Proceedings of the 1999 IEEWASME

lnternational Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics

September 19-23.1999 Atlanta, USA

Compact Servo Driver for Torque Control of DC-Servo Motor

Based on Voltage Control
'

Hitoshi Maekawa

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, AIST-MITI

Namiki 1-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564Japan
degraded by disturbance torques in the actuator such
as the friction at the reduction gear.

Abstract
A new torque contro. methoi Tor DC-servo motors based
on voltage control is proposed and investigated. Through
analyzing the torque control system consisting of DCservo motor, reduction gear and torque sensor, it is
shown that torque control by voltage control is feasible. It
is also possible to eliminate the static error of the output
torque and the interference of the disturbance torque
such as the friction at the reduction gear.
According to the analysis, a prototype servo driver is
developed. Since only the voltage control capability is
needed for the servo driver, the volume and mass ofthe
developed servo driver are around 30% of the
conventional values. Through experiments using the
developed servo driver, it is conjrmed that accurate
torque control isfeasible by the proposed method,

1. Introduction
In order to achieve delicate motion by a mechanical
system such as grasping an object by fingers, contacting a
surface by a manipulator with desired force and so on,
force-torque control is indispensable. On the other hand, a
compact and light servo driver is needed for the
integration of the mechanical system providing many
degrees of freedom.

Current control using disturbance observer [3]

Since the torque is estimated from the motion, the
force sensor is not needed. However, precise model
of the friction that is very difficult to identlfy is
required.
Velocity control using torque feedback
The desired velocity proportional to the torque error
is set to the servo driver [1][2]. The servo dnver is
complicated and bulky since it contains both the
velocity controller and the internal current controller.
Examining the conventional methods, accurate torque
control that is robust against disturbance torque is needed.
Additionally, simple and compact servo driver is also
needed since all methods contain a current controller that
results in complicated and bulky servo driver.

2.Analysis of torque control of DC-servo

motor
In order to investigate the feasibility of torque control
based on voltage control, the torque control system
consisting of DC-servo motor, reduction gear and the
torque sensor shown in Fig. 1 is analyzed.

In this paper, as a solution for these requirements, a

torque control based on voltage control for a DC-servo
motor with reduction gear that is one of the most widely
used actuators is proposed. Also, a simple and compact
servo driver is developed for torque control. The
developed torque control is experimentally evaluated
using the developed servo driver.

The DC-servo motor is first modeled as a series of

resistance and back-emf (electro motive force). According
to this model, the voltage e,, current i, supplied to the
motor and the velocity of the rotor em are related as
follows:

Reviewing the conventional technology, several torque

control methods for DC-servo motors have already been
established.

where R, is the resistance of the armature and K, is the

back-emf constant of the motor. On the other hand, the
torque K J , generated at the rotor is distributed to its
acceleration and to the reduction gear. This relation is
written as:

Direct current control

Valid when the output torque of the motor is
proportional to the input current such as the direct
drive motor. Although the open-loop current control
that does not require the current sensor [SI is also
proposed, the accuracy of the torque control is

0-7803-5038-3/99/$10.000 1999 IEEE

e, = R,i,

+ K,S,

K,im = I,S,

+ Z,

(1)

(2)

where I , is the s u m of the moment of inertia for the

34 1

rotor and the input stage of the reduction gear, and z, is

the torque applied to the reduction gear from the motor.
Concerning the reduction' gear, the position
torque

tg

In order to control the output torque, the voltage supplied

to the motor is controlled according to the torque error:

a, and

e,(4

at the output are determined by the reduction

ratio K , according to the position

e,

r,(SI[ .;o(s)

- r , (41

(9)

where .3, is the desired output torque and T , ( ~ )is the

transfer function of the compensator.

and the torque

r, at the input as follows:

On the other hand, the dynamics of the load, namely the

relation between the output torque 7, and output position
0, are described by the transfer function T,(s) as
follows:

In Eq. (4), the disturbance torque rd due to the friction

and so on is considered. The torque Z, at the reduction

gear is distributed to its acceleration and to net output

torque as follows:
zg = z,e,

+ '5,

(5)

where I , is the s u m of the moment of inertia for the

H ( s ) =[l+K,To(s)]G(s)+K,KgK,T,(s)+R,Ks
(14)

output stage of the reduction gear and the torque sensor,

and 7, is the output torque. At the torque sensor, the
applied torque is proportional to the torsion of the sensor:

Transfer functions T(s) and T,(s) determine the

dynamic response of the output torque 7, when the
desired torque io and the disturbance torque 7, vary.
From the viewpoint of accurate torque control, it is
desirable that IT,(jw)l=l and LT,(jw)= O over a wide
frequency range w. Also, for eliminating the interference
of the disturbance torque on the output torque. it is
desirable that IT,( j w ) ( = 0 .

where K, is the stiffness of the torque sensor and 0, is

the output position.
Eqs. (1)-(6) are fundamental formulae that describe the

dynamics of the torque control system. Through Laplace

transform, these equations are combined to give the
following relation of the output torque z0(s) , the voltage
e,(s)
supplied, to the motor, disturbance torque zd(s)
and output position 8,(s) :

