Neural–Fuzzy Gap Control for a Current/Voltage-Controlled 1/4-Vehicle MagLev System

A magnetically levitated (MagLev) vehicle prototype has independent levitation (attraction) and propulsion dynamics. We focus on the levitation behavior to obtain precise gap control of a 1/4 vehicle. An electromagnetic levitation system is highly nonlinear and naturally unstable, and its equilibrium region is severely restricted. It is therefore a tough task to achieve high-performance vehicle-levitated control. In this paper, a MagLev system is modeled by two self-organizing neural-fuzzy techniques to achieve linear and affine Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems. The corresponding linear-type optimal fuzzy controllers are then used to regulate both physical systems (voltage- and current-controlled systems). On the other hand, an affine-type fuzzy control design scheme is proposed for the affine-type systems. Control performance and robustness to an external disturbance are shown in simulation results. Affine T-S fuzzy representation provides one more adjustable parameter in the neural-fuzzy learning process. Therefore, an affine T-S-based controller possesses better performance for a current-controlled system since it is nonlinear not only to system states but also to system inputs. This phenomenon is shown in simulation results. Technical contributions include a nonlinear affine-type optimal fuzzy control design scheme, self-organizing neural-learning-based linear and affine T-S fuzzy modeling for both MagLev systems, and the achievement of an integrated neural-fuzzy technique to stabilize current- and voltage-controlled MagLev systems under minimal energy-consumption conditions.