9457967 Dawson In this project, the primary focus will be the design and implementation of high precision actuators for manufacturing applications. Specifically, advanced nonlinear position tracking controllers will be developed for several types of electric motors for the actuation of mechanical loads. These nonlinear controllers are designed at the voltage input of the motor; therefore, the electrical dynamics of the motor as well as the mechanical dynamics of the load are both accounted for in the low level control synthesis. The nonlinear control techniques to be considered can be divided into two general categories: (1) controllers which require full state feedback, for example, rotor position, rotor velocity, and per phase currents, and are capable of compensating for system uncertainty, for example, parametric uncertainty and/or system disturbances, and (2) controllers which require only partial state feedback, for example, rotor position only, but rely on perfect knowledge of the entire electromechanical dynamics. The research is expected to lead to advancements in high-performance servo drives using electrical actuators. Machines used in manufacturing applications are expected to benefit from this research.
