Feedforward Compensation Research Articles

Adaptive Set-Membership Filter Based Discrete Sliding Mode Control for Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Systems With Hardware Experiments

Pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM), featuring good flexibility and safety, has been widely used in rehabilitation and bionic robots. However, the complex hysteretic nonlinearities and uncertainties of the PAM cause great difficulties and challenges to the accurate modeling and controller design, especially when confronted with unknown external disturbances in applications. This paper proposes a robust control strategy with disturbance compensation for the hysteresis compensation and trajectory tracking of PAMs. Considering the high hysteretic nonlinearity of the PAM, a modified Prandtl-Ishlinskii model is used as a feedforward hysteresis compensator. For the linearized system, adaptive set-membership filtering (ASMF) is used to estimate the nonlinear terms and external disturbances of the overall system. A sliding mode controller (SMC) with disturbance compensation is designed and cascaded to the feedforward hysteresis compensator in series. The stability of the closed-loop system is theoretically proved. The proposed method guarantees that the tracking error of the PAM system is bounded. Finally, the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller are verified via a series of experiments on an in-house built testbench for PAMs. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —With the increasing demand on human-robot interaction, the safety and compliance of robots have become one key requirement. PAM is a compliant actuator, exhibiting good flexibility, safety, and clean energy. PAM is widely used in rehabilitation robots, whereas its strong hysteresis nonlinearity and sensitivity to external disturbances affect its motion accuracy. This paper proposes an ASMF-based discrete SMC, which uses an inverse hysteresis model to compensate for the strong hysteresis of the PAM and uses ASMF to estimate the lumped disturbance of the system. Compared with the other filters, ASMF is unique in that its estimation error is bounded, which is very useful in the stability proof of the overall system. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is experimentally verified. Experimental results show that PAM’s hysteresis can be efficiently compensated, and the influence of external disturbances can be attenuated by the proposed controller, resulting in improved motion accuracy and robustness. In future work, efforts will be directed towards the modeling and control of PAMs in multi-DOF robots.

Sampling time dependence of disturbance feedforward compensation performance

Sampling time dependence of disturbance feedforward compensation performance

Constraint tightening-based control for small-satellite formations using differential aerodynamic forces

Aerodynamic forces hold significant promise for controlling small-satellite formations in low Earth orbit. However, significant challenges still exist regarding complex input constraints and their application to multi-satellite formations. This paper proposes a constraint tightening-based control scheme for small-satellite formations, utilizing differential drag and lift as actuating forces. Two attitude adjustment strategies, namely the reorientation strategy and the single-radial rotation strategy, are compared in terms of their control effectiveness and applicability. Relative aerodynamic coefficients are employed as control inputs in view of their solid reachable region, followed by the development of a decoupling algorithm for determining pointing angles. Through a method that tightens the reachable region using liner models, the input constraints are linearized and can be explicitly expressed. Subsequently, an observer-based Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm is formulated to meet these linearized input constraints and provide feedforward compensation for system disturbances. This discrete algorithm enables practical onboard implementations owing to its low computational complexity. Additionally, a concept of overall computation for all satellites’ attitudes is proposed to adapt the control scheme for multi-satellite formations. Hardware-in-the-loop simulations are conducted to evaluate the control scheme's performance in along-track and circular formations, accounting for uncertainties in aerodynamic forces and attitude dynamics.

Research on Harmonic Suppression Methods

Harmonics can be very harmful to power electronic equipment. With the widespread use of modern electronic equipment, the generation of harmonics has become more common. These harmonics not only come from non-linear loads but can also be caused by faults or instability in the power system. Therefore, suppressing harmonics is crucial to maintaining the stability and normal operation of the power system. In recent years, experts have studied the harmonic problem, there are a large number of harmonic suppression methods, and the basic idea is divided into two, one is to transform the power electronic equipment itself; the other is to install harmonic compensation devices. In this report, three feasible harmonic suppression methods are selected for these two main ideas, harmonic suppression based on feed-forward compensation, harmonic suppression based on transformer, and harmonic suppression based on filter. For the public to have a clear enough understanding of these methods, the backgrounds of these three methods are introduced, the basic working principles are analyzed, and the effects of harmonic suppression are analyzed and summarized, which will help subsequent researchers sort out research ideas. Finally, according to the current shortcomings of the three methods, including a small range of applications, limitations of harmonic detection technology, and so on, the future development of harmonic suppression methods is prospected.

