High speed tracking control of Stewart platform manipulator via enhanced sliding mode control

Abstract

High speed tracking control of a 6-6 Stewart platform manipulator is performed by employing an enhanced sliding mode control with reduced manipulator dynamics when the manipulator is assumed to be operated on a low frequency planar motion unit. The high-performance tracking control strategy normally requires the complex full dynamics of 6-6 Stewart platform manipulator. The dynamics becomes even more complicated in the presence of the base motion of the manipulator, requiring additional sensors for measurement of the