A feedback linearizing control for direct-drive robots with switched reluctance motors

We address the control design problem of trajectory tracking for multiple link direct-drive robots using switched reluctance motors (SRMs) as joint actuators. The nonlinear model is composed of both a mechanical and an electrical subsystem accounting for link dynamics and actuator dynamics, respectively. The control inputs for the robot are the voltages applied to the SRMs and the joint torques are the coupling between the two subsystems. We design a state feedback control algorithm which compensates for the nonlinearities and decouples the link motions. Simulations for a two link robot are reported which indicate the performance of our control algorithm when the payload mass is uncertain.