Precision tracking control of a piezoelectric-actuated system

In this paper, precision tracking control of piezoelectric-actuated systems is discussed. In order to obtain precision tracking control, a modified Prandtl–Ishlinskii (MPI) model is used to model the hysteresis nonlinearity. Then, the inverse MPI model is used to reduce the hysteresis nonlinearity, and a sliding-mode controller is used to compensate for the remaining nonlinear uncertainty and disturbances. In general, the piezoelectric-actuated system can be modeled as a linear model coupled with a hysteresis. When the linear model is identified, it is used to design the sliding-mode controller. Finally, this design method is applied to the motion control of a nano-stage, and experimental results are presented to verify the usefulness of this method.     

Controller design for high-frequency cutting using a piezo-driven microstage

Controller design consists of a feedforward and a feedback controller to support a microstage with flexure hinge structure driven by piezoelectric ceramic actuator for high-frequency nanoscale cutting is developed in this article. The feedforward controller is designed based on a hysteresis dynamic model in order to reduce the nonlinear hysteresis effect of piezoelectric actuator. The position feedback controller is designed based upon an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) method embedded in an internal model control (IMC) structure constructing a run-to-run IMC (RtR-IMC) control scheme in order to deal with system bias or modeling inaccuracy. Also, disturbance due to temperature rise will influence actuator's performance, hence an additional compensator is included in the IMC structure. Surfaces dimple micro-machining utilizes piezoelectric-driven microstage for high-speed cutting is selected as an example to investigate system performance. The developed control algorithm is implemented on a DSP-based system to provide 1 kHz operating speed. In experiment, the proposed feedforward and feedback controller is verified to be able to overcome those negative factors efficiently and preserve good positioning accuracy.     

Robust tracking and distributed synchronization control of a multi-motor servomechanism with H-infinity performance

The multi-motor servomechanism (MMS) is a multi-variable, high coupling and nonlinear system, which makes the controller design challenging. In this paper, an adaptive robust H-infinity control scheme is proposed to achieve both the load tracking and multi-motor synchronization of MMS. This control scheme consists of two parts: a robust tracking controller and a distributed synchronization controller. The robust tracking controller is constructed by incorporating a neural network (NN) K-filter observer into the dynamic surface control, while the distributed synchronization controller is designed by combining the mean deviation coupling control strategy with the distributed technique. The proposed control scheme has several merits: 1) by using the mean deviation coupling synchronization control strategy, the tracking controller and the synchronization controller can be designed individually without any coupling problem; 2) the immeasurable states and unknown nonlinearities are handled by a NN K-filter observer, where the number of NN weights is largely reduced by using the minimal learning parameter technique; 3) the H-infinity performances of tracking error and synchronization error are guaranteed by introducing a robust term into the tracking controller and the synchronization controller, respectively. The stabilities of the tracking and synchronization control systems are analyzed by the Lyapunov theory. Simulation and experimental results based on a four-motor servomechanism are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Precision coordinated control of multi-axis gantry stages

High precision motion control of gantry stages has found numerous applications in the manufacturing industries where precise positioning is crucial. This paper presents a survey of existing control schemes as well as the development of enhanced schemes for the coordinated motion control of moving gantry stages. In particular, a robust control scheme is proposed which uses a feedback controller with a sliding mode to correct for the tracking error and to coordinate multiple axis to move in tandem. Simulation and experimental results will illustrate and compare the performance of the control schemes presented in the paper.     

Model reference adaptive control for a piezo-positioning system

Piezoelectric (PZT) actuators having the characteristic of infinitely small displacement resolution are popularly applied as actuators in precision positioning systems. Due to its nonlinear hysteresis effect, the tracking control accuracy of the precision positioning system is difficultly achieved. Hence, it is desirable to take hysteresis effect into consideration for improving the trajectory tracking performance. In this paper, a model reference adaptive control scheme based on hyperstability theory is developed for a moving stage system driven by a PZT actuator. It is worth emphasizing that the controller can be constructed without a nonlinear hysteresis dynamic equation to compensate the hysteresis effect. According to simulation results, the tracking error was only nanometer order. Through experimental examinations, the tracking performance was obtained as precision as ten nanometers order which is the resolution limitation of the measurement system. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive control scheme was validated.     

