The control of a wheeled mechanical system

Non-holonomic systems with rolling or wheeled systems are investigated. The investigation is restricted to kinematic models and the dynamics of the drive mechanism of the system are taken into account. A control law is constructed which stabilizes the motion of a wheeled system along a specified trajectory (a plane smooth curve). For the basic variables of the system, the property of stabilizability is substantiated in the large.     

A computational method for solving optimal control of a system of parallel beams using Legendre wavelets

The optimal control of transverse vibration of two Euler–Bernoulli beams coupled in parallel by discrete springs is considered. An index of performance is formulated which consists of a modified energy functional of two coupled structures at a specified time and penalty functions involving the point control forces. The minimization of the performance index over these forces is subject to the equation of motion governing the structural vibrations, the imposed initial condition as well as the boundary conditions. By use of the modal space technique, the optimal control of distributed parameter systems is simplified into the optimal control of a linear time-invariant lumped-parameter systems. A computationally attractive method based on Legendre wavelets in time domain for solving the optimal control of the lumped parameter systems for any finite interval is proposed. Legendre wavelet integral operational matrix and the properties of a Kronecker product are used to find the approximated optimal trajectory and optimal law of the linear systems with respect to a quadratic cost function by only solving a linear system of algebraic equations. This method provides a straightforward and convenient approach for digital computation. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Controlled motion of a rigid body with internal mechanisms in an ideal incompressible fluid

We consider the controlled motion in an ideal incompressible fluid of a rigid body with moving internal masses and an internal rotor in the presence of circulation of the fluid velocity around the body. The controllability of motion (according to the Rashevskii–Chow theorem) is proved for various combinations of control elements. In the case of zero circulation, we construct explicit controls (gaits) that ensure rotation and rectilinear (on average) motion. In the case of nonzero circulation, we examine the problem of stabilizing the body (compensating the drift) at the end point of the trajectory. We show that the drift can be compensated for if the body is inside a circular domain whose size is defined by the geometry of the body and the value of circulation.     

Optimal control of the rotation of a system of two bodies connected by an elastic rod

Optimal controls of the rotation of a mechanical system consisting of two rigid bodies, joined by an elastic rod, through a specified angle about an axis passing through the centre of mass of one of the bodies are constructed. The problem of the optimal control of the rotation of the system through a given angle with complete suppression of the oscillations of the elastic rod at the minimum of the energy functional of the control moment and the problem of time-optimality for a specified constraint on the energy functional of the control moment are solved.     

On the Motion of Agents across Terrain with Obstacles

The paper is devoted to finding the time optimal route of an agent travelling across a region from a given source point to a given target point. At each point of this region, a maximum allowed speed is specified. This speed limit may vary in time. The continuous statement of this problem and the case when the agent travels on a grid with square cells are considered. In the latter case, the time is also discrete, and the number of admissible directions of motion at each point in time is eight. The existence of an optimal solution of this problem is proved, and estimates of the approximate solution obtained on the grid are obtained. It is found that decreasing the size of cells below a certain limit does not further improve the approximation. These results can be used to estimate the quasi-optimal trajectory of the agent motion across the rugged terrain produced by an algorithm based on a cellular automaton that was earlier developed by the author.     

Approximate equations of rotational motion of a rigid body carrying a movable point mass

The dynamics of a compound system, consisting of a rigid body and a point mass, which moves in a specified way along a curve, rigidly attached to the body is investigated. The system performs free motion in a uniform gravity field. Differential equations are derived which describe the rotation of the body about its centre of mass. In two special cases, which allow of the introduction of a small parameter, an approximate system of equations of motion is obtained using asymptotic methods. The accuracy with which the solutions of the approximate system approach the solutions of the exact equations of motion is indicated. In one case, it is assumed that the point mass has a mass that is small compared with the mass of the body, and performs rapid motion with respect to the rigid body. It is shown that in this case the approximate system is integrable. A number of special motions of the body, described by the approximate system, are indicated, and their stability is investigated. In the second case, no limitations are imposed on the mass of the point mass, but it is assumed that the relative motion of the point is rapid and occurs near a specified point of the body. It is shown that, in the approximate system, the motion of the rigid body about its centre of mass is Euler–Poinsot motion.     

