Finite-time state-dependent Riccati equation for time-varying nonaffine systems: Rigid and flexible joint manipulator control

This article investigates finite-time optimal and suboptimal controls for time-varying systems with state and control nonlinearities. The state-dependent Riccati equation (SORE) controller was the main framework. A finite-time constraint imposed on the equation changes it to a differential equation, known as the state-dependent differential Riccati equation (SDDRE) and this equation was applied to the problem reported in this study that provides general formulation and stability analysis. The following four solution methods were developed for solving the SDDRE; backward integration, state transition matrix (STM) and the Lyapunov based method. In the Lyapunov approach, both positive and negative definite solutions to related SORE were used to provide suboptimal gain for the SDDRE. Finite-time suboptimal control is applied for robotic manipulator, as finite-time constraint strongly decreases state error and operation time. General state-dependent coefficient (SDC) parameterizations for rigid and flexible joint arms (prismatic or revolute joints) are introduced. By including nonlinear control inputs in the formulation, the actuator's limits can be inserted directly to the state-space equation of a manipulator. A finite-time SORE was implemented on a 6R manipulator both in theory and experimentally. And a reduced 3R arm was modeled and tested as a flexible joint robot (FJR). Evaluations of load carrying capacity and operation time were investigated to assess the capability of this approach, both of which showed significant improvement. (C) 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.