Modeling of a Pneumatic Hybrid Actuator using an Exponential Approach for Approximation of the Valve-Actuator Behaviour

The present paper describes a mathematical model for the control of a hybrid actuator consisting of a fluidic muscle and a linear pressure spring which is inflated by a proportional directional control valve in 3/3-way function. The device is applied for physical simulation of arbitrary force/displacement relationships. The mathematical model of the system fluidic muscle/valve consists of the approximation of the pressure time-history by an exponential function. The coefficients of the exponential function are identified from corresponding measurement and Least Squares minimization. The advantages of this approximation are that the differential equation for the pressure becomes simple and the computations more efficient. This makes the approach suitable for model-based control. The paper shows that with the proposed model sufficient accuracy can be achieved such as to have a good mathematical model for feedback linearization. For later use the device can be employed in fields of biomechanics as well as in general environments such as motion simulations. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modelling and Flatness‐Based Control of a Carriage Actuated by Pneumatic Muscles

Pneumatic muscles are innovative tension actuators consisting of textile‐fibre reinforced vulcanised rubber tubing and connection flanges at both ends. They offer several advantages as compared to pneumatic cylinders: significantly less weight, no moving parts within the muscle, and higher maximum force. The main drawback is given by their non‐linear characteristics demanding for sophisticated non‐linear feedback control schemes. This contribution presents a non‐linear control concept for a carriage driven by two pneumatic muscles in parallel connection. First, the modelling of the muscle driven carriage is described in detail. For the resulting non‐linear model the differential flatness property is proven and utilised for a decoupled position and pressure trajectory control. Experimental results from an implementation of this flatness‐based control scheme at a test rig demonstrate the high tracking performance and point out the potential of this new actuator. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nonlinear Modeling and Tracking Control of a Hydraulic Rotary Vane Actuator

Rotary vane actuators as rotational drives provide rotational movements directly because they are constructed as a joint and actuator in one. So it is possible to pass on the disadvantageous transmission kinematics used with the so far usual differential cylinders at the arms of large manipulators. However, the use of hydraulic rotary vane actuators is associated with high internal oil leakage and/or high friction. Therefore, a nonlinear dynamic model for such an actuator, driving a rigid robot arm, as well as its nonlinear control are derived. To achieve tracking control a model based control law is set up using fundamental linear differential equations for the tracking error. The control law is implemented and tested on a testbed, the produced experimental results are presented. The same control algorithm can also be used to realize nonlinear disturbance attenuation for hydraulic rotary vane actuators via tracking control. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Active vibration control of unbalanced flexible rotor–shaft systems parametrically excited due to base motion

Rotor vibrations caused by large time-varying base motion are of considerable importance as there are a good number of rotors, e.g., the ship and aircraft turbine rotors, which are often subject to excitations, as the rotor base, i.e. the vehicle, undergoes large time varying linear and angular displacements as a result of different maneuvers. Due to such motions of the base, the equations of vibratory motion of a flexible rotor–shaft relative to the base (which forms a non-inertial reference frame) contains terms due to Coriolis effect as well as inertial excitations (generally asynchronous to rotor spin) generated by different system parameters. Such equations of motion are linear but time-varying in nature, invoking the possibility of parametric instability under certain frequency–amplitude combinations of the base motion. An investigation of active vibration control of an unbalanced rotor–shaft system on moving bases is attempted in this work with electromagnetic control force provided by an actuator consisting of four electromagnetic exciters, placed on the stator in a suitable plane around the rotor–shaft. The actuator does not levitate the rotor or facilitate any bearing action, which is provided by the conventional suspension system. The equations of motion of the rotor–shaft continuum are first written with respect to the non-inertial reference frame (the moving base in this case) including the effect of rotor internal damping. A conventional model for the electromagnetic exciter is used. Numerical simulations performed on the flexible rotor–shaft modelled using beam finite elements shows that the control action is successful in avoiding the parametric instability, postponing the instability due to internal material damping and reducing the rotor response relative to the rigid base significantly, with sufficiently low demand of control current in comparison with the bias current in the actuator coils.     

