Smart cam application to robot control

Smart cam or electronic cam is a combination of a computer program for motion definition and a high-performance servo mechanism. By using this, one can obtain a high-speed, reliable and application-oriented motion, just as obtained from a mechanical cam system. Hard cams are dedicated and difficult to change, but smart cams are flexible in stroke, in timing, etc. With the progress of computer and servo technology, smart cams are becoming widely used. In this report the methods used to create smart cams are discussed and some examples are shown. The experimental results of these examples show excellent performance which is as good as hard cams.