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# Stewart Platform - Decentralized Active Damping
Author: Dehaeze Thomas

## Table of Contents

- 1. Inertial Control
  - 1.1. Identification of the Dynamics
  - 1.2. Effect of the Flexible Joint stiffness on the Dynamics
  - 1.3. Obtained Damping
  - 1.4. Conclusion
- 2. Integral Force Feedback
  - 2.1. Identification of the Dynamics with perfect Joints
  - 2.2. Effect of the Flexible Joint stiffness on the Dynamics
  - 2.3. Obtained Damping
  - 2.4. Conclusion
- 3. Direct Velocity Feedback
  - 3.1. Identification of the Dynamics with perfect Joints
  - 3.2. Effect of the Flexible Joint stiffness on the Dynamics
  - 3.3. Obtained Damping
  - 3.4. Conclusion

The following decentralized active damping techniques are briefly studied:

- Inertial Control (proportional feedback of the absolute velocity): Section 1
- Integral Force Feedback: Section 2
- Direct feedback of the relative velocity of each strut: Section 3

## 1 Inertial Control

### 1.1 Identification of the Dynamics

    stewart = initializeFramesPositions('H', 90e-3, 'MO_B', 45e-3);
    stewart = generateGeneralConfiguration(stewart);
    stewart = computeJointsPose(stewart);
    stewart = initializeStrutDynamics(stewart);
    stewart = initializeJointDynamics(stewart, 'disable', true);
    stewart = initializeCylindricalPlatforms(stewart);
    stewart = initializeCylindricalStruts(stewart);
    stewart = computeJacobian(stewart);
    stewart = initializeStewartPose(stewart);

    %% Options for Linearized
    options = linearizeOptions;
    options.SampleTime = 0;

    %% Name of the Simulink File
    mdl = 'stewart_active_damping';

    %% Input/Output definition
    clear io; io_i = 1;
    io(io_i) = linio([mdl, '/F'],   1, 'openinput');  io_i = io_i + 1; % Actuator Force Inputs [N]
    io(io_i) = linio([mdl, '/Vm'],  1, 'openoutput'); io_i = io_i + 1; % Absolute velocity of each leg [m/s]

    %% Run the linearization
    G = linearize(mdl, io, options);
    G.InputName  = {'F1', 'F2', 'F3', 'F4', 'F5', 'F6'};
    G.OutputName = {'Vm1', 'Vm2', 'Vm3', 'Vm4', 'Vm5', 'Vm6'};

The transfer function from actuator forces to force sensors is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Transfer function from the Actuator force \(F_{i}\) to the absolute velocity of the same leg \(v_{m,i}\) and to the absolute velocity of the other legs \(v_{m,j}\) with \(i \neq j\) in grey (png, pdf)

### 1.2 Effect of the Flexible Joint stiffness on the Dynamics

We add some stiffness and damping in the flexible joints and we re-identify the dynamics.

    stewart = initializeJointDynamics(stewart);
    Gf = linearize(mdl, io, options);
    Gf.InputName  = {'F1', 'F2', 'F3', 'F4', 'F5', 'F6'};
    Gf.OutputName = {'Vm1', 'Vm2', 'Vm3', 'Vm4', 'Vm5', 'Vm6'};

The new dynamics from force actuator to force sensor is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Transfer function from the Actuator force \(F_{i}\) to the absolute velocity sensor \(v_{m,i}\) (png, pdf)

### 1.3 Obtained Damping

The control is a performed in a decentralized manner. The \(6 \times 6\) control is a diagonal matrix with pure proportional action on the diagonal: \[ K(s) = g \begin{bmatrix} 1 & & 0 \\ & \ddots & \\ 0 & & 1 \end{bmatrix} \]

The root locus is shown in figure 3 and the obtained pole damping function of the control gain is shown in figure 4.

Figure 3: Root Locus plot with Decentralized Inertial Control when considering the stiffness of flexible joints (png, pdf)

Figure 4: Damping of the poles with respect to the gain of the Decentralized Inertial Control when considering the stiffness of flexible joints (png, pdf)

### 1.4 Conclusion

Joint stiffness does increase the resonance frequencies of the system but does not change the attainable damping when using relative motion sensors.

## 2 Integral Force Feedback

### 2.1 Identification of the Dynamics with perfect Joints

We first initialize the Stewart platform without joint stiffness.

    stewart = initializeFramesPositions('H', 90e-3, 'MO_B', 45e-3);
    stewart = generateGeneralConfiguration(stewart);
    stewart = computeJointsPose(stewart);
    stewart = initializeStrutDynamics(stewart);
    stewart = initializeJointDynamics(stewart, 'disable', true);
    stewart = initializeCylindricalPlatforms(stewart);
    stewart = initializeCylindricalStruts(stewart);
    stewart = computeJacobian(stewart);
    stewart = initializeStewartPose(stewart);

And we identify the dynamics from force actuators to force sensors.