In this paper, as a primary evaluation of the proposed

torque control, the static characteristics are examined. For
static analysis, the static gain of the transfer function is .
obtained by setting s=O. For evaluating the static gain
T ( 0 ) and T,(0) , G(0) is first derived according to Eq.
(8) as:
G(0)= 0

Output torque

Next, considering the model of the load as a massdamper-spring system for general situations, the transfer
function of the load T,( S ) is given by:

'0

Desired
output
torque

TFque sensor

'0

Servo driver

DC-servo motor

(15)

torque

rd

Fig. 1 Torque control system

342

where I o , B o , KO are the inertia, viscosity and stiffness

of the load respectively. In such a case, the static gain
T, (0) is given by:

3. Compact servo driver for torque control

A prototype servo driver was developed for the torque
control of the DC-servo motor. Since only the voltage
control capability is needed for the driver according to the
previous analysis, the prototype servo driver is designed
as an open-loop P W M controller that can be realized with
simple and compact hardware.

Eq. (17) is set to a finite value if stiffness of the load K,

exists. This is satisfied in the case that the load contacts
the external environment. Therefore, according to Eqs.
(14)-(15), (17), the static gain of H(s) is derived as
follows:

Fig. 2 shows the structure of the prototype servo driver.

The driver is capable of controlling two DC-servo motors
according to the PWM rate sent from the MPU (Micro
Processing Unit). The 8254 PIT (Programmable Interval
Timer) that contains 16bit programmable counters
(counter #0, #1, #2) is used for the timing generator. The
system clock is supplied to all counters and counter #O is
programmed as a base counter to generate constant
frequency pulses by dividing the system clock. Counters
#1 and #2 are programmed as a variable one-shot
monostable multivibrator triggered by the output of
counter #O.

H(0) =[l+KJT,,(0)]G(O)+KmKgKJT,(O)+RmKs
(18)

From Eqs. (12)-( 13), (18), the static gain of I;@) ,

is finally derived as:

r,(s)

As shown in Fig. 3, when the counter #O triggers counter

#1, counter #1 sets the PWM signal while counting the
system clock for the preset value. After counter #1 ends

It is desirable that q (0) = 1 and r,(0) = o because the

output torque is accurately set to the desired value while
the disturbance torque does not interfere. This is satisfied
when the static gain of the compensator is infinite
( T , ( o ) = w ) . One of the compensators to satisfy this
requirement is a PI-controller whose transfer function is
given by:

+-KiS
K,s + K,
--

T,(s)= K,

counting, the PWM signal is reset until the next trigger.

The PWM rate varies according to the preset value of
counter #1 sent from the MPU. Counter #2 for the other
motor operates in the same manner as counter #l.The
frequency of the base counter #O is 2.4kHz and the
resolution of the PWM signal is 1/4096.
Direction control

tor

By implementing the above PI-controller, both the static

error of the output torque and the static interference of the
disturbance torque are eliminated. Since the transfer
function of the PI-controller in Eq. (21) contains factor
Us, the proposed compensation method exactly
corresponds to the strategy of control design that
multiplies the open-loop transfer function by l/s in order
to eliminate the static error.
Through the analysis of the torque control system, it has
been shown that the voltage control with PI-feedback is
capable of controlling the output torque of a DC-servo
motor even if the disturbance torque caused by the friction
exists. In such a case, both the static error of the output
torque and the static interference of the disturbance torque
are eliminated.

Fig. 2 Structure of developed servo driver

PWM cycle (constant)
Counter #O output
(base counter)

U
T r i F o u 1n t end T r i r i o y t end

J-U-L
- -

Counter # 1, #2 output
(PWM signal)

Pulse width (variable)

Fig. 3 Timing generation of PWM signal

343

The PWM signal is gated in order to control the polarity

of the output voltage and finally sent to the full-bridge
driver (Toshiba TA8429H, maximum supply voltage: 27V,
maximum average current: 3.0A). As a result, the output
voltage of the driver is proportionally controlled to the
PWM rate. The driver is isolated by the photo-couplers in
order to prevent the switching noise from interfering with
the other circuits. Fig. 4 shows the developed prototype
servo driver (72x47x35mm, 0.084kg, for 2 motors).

. .

Fig. 4 Developed servo driver

(both faces, 72x47x35mm, for two motors)

In order to evaluate the prototype servo driver, it is

compared with one of the typical conventional servo
drivers (Harmonic Drive Systems HS-250-2 [ 6 ] ) .
Examining the comparison in Fig. 5 and Table 1, it is
clear that the prototype servo driver is much more
coinpact and light; its volume and mass per total output
wattage are around 30% of the conventional values.
Additionally, the tachogenerator needed by the
conventional driver for velocity feedback is no longer
necessary.
The developed servo driver is controlled through parallel
digital I/O. It is also possible to directly interface the
driver to the MPU bus with some additional logic.
Therefore, high-speed communication between the MPU
and the servo driver is easily realized.
This comparison shows the superiority of the developed
servo driver in terms of size, mass and interfacing with

Fig. 5 Comparison of the developed servo driver

(driver and power supply: front) with conventional
one (driver and transformer: back)

Prototype servo driver

Control mode
Number of motors
Total output wattage
(maximumaverage)
Components

P W M rate (voltage)
2
28W
A. Servo driver

B. Power supply

Conventional servo driver

Harmonic Drive Systems HS-250-2 [6]
Velocity
1
38W

A. Servo driver
B. Transformer

Table 1 Comparison of the developed servo driver with conventional one

344

the MPU. It is also shown that applying the servo driver

designed for velocity control to torque control is quite
inefficient.

