A velocity observer based on friction adaptation

Control of robotic systems subject to friction phenomena is an important issue since growing demands on accuracy require elimination of friction disturbances. If several models-e.g., friction model, rigid-body dynamics-are required to describe the behavior with high precision, each model requires the knowledge of numerous parameters (perhaps time-varying) as well as an increased number of signals and sensors. In order to tackle this double limitation, an observer is proposed, addressing both the problem of velocity reconstruction and friction estimation in the joint of an inverted pendulum. Firstly, an adaptive two-level velocity observer is defined to reconstruct relevant unmeasured velocities, using estimation of the friction model error. Secondly, the observer is exploited for model-based friction compensation. Capabilities of the algorithm proposed are demonstrated by means of experiments on the Furuta pendulum.