Large-Scale Actuator Networks (LSAN) are a rapidly growing class of electromechanical systems. A prime application of LSANs in the industrial sector is distributed manipulation. LSAN’s are typically implemented using: vibrating plates, air jets, and mobile multi-robot teams. This paper investigates a surface capable of morphing its shape using an array of linear actuators to impose two dimensio...

In this paper, a two-level reconfiguration action is used to design an FTC system. The objective is to adapt the corrective action accordingly to the fault severity. The first level of the procedure is triggered when the impact of the fault on the system performance is limited. At the second level a dynamic reference modification based on reference-offset governor is proposed. The idea consists...

Subject to a voltage, a dielectric elastomer can deform substantially, making it a desirable material for actuators. Designing such an actuator, however, has been challenging due to nonlinear equations of state, as well as multiple modes of failure, parameters of design, and measures of performance. This paper explores these issues, using a spring-roll actuator as an example. We formulate the e...

In the paper we present a solution to the optimal trajectory planning problem subject to constraints given by the actuator torques and velocities, and the task. The main result is a trajectory planning algorithm which enables the calculation of the optimal motion due to the given requirements and taking into account the dynamics of the manipulator. The dynamic model of the manipulator in the pa...

Systems with redundant control actuators are sometimes arranged so that a new actuator comes into play if the one normally used becomes saturated. We call this ‘daisy-chaining’. Such an arrangement also provides a degree of faulttolerance against actuator failures. This paper points out that a similar property is implicit in constrained predictive control, as it is usually formulated. Predictiv...

Research has shown that variable valve timing (VVT) can improve significantly the performance of internal combustion (IC) engines, including higher fuel efficiencies, lower emissions, and larger torque outputs at each point of the engine map. To achieve independent and continuous VVT for each valve, an electromechanical valve drive (EMV) system was proposed previously, whose feasibility with lo...

An existing hybrid control strategy is extended and applied to the control of a novel courier robot based on planar (Sawyer) motor technology augmented with integral sensing. The controller is designed to accomodate actuator limits and the desired motion characteristics, eliminating the need for careful matching of trajectory parameters with controller gains. Controller extensions allow for the...

An existing hybrid control strategy is extended and applied to the control of a novel courier robot based on planar (Sawyer) motor technology augmented with integral sensing. The controller is designed to acco-modate actuator limits and the desired motion characteristics , eliminating the need for careful matching of trajectory parameters with controller gains. Controller extensions allow for t...

Next generation aircraft with a large number of actuators will require advanced control allocation methods to compute the actuator commands needed to follow desired trajectories while respecting system constraints. Previously, algorithms were proposed to minimize the l1 or l2 norms of the tracking error and of the actuator deflections. The paper discusses the alternative choice of the l∞ norm, ...