Iterative learning control of a flexible manipulator considering uncertain parameters and unknown repetitive disturbance

This paper presents an iterative learning controller for a flexible manipulator with uncertain parameters and unknown repetitive disturbance. The flexible manipulator is under-actuated with the assumption that only the rotation is controlled. Based on two sliding variables defined on the actuated and unactuated channels, the controller is designed with the compensation of the repetitive disturbance to drive the manipulator to track a time-varying trajectory. Theoretical proof and experimental studies are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.