Robust position control of ultrasonic motor considering dead-zone

Intrinsic properties of ultrasonic motor (high torque for low speed, high static torque, compact in size, etc.) offer great advantages for industrial applications. However, when load torque is applied, dead-zone occurs in the control input. Therefore, a nonlinear controller, which considers dead-zone, is adopted for ultrasonic motor. The state quantities, such as acceleration, speed, and position are needed to apply the nonlinear controller for position control. However, rotary encoder causes quantization errors in the speed information. This paper presents a robust position control method for ultrasonic motor considering dead-zone. The state variables for nonlinear controller are estimated by a Variable Structure System (VSS) observer. Besides, a small, low cost, and good response nonlinear controller is designed by using a micro computer that is essential in embedded system for the developments of industrial equipments. Effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by the experimental results.