Fuzzy logic controller for a pneumatic rotary actuator

Abstract

This paper presents advantages of fuzzy logic in representing unmodeled parameters of a plant. It is a challenging task to represent a plant accurately using mathematical models, due to the random parameters such as coefficient of friction, environmental disturbances, sensor noises, and etc. These are known as unmodeled dynamics or parameter perturbations and these usually present in a plant modeling. Classical control design techniques use simplified mathematical model to represent a plant and the true plant remains unknown. Therefore, plant behavior may change in unpredictable ways. These problems can be prevented by using intelligent control technique such as fuzzy logic. In this paper, practical application of fuzzy logic to represent unmodeled parameters in direct control is demonstrated by controlling angular position of a pneumatic rotary actuator. The pneumatic rotary actuator is controlled in real time using Matlab-simulink xPC target environment, without aid of any mathematical models format. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.