4. Experimental results
The proposed torque control based on voltage control is
experimentally evaluated using the developed prototype
servo driver. The experimental setup shown in Fig. 6
consists of a DC-servo motor with harmonic drive
(Harmonic Drive Systems HT-8-6006), torque sensor
(Sinmei Electric SM60-KA-TB) and prototype servo
driver. The PI-gain is set as:
1 y P = 5 2 v ~ m , K, = ~ . ~ x ~ o v / N ~ s
The static characteristics of the torque control system are
first confhned while setting the desired output torque and
measuring the corresponding output torque. Fig. 7 shows
the experimental results when the P-feedback and the PIfeedback is employed respectively.

Fig. 6 Experimental setup (Left: Servo motor with

harmonic drive, Right: Torque sensor)

When only the P-feedback is employed (solid circle),

although the output torque ro is roughly proportional to
the desired output torque io,the static error due to the
friction at the reduction gear and so on is seen. In contrast,
when PI-feedback is employed (blank circle), the static
error is drastically eliminated and the output torque
coincides with the desired value as derived through the
analysis.
The dynamic characteristics of the torque control are also
confirmed by the step response while setting the indicial
desired output torque. The output shaft of the torque
sensor is rigidly fixed during the experiments ( r,( s ) = o ).
Fig. 8 shows the response of the output torque r, when
the desired output torque io varies from 0 to 1.ONm.
When only the P-feedback is employed, although the
output torque responds rapidly, the static error exists due
to the friction. On the other hand, when the PI-feedback is
employed, the static error seen at the response with the Pfeedback is eliminated within approximately O, 13s.
Through these experiments, the accurate torque control
capability of the proposed control and the prototype servo
driver is confirmed.

5. Conclusion

Desired output torque .2b [Nm]

Fig. 7 Static characteristics of torque control with
and
)
P-feedback ( ~ ~ = 5 2 V / N m
PI-feedback (1yp=52V/Nm, K~=1.3x103V/Nms)

,Desired torque

2 1.0 -

!
!
!

*
Y

20.5

CI

!
!
!
!

PI-feedback
P -feedback

0 -

In this paper, a new torque control method for DC-servo

motors was proposed and examined. The results are
summarized as follows:

+0.1s 4

Time

Fig. 8 Dynamic response of torque control for

indicial input ( io= 0 -+ io=l.ONm) with
P-feedback (1yP=52V/Nm)and
PI-feedback (1yp=52V/Nm, K~=1.3x103V/Nms)

345

information, the tachogenerators (total 0.96kg for 12

actuators) can also be omitted.

Torque control of DC-servo motors by voltage control

is feasible. The static error and the interference of the
disturbance torque are eliminated by the PI-feedback.
The prototype servo driver is much more compact and
light than conventional ones (around 30% of the
volume and mass) and is easy to interface with a MPU.
The accurate torque control capability of the proposed
method was experimentally confirmed.
Although the basic dynamics of the torque control system
were derived in this paper, the details remain to be
investigated. The influence of the load dynamics will be
investigated in order to establish the strategy for
optimizing the PI-gain.
The proposed torque control achieved with a compact and
light servo driver will allow the development of advanced
mechanical systems whose components need to be
integrated within limited space and weight. For example,
while developing the four-fingered hand mounted on the
arm in Fig. 9, twelve servo drivers for finger actuators are
integrated in the module shown in Fig. 10 using surface
mount technology and programmable logic devices. Since
this module is small (200x 12Ox25mm, including MPU
and memory), it can be mounted on the arm close to the
actuators. Therefore, the cables between the drivers and
the actuators are reduced. Additionally, since the
proposed torque control does not need velocity

Fig. 9 Four-fingered hand on arm

Fig. 10 Integration of 12 servo drivers

(20Ox120x25mm, including MPU and memory)

346

Several possibilities for improving the servo driver remain.

The prototype employs bipolar transistors for the
switching device whose turn ordoff speed is limited.
Therefore, a loss of power that results in heat occurs while
the transient of switching. Also, the PWM frequency is set
to a rather low range (2.4kHz) that emits an audible noise.
These problems .will be resolved by using FETs which
turn ordoff much faster [4].
The servo dnver will be made even smaller by
implementing it on a one-chip microprocessor containing
AD converters and counters. This design will enable the
integration of the controller, PWM driver and the circuits
for the torque sensor into a tiny module. Additionally,
integration of the regenerative brake for energy
consumption will be important especially for mobile
robots that are operated by a limited power source.

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