Page 67 - Anatomy of a Robot
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02_200256_CH02/Bergren 4/17/03 11:23 AM Page 52
52 CHAPTER TWO
RATS
FIGURE 2-21 This robot has an insufficient dynamic range in its shock-
absorbing suspension.
Continuous Discontinuous
FIGURE 2-22 A visual image of continuous and discontinuous functions
Consider the case of an actuator or sensors that are either off or on. These are famil-
iar to you already:
Thermostats The furnace in most houses cannot be operated halfway. The burn-
ers do not have a medium setting like a stove. Either the heater is all the way on
or the heater is completely off. The thermostat represents the sensor feedback con-
trol input signal. It turns the heat all the way on until the temperature at the ther-