Modelling and nanoscale force spectroscopy of frequency modulation atomic force microscopy

In this paper, a simulation model for frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) operating in constant amplitude dynamic mode is presented. The model is based on the slow time varying function theory. The mathematical principles to derive the dynamical equations for the amplitude and phase of the FM-AFM cantilever-tip motion are explained and the stability and performance of its closed-loop controller to keep the amplitude at constant value and phase at 90° is analysed. Then, the performance of the theoretical model is supported by comparison of numerical simulations and experiments. Furthermore, the transient behaviour of amplitude, phase and frequency shift of FM-AFM is investigated and the effect of controller gains on the transient motion is analysed. Finally, the derived FM-AFM model is used to simulate the single molecule/nanoscale force spectroscopy and study the effect of sample viscosity, stiffness and Hamaker constant on the response of FM-AFM.     

一类动态系统可靠 D -稳定性条件 - LMI方法

考虑一类具有执行器和传感器故障的动力系统可靠鲁棒控制综合问题. 提出了一个系统 D -稳定的充分必要条件. 基于这一充分必要条件, 得到了可靠 H_∞ 控制器存在的条件. 接着用线性矩阵不等式(LMI)方法设计控制器, 使闭环系统当部分控制器件出现故障时鲁棒 D -稳定且具有H_∞性能. 最后通过一个仿真实例说明该文给出的方法及其有效性     

On the most visited sites by a symmetric stable process

Summary. At time t, the most visited site of a linear Brownian motion is defined as the point which realises the supremum of the local times at time t. Let V be the time indexed process of the most visited sites by a linear Brownian motion. We show that every value is polar for V. Those results are extended from Brownian motion to symmetric stable processes, and then to the absolute value of a symmetric stable process. Received: 1 March 1996 / In revised form: 17 October 1996     

Inversion-Based Feedforward Control for the Transient Shaping of a Piezo-Actuated Cantilevered Kirchhoff Plate

Nowadays piezoelectric actuators are successfully applied for vibration suppression in structural mechanics. The progress in material and actuator development allows to put focus also on novel applications. In this contribution, a systematic approach for inversion–based feedforward control and motion planning is presented for the realization of a transient deflection profile of a cantilevered piezo–actuated plate modeling an adaptive wing. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modelling of Technical Systems: Application to Hydrodynamic Torque Converters and Couplings

First a short survey of modelling of technical systems is presented. The different methods of modelling are applied to hydrodynamic torque converters and couplings. The results of linear modelling around an operating point, of nonlinear modelling for larger operating areas and of hybrid modelling using simplified physical laws are illustrated. Simulations for large excitations show the validity of the models. The advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are discussed.     

Computed torque control of an under-actuated service robot platform modeled by natural coordinates

The paper investigates the motion planning of a suspended service robot platform equipped with ducted fan actuators. The platform consists of an RRT robot and a cable suspended swinging actuator that form a subsequent parallel kinematic chain and it is equipped with ducted fan actuators. In spite of the complementary ducted fan actuators, the system is under-actuated. The method of computed torques is applied to control the motion of the robot.The under-actuated systems have less control inputs than degrees of freedom. We assume that the investigated under-actuated system has desired outputs of the same number as inputs. In spite of the fact that the inverse dynamical calculation leads to the solution of a system of differential–algebraic equations (DAE), the desired control inputs can be determined uniquely by the method of computed torques.We use natural (Cartesian) coordinates to describe the configuration of the robot, while a set of algebraic equations represents the geometric constraints. In this modeling approach the mathematical model of the dynamical system itself is also a DAE.The paper discusses the inverse dynamics problem of the complex hybrid robotic system. The results include the desired actuator forces as well as the nominal coordinates corresponding to the desired motion of the carried payload. The method of computed torque control with a PD controller is applied to under-actuated systems described by natural coordinates, while the inverse dynamics is solved via the backward Euler discretization of the DAE system for which a general formalism is proposed. The results are compared with the closed form results obtained by simplified models of the system. Numerical simulation and experiments demonstrate the applicability of the presented concepts.     

