Networked control system for the guidance of a four-wheel steering agricultural robotic platform

A current trend in the agricultural area is the development of mobile robots and autonomous vehicles for precision agriculture (PA). One of the major challenges in the design of these robots is the development of the electronic architecture for the control of the devices. In a joint project among research institutions and a private company in Brazil a multifunctional robotic platform for information acquisition in PA is being designed. This platform has as main characteristics four-wheel propulsion and independent steering, adjustable width, span of 1,80m in height, diesel engine, hydraulic system, and a CAN-based networked control system (NCS). This paper presents a NCS solution for the platform guidance by the four-wheel hydraulic steering distributed control. The control strategy, centered on the robot manipulators control theory, is based on the difference between the desired and actual position and considering the angular speed of the wheels. The results demonstrate that the NCS was simple and efficient, providing suitable steering performance for the platform guidance. Even though the simplicity of the NCS solution developed, it also overcame some verified control challenges in the robot guidance system design such as the hydraulic system delay, nonlinearities in the steering actuators, and inertia in the steering system due the friction of different terrains. Copyright © 2012 Eduardo Pacincia Godoy et al.

Degenerate hope bifurcations in Chua's system

In this paper we study the local codimension one, two and three Hopf bifurcations which occur in the classical Chua's differential equations with cubic nonlinearity. A detailed analytical description of the regions in the parameter space for which multiple small periodic solutions bifurcate from the equilibria of the system is obtained. As a consequence, a complete answer for the challenge proposed in [Moiola & Chua, 1999] is provided. © 2009 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Realimentação derivativa e modelo fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno paracontrole da articulação do joelho de pacientes paraplégicos com o uso de acelerômetros

Feedback control systems have been used to move the muscles and joints of the limbs of paraplegic patients. The feedback signal, related to the knee joint angle, can be obtained by using an electrogoniometer. However, the use of accelerometers can help the measurements due the facility of adhering these devices to the skin. Accelerometers are also very suitable for these applications due their small dimensions and weight. In this paper a new method for designing a control system that can vary the knee joint angle using Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is presented, as well as a simulation with parameters values available in the literature. The nonlinear control system was represented by a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model and the feedback signals were obtained by using accelerometers. The design method considered all plant nonlinearities and was efficient and reliable to control the leg position of a paraplegic patient with the angle of the knee ranging from 0° to 30°, considering electric stimulation at the quadriceps muscle. The proposed method is viable and offers a new alternative for designing control systems of the knee joint angle using more comfortable sensors for the patients.

Experimental Active Vibration Control in Truss Structures Considering Uncertainties in System Parameters

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Control aspects in nonlinear Hill's equation

The Hill's equations-even in the linear original version are a describer of phenomenon having chaotic flavor, giving sometimes very unusual situations. The theory of the so called intervals of instability in the equation provides the precise description for most of these phenomena. Considerations on nonlinearities into the Hill's equation is a quite recent task. The linearized version for almost of these systems it reduces to the Hill's classical linear one. In this paper, some indicative facts are pointed out on the possibility of having the linear system stabilizable and/or exactly controllable. As consequence of such an approach we get results having strong classical aspects, like the one talking about location of parameters in intervals of stability. A result for nonlinear proper periodic controls, is considered too. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A bouncing ball model with two nonlinearities: a prototype for Fermi acceleration

Some dynamical properties of a bouncing ball model under the presence of an external force modelled by two nonlinear terms are studied. The description of the model is made by the use of a two-dimensional nonlinear measure-preserving map on the variable's velocity of the particle and time. We show that raising the straight of a control parameter which controls one of the nonlinearities, the positive Lyapunov exponent decreases in the average and suffers abrupt changes. We also show that for a specific range of control parameters, the model exhibits the phenomenon of Fermi acceleration. The explanation of both behaviours is given in terms of the shape of the external force and due to a discontinuity of the moving wall's velocity.

Design of SPR systems with dynamic compensators and output variable structure control

This paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions for the following problem: given a linear time invariant plant G(s) = N(s)D(s)-1 = C(sI - A]-1B, with m inputs, p outputs, p > m, rank(C) = p, rank(B) = rank(CB) = m, £nd a tandem dynamic controller Gc(s) = D c(s)-1Nc(s) = Cc(sI - A c)-1Bc + Dc, with p inputs and m outputs and a constant output feedback matrix Ko ε ℝm×p such that the feedback system is Strictly Positive Real (SPR). It is shown that this problem has solution if and only if all transmission zeros of the plant have negative real parts. When there exists solution, the proposed method firstly obtains Gc(s) in order to all transmission zeros of Gc(s)G(s) present negative real parts and then Ko is found as the solution of some Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). Then, taking into account this result, a new LMI based design for output Variable Structure Control (VSC) of uncertain dynamic plants is presented. The method can consider the following design specifications: matched disturbances or nonlinearities of the plant, output constraints, decay rate and matched and nonmatched plant uncertainties. © 2006 IEEE.

