Descriptiotis of real-life complex multibody mechanical systems are usually uncertain. Two sources of uncertainty are considered in this paper: uncertainties in the knowledge of the physical system and uncertainties in the "given" forces applied to the system. Both types of uncertainty are assumed to be time vaiying and unknown, yet bounded. In the face of' such uncertainties, what is available in hand is therefore just the so-called "nominal system," which is our best assessment and description ofthe actual real-life situation. A closed-form equation of motion for a general dynamical system that contains a control force is developed. When applied to a real-life uncertain multibody system, it causes the system to track a desired reference trajectory that is prespecified for the nominal system to follow. Thus, the real-life system's motion is required to coincide within prespecified error bounds and mimic the motion desired of the nominal system. Uncertainty is handled by a controller based on a generalization ofthe concept of a sliding surface, which permits the use of a large class of control laws that can be adapted to specific real-life practical limitations on the control force. A set of closed-form equations of motion is obtained for nonlinear, nonautonomous, uncertain, multibody systems that can track a desired reference trajectory that the nominal system is required to follow within prespecified error bounds and thereby satisfy the constraints placed on the nominal system. An example of a simple mechanical system demonstrates the efficacy and ease of implementation ofthe control methodology.
A two-step formation-keeping control methodology is proposed that includes both attitude and orbital control requirements in the presence of uncertainties. Based on a nominal system model that provides the best assessment of the real-life uncertain environment, a nonlinear controller that satisfies the required attitude and orbital requirements is first developed. This controller allows the nonlinear nominal system to exactly track the desired attitude and orbital requirements without making any linearizations/approximations. In the second step, a new additional set of closed-form additive continuous controllers is developed. These continuous controllers compensate for uncertainties in the physical model of the satellite and in the forces to which it may be subjected. They obviate the problem of chattering. The desired trajectory of the nominal system is used as the tracking signal, and these controllers are based on a generalization of the concept of sliding surfaces. Error bounds on tracking due to the presence of uncertainties are analytically obtained. The resulting closed-form methodology permits the desired attitude and orbital requirements of the nominal system to be met within user-specified bounds in the presence of unknown, but bounded, uncertainties. Numerical results are provided, showing the simplicity and efficacy of the control methodology, and the reliability of the analytically obtained error bounds.
This paper develops a new, simple, general, and explicit form of the equations of motion for general constrained mechanical systems that can have holonomic and/or nonholonomic constraints that may or may not be ideal, and that may contain either positive semi-definite or positive definite mass matrices. This is done through the replacement of the actual unconstrained mechanical system, which may have a positive semi-definite mass matrix, with an unconstrained auxiliary system whose mass matrix is positive definite and which is subjected to the same holonomic and/or nonholonomic constraints as those applied to the actual unconstrained mechanical system. A simple, unified fundamental equation that gives in closed-form both the acceleration of the constrained mechanical system and the constraint force is obtained. The results herein provide deeper insights into the behavior of constrained motion and open up new approaches to modeling complex, constrained mechanical systems, such as those encountered in multi-body dynamics.
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