The dancer sensor, whether a potentiometer, non-contact sensor, ultrasonic sensor or other, must be driven by the dancer in an optimum fashion. For example: a pivot type dancer with 30 degrees of movement should not be direct coupled to a dancer duty potentiometer with 300 degrees electrical range. This would produce only 10% of the possible signal change and will reduce resolution of the dancer. The pot should be driven by gearing that will maximize sensor output over the dancer range of travel.
There must be no movement of the dancer that is not reflected or indicated by signal change from the sensor. Loose couplings, chains, timing belts, sprockets, gears, etc. used to translate dancer movement to sensor output can result in poor dancer system performance if not outright instability.
4. Dancer Control Techniques
The following lists several dancer control systems to keep tension at an appropriate level.
- Dancer trim
- Shunt field trim by dancer
- PID trim control
- PID 100% control
Dancer Trim
The purpose of Dancer Trim web tension controllers is to provide a small speed correction between two driven points on a web. An “actual speed” signal, taken from the leader drive, will be trimmed by the dancer control mechanism with its associated position sensor. Operation is much like a Basic Follower scheme except that the Trim function is implemented by a mechanical dancer mechanism instead of manually.
Without dancer control, a speed mismatch may result from differences in loading and in acceleration and deceleration times or may come from individual drive speed regulation errors. In a dancer compensated system, when follower speed errors occur, the dancer is pulled out of position until it produces a countering and balancing speed trimming signal. The exact position of the dancer may change at different set speeds but is usually consistent at a given speed.
Shunt Field Trim by Dancer
With a single DC drive controlling more than one “shunt field” motor, a traditional method for dancer trim used a dancer driven wire wound field trim rheostat (variable resistor) placed in series with one motor’s field circuit. In these systems, the two motor armatures were connected to a single drive’s armature output. This would make the motors run together except for those errors mentioned previously.
This high wattage rheostat was sized to add to the motor’s field resistance, thereby decreasing the field current and increasing motor speed. This type of compensation, still used today in some limited speed range applications, is very simple, but it has the drawbacks of high rheostat operating power and temperature, non-linear correction, decreased motor torque. It was also effective only over a total approximate speed range of 4:1. A more modern variation of DC field control replaces the rheostat with an electronic Field Current Regulator.
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With dancer trim of a drive’s speed reference, the simplicity of field trim web tension control systems is duplicated, but a wider speed control range is possible with better control linearity. It can also be used with permanent magnet DC motors and AC Inverter systems.
PID Trimming
Implementation of PID control as a speed trimming function for dancer positioning is similar to the dancer trim application except the control circuit must provide the required speed trimming signal while keeping the dancer in the same physical position. Refer to Section E.5, PID Control, for discussion on PID loop operation.
The keyword for this section of discussion is Trim. Due to restrictions and/or limitations imposed by the use of dancers, i.e. mechanical response, storage time, etc., it is usually better to utilize a dancer and associated circuitry with a limited control or trim range. This fact is even truer when Load Cells or tension transducers are used for feedback. This requires that the primary reference for the dancer trimmed drive comes from a different source such as a Master Reference, Follower or a Multiplier/Divider function control circuit. Limiting the dancer control system range also permits optimization of the “dancer loop” circuitry for faster response and greater accuracy without sacrificing stability.
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Full PID Control
PID control is often thought of as an unclear method. The challenge lies in adjusting controllers for correct operation, which can be difficult for those less familiar with PID control methods. Some of the variables to consider include:
- Speed of the controlled material.
- The amount of pressure or tension required.
- Elasticity of material.
Full PID Control is primarily used in applications when there are no available or appropriate signals to use in determining the drive’s primary speed reference. The dancer potentiometer has complete control of the driven roll. The dancer control circuit must develop the speed reference as required to keep the dancer at set position through-out changes in motor loading, line speed and roll diameter.
The strategy behind PID tension control systems is to provide three levels of compensation that have three different reaction times to errors in the process. The three adjustments are:
- Proportional (P gain ), which provides a medium time response.
- Differential (D gain ), which provides a fast time response.
- Integral (I gain), which provides a slow time response.
A simple dancer position control circuit is shown in figure F.2. Examples of PID control providing a speed “trimming” function are shown in Section H: Center Driven Winders and Unwinders.
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Optimize Tension Control With Carotron
Carotron understands the importance of maintaining optimal dancer roll tension control in any application. If you are interested in meeting the challenges of optimizing tension control, Carotron is here to help. Contact us with the requirements of your application. Our experienced engineers can assist you with recommendations or provide you with more information on Carotron products and services.