Reduced-modification input shapers for manually controlled systems with flexibility

Many systems require a human in the control loop. When the controlled system has flexibility, the human can have significant difficulties operating the machine. Input-shaping improves control of the flexible element by reducing system vibration. However, it may have a negative effect on control of the driven base or vehicle. This paper presents a new type of input shaper that suppresses vibration while modifying the operator´s command as little as possible, thereby improving control of the driven base. A manual tracking experiment compared tracking performance and subjective difficulty using both new and conventional input shapers. All input shapers improved tracking performance with the flexible element, and the new input shapers did not significantly degrade tracking with the driven base.