Research ArticleA composite controller for trajectory tracking applied to the Furuta pendulum

Author-Highlights
- New control algorithm composed of feedback-linearization and an energy-based compensation.
- The new scheme is applied for trajectory tracking of the Furuta pendulum.
- Uniformly ultimately boundedness of the closed-loop system trajectories is guaranteed.
- Real-time experiments and numerical simulations confirm the theoretical results.
- The proposed algorithm shows better performance.

In this paper, a new composite scheme is proposed, where the total control action is composed of the sum of a feedback-linearization-based controller and an energy-based compensation. This new proposition is applied to the rotary inverted pendulum or Furuta pendulum. The Furuta pendulum is a well-known underactuated mechanical system with two degrees of freedom. The control objective in this case is the tracking of a desired periodic trajectory in the actuated joint, while the unactuated link is regulated at the upward position. The closed-loop system is analyzed showing uniformly ultimately boundedness of the error trajectories. The design procedure is shown in a constructive form, such that it may be applied to other underactuated mechanical systems, with the proper definitions of the output function and the energy function. Numerical simulations and real-time experiments show the practical viability of the controller. Finally, the proposed algorithm is compared with a tracking controller previously reported in the literature. The new algorithm shows better performance in both arm trajectory tracking and pendulum regulation.