US 4,306,284 AGranted

Optimizer industrial test unit

AssigneeOptimizer Control Corporation

InventorDonald H. Malcolm

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Abstract

An electronic test instrument for facilitating the analysis of a machine's response to cyclic perturbations in one of its control parameters and for adjusting the control parameter based upon the observed response so as to optimize the machine's performance. The instrument permits manual control over the rate and magnitude of the perturbation, the amount of bias, i.e., the deviation of the actual operating point from the optimum, and the upper and lower limits between which correction is permissible. To prevent undue hunting of the control parameter about an operating point, the instrument includes a buffering network that requires that the system call for a predetermined number of control parameter adjustments in a given direction before an actual correction will be effected. The number is selectable by manually settable switches.

Claims7

Dependent claims

In an optimizing control system for use with an energy consuming machine of the type having means for cyclicly perturbating a machine control parameter with respect to an initial reference setting, means for measuring a change in the machine's output performance occasioned by said perturbation of said machine control parameter, and means for changing said control parameter from said initial reference setting in discrete steps in a direction dependent upon the output of said measuring means such that the changed reference setting is made to approach an optimum operating point, the improvement comprising:

(a) first circuit means for establishing an upper limit value for said reference setting on one side of said optimum operating point said first circuit means comprising:
1. a set of switches connected to a source of reference potential such that a first or a second binary signal level can be selectively applied to the pole of the individual switches in the set, the binary signals appearing collectively at the poles of said set of switches defining a binary word representative of a predetermined limit,
2. comparator means having first and second pluralities of input terminals and at least one output terminal,
3. means coupling said poles of said set of switches to said first plurality of comparator input terminals, and
4. means coupling a binary word representative of said changed reference setting to said second plurality of comparator input terminals,
(b) second circuit means for establishing a lower limit value for said reference setting on the other side of said optimum operating point comprising:
1. a further set of switches connected to a source of reference potential such that a first or a second binary signal level can be selectively applied to the pole of the individual switches in said further set, the binary signals appearing collectively at the poles of said further set of switches defining a binary word representative of a predetermined limit,
2.

5 more elements

further comparator means having first and second pluralities of input terminals and at least one output terminal,

3. means coupling said poles of said further set of switches to said first plurality of input terminals of said further comparator means, and
4. means coupling a binary word representative of said changed reference setting to said second plurality of input terminals of said further comparator,
(c) further means responsive to said first and second circuit means for inhibiting said means for changing said control parameter such that said reference setting is constrained to lie between said upper and lower limit
values. 2. In an optimizing control system for use with an energy consuming machine of the type having means for cyclicly perturbating a machine control parameter in opposite directions about an initial reference setting, means coupled to the machine's output shaft for generating tach pulses at a rate proportional to the machine's output shaft speed, means for accumulating said tach pulses during first and second predetermined intervals of the period of said cyclic perturbation, digital logic means for comparing the number of said tach pulses accumulated during said first and second predetermined intervals, correction circuit means responsive to the output of said logic means for generating correction control signals, and control parameter changing means coupled to receive said correction control signals for changing said reference setting from said initial value in a direction tending to increase the number of said tach pulses generated during one of said first and second predetermined intervals, the improvement comprising:
(a) programmable means for establishing first and second digital values corresponding to predetermined upper and lower limits for said reference setting, respectively;
(b) digital comparator means coupled to said programmable means and adapted to receive digital signals representing a current reference setting for producing an out-of-bounds signal when said reference setting is outside of a range defined by said first and second digital value;
and
(c) further means responsive to said out-of-bounds signal and coupled to said correction circuit means for changing said reference setting such that said reference setting is returned to said range defined by said first and second digital values.

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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.