Model Predictive Control of an elastic three-mass drive system with torque constraints

This paper demonstrates the application of Model Predictive Control (MPC) for high-performance speed control and torsional vibration suppression in the elastic three-mass drive system. The control methodology presented in this paper relies on incorporating the drive's safety and physical limitations directly into the control problem formulation so that future constraint violations are anticipated and prevented. In order to reduce the computational complexity, the MPC controller is pre-computed off-line in an explicit form represented by a piecewise affine state-feedback law thus requiring only a fraction of the real-time computational power. The proposed explicit MPC controller is evaluated through simulations demonstrating feasibility and high effectiveness.