Precision motion control of a magnetic suspension actuator using a robust nonlinear compensation scheme

This paper presents a robust nonlinear compensation algorithm for realizing large travel in magnetic suspension systems suffering from parameter variations and external disturbance forces. A geometric feedback linearization technique that utilizes the complete nonlinear description of the electromagnetic field distribution is employed to obtain large travel. Robustness to uncertainties in the feedback linearized system is achieved through the development of a discrete-time delay-control-based compensation algorithm. In comparison to previous developments, the new scheme removes the constraints of triangularity conditions in compensation of unmatched uncertainties. The performance of this algorithm is experimentally investigated on a magnetic suspension system. In each of the experiments, the controller is designed using the approximate nonlinear model of the system, which is significantly different from the actual plant model. For a fixed set of gains, the robust nonlinear controller accurately stabilizes the system for a large range of ball positions. In trajectory tracking performance evaluation, the controller provides tracking accuracies that are of the same order of magnitude as the accuracy of the position sensor. Finally, when the suspended ball is impressed with an external disturbance force, the controller provides adequate model regulation and rejection of disturbance forces, demonstrating high stiffness control. The experimental results, therefore, verify the consistent performance of the algorithm in realizing large travel in spite of parameter variations and external disturbances.