A linear differential flatness approach to controlling the Furuta pendulum

The aim of this work is to motivate the use of linear flatness, or controllability, to design a feedback control law for the rather challenging mechanism known as the ‘Furuta pendulum’. This is achieved by introducing three feedback controller design options for the stabilization and rest-to-rest trajectory tracking tasks: a direct pole placement approach, a hierarchical high-gain approach and a generalized proportional integral approach synthesized on the basis of measured inputs and outputs.