Traveling control method adapted to different paddy ground conditions with feedforward compensation for crawler combine harvester based on online tracking error prediction

Enhancing the adaptability of agricultural machinery to different ground conditions is paramount for advancing path-tracking accuracy and control stability. Precise online perception of the steering motion state of a crawler combine harvester is essential for adapting to different paddy ground conditions (PGCs) for path-tracking control. In this study, a novel pose vector method (PVM) was proposed for the online determination of the steering radius of a crawler combine harvester. A support vector regression (SVR) model was used to forecast the error-correction factor for the steering trajectory arc radius, and a feedforward compensation control method was designed based on the steering control model. Field steering experiments revealed that the PVM outperformed the conventional least squares method (LSM) in calculating the trajectory arc radius, particularly when dealing with sparse pose data. The relative error of the PVM was several to over 10 times lower than that of the LSM fitting. The field experiments of straight-path tracking showed that the standard deviations of the lateral deviation were 0.078 m, 0.059 m, and 0.062 m, and the standard deviations of the heading deviation were 2.622°, 1.580°, and 1.593°, respectively, for the three different PGCs of soil compaction from low to high. Compared to the conventional pure tracking algorithm, the proposed PGCs adaptive tracking control algorithm enhances the adaptability of the crawler combine harvester to PGCs. These results offer a novel method for enhancing the online perception of the motion state of a crawler combine harvester and improving the adaptive control performance under different PGCs.

Adaptive neural network backstepping control method for aerial manipulator based on coupling disturbance compensation

The aerial manipulator, designed for complex aerial tasks, encounters multifaceted operational environments influenced by various internal and external disturbances. This paper introduces an adaptive neural network backstepping control technique fortified with coupling disturbance compensation to enhance the resilience of the aerial manipulator against these disturbances. Firstly, we propose a cutting-edge coupling disturbance feedforward compensator based on variable inertia parameters, which offers precise and prompt compensation for significant internal coupling disturbances without needing external sensors or alternative disturbance estimation techniques. Subsequently, radial basis function neural networks with an online adaptive weight updating mechanism are designed to estimate and counteract lumped disturbances stemming from unmodeled dynamics, uncertainties, and external factors in real-time. Utilizing the Lyapunov stability criteria, we validate that the aerial manipulator can reliably track desired trajectories under our proposed controller. Experimental results and simulations further underscore the effectiveness and superiority of our control approach.

Discrete recoil control system modelling and optimal recoil damping of deepwater drilling riser systems

This study addresses discrete dynamic modelling and the optimal recoil control problem of deepwater drilling riser systems subject to the friction resistance of fluid discharge and platform heave motion. First, a discrete-time exosystem model for friction resistance of drilling fluid discharge is developed; then, a discrete-time dynamic model of platform heave motion is established. Third, a finite-time discrete optimal recoil controller with feedforward compensation mechanisms was designed. The optimal recoil controller gains can be obtained by iteratively solving discrete equations. The simulation results show that under the discrete feedforward and feedback optimal recoil controller and pure feedback optimal recoil controller, the recoil movements of the riser system are significantly restrained. Moreover, the former is more effective than the latter at resisting the riser recoil response.

