Time-Domain Identification Method for Detecting Mechanical Backlash in Electrical Drives

This paper deals with the identification of mechanical backlash in drives. The development of a reliably working identification method is intended. The method presented in this paper is considered to be a necessary step toward the development of more complex diagnosis tools and condition monitoring systems that are demanded today in the area of servodrives. The main idea for identifying backlash is explained. Measurement results clearly point out the efficiency of the identification strategy proposed in this paper. Thus, the results of the identification can be utilized for the tuning of the controller or for the diagnostics of the actual state of the drive.