Modeling Identification, and Control of Harmonic Drives for Automotive Applications

This paper reports the modeling, identification, and control of harmonic drives in a novel configuration where all its shafts are allowed to move. This makes possible to solve a control problem where one applies two actuators in order to carry out simultaneous position and torque control on two different axes of the harmonic drive. Physical parameters used during the MIMO controller synthesis partially come from a 3D CAD model (inertial parameters) and others (frictional measurement data recorded on a rapid prototyping test bench.