Model Predictive Control on Transient Flux Linkage and Reactive Power Compensation of Doubly Fed Induction Wind Generator

For weak grid scenario with high new energy proportion, large fluctuations of load are prone to cause low-voltage ride through. Moreover, stator transient magnetic flux will cause overvoltage and overcurrent problems in the rotor of doubly fed induction generator. Based on model predictive control, a control strategy for transient flux linkage and reactive power compensation is proposed. Firstly, regarding the issue of reactive power allocation of grid side converters (GSC) and rotor side converters (RSC), an allocation strategy is derived under minimizing winding energy loss on case of low-voltage ride through, enabling the wind energy conversion system to provide reactive power support during grid voltage recovery process. Meanwhile, an improved mixed second- and third-order generalized integrator (MSTOGI) phase-locked loop (PLL) is used to extract the positive and negative sequence components of the power grid voltage, further for RSC control. Secondly, in response to power grid faults, considering the influence of stator DC transient flux and negative sequence flux components on rotor current, by injecting rotor transient compensation current and stator flux feedforward compensation into RSC, the rotor impulse voltage and loop current are reduced. Moreover, combined with model predictive control algorithm, a control strategy of rotor current is designed. Finally, a simulation platform is built to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method based on comparing with several traditional vector control low-voltage ride through methods.

Fast Response Sliding Mode Linear Speed Control of a Magnetic Screw Motor Based on Feedforward Compensation Strategy

Fast Response Sliding Mode Linear Speed Control of a Magnetic Screw Motor Based on Feedforward Compensation Strategy

Dead-time compensation and single-loop control strategy for ground power unit

Instead of the auxiliary power system, the ground power unit supplies to airplanes during stopovers in airports, which is an important means of reducing carbon emissions of airport. However, under the restraint of switching frequency and high dynamic response speed, a single control loop is usually implemented in 400 Hz voltage-source inverter, the sampling and control of the inductor current in the LC filter are avoided, result in the design of the control system being more difficult, and the direction of the dead-time compensation can not be obtained due to the lack of the current polarity. In view of the above problem, this paper firstly analyzes the influence on the output voltage of inverter due to the dead-time, including the errors of fundamental amplitude and phase, and the low-order harmonic distortion. Then, according to the state equation of the inductor current, a current observation model without zero drift is proposed to obtain the polarity of the inductor current. On this basis, feedforward compensation is carried out for the voltage error generated by the dead-time. Combined with the amplitude-frequency characteristic curve, the parameter optimization design method of the single closed-loop proportional-resonant controller is presented. Finally, a simulation model and an experimental platform are established to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the current observation model, dead-time compensation method and controller parameter optimization design method proposed in this paper.

Dynamic hysteresis compensation and iterative learning control for underwater flexible structures actuated by macro fiber composites

Studies on the hydrodynamics of underwater flexible structures are gaining significant attention. To improve the performance and stability of underwater flexible structures in complex water environments, new control strategies must be proposed. This study proposes underwater rate-dependent hysteresis compensation and iterative learning control (ILC) of the flexible structure actuated by macro fiber composites (MFC). The underwater rate-dependent hysteresis model of the MFC partially-actuated structure consists of two components: a modal state space model characterizing the underwater rate-dependent behavior, and a modified Prandtl–Ishlinskii (MPI) model describing the bias bipolar hysteresis. The MPI model is combined with a PI and a polynomial model of fractional orders. To obtain a unique analytic inverse model, constraints for the inverse are proposed. Results show the varying bias ellipse-like hysteresis behaviors are well captured. Tracking performances are greatly improved with the feedforward compensator. Furthermore, an ILC is developed to address model uncertainties and unsteady hydrodynamics. The convergence and robustness of the ILC are discussed. Parameters of the zero-phase and learning filters are determined. Experimental results demonstrate the tracking errors of the underwater structure are significantly reduced. These findings are meaningful for the realization of flexible structures for marine engineering, underwater robots and other fields.

Control design for thrust generators with application to wind turbine wave-tank testing: A sliding-mode control approach with Euler backward time-discretization

The control design for a propeller-based thrust generator used in a wind turbine testing platform is studied in this work. A mathematical model has been developed for the system including the motors and propeller. Subsequently, a continuous-time sliding-mode controller is designed based on the developed model and its stability and robustness have been addressed. An Euler backward time discretization method has been developed for the continuous-time sliding-mode controller to achieve a chattering-free implementation. The properties of the sliding-mode controller under the developed time discretization method e.g., finite-time convergence, and gain insensitivity have been studied analytically. In order to evaluate the developed sliding-mode control law under the discretization method, three known control strategies, i.e., gain-scheduling proportional-integral control, fuzzy control, and feedforward compensator strategies have been designed for the system. Some remarks are also given for the differentiator selection used to estimate the velocity. The experiments under different scenarios are then conducted and the results corresponding to all four controllers are provided along with a comparative analysis to identify the properties of each control configuration.

