Control of gripper position of a compliant link using strain gauge measurements

A self-tuning type algorithm is proposed for the control of a single rotating compliant link. At each sampling time, strain measurements along the link are used to assess modal content. Knowledge of the first mode together with the hub position may be used to determine the angular position of a hub to tip projection. A self-tuning control is devised by treating this angle as belonging to an equivalent rigid link. Laboratory experiments show this control to lead to an improved performance over a control which ignores compliance.