A SLIDING MODE FUZZY FORCE TRACKING CONTROLLER FOR PNEUMATIC CYLINDERS

Abstract

The problem of control of force exerted by pneumatic cylinders on the environment is of interest in industrial automation and systems such as legged robots. In this paper, a sliding mode fuzzy force control algorithm is proposed for pneumatic cylinders. The environment is assumed to be “soft” or compliant and modeled as a spring. The advantage of the new controller is that being based on fuzzy logic, knowledge of the cylinder dynamics or disturbances such as friction is not necessary. The control law implementation is based explicitly on contact force measurements. The proposed algorithm is simple, robust, and easy to implement. Results of experimental implementation are presented to illustrate the practical effectiveness of the new method.