An analysis of simplified muscle activation profile parameterization

This paper analyzes a simplified method for rough identification of muscle activation profiles of general motor tasks by means of dynamic optimization. Muscle activation profiles are parameterized with six parameters per muscle, using linear combinations of two smooth C ^∞ functions closely related to the GAUSSian distribution function used in stochastics and fuzzy control. The method is applied to a simplified subsystem of the human leg consisting of pelvis, thigh shank and foot, interconnected by planar joints at hip, knee and ankle. The system comprises one antagonistic muscle pair at the knee for knee flexion and extension (vastus intermedius and biceps femoris caput brevis). To simulate the swing phase of gait, rheonomic constraints are imposed on pelvis (translation and rotation), hip (rotation) and ankle (rotation). The optimization results show that, (1) the method is suitable to map typical muscle activation time histories that are recorded via EMG, (2) the method can reduce the number of design parameters and CPU-time consumption significantly in comparison to other parameterizations and (3) this reduction in CPU-time consumption additionally coinncides with an improved approximation quality to the target motion. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Time-optimal motion planning along prescribed paths with friction and power constraints

Time-optimal motion planning along specified paths is a well-understood problem in robotics for which well-established methods exist for some standard effects, such as actuator force limits, maximal path velocity, or sliding friction. This paper describes an extension of the classical method that allows for considering, on the one hand side, additional non linear constraints such as sticking friction, acceleration limits at the end-effector, as well power limits for the overall system, and on the other, general paths featuring smooth interpolation of angular acceleration as well as arbitrary multibody systems comprising multiple loops. The methods are illustrated with two applications from robotics and the mining industry. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Robust digital controllers for uncertain chaotic systems: A digital redesign approach

In this paper, a new and systematic method for designing robust digital controllers for uncertain nonlinear systems with structured uncertainties is presented. In the proposed method, a controller is designed in terms of the optimal linear model representation of the nominal system around each operating point of the trajectory, while the uncertainties are decomposed such that the uncertain nonlinear system can be rewritten as a set of local linear models with disturbed inputs. Applying conventional robust control techniques, continuous-time robust controllers are first designed to eliminate the effects of the uncertainties on the underlying system. Then, a robust digital controller is obtained as the result of a digital redesign of the designed continuous-time robust controller using the state-matching technique. The effectiveness of the proposed controller design method is illustrated through some numerical examples on complex nonlinear systems––chaotic systems.     

Hydrodynamic Vortex on Surfaces

The equations of motion for a system of point vortices on an oriented Riemannian surface of finite topological type are presented. The equations are obtained from a Green’s function on the surface. The uniqueness of the Green’s function is established under hydrodynamic conditions at the surface’s boundaries and ends. The hydrodynamic force on a point vortex is computed using a new weak formulation of Euler’s equation adapted to the point vortex context. An analogy between the hydrodynamic force on a massive point vortex and the electromagnetic force on a massive electric charge is presented as well as the equations of motion for massive vortices. Any noncompact Riemann surface admits a unique Riemannian metric such that a single vortex in the surface does not move (“Steady Vortex Metric”). Some examples of surfaces with steady vortex metric isometrically embedded in \(\mathbb {R}^3\) are presented.     

Computer programs for non‐linear programming

In this paper we consider the problem of maximizing a non‐linear or linear objective function subject to non‐linear and/or linear constraints. The approach used is an adaptive random search with some non‐random searches built‐in. The algorithm begins with a given point which is replaced by another point if the latter satisfies each of the constraints and results in a bigger functional value. The process of moving from one point to a better point is repeated many times. The value of each of the coordinates of the next point is determined by one of several ways; for example, a coordinate is sometimes forced to have the same value as the value of the corresponding coordinate of the current feasible point. In this algorithm, a candidate point receives no further computational considerations as soon as it is found to be unfeasible; this makes the algorithm general. Computer programs illustrating the details of the new algorithm are given and computational results of two numerical test problems from the literature are presented. Optimality was reached in each of these two problems.     

Fluid-particle flow: a symmetric formulation

In this Note, we present a numerical method to simulate the motion of solid particles in a moving viscous fluid. The fluid is supposed to be Newtonian and incompressible. The Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations is discretized at the first order in time, as are the equations for the solid bodies. The advection term is taken into account by a method of characteristics. The variational formulation of the coupled problem is then established, and the boundary integrals expressing the hydrodynamical forces are eliminated. By introduction of an appropriate Finite Element approximation, a symmetric linear system is obtained. This system is solved by an inexact Uzawa algorithm, preconditionned by a Laplace operator with Neumann boundary conditions on the pressure. Numerical results are presented, for 2 and 100 particles: The Reynolds number in both cases is of the order of 100.     