Dual cerebella model neural networks based robust adaptive output feedback control for electromechanical actuator with anti‐parameter perturbation and anti‐disturbance

SummaryTo realize a high‐accuracy tracking control of an electromechanical actuator in which only position signal is available, a new robust adaptive output feedback control strategy based on dual CMAC neural networks is proposed in this article. A high‐gain observer and a neural network are combined to estimate the unmeasured system states, in which a neural network is designed to estimate and compensate the system parameter estimation error and other uncertain nonlinearity to improve the performance of the traditional observer. A robust adaptive controller and another neural network are combined to decrease the impact of parameter perturbation and external disturbance and strengthen the system robustness. Lyapunov theorem is used to derive an on‐line weight adaption law for the two neural networks and an on‐line parameter adaptation law for the uncertain parameters to stabilize the system. Thus the parameter uncertainty and disturbance can be compensated with feedforward compensation technique. A nonlinear robust feedback term is designed to suppress the model compensation deviation. Considering the stronger approximation ability of CMAC basis function against RBF basis function, an improved CMAC neural network is introduced in the proposed controller. A large number of simulations and experiments show that the proposed controller has better tracking performance than many main‐stream output feedback controllers in present.

Improved coordinated control strategy for VSC-MTDC system with DC voltage secondary regulation

Droop control is widely used in multi-terminal flexible DC (VSC-MTDC) transmission systems by virtue of the advantage of multi-station cooperative unbalanced power dissipation, however, the essence of the droop control strategy is to change the DC current to realize the unbalanced power dissipation, and the resulting DC voltage deviation will affect the normal operation of the system. Firstly, this paper theoretically analyses the working characteristics of the conventional droop control and proposes a control method to realize the quasi-differential-free regulation of DC voltage by translating the droop curve. Second, according to the power margin of the converter station, the feedforward compensation amount of each converter station is reasonably set to avoid the power impact on the converter station. Finally, for the problem that the actual value of DC voltage still deviates from the rated value, a control strategy containing secondary regulation of DC voltage is proposed to further restore the DC voltage to the initial value on the basis of ensuring the effect of power regulation, which improves the stability of the operation of the VSC-MTDC system. The final simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Stability Enhancement Method of Standalone Modular Multilevel Converters Based on Impedance Reshaping

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are susceptible to subsynchronous oscillations (SSOs) caused by impedance interactions in the power line. Current research into the stability of MMCs focuses mainly on voltage feed-forward control, while the effect of current feed-forward control is neglected. This paper proposes a current feed-forward compensation method based on impedance reshaping for standalone MMCs. Initially, an impedance model was developed to identify the stability risks caused by the interaction between the MMC and power line impedance. The proposed method feeds the current compensation signal into the modulation circuit, thereby improving the control signal and suppressing the impedance interaction between the MMC and the power line. The analysis of the harmonic state space (HSS) method verifies that the proposed approach effectively reduces the negative damping region in the frequency band where the SSO is located. Additionally, the impedance frequency scanning method confirms the accuracy of impedance modeling. Using the MATLAB/Simulink platform and StarSim HIL hardware-in-the-loop experimental platform, the SSO phenomenon of the MMC is simulated, and the results show that the proposed method can effectively suppress harmonic currents during SSO, which verifies the accuracy of the stability analysis and the feasibility of the proposed method.

A composite sliding mode control with the first-order differentiator and sliding mode observer for permanent magnet synchronous machine

This paper proposes a composite sliding mode control (SMC) to optimize the tracking performance and the anti-disturbance performance of permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) speed regulation systems. The differential term in the control law can magnify the measurement noise, resulting in more discontinuity. To filter out the high frequency noise and make the control law smoother, the first-order differentiator (FOD) is employed to estimate the speed error and its derivative. Since the feedforward compensation can improve the robustness of the system, a disturbance observer (DOB) based on the sliding mode observer (SMO) is designed to reinforce the dynamic performance under disturbance variation. Under the effect of the feedforward compensation, chattering can be further weakened by decreasing the switching gain appropriately. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methods is confirmed by various experimental results.

