Variable Structure Control of Rigid-Flexible Closed-Chain Systems

This paper describes the control of rigid-flexible closed chain systems using Variable Structure Control. Particularly a configuration called the Rapid Deployment Truss (RDT) structure will be analysed. The insertion of a frequency shaping filter is introduced into the feedback loop, so that high frequency vibrational modes are less excited due to the switching phenomena inherent in such controllers. The controller is a result of a quadratic regulator problem in conjunction with sliding mode design. A numerical simulation suggests validity of the modeling method and effectiveness of the control.