Why implement a PID loop in hardware?
To make the sample interval deterministic. On a shared processor the interval develops jitter, the derivative term amplifies it into noise, and the loop behaves differently from what the tuning assumed.
PRODUCT · FAMILY 01
Ethernet Filters for Digital PID Control
Control-loop filtering for electromechanical actuation, implemented in hardware so the loop timing is deterministic. Developed for electromechanical actuator control, where a control loop that occasionally misses its deadline is not an acceptable design.
WHAT IT IS
The short version.
A proportional-integral-derivative loop is only as good as its timing. Run it on a processor sharing time with other work and the sample interval develops jitter, the derivative term amplifies that jitter into noise, and the loop's behaviour becomes something the tuning did not anticipate.
Implementing the filtering in hardware makes the timing deterministic by construction. The loop executes at a fixed interval regardless of what else the system is doing, which is what allows the tuning to mean what it says.
This matters most in electromechanical actuation, where the actuator has real inertia and real authority, and where the applications — aerospace and industrial — have qualification requirements that reward a design whose timing behaviour can be stated rather than measured and hoped for.
DETAIL
Characteristics
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Function | Control-loop filtering for digital PID control of electromechanical actuators |
| Implementation | Hardware, giving deterministic loop timing |
| Motivation | Removes sample-interval jitter that corrupts the derivative term |
| Delivery | Synthesisable RTL with integration documentation and verification collateral |
| Typical markets | Aerospace, industrial actuation, motion control |
Maturity — silicon-proven, FPGA-validated or RTL stage — is confirmed at enquiry for the specific configuration you need, rather than claimed generically here.
APPLICATIONS
Where it is used.
- Electromechanical actuators — position and force control with real inertia and authority.
- Aerospace actuation — control surfaces and mechanisms with qualification requirements.
- Industrial motion control — servo loops where determinism affects achievable performance.
- Robotics — joint control with tight loop timing.
- Precision positioning — stages and mechanisms in instrumentation and manufacturing.
- Test rigs — load and position control in validation equipment.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Deliverables and support.
- Synthesisable RTL configured to the loop structure and interfaces.
- Integration documentation covering timing, coefficients and interface behaviour.
- Verification collateral for integration-level testing.
- Engineering support through integration, tuning and rig validation.
Next step
Send the target node, the interface requirements and the integration context. If this is not the right fit, that will be said early rather than discovered at integration.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions asked before an evaluation.
What applications need this level of determinism?
Electromechanical actuation where the actuator has real inertia and authority — aerospace control surfaces, industrial servo loops, robotics joints and precision positioning stages.
KEEP READING
Related work.
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