Model-free control of mechatronic systems based on algebraic estimation

Abstract

This paper presents the practical application of a class of model-free control considering the algebraic estimation approach. Two mechatronic systems are considered: a reaction wheel inverted pendulum (RWIP) and a two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) helicopter. For the RWIP, since it is under-actuated, it is proposed a modified ultra-local model including a feedback of the reaction wheel velocity, and then, the algebraic estimator obtains the parameters of this ultra-local model around the unstable equilibrium point. For the 2-DOF helicopter, the ultra-local model is estimated during a tracking task in a wide range of operation. Some insights on how to choose the fixed parameters of controller are presented. Simulation and practical results corroborate the efficiency of the method, without needing any information on the systems' dynamics.