Modular Drivetrain Active Damping based on Dynamic Average Consensus Algorithm in Continuous Motion

This paper studies an active damping method in a modular drivetrain consisting of multiple variable inertia slider-crank mechanisms. The mechanisms are actuated by individual motors and attached together by an inertial load. This paper analyses the continuous motion, where the crank will turn at high constant speed (above 10 Hz). This motion is often used in the textile industries for tufting machines and in the metal industry for stamping machines. Performance of such system can be defined by the dynamic position error of all sliders influenced by the system dynamics. Dynamic average consensus, based on a communication network of a multiagent cooperative system, allows each actuator to cooperate with its neighbour to actively dampen the unwanted system dynamics by making correction on its position. This methodology uses the advantage of the distributed actuation with decentralized control of a modular drivetrain which cannot be implemented in a non-modular one. The algorithm is optimized and integrated in the control architecture of a modular drivetrain model validated on a physical setup. Simulations present a reduction of the dynamic error around 65%.