Existence of traveling waves in compressible Euler equations with viscosity and capillarity

Given any Lax shock of the compressible Euler dynamics equations, we show that there exists the corresponding traveling wave of the system when viscosity and capillarity are suitably added. For a traveling wave corresponding to a given Lax shock, the governing viscous–capillary system is reduced to a system of two differential equations of first-order, which admits an asymptotically stable equilibrium point and a saddle point. We then develop the method of estimating attraction domain of the asymptotically stable equilibrium point for the compressible Euler equations and show that the saddle point in fact lies on the boundary of this set. Then, we establish a saddle-to-stable connection by pointing out that there is a stable trajectory leaving the saddle point and entering the attraction domain of the asymptotically stable equilibrium point. This gives us a traveling wave of the viscous–capillary compressible Euler equations.     

Trajectory tracking control of variable length pendulum by partial energy shaping

This paper concerns a trajectory tracking control problem for a pendulum with variable length, which is an underactuated mechanical system of two degrees-of-freedom with a single input of adjusting the length of the pendulum. We aim to study whether it is possible to design a time-invariant control law to pump appropriate energy into the variable length pendulum for achieving a desired swing motion (trajectory) with given desired energy and length of the pendulum. First, we show that it is difficult to avoid singular points in the controller designed by using the conventional energy-based control approach in which the total mechanical energy of the pendulum is controlled. Second, we present a tracking controller free of singular points by using only the kinetic energy of rotation and the potential energy of the pendulum and not using the kinetic energy of the motion along the rod. Third, we analyze globally the motion of the pendulum and clarify the stability issue of two closed-loop equilibrium points; and we also provide some conditions on control parameters for achieving the tracking objective. Finally, we show numerical simulation results to validate the presented theoretical results.     

Sliding mode variable structure control for parameter uncertain stochastic systems with time-varying delay

In this paper, the variable structure control problem for a class uncertain of stochastic system with time-varying delay is investigated. Firstly, a new concept of the subordinated reachability of the sliding motion is introduced to approach approximately the specified sliding surface. The variable structure control law is then proposed to ensure that the sliding motion is subordinated reachable. Furthermore, a sufficient condition for mean-square asymptotical stability of the sliding motion is given. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.     

A method for controlling the motion of a robot snakeboarder

The problem of planning the motions of a robot snakeboarder consisting of a snakeboard and a flywheel mounted on it and capable of performing controlled rotation relative to the snakeboard crossbar is investigated. Programmed control of the wheel axes to provide an assigned path of motion of an arbitrary point on the crossbar is described. A control of the angular acceleration of the flywheel on the snakeboard that ensures a required course of variation of the velocity of the crossbar centre both on a horizontal plane and on an inclined plane is constructed. The problem of the maximum acceleration of the snakeboard along a “figure-of-eight” trajectory is solved.     

On the stability of periodic trajectories of a planar Birkhoff billiard

The inertial motion of a material point is analyzed in a plane domain bounded by two curves that are coaxial segments of an ellipse. The collisions of the point with the boundary curves are assumed to be absolutely elastic. There exists a periodic motion of the point that is described by a two-link trajectory lying on a straight line segment passed twice within the period. This segment is orthogonal to both boundary curves at its endpoints. The nonlinear problem of stability of this trajectory is analyzed. The stability and instability conditions are obtained for almost all values of two dimensionless parameters of the problem.     

Estimation of the domain of attraction for a class of hybrid systems

The problem of the estimation of the domain of attraction for Impulsive Dynamical Systems (IDSs) is tackled in this paper. IDSs are a special class of hybrid systems that exhibit jumps in the state trajectory, which can be either time-driven (time-dependent IDSs), or driven by specific state values (state-dependent IDSs). Sufficient conditions to determine whether a polytope belongs to the domain of attraction of the zero equilibrium point are provided for both time-dependent and state-dependent IDS, when a nonlinear quadratic continuous-time dynamic is considered. The proposed results are stated in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities problems. The effectiveness of the proposed results is shown by means of the analysis of a biological model for tumor progression.     

Conditionally periodic motions in the attraction field of a rotating triaxial ellipsoid

Conditionally periodic solutions are constructed in the neighbourhood of previously derived steady-state solutions of the problem of the motion of a material point in the attraction field of a rotating triaxial ellipsoid, when the average motion of the material point and the ellipsoid angular velocity of rotation are commensurable.     

