A servomotor must have
Linear torque-speed characteristics

Slope of the torque-speed characteristics must be

negative.

The characteristics must be parallel to one another for

various values of the control voltages.

• In practice, the design of ac servo motor is designed to get

almost linear torque-speed characteristics.
• A servomotor rotates only when a detectable error occurs at
low voltage and it rarely operates at high speeds.
• Hence for a given value of control voltage, torque-speed
characteristics are almost linear.
• Figure shows the torque-speed characteristics for various
control voltages.
Performance Characteristics of AC Servomotor

• The performance characteristics other than the

torque-speed characteristics of a two phase a.c.
servomotor are shown in the Figure.

• As torque developed increases, current drawn and

the power input increases.

• Power factors also improves upto certain limit.

• While the efficiency increases upto certain limit and

then starts decreasing.
Features of A.C. Servomotor
• Light in weight for quick response.
• Robust in construction.
• It is reliable and its operation is stable in nature.
• Smooth and noise free operation.
• Large torque to weight ratio.
• Large resistance to reactance ratio.
• Driving circuits are simple to design.
• The negative slope of the torque-slip characteristics adds
more friction improving the damping.
Damped AC Servomotor
• Servomotors are electrical actuators used in feedback control system, which directly or indirectly, actuate something that
influences the output being regulated by the system.
• The servomotor must respond rapidly to the change in control voltage.
• The motor must be stable, it must not oscillate or overshoot.
• Rapid response is obtained by having high torque to inertia ratio in order to have an initial rapid acceleration.
• Overshoot is minimized and stability is achieved using a damping or retarding torque that increases with rotational speed.

Different types of damping employed in ac servomotor are:

Internal damping
• Suppose the motor develops the same torque at all speeds
as shown by curve a of Figure.
• In this case, when the motor is given a starting signal, it
starts at very high speed that would carry away the motor
and its connected load.
• So the system has to reduce the control voltage to zero to
prevent the motor from running away.
• Suppose the speed-torque characteristics of the servomotor
is as shown by curve ‘B’.
• In this case, the machine starts with a speed in a safe limit.
• This is due to internal or inherent damping.
Damped AC Servomotor

Viscous Damping
• In this method of damping, a viscous damper is used.
• The viscous damper is usually a drag cup generator, operating in a constant field by a permanent magnet.
• In this, voltage induced in the drag cup is directly proportional to speed.
• Thus the retarding torque developed is directly proportional to speed and energy absorbed by the damper is directly
proportional to square of speed.
• This kind of damping is called viscous damping as it is like damping effect of a viscous liquid.
• Though it improves the stability of the system, the speed and efficiency at all output torques are reduced, directly
proportional to as the damper absorbs energy.

Inertial Damping
• In this type, a high inertia permanent magnet flywheel is mounted on its own bearings on the shaft, coupled to the shaft
through the drag cup and the drag cup is positioned in the field of the permanent magnet on the flywheel.
• When the rotor is excited by the control voltage, the rotor senses an external viscous damper.
• The direction of the damping torque will always be in a direction that opposes the change in rotor speed.
• The magnitude of this torque will be directly proportional to the relative speed of the rotor w.r.t. the flywheel.