Tm-afm nonlinear motion control with robustness analysis to parametric errors in the control signal determination

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Control of Limit Cycle Oscillation in a Three Degrees of Freedom Airfoil Section Using Fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno Modeling

This work presents a strategy to control nonlinear responses of aeroelastic systems with control surface freeplay. The proposed methodology is developed for the three degrees of freedom typical section airfoil considering aerodynamic forces from Theodorsen's theory. The mathematical model is written in the state space representation using rational function approximation to write the aerodynamic forces in time domain. The control system is designed using the fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno modeling to compute a feedback control gain. It useds Lyapunov's stability function and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) to solve a convex optimization problem. Time simulations with different initial conditions are performed using a modified Runge-Kutta algorithm to compare the system with and without control forces. It is shown that this approach can compute linear control gain able to stabilize aeroelastic systems with discontinuous nonlinearities.

Application of passive control to energy harvester efficiency using a nonideal portal frame structural support system

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Nonlinear dynamics and control strategies: On a energy harvester vibrating system with a linear form to non-ideal motor torque

In this paper, we deal with the research of a vibrating model of an energy harvester device, including the nonlinearities in the model of the piezoelectric coupling and the non-ideal excitation. We show, using numerical simulations, in the analysis of the dynamic responses, that the harvested power is influenced by non-linear vibrations of the structure. Chaotic behavior was also observed, causing of the loss of energy throughout the simulation time. Using a perturbation technique, we find an approximate analytical solution for the non-ideal system. Then, we apply both two control techniques, to keep the considered system, into a stable condition. Both the State Dependent Ricatti Equation (SDRE) control as the feedback control by changing the energy of the oscillator, were efficient in controlling of the considered non-ideal system.

SDRE control strategy applied to a nonlinear robotic including drive motor

A robotic control design considering all the inherent nonlinearities of the robot-engine configuration is developed. The interactions between the robot and joint motor drive mechanism are considered. The proposed control combines two strategies, one feedforward control in order to maintain the system in the desired coordinate, and feedback control system to take the system into a desired coordinate. The feedback control is obtained using State-Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE). For link positioning two cases are considered. Case I: For control positioning, it is only used motor voltage; Case II: For control positioning, it is used both motor voltage and torque between the links. Simulation results, including parametric uncertainties in control shows the feasibility of the proposed control for the considered system.

On nonlinear dynamics and control of a robotic arm with chaos

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Nonlinear ball and beam control system identification

The Ball and Beam system is a common didactical experiment in control laboratories that can be used to illustrate many different closed-loop control techniques. The plant itself is subjected to many nonlinear effects, which the most common comes from the relative motion between the ball and the beam. The modeling process normally uses the lagrangean formulation. However, many other nonlinear effects, such as non-viscous friction, beam flexibility, ball slip, actuator elasticity, collisions at the end of the beam, to name a few, are present. Besides that, the system is naturally unstable. In this work, we analyze a subset of these characteristics, in which the ball rolls with slipping and the friction force between the ball and the beam is non-viscous (Coulomb friction). Also, we consider collisions at the ends of the beam, the actuator consists of a (rubber made) belt attached at the free ends of the beam and connected to a DC motor. The model becomes, with those nonlinearities, a differential inclusion system. The elastic coefficients of the belt are experimentally identified, as well as the collision coefficients. The nonlinear behavior of the system is studied and a control strategy is proposed.

Nonlinear state estimation and control applied to a manipulator robotic including drive motor

A robotic control design considering all the inherent nonlinearities of the robot engine configuration is developed. The interactions between the robot and joint motor drive mechanism are considered. The proposed control combines two strategies, one feedforward control in order to maintain the system in the desired coordinate, and feedback control system to take the system into a desired coordinate. The feedback control is obtained using State Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE). For link positioning two cases are considered. Case 1: For control positioning, it is only used motor voltage; Case 2: For control positioning, it is used both motor voltage and torque between the links. Simulation results, including parametric uncertainties in control shows the feasibility of the proposed control for the considered system.