Position tracking in electrical drives with elastic coupling using model predictive control

This paper presents a design methodology for optimal position control in electrical drives with mechanical elasticity subject to safety and physical constraints on torque and speed variables. The control problem is formulated within the framework of model predictive control (MPC) which ensures that the drive´s operational limitations are directly accounted for in the control problem formulation so that any potential constraint violations are anticipated and prevented. An efficient closed-form solution of the MPC problem is also developed which enables the reduction of the real-time computational complexity to a simple look-up table search. Experimental results carried out on a pilot-scale dual-mass drive demonstrate that the proposed controller is very effective in tracking arbitrary position references while meeting the demanding drive constraints requirements during operation.