Positioning and tracking of a linear motion stage with friction compensation by fuzzy logic approach

In this paper, the development of a fuzzy controller that compensates for nonlinear friction in a linear motion stage is presented. The experimental work and instrumentation set up is presented for this research. Based upon a nonlinear friction model, friction parameters were estimated from experimental results. Simulation and experimental validation on a ball-screw mechanism is presented, showing the effectiveness of the proposed controller. Furthermore, it is shown that the proposed fuzzy control scheme offers several implementation advantages such as smaller control effort, and reduced effect of measurement noise. Moreover, the fuzzy logic methodology displays superior performance when compared to a conventional PID controller. It also shows good and robust tracking with respect to system parameters variation.     

尺蠖型压电驱动器的闭环控制研究

针对尺蠖型压电驱动器的输出特性,提出利用驱动电压与输出位移分段线性拟合曲线、逐步“搜索”驱动电压值,从而逼近目标位置的闭环控制方法,分析了控制方法的可行性。针对该方法,构建了闭环控制试验系统,对该方法进行了验证,试验结果表明：采用该方法可以实现对尺蠖型压电驱动器的闭环精确控制,相比于开环工作而言定位精度提高了14.4%,该方法具有控制精度较高、响应迅速等优点。     

Hybrid controller of a linear piezoelectric walking stage relying on stack/shear piezoelectric actuators

This paper proposes a hybrid control strategy of a novel linear piezoelectric walking stage based on two sorts of piezoelectric actuators, which takes the load variation into account. The proposed stage consists of two parallel 4-bar lever amplification mechanisms with flexure hinges actuated by piezoelectric stacks to heighten the vertical distance (that is more tolerable to the assembly discrepancy), two compression springs (that is able to maintain a fixed linear position without powering), and two shear piezoelectric actuators (that can achieve longer and equivalent to walking motion) in a small form factor. The proposed stage has two operating modes, namely a coarse positioning mode with a more extensive travel range and a fine positioning mode with a nanometer-level resolution, to possess excellent performance for the linear piezoelectric walking stage of load variations. One multimodal switching controller and one feedforward-feedback controller conduct the coarse mode and fine mode, respectively. The optimal frequency for a specific load is obtained through a backpropagation neural network in the multimodal switching control. In the feedforward-feedback control, the inverse mathematical model based on the Bouc-Wen hysteresis model is used to mitigate the hysteresis effect in the feedforward part while the proportional–integral–derivative controller in the feedback part handles the external system disturbances. Experimental results show the proposed hybrid coarse/fine mode control strategy's effectiveness to satisfy an efficient and accurate positioning task.     

Dynamic characteristics and dual control of a ball screw drive with integrated piezoelectric actuator

This paper describes the precision continuous path tracking control by using a dual-actuated single stage. First, fine-drive mechanism and the dynamic model of the entire drive system are described. In the simulation model, the dynamic characteristic of the dual-actuated stage is investigated to see whether it can provide precise motion by using dual control. Second, the fine motion controller is designed. Adjusting the control parameters, a positioning resolution of 20 nm and a bandwidth of 260 Hz were obtained. Third, the frequency responses of coarse and fine drives are experimentally investigated. After that, the dual controller is designed based on the investigated dynamics. Finally, whether coarse motion and fine motion could work complimentarily by the dual servo is examined in the experiments. By using the simultaneous dual controller, tracking errors were reduced sufficiently compared to the single coarse control.     

