Motion Control of Underactuated Mechanical Systems

Book excerpt: This volume is the first to present a unified perspective on the control of underactuated mechanical systems. Based on real-time implementation of parameter identification, this book provides a variety of algorithms for the Furuta pendulum and the inertia wheel pendulum, which are two-degrees-of-freedom mechanical systems. Specifically, this work addresses and solves the problem of motion control via trajectory tracking in one joint coordinate while another joint is regulated. Besides, discussions on extensions to higher degrees-of-freedom systems are given. The book, aimed at control engineers as well as graduate students, ranges from the problem of parameter identification of the studied systems to the practical implementation of sophisticated motion control algorithms. Offering real-world solutions to manage the control of underactuated systems, this book provides a concise tutorial on recent breakthroughs in the field, original procedures to achieve bounding of the error trajectories, convergence and gain tuning guidelines.