Modified Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control for Uncertain Robot Manipulator Trajectory Tracking

To solve the problems of model uncertainties, dynamic coupling, and external disturbances, a modified linear active disturbance rejection controller (MLADRC) is proposed for the trajectory tracking control of robot manipulators. In the computer simulation, MLADRC is compared to the proportional-derivative (PD) controller and the regular linear active disturbance rejection controller (LADRC) for performance tests. Multiple uncertain factors such as friction, parameter perturbation, and external disturbance are sequentially added to the system to simulate an actual robot manipulator system. Besides, a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) manipulator is constructed to verify the control performance of the MLADRC. Compared with the regular LADRC, MLADRC is significantly characterized by the addition of feedforward control of reference angular acceleration, which helps robot manipulators keep up with target trajectories more accurately. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the MLADRC over the regular LADRC for the trajectory tracking control.