Practical and intuitive controller design method for precision positioning of a pneumatic cylinder actuator stage

The present paper describes a practical and intuitive controller design method for precision positioning of pneumatic cylinder actuator stages. Pneumatic actuators are easy to use and have numerous advantages, which has led to these actuators having a wide variety of applications. However, pneumatic actuators have notable nonlinear characteristics, which make precision positioning difficult to achieve. The purpose of the present study is to clarify a practical and intuitive controller design procedure for precision positioning of a pneumatic cylinder actuator. In addition to positioning performance, the present study focuses on the realization of easy controller design without the need for the exact model parameters or knowledge in control theory for general-industrial-use pneumatic cylinder actuators with friction characteristics. These considerations are important in order to fully exploit the advantages of pneumatic cylinder actuators in a wide variety of applications. As such, three elements are added to the conventional continuous-motion nominal characteristic trajectory following (CM NCTF) controller. A new design procedure of the improved CM NCTF controller for pneumatic cylinder actuator stages is introduced, and the positioning performance of the designed control system is examined experimentally under several conditions. The positioning results generally indicate a positioning error of 50 nm, which is equal to the sensor resolution.     

Output feedback integral control of piezoelectric actuators considering hysteresis

In this paper, output feedback integral control of piezoelectric actuators is considered with respect to the hysteresis effect. The linear dynamics of the piezoelectric actuator is modeled as a linear state space system with an input nonlinearity that considers the hysteresis effect. A proof of the Lyapunov stability of the system with integral control is presented, and a method for deriving the upper bound for the regulating gain is shown. A simple example is used to illustrate the approach, and then the approach is applied for tracking a step signal with an experimental single-axis piezoelectric actuator to verify that the system is stable.     

Robust fault-tolerant tracking control design for spacecraft under control input saturation

In this paper, a continuous globally stable tracking control algorithm is proposed for a spacecraft in the presence of unknown actuator failure, control input saturation, uncertainty in inertial matrix and external disturbances. The design method is based on variable structure control and has the following properties: (1) fast and accurate response in the presence of bounded disturbances; (2) robust to the partial loss of actuator effectiveness; (3) explicit consideration of control input saturation; and (4) robust to uncertainty in inertial matrix. In contrast to traditional fault-tolerant control methods, the proposed controller does not require knowledge of the actuator faults and is implemented without explicit fault detection and isolation processes. In the proposed controller a single parameter is adjusted dynamically in such a way that it is possible to prove that both attitude and angular velocity errors will tend to zero asymptotically. The stability proof is based on a Lyapunov analysis and the properties of the singularity free quaternion representation of spacecraft dynamics. Results of numerical simulations state that the proposed controller is successful in achieving high attitude performance in the presence of external disturbances, actuator failures, and control input saturation.     

压电作动器的率相关迟滞建模与跟踪控制

为了降低率相关迟滞特性对压电作动器的影响,研究了基于Hammerstein模型的建模方法和实时跟踪控制策略。以改进的Prandtl-Ishlinskii(MPI)模型表示静态非线性部分,以外因输入自回归模型(Autoregressive Model with Exogenous Input ARX)表示动态线性部分,建立了能够描述压电作动器率相关迟滞特性的Hammerstein模型。基于所建Hammerstein模型,设计了基于前馈自适应逆补偿和PI反馈的复合控制策略。最后,设计并实现了基于前馈逆补偿和PI反馈的复合控制策略来对比和验证所设计的控制策略的有效性。验证实验显示:采用文中设计的控制策略实时跟踪100Hz以内,幅值为11μm的单一频率信号和扫频信号以及变幅值的复合频率信号和正弦扫描信号时,均方根误差为0.280 8~0.437 3μm,相对误差为0.016 5~0.024 4,并且具有良好的实时性能。与基于前馈逆补偿和PI反馈的复合控制策略相比,提出的基于前馈自适应逆补偿和PI反馈的复合控制策略具有更高的跟踪精度。     

