Active Position and Vibration Control of a Flexible Links Mechanism Using Model-Based Predictive Control

In order to develop an efficient and fast position control for robotic manipulators, vibration phenomena have to be taken into account. Vibrations are mainly caused by the flexibility of manipulator linkages, especially when dealing with high-speed and lightweight robots. In this paper, a constrained model-based predictive control is employed for controlling both position and vibrations in a mechanism with high link flexibility. This kind of controller has so far been used mainly to control slow processes, but here simulation results that show its effectiveness in dealing with high-speed and nonlinear processes are presented. The mechanism chosen to evaluate the performances is a four-link closed chain mechanism laying on the horizontal plane and driven by a single torque-controlled electric motor.