Phase shift control of dual active bridge DC‐DC converter based on feedforward compensation and transient optimization strategy

SummaryIn the context of the dual active bridge (DAB) bidirectional DC‐DC converter using the traditional dual‐phase‐shift (DPS) control method, a transient DC bias occurs during power co‐direction and commutation conversion. This bias negatively impacts the converter's transient performance and can lead to harsh effects, such as hard switching problems, resulting in power loss and excessive current stress. In a closed‐loop control system, poor transient response may destroy the stability of the converter. In this paper, the transient‐optimized‐dual‐phase‐shift (TODPS) control strategy is proposed to eliminate the transient DC bias and to maintain soft switching during transient states. It reduces power loss, eliminates excessive current stress, and allows for smooth transitions between single‐phase‐shift (SPS) and DPS control strategies without introducing DC bias. A closed‐loop control system based on TODPS control is established with feed‐forward compensation to adjust the primary‐side current and modify transmission power. This adjustment enhances the transient performance of the DAB converter. The proposed strategy is versatile and applicable to various power conversion scenarios involving DAB converters. It enables quick switching of the magnitude and direction of the primary‐side current during transient states, resulting in a smooth transient effect without noticeable overshoot or oscillation. The experiment results verify the effectiveness of the proposed transient optimization strategy.

Lyapunov approach for the control of overhead crane systems with double-pendulum dynamics and uncertain disturbances

In this paper, a new composite control strategy, consisting of a disturbance observer and a nonlinear anti-swing control approach, is presented for underactuated overhead crane systems. Compared with existing control strategies for overhead crane systems, both the double-pendulum dynamics and unknown disturbances of which are taken into consideration. In addition, the unknown disturbances are handled by a feedforward compensation control method. Specifically, first, based on the system dynamic equations, an auxiliary signal is constructed and a nonlinear disturbance observer is presented, which can exactly estimate the unknown disturbances in finite time. Next, an elaborate Lyapunov function is introduced and a disturbance-observer-based control approach is presented for the overhead crane system with double-pendulum dynamics. Then, rigorous theoretical analysis is given to prove the convergence of the system states. At last, simulation tests are included to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the devised approach.

Compliant-Control-Based Assisted Walking with Mobile Manipulator.

In this paper, a new approach involving the use of a mobile manipulator to assist humans with mobility impairments to walk is proposed. First, in order to achieve flexible interaction between humans and mobile manipulators, we propose a variable admittance controller that can adaptively regulate the virtual mass and damping parameters based on the interaction forces and the human motion intention predicted using the fuzzy theory. Moreover, a feedforward velocity compensator based on a designed state observer is proposed to decrease the inertia resistance of the manipulator, effectively enhancing the compliance of the human-robot interaction. Then, the configuration of the mobile manipulator is optimized based on a null-space approach by considering the singularity, force capacity, and deformation induced by gravity. Finally, the proposed assisted walking approach for the mobile manipulator is implemented using the human-robot interaction controller and the null-space controller. The validity of the proposed controllers and the feasibility of assisted human walking are verified by conducting a set of tests involving different human volunteers.

Control strategy of bidirectional DC/DC converter under variable load state

To improve the stability of DC/DC converters under multiple load conditions, the control strategy of Buck-Boost bidirectional DC/DC converters under variable load conditions is studied in this paper, as well as the droop control strategy for parallel operation of two machines. Based on the topology and basic control strategy of the DC/DC converter, a load current feedforward compensation strategy to achieve ideal stability of output voltage during load switching is studied; then charging and discharging control switching strategy under external power supply is proposed, which achieves fast switching between charging and discharging by sampling battery current and load voltage; finally, a current sharing control method based on inductance current droop is proposed for the parallel operation of two machines, achieving the control effect of equal current sharing between the two modules. The effectiveness and feasibility of the control strategy were verified through prototype experiments.