Practical and Performance Oriented Nonlinear Adaptive Robust Control -- Theory and Applications to Precision Control of Modern Mechanical Systems

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

Principle Investigator: Bin Yao Institution: Purdue University Proposal Number: 0220179 Title: Practical and Performance Oriented Nonlinear Adaptive Robust Control -- Theory and Applications to Precision Control of Modern Mechanical Systems Abstract: The goals of this project are to (i) develop a general framework for the design of practical and performance oriented nonlinear adaptive robust controllers (PARC) that explicitly take into account the effects of typical implementation constraints while without sacrificing achievable implementation performance much and being structurally simple to facilitate design and implementation, (ii) determine practically meaningful criteria and appropriate optimization algorithms that can be used to systematically determine PARC parameters for an optimized control performance, and (iii) apply the integrated PARC design to the precision control of high-speed mechanical systems driven by either electro-magnetic motors or electro-hydraulic actuators as well as the coordinated control of high-speed robot manipulators. A fundamentally different new design philosophy on synthesizing nonlinear robust feedback is adopted to solve the structural complexity of existing adaptive robust controllers-proper nonlinear robust feedback with fixed structures is used so that the effects of typical implementation constraints such as the control input saturation, measurement noise, and neglected high frequency dynamics can be explicitly analyzed and quantified through a combination of global nonlinear synthesis and local quasi-linear analysis. The research emphasizes both general theory development and the integration of the proposed PARC with the particular characteristics of the application. The education plan focuses on the in-depth re-examination of current undergraduate and graduate control curriculum to set the right control design philosophy for students during their early stage of control education, as well as developing innovative course on performance-oriented nonlinear adaptive and robust controls. The proposed research is motivated by the lack of advanced and yet practical performance-oriented nonlinear adaptive robust control designs that are needed in engineering control curriculum to meet industry needs for high productivity and quality products. Once successfully completed, the results will have a lasting impact on future control curriculum, at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. The results also have a direct impact on industry as they directly address the common concerns of practicing engineers in applying advanced nonlinear controls.