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To address vehicle drivetrain vibrations that cause discomfort and poor drivability, this study proposes a new active damping strategy with simple backlash compensation based on the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) with norm-limited update vector. First, an experimental device developed for a simplified drivetrain mechanism is demonstrated. A mechanism for reproducing both the contact mode and the backlash mode is included in the device. For the contact mode, a model-based H 2 controller is employed as the baseline damping strategy. Further, to mitigate the backlash effect, a simple algorithm based on mode-switching-based compensation is used with the H 2 controller. In particular, for the critical controller parameters, this article presents a systematic design approach to search for their optimal values. The key parameters, which are needed for the backlash and contact mode controllers, are simultaneously auto-tuned using norm-limited update vector-based SPSA, which ensures the stability in the iterative tuning. The novelty of this study is that both the backlash mode controller and the contact mode controller are simultaneously optimized by the improved version of SPSA, thus realizing a comprehensive auto-tuning design of an active drivetrain damping system. Finally, the active controller is experimentally verified using the actual test device. Comparative studies show that the proposed approach significantly reduces drivetrain vibrations and is robust against fluctuations in the backlash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study experimentally verifies robustness of a model-free vibration controller based on a virtual controlled object (VCO) considering parametric uncertainty of actuator. A proof-mass actuator, which can be modeled as a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system, is used. A VCO, which is defined as an SDOF structure, is introduced between a real controlled object and the actuator model. The parameters of the VCO are determined so as to achieve model-free vibration control. A state equation to derive the model-free controller is constructed using the two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) structure composed of the actuator model and the VCO. The parametric uncertainty of the actuator is quantitatively characterized in the 2DOF structure. The mixed H 2 / H ∞ control theory is used to design a model-free controller. The vibration suppression performance and robustness to the actuator uncertainty of the proposed method are validated by experiments. Simulation studies are also conducted to enhance the validity of the experimental results. As a result, the proposed damping method exhibits good damping performance and strong robustness to the actuator uncertainty and characteristic changes in controlled object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-ball-screw feed drive systems (DBSFDSs) are designed for most high-end manufacturing equipment. However, the mismatch between the dynamic characteristic parameters (e.g., stiffness and inertia) and the P-PI cascade control method reduces the accuracy of the DBSFDSs owing to the structural characteristic changes in the motion. Moreover, the parameters of the P-PI cascade controller of the DBSFDSs are always the same even though the two axes have different dynamic characteristics, and it is difficult to tune two-axis parameters simultaneously. A new application of the combination of the grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm and the P-PI cascade controller is presented to solve these problems and enhance the motion performance of DBSFDSs. The novelty is that the flexible coupling model and dynamic stiffness obtained from the motor current can better represent the two-axis coupling dynamic characteristics, and the GWO algorithm is used to adjust the P-PI controller parameters to address variations in the positions of the moving parts and reflect characteristic differences between the two axes. Comparison of simulation and experimental results validated the superiority of the proposed controller over existing ones in practical applications, showing a decrease in the tracking error of the tool center and non-synchronization error of over 34% and 39%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to construct a simple and practical controller design method, considering the actuator's parameter uncertainty, without using a model of controlled objects. In this method, a controller is designed with an actuator model including a single-degree-of-freedom virtual structure inserted between actuator and controlled object, resulting in a model-free controller design. Furthermore, an H ∞ control problem is defined so that the actuator's parameter uncertainty is compensated by satisfying a robust stability condition. Because the actuator model including the virtual controlled object is a simple low-order system, and the actuator's parameter uncertainty is considered, a controller with high robustness to the actuator's parameter uncertainty can be designed based on traditional model-based control theory. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by both simulation and experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to develop a simple and practical controller design method without modeling controlled objects. In this technique, modeling of the controlled object is not necessary and a controller is designed with an actuator model, which includes a single-degree-of-freedom virtual structure inserted between the actuator and the controlled object. The parameters of the virtual structure are determined so that indirect active vibration suppression is effectively achieved by considering the frequency transfer function from the vibration response of the controlled object to that of the virtual structure. Since the actuator model, which includes a virtually controlled object, is a simple low-order system, a controller with high control performance can be designed by traditional model-based optimal control theory. In this research, a mixed H 2 / H ∞ controller is designed considering both control performance and robust stability. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated experimentally. The robustness of the controller is demonstrated by applying the same controller to various structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverse kinematics (IK) is an important and challenging problem in the operation of industrial manipulators. This study proposes a simple IK calculation scheme for an industrial serial manipulator. The proposed technique can calculate appropriate values of the joint variables to realize the desired end-effector position and orientation while considering the motion costs of each joint. Two scalar functions are defined for the joint variables: one is to evaluate the end-effector position and orientation, whereas the other is to evaluate the motion efficiency of the joints. By combining the two scalar functions, the IK calculation of the manipulator is formulated as a numerical optimization problem. Furthermore, a simple algorithm for solving the IK via the aforementioned optimization is constructed on the basis of the simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation with a norm-limited update vector (NLSPSA). The proposed scheme considers not only the accuracy of the position and orientation of the end-effector but also the efficiency of the robot movement. Therefore, it yields a practical result of the inverse problem. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is simple and easy to implement owing to the high-calculation efficiency of NLSPSA. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through numerical examples using a redundant manipulator.