TRAJECTORY TRACKING IN A FLEXIBLE LINK ROBOT WITH VIBRATION SUPPRESSION USING A PZT PATCH ACTUATOR

In this paper the trajectory tracking problem is addressed for the tip position on a Euler-Bernoulli beam-type flexible link mounted on a rigid revolute servomechanism, which is controlled with a dc motor. For the robust asymptotic trajectory tracking of the tip position of the flexible link is synthesized a Passivity-Based and Sliding-Mode controller in presence of endogenous vibrations. In addition, to facilitate the position regulation and trajectory tracking, a piezoelectric patch actuator with a Multi-Positive Position Feedback (MPPF) is attached to the flexible link in order to reduce, as possible, the structural vibrations excited by the control scheme on the rigid part of the robot. The overall system is modeled using finite element methods and validated using experimental modal analysis techniques. The overall dynamic performance is evaluated and validated by numerical and experimental results.