Position control of the magnetic levitation stage

In this paper, we address the development of control scheme for the magnetic levitation positioning system. This planar magnetic levitator employs four permanent magnet linear motors. Each motor generates vertical force for suspension against gravity, as well as horizontal force for propulsion of the levitation object called a platen. This stage can generate six degrees of freedom motion by the vertical and horizontal force. We derived dynamics equation and proposed control algorithm to steer the platen from its initial configuration to its desired configuration using sliding mode control. Numerical simulation result is provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.