基于自抗扰重复控制的压电驱动器高精度跟踪控制

针对压电驱动器的高精度控制问题,提出一种自抗扰重复控制设计方法。首先,给出压电驱动系统的动力学模型;然后,在线性自抗扰控制(LADRC)中引入输出反馈积分控制器和一类插入式重复控制器,提出一种具有阶跃、斜坡和周期信号跟踪/抑制能力的自抗扰重复控制策略。进一步,结合小增益定理,分析闭环系统的稳定性及控制系统的设计方法。最后,将所提方法应用于一类压电驱动系统,实验结果表明该方法与LADRC相比,能显著提升控制效果,且高精度跟踪/抑制多种外部信号。     

Differential resistance feedback control of a self-sensing shape memory alloy actuated system

There is a growing trend towards miniaturization, and with it comes an increasing need for miniature sensors and actuators for control. Moreover situations occur wherein implementation of external physical sensor is impossible, here self-sensing lends its hand appropriately. Though self-sensing actuation (SSA) is extensively studied in piezoelectric, exploring this property in shape memory alloy is still under study. A simple scheme is developed which allows differential resistance measurement of antagonistic shape memory alloy actuated wires to concurrently sense and actuate in a closed loop system. The usefulness of the proposed scheme is experimentally verified by designing a one link manipulator arm and is performed in a real time tracking control. In a practical implementation of the self-sensing actuator a newly proposed signal processing electronic circuit is used for direct differential resistance feedback control upto a bandwidth of 1.8 Hz. The control design uses fuzzy PID which requires no detailed information about the constitutive model of SMA. At an operating frequency of 1 Hz, the result of the self-sensing feedback control with an angular tracking accuracy of ±0.06° over a movement range of ±15° is demonstrated.     

应用控制理论实现反馈控制

明确阐述了控制理论和控制工程的关系,指出应用控制理论设计控制系统是整个控制工程的锦上添花部分.文章分析了控制理论应用方面的现况和问题,并且谈了笔者的看法和建议.希望工程人员在控制工程中应用控制理论,实现真正意义上的自动控制.     

Precision control system of two-DOF stage with linear ultrasonic motor

Using an appropriate control method, linear ultrasonic motors can be used in applications requiring high position accuracy. In this paper, a closed loop PI control system is designed to achieve high position accuracy during the control of a two-DOF stage driven by linear ultrasonic motors. Two ultrasonic motors are mounted on the stage to generate motion in two orthogonal directions. The PI control algorithm is used to increase the stability and accuracy of position control. The x-axis mover covers 30 mm forward and backward in less than 0.3 s settling time and the y-axis mover in less than 0.4 s. Experimental results denote that the control strategy proposed in this paper appears to have high efficiency, quick response, and high accuracy.     

Real-time tracking control of electro-hydraulic force servo systems using offline feedback control and adaptive control

This paper focuses on an application of an electro-hydraulic force tracking controller combined with an offline designed feedback controller (ODFC) and an online adaptive compensator in order to improve force tracking performance of an electro-hydraulic force servo system (EHFS). A proportional-integral controller has been employed and a parameter-based force closed-loop transfer function of the EHFS is identified by a continuous system identification algorithm. By taking the identified system model as a nominal plant model, an H_∞ offline design method is employed to establish an optimized feedback controller with consideration of the performance, control efforts, and robustness of the EHFS. In order to overcome the disadvantage of the offline designed controller and cope with the varying dynamics of the EHFS, an online adaptive compensator with a normalized least-mean-square algorithm is cascaded to the force closed-loop system of the EHFS compensated by the ODFC. Some comparative experiments are carried out on a real-time EHFS using an xPC rapid prototype technology, and the proposed controller yields a better force tracking performance improvement.     

Precision thread grinding using a laser feedback system

Thread grinding to obtain a leadscrew with high lead accuracy is studied. A closed-loop compensation system using a laser to measure the table feed error of the thread grinder is applied to an existing grinding system, resulting in a simplified techinique for obtaining leadscrews with high lead accuracy.