Position Controlled Drive Mechanism

A control method for the position of a drive mechanism comprising, in no particular order:

• providing an electric motor provided with a rotatable shaft;
• associating an encoder with the rotatable shaft as to generate shaft angular position data;
• and
• providing a controller so connected to the electric motor as to control the rotation of the rotatable shaft therewith;
• transferring the shaft angular position data to the controller;
• configuring the controller to alternatively perform at least two of the following modes of operation:
• a) controlling the electric motor to rotate the rotatable shaft to a selected position;
• b) controlling the electric motor to maintain a current position;
• c) controlling the electric motor to rotate the rotatable shaft in a selected direction until an external object hinders the rotation of the rotatable shaft;
• and
• d) controlling the electric motor so as to assist an externally initiated rotation movement of the rotatable shaft detected by the encoder.