    %% Options for Linearized
    options = linearizeOptions;
    options.SampleTime = 0;

    %% Name of the Simulink File
    mdl = 'stewart_active_damping';

    %% Input/Output definition
    clear io; io_i = 1;
    io(io_i) = linio([mdl, '/F'],   1, 'openinput'); io_i = io_i + 1; % Actuator Force Inputs [N]
    io(io_i) = linio([mdl, '/Fm'], 1, 'openoutput'); io_i = io_i + 1; % Force Sensor Outputs [N]

    %% Run the linearization
    G = linearize(mdl, io, options);
    G.InputName  = {'F1', 'F2', 'F3', 'F4', 'F5', 'F6'};
    G.OutputName = {'Fm1', 'Fm2', 'Fm3', 'Fm4', 'Fm5', 'Fm6'};

The transfer function from actuator forces to force sensors is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Transfer function from the Actuator force \(F_{i}\) to the Force sensor of the same leg \(F_{m,i}\) and to the force sensor of the other legs \(F_{m,j}\) with \(i \neq j\) in grey (png, pdf)

### 2.2 Effect of the Flexible Joint stiffness on the Dynamics

We add some stiffness and damping in the flexible joints and we re-identify the dynamics.

    stewart = initializeJointDynamics(stewart);
    Gf = linearize(mdl, io, options);
    Gf.InputName  = {'F1', 'F2', 'F3', 'F4', 'F5', 'F6'};
    Gf.OutputName = {'Fm1', 'Fm2', 'Fm3', 'Fm4', 'Fm5', 'Fm6'};

The new dynamics from force actuator to force sensor is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Transfer function from the Actuator force \(F_{i}\) to the force sensor \(F_{m,i}\) (png, pdf)

### 2.3 Obtained Damping

The control is a performed in a decentralized manner. The \(6 \times 6\) control is a diagonal matrix with pure integration action on the diagonal: \[ K(s) = g \begin{bmatrix} \frac{1}{s} & & 0 \\ & \ddots & \\ 0 & & \frac{1}{s} \end{bmatrix} \]

The root locus is shown in figure 7 and the obtained pole damping function of the control gain is shown in figure 8.

Figure 7: Root Locus plot with Decentralized Integral Force Feedback when considering the stiffness of flexible joints (png, pdf)

Figure 8: Damping of the poles with respect to the gain of the Decentralized Integral Force Feedback when considering the stiffness of flexible joints (png, pdf)

### 2.4 Conclusion

The joint stiffness has a huge impact on the attainable active damping performance when using force sensors. Thus, if Integral Force Feedback is to be used in a Stewart platform with flexible joints, the rotational stiffness of the joints should be minimized.

## 3 Direct Velocity Feedback

### 3.1 Identification of the Dynamics with perfect Joints

We first initialize the Stewart platform without joint stiffness.

    stewart = initializeFramesPositions('H', 90e-3, 'MO_B', 45e-3);
    stewart = generateGeneralConfiguration(stewart);
    stewart = computeJointsPose(stewart);
    stewart = initializeStrutDynamics(stewart);
    stewart = initializeJointDynamics(stewart, 'disable', true);
    stewart = initializeCylindricalPlatforms(stewart);
    stewart = initializeCylindricalStruts(stewart);
    stewart = computeJacobian(stewart);
    stewart = initializeStewartPose(stewart);

And we identify the dynamics from force actuators to force sensors.

    %% Options for Linearized
    options = linearizeOptions;
    options.SampleTime = 0;

    %% Name of the Simulink File
    mdl = 'stewart_active_damping';

    %% Input/Output definition
    clear io; io_i = 1;
    io(io_i) = linio([mdl, '/F'],   1, 'openinput'); io_i = io_i + 1; % Actuator Force Inputs [N]
    io(io_i) = linio([mdl, '/Dm'], 1, 'openoutput'); io_i = io_i + 1; % Relative Displacement Outputs [N]

    %% Run the linearization
    G = linearize(mdl, io, options);
    G.InputName  = {'F1', 'F2', 'F3', 'F4', 'F5', 'F6'};
    G.OutputName = {'Dm1', 'Dm2', 'Dm3', 'Dm4', 'Dm5', 'Dm6'};

The transfer function from actuator forces to relative motion sensors is shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9: Transfer function from the Actuator force \(F_{i}\) to the Relative Motion Sensor \(D_{m,j}\) with \(i \neq j\) (png, pdf)

### 3.2 Effect of the Flexible Joint stiffness on the Dynamics

We add some stiffness and damping in the flexible joints and we re-identify the dynamics.

    stewart = initializeJointDynamics(stewart);
    Gf = linearize(mdl, io, options);
    Gf.InputName  = {'F1', 'F2', 'F3', 'F4', 'F5', 'F6'};
    Gf.OutputName = {'Dm1', 'Dm2', 'Dm3', 'Dm4', 'Dm5', 'Dm6'};

The new dynamics from force actuator to relative motion sensor is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10: Transfer function from the Actuator force \(F_{i}\) to the relative displacement sensor \(D_{m,i}\) (png, pdf)

### 3.3 Obtained Damping

The control is a performed in a decentralized manner. The \(6 \times 6\) control is a diagonal matrix with pure derivative action on the diagonal: \[ K(s) = g \begin{bmatrix} s & & \\ & \ddots & \\ & & s \end{bmatrix} \]

The root locus is shown in figure 11 and the obtained pole damping function of the control gain is shown in figure 12.

Figure 11: Root Locus plot with Direct Velocity Feedback when considering the Stiffness of flexible joints (png, pdf)

Figure 12: Damping of the poles with respect to the gain of the Direct Velocity Feedback when considering the Stiffness of flexible joints (png, pdf)

### 3.4 Conclusion

Joint stiffness does increase the resonance frequencies of the system but does not change the attainable damping when using relative motion sensors.

Author: Dehaeze Thomas

Created: 2020-02-06 jeu. 15:39