What is a 4 Quadrant Drive

[drodriquez]

Guys,
What is a 4 quadrant drive? Is it similar to a vector drive?

[actionjack]

4 Quadrant Operation is simply the way to refer to a graph of torque versus speed.

A 4 quadrant drive (inverter) can turn the motor either forward or reverse, as well as decelerate in either direction (in other words there are no limitations dependent on motor direction).

A load that has a high inertia and must move in both directions while changing directions rapidly requires four-quadrant capability from the drive.

There are many applications requiring four quadrant drives and they are pretty common.