Reduction of limit cycle amplitude in the presence of backlash

The majority of feedback systems driven by an electric motor can be represented by a two-mass system connected via a flexible drive element. Owing to the presence of backlash, the closed-loop performance such as precision speed, position and force control that can be achieved using a linear time invariant controller is limited, and it is expected that a nonlinear control would be superior. In this paper a nonlinear control structure is proposed and a systematic design technique presented. The advantages of the proposed design technique are: (i) It is robust to plant and backlash uncertainty; (ii) it is quantitative to specifications on the maximum limit cycle amplitude; and (iii) the closed loop is superior to a linear controller design both in lower bandwidth and in lower limit cycle amplitude. A design example is included.