Controller and design support apparatus

• US 8,838,257 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Ito, Kiyotada, Inoue, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/185,026
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 700/45, 700/44, 360/78.05, 360/78.12
• US Class Current: 700/45
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0205 not using a model or a simulator of the controlled system
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/28 Speed controlling, regulating, or indicating G11B19/24 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for compensating unstable linear time-invariant due to input nonlinearities are described. In one implementation, compensating a controlled device may include controlling the controlled device using feedforward control. In another implementation, compensating the controlled device may include controlling the controlled device using feedback control.

Claims

1. A controller comprising:

a control section which generates a control value for controlling a controlled device;

a limiter which receives the control value and generates a regulated value, wherein the regulated value is within a predetermined control range, the predetermined control range including a predetermined range value and an offset, the offset being used to define a relationship between the predetermined range value and a predetermined maximum or a relationship between the predetermined range value and a predetermined minimum;

an adjusting section which adjusts the control value through feedback control based on a difference between the control value and the regulated value;

a state control section which controls the controlled device based on the regulated value to allow the controlled device to operate in a steady state; and

a setting section which controls the limiter based on whether the regulated value is sufficient to allow the controlled device to operate in the steady state, wherein the setting section is configured to set the regulated value as the predetermined range value if the regulated value meets one or more parameters used to place the controlled device in the steady state.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control section generates the control value based on a difference between a physical value and a desired value associated with the controlled device.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the limiter generates the regulated value based on the adjusted control value.

4. The controller of claim 1, where the controlled device operates in the steady state when an attribute of the controlled device converges to a desired value.

5. The controller of claim 4, wherein the attribute includes one of rotation velocity of a spindle motor of a hard disk drive and a back electromotive force.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control section further comprises:

an input to receive an error difference;

a first delaying section to delay the error difference;

a first adder to combine the delayed difference with the error difference; and

a multiplier to generate the control value based on the combined delayed difference and error difference.

7. The controller of claim 1, wherein the limiter operates in the predetermined control range, the predetermined control range including the predetermined maximum and the predetermined minimum.

8. The controller of claim 7, wherein if the control value is greater than the predetermined maximum, the limiter outputs the predetermined maximum as the regulated value;

and

wherein if the control value is smaller than the predetermined minimum, the limiter outputs the predetermined minimum as the regulated value.

9. The controller of claim 1, wherein the setting section is further configured to set the predetermined range value as a center value of the predetermined control range to stabilize the controlled device.

10. The controller of claim 1, wherein the state control section includes a digital-analog converter which converts the regulated value to an analog voltage value, and the controlled device is controlled based on the analog voltage value.

11. The controller of claim 1, wherein the adjusting section generates an adjustment value, and adjusts the control value based on the adjustment value if the control value falls outside the predetermined control range to minimize the difference between the control value and the regulated value.

12. The controller of claim 1, further comprising:

a feedforward section to generate a feedforward value,

wherein the state control section controls the controlled device based on at least one of the feedforward value or the regulated value.

13. The controller of claim 12, where the state control section controls the controlled device based on the regulated value only when the feedforward value has reached a predetermined value.

14. The controller of claim 13, wherein the predetermined value is more than 80% of a desired value needed to allow the controlled device to operate in the steady state.

15. The controller of claim 12, further comprising:

an initial value storage section to store one or more initial values, the one or more initial values being used as an initial value of the control value.

16. A method comprising:

generating a control value for controlling a controlled device;

generating a regulated value from the control value using a limiter, wherein the regulated value is within a predetermined control range, the predetermined control range including a predetermined range value and an offset, the offset being used to define a relationship between the predetermined range value and a predetermined maximum or a relationship between the predetermined range value and a predetermined minimum;

adjusting the control value through feedback control based on a difference between the control value and the regulated value;

controlling the controlled device based on the regulated value to allow the controlled device to operate in a steady state;

adjusting the regulated value when the regulated value is insufficient to allow the controlled device to operate in the steady state; and

setting the regulated value as the predetermined range value if the regulated value meets one or more parameters used to place the controlled device in the steady state.

17. The method of claim 16, where controlling the controlled device includes:

generating the control value based on a difference between a physical value and a desired value associated with the controlled device.

18. The method of claim 16, where generating the regulated value includes generating the regulated value based on the adjusted control value.

19. The method of claim 16, where controlling the controlled device includes controlling the controlled device in the steady state such that an attribute of the controlled device converges to a desired value.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the attributes includes one of rotation velocity of a spindle motor of a hard disk drive and a back electromotive force.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving an error difference;

delaying the error difference;

combining the delayed difference with the error difference; and

generating the control value based on the combined delayed difference and error difference.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

setting the regulated value in the predetermined control range associated with the limiter, wherein the predetermined control range includes the predetermined maximum and the predetermined minimum.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

outputting the predetermined maximum associated with the predetermined control range as the regulated value if the control value is greater than the predetermined maximum; and

outputting the predetermined minimum associated with the predetermined control range as the regulated value if the control value is smaller than the predetermined maximum.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

converting the regulated value to an analog voltage value,

where controlling the controlled device includes controlling the controlled device based on the analog voltage value.

25. The method of claim 16, where adjusting the control value through feedback control based on the difference between the control value and the regulated value includes:

generating an adjustment value if the control value falls outside the predetermined control range to minimize the difference between the control value and the regulated value; and

adjusting the control value based on the adjustment value.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating a feedforward value,

where controlling the controlled device based on the regulated value includes controlling the controlled device based on the feedforward value and the regulated value.

27. The method of claim 26, where controlling the controlled device based on the feedforward value and the regulated value includes controlling the controlled device based on only the regulated value when the feedforward value has reached a predetermined value.