Challenge:
Design a control system to swing up the pendulum,
keep it upright and maintain the cart position.
Description:
A solid aluminum cart is driven by a rack and
pinion mechanism using a 6V DC motor, ensuring consistent and continuous
traction. The cart slides along a stainless steel shaft using linear
bearings. The cart position is measured using a sensor coupled
to the rack via an additional pinion. An instrumented pendulum
hinge is mounted on top of the cart and a pendulum rod is suspended
in the front of the cart assembly. The pendulum is free to swing
through a full 360° path along the cart's axis of motion.
The objective is to design a control system
that utilizes positive feedback to swing the pendulum up, and alternates
modes to a negative feedback system to maintain the balance of
the pendulum as well as the cart's position in the middle of the
track. The system is supplied with a nonlinear controller that
switches between two modes. You may design any other controller
you wish.
Difficulty:
Undergraduate - second course / Project / Graduate
/ Research
