A robust decomposed system control for an electro-mechanical linear
actuator mechanism under input constraints
Abstract
This paper aims to develop a robust decomposed system control (RDSC)
strategy under input constraints for an electro-mechanical linear
actuator (EMLA) with model uncertainty and external disturbances. At
first, a state-space model of a complex multi-stage gearbox EMLA system,
driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), is developed, and
the non-ideal characteristics of the ball screw are presented through
the model. This results in a six-order nonlinear strict-feedback form
(NSFF) system that is decomposed into three subsystems. As the paper’s
main result, a novel RDSC strategy with uniform exponential stability
for controlling subsystem states is presented. This developed controller
avoids the “explosion of complexity” problem associated with
backstepping by treating the time derivative of the virtual control
input as an uncertain system term. The proposed method, while assuming
load disturbances and input constraints with arbitrary bounds, offers a
straightforward control approach for a broader range of applications.
The controller’s performance is evaluated through the simulation of two
distinct duty cycles, each representing different levels of demand on
the actuator facing load disturbances near the rated motor performance.