Decentralized coordinated control of elastic web winding systems without tension sensor

Area of Science:

• Control Systems Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Precise web tension control is crucial in elastic web winding systems for product quality and cost reduction.
• Traditional tension sensing methods (load cells, swing rolls) increase cost and complexity.
• Existing control strategies often struggle with system interactions and dynamic variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a decentralized coordinated control (DCC) scheme with tension observers for a three-motor web winding system.
• To eliminate the need for physical tension sensors by estimating unwinding and winding tensions.
• To improve system reliability and reduce control complexity.

Main Methods:

• Development of two tension observers that account for dynamic, radius, and inertial variations.
• Implementation of a robust decentralized coordinated controller using estimated tensions as feedback.
• Analysis of asymptotic stabilities for observer error dynamics and closed-loop systems using Lyapunov stability theory.
• Determination of observer and controller gains via matrix inequalities.

Main Results:

• The proposed tension observers accurately estimate unwinding and winding tensions with modest computational requirements.
• The observer-based DCC method effectively reduces subsystem interactions.
• Simulations and experiments on a paper winding setup validate the performance of the observers and the control scheme.

Conclusions:

• The developed tension observers and decentralized coordinated control scheme offer a cost-effective and reliable solution for precise web tension regulation.
• This approach enhances final product quality and reduces operational costs in web winding processes.
• The method demonstrates robust performance and stability, validated through theoretical analysis and practical testing.