Stabilizing an inverted pendulum on an airbed track

This paper discusses work on a mechantronic project to stabilize an inverted pendulum in its vertical position from a control theoretic analysis and design perspective to full implementation. The system developed has three components; the mechanical system consisting of the track-glider, the pendulum with actuation/feedback mechanisms and the ATMEGA16L digital microcontroller interfaced to a PC. Small angle analysis is used to make the f-domain loop shaping controller design tractable without a swing up controller.