Adaptive robust control: theory and applications lap integrated design of intelligent and precision mechatronic systems

The rapid advances in microelectronics and microprocessor technologies during the past decades have made the physical integration of mechanical systems, various sensors, and computer based control implementation platform rather affordable and a standard choice for any modern precision machines. Such a hardware configuration enables the control of the overall system to be constructed in the same way as what a human brain normally does - seamless integration of the fast reaction (or instantaneous feedback reaction) to immediate feedback information and the slow learning utilizing large amount of stored past information that is available in the computer based control systems. The theoretically solid nonlinear adaptive robust control (ARC) theory that has been developed recently well reflects such an intuitive integrated design philosophy of human brains, and has been experimentally demonstrated achieving better control 'performance than existing nonlinear robust controls (e.g., sliding mode controls) or nonlinear adaptive controls in a number of control applications. This paper is to introduce researchers and practicing engineers to the essences of such an advanced nonlinear control design methodology, and its applications to the integrated design of intelligent and precision mechatronic systems. The control of a high-speed/acceleration linear motor driven precision electro-mechanical system, and the energy-saving control of electrohydraulic systems using novel programmable valves are used as application examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the presented ARC approach in the integrated design of intelligent and precision mechatronic systems.