A ball balancing demonstration of optimal and disturbance-accomodating control

The modeling, analysis, and design of a ball-balancing control system are considered. An optimal linear regulator control system is constructed, and an optimal hybrid controller capable of absorbing external disturbance is implemented. The controller design is based on the theory of disturbance-accommodating control, optimal linear quadratic regulator control, and a digital delayed-data observer. Experimental results presented are useful for demonstrating practical aspects of the analysis. Furthermore, the ball-balancing control system developed is ideal for demonstrating the design and hardware implementation of optimal controllers based on modern control theory.