基于Gauss伪谱法的欠驱动航天器姿态优化控制

现代航天器一般可以通过三正交反作用动量飞轮对其进行姿态机动控制并任意定位.研究了当其中某一个动量飞轮失效而不能输出完整三轴控制力矩时的欠驱动航天器姿态优化控制问题.在系统动量矩等于零时,其姿态控制问题可以转化为无漂移系统的非完整运动规划问题.采用Gauss伪谱法(GPM)将带有两个反作用动量飞轮的航天器姿态非完整运动规划问题转换为非线性规划问题(NLP),再通过SQP(sequential quadratic programming)算法求解.通过数值仿真、优化控制能达到设计的零边界控制要求,方便伺服电机对动量飞轮的控制;规划得到的姿态曲线与数值积分得到的曲线几乎完全重叠;权衡最终的优化目标值、运行时间和精度三因素找到合适的插值配点个数;结果表明了该方法对欠驱动航天器的姿态优化控制是有效的.     

Control of mechanical systems with uncertain parameters by means of small forces

An approach to the construction of a feedback control for non-linear Lagrange mechanical systems with uncertain parameters is developed. A Lagrange mechanical system with uncertain parameters, which is subject to the action of potential forces, control forces and unknown perturbations is considered is considered. It is assumed that the potential forces can be considerably greater than the control forces which, in their turn, are greater than the perturbations. An approach to the construction of a control, is proposed which enables one to bring a system from an arbitrary initial state to a specified final state in a finite time using a bounded control. A procedure, in which the specified nominal trajectory of the motion is tracked, is used. Initially, the trajectory, joining the specified initial and final states of the system, is constructed for a certain dynamical system which is close to the initial system but with completely known parameters. Then, using deviation equations, a control is constructed which brings the initial system onto this nominal trajectory in a finite time and subsequently forces the system to move along this nominal trajectory up to the final state. The control law used in tracking the nominal trajectory is based on a linear feedback, the gains of which depends on the discrepancy between the real trajectory and the nominal trajectory. The gain increase and tend to infinity as the discrepancies tend to zero but the control forces remain bounded and satisfy the conditions imposed on them. The results of numerical modelling of the controlled motions of a plane double pendulum are presented as an illustration.     

The optimization of a guaranteed result with a delay in the control

The problem of feedback control with a quality index in the form of the Euclidean norm of a set of deviations of the trajectory of motion of the system from the origin of coordinates at specified instants of time is considered for a linear dynamical system that is subjected to the effects of noise and contains a delay in the control element. A procedure for calculating the value of the optimal guaranteed result based on the recursive construction of upper convex hulls of auxiliary functions is given. A method for shaping the controlling actions that guarantee the achievement of this result is described.     

The brachistochrone problem for a disc

The motion of a vertical disc along a curve under the influence of gravity is investigated. On the assumption of regular rolling without slip and separation of contact points, the problem of plotting the curve of most rapid motion of the disc centre from the origin of coordinates to an arbitrary fixed point of the lower half-plane is solved. As usual, the velocity at the initial instant of time is zero, and at the final instant of time it is not fixed. In explicit parametric form, the classical brachistochrone for contact points of the disc is plotted and investigated. The response time, trajectory and kinematic and dynamic characteristics of motion are calculated analytically. Previously unknown qualitative properties of regular rolling are established. In particular, it is shown that the disc centre moves along a cycloid connecting specified points. The envelopes of the boundary points of the disc, produced as its centre moves along the cycloid, are brachistochrones. The feasibility of mechanical coupling of the disc and the curve by reaction forces at the contact point (the normal pressure and dry friction) is investigated.     

Singular perturbations in a class of problems of optimal control with integral convex criterion

The problem of optimal control is investigated with a linear law of motion and convex quality criterion. A small positive parameter appears in front of the derivatives of some of the unknowns in the law of motion. The behaviour of the optimal solution is studied when the small parameter approaches zero with some assumptions that are different from thos encountered in the literature.     

A case of plane rotations of an elastic pendulum

The motion of a point mass, suspended on a spring in a uniform gravity field, is investigated. The spring is assumed to be weightless and to possess linear elasticity. Motion occurs in a specified fixed vertical plane. It is shown that a pendulum motion exists in which the angle, made by the axis of the spring and the vertical, varies uniformly with time. The problem of the orbital stability of this motion is solved.