Nonlinear modeling and vibration control for a flexible manipulator

The performance of feedforward controllers is known to be subject to the accuracy of the mathematical models used for controlled objects. To obtain an accurate mathematical model for a single-link flexible manipulator, we perform nonlinear modeling based on large-deflection theory. A feedforward vibration control technique is applied to the resulting mathematical model in which we consider point-to-point motion of the flexible manipulator. In the control scheme, the trajectory of the manipulator is generated by combining a power series with a cycloidal function; the trajectory profile depends on the coefficients of the power series. The coefficients are tuned by a particle swarm optimization algorithm so as to suppress vibrations after positioning. The nonlinear model and the control technique are evaluated by comparing simulation and experimental results.