微分本构粘弹性轴向运动弦线横向振动分析的差分法

给出了微分本构粘弹性轴向运动弦线横向振动数值仿真的一种差分法．文中建立了具有微分本构的粘弹性运动弦线的横向振动模型;通过对系统的控制方程和本构方程在不同的分数节点离散,得到一种新的差分方法．利用这一方法,弦线振动方程的数值计算过程可以交替地显式进行,且有较小的截断误差和好的数值稳定性．与通用的方法比较,新的方法计算简单、方便．文中利用方程的不变量检验了数值结果的可靠性,并利用这一方法给出了一类弦线模型的参数振动分析．     

Modelling and simulation of steam turbine processes: individual models for individual tasks

Within power plants, several physical, chemical and mechanical processes are conducted to transfer the energy, stored in fossil fuel, into electrical energy. This energy conversion is divided into several stages. Hitherto, the largest conventional power plants employ steam turbines as prime movers to drive a generator. Hence, a steam turbine is one module to convert heat energy into mechanical energy. And thus it is one link in the chain of energy conversions with the aim of generating electrical energy. Today, steam turbine industry faces numerous challenges concerning efficiency, commissioning time, start-up times, operation, availability, safety, cost-effectiveness, etc. Many of these tasks can be supported by simulating the transient operational behaviour of the turbine in advance. For example, the commissioning time can be shortened if the turbine controllers are initialized with well-tuned pre-set parameters; cost-effectiveness can be increased by setting aside unnecessary devices and exactly determining material specifications; safety may be increased by predicting the impacts of failures and thus taking the necessary precautions. Different tasks require different details regarding the employed turbine simulation model. Thus, the turbine controller may be well tuned with less complex simulation models of turbine, generator and electrical grid, whereas detailed studies of failures, mainly the transient behaviour which may lead to serious damages, may require detailed modelling of the turbine-internal thermodynamic processes. Here, a brief overview of models which simulate the transient thermodynamic behaviour of a steam turbine is presented. Three different approaches will be introduced and compared with respect to different operating situations. Also, special attention is directed towards the time dependence of critical states, mainly turbine speed and pressure development in certain areas. The first model is based on a simple, linear approach and is suitable of giving a quick overview. The second one incorporates more details and is useful if the operating point is close to the design point. Finally, the last model incorporates mass and energy balances as well as the major non-linearities. Hence it depicts the turbine behaviour over a large range of operating points.     

Dynamic Modeling and Force Control of a Redundant Robot for Polishing Applications

For many robotic applications with tasks such as cutting, assembly or polishing, it is necessary to get in contact with the surrounding. In this paper a redundant robot with seven degrees of freedom in a metal polishing task is considered. For simulation as well as for the controller design a dynamic model of the robot and a contact model are required. The equations of motion of the robot are calculated with the Projection Equation in subsystem representation and the contact model contains linear tool elasticities and work piece elasticities. In the case of a polishing task, a constant contact force during the process is required even if the robot moves along a trajectory. Thus some degrees of freedom of the robot tool center point have to be position controlled while the other ones have to be force controlled. The redundant robot offers the possibility to avoid singular positions or to maximize the available end-effector forces within the inverse kinematics and is therefore best suited for polishing large objects. The actual process forces are measured with a six axis force-torque-sensor mounted at the tool center point. These forces are used in a parallel force/position control law to achieve the desired behavior. Results from measurements of a test arrangement are presented. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Convergence and invariance questions for point systems inR 1 under random motion

In section 2 we introduce and study the independence property for a sequence of two-dimensional random variables and by means of this property we define independent motion in section 3. Section 4 is mainly a survey of known results about the convergence of the spatial distribution of the point system as the timet→∞. In theorem 5.1 we show that the only distributions which are time-invariant under given reversible motion of non-degenerated type are the weighted Poisson ones. Lastly in section 6 we study a more general type of random motion where the position of a point after translation is a functionf of its original position and its motion ability. We consider functionsf which are monotone in the starting position. Limiting ourselves to the case when the point system initially is weighted Poisson distributed with independent motion abilities, we prove in theorem 6.1 that this is the case also after the translations, if and only if the functionf is linear in the starting position. In the paper also some implications of our results to the theory of road traffic with free overtaking are given.