Multivariable Control System of the Stewart Platform

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the problem of designing matrix regulators for a special class of multivariable feedback control systems that are described by the so-called simple symmetrical transfer matrices. The typical example of such systems is the control system of a Stewart platform, also known as hexapod. The exposition is based on the characteristic transfer function method, which allows reducing the investigation of an N -dimensional (i.e. having N inputs and N outputs) cross-connected control system to investigation of N isolated fictitious systems with one input and one output. It is shown that the design of matrix regulators for simple symmetrical systems can be accomplished, irrespective of the system dimension N, by the design of two scalar regulators based on the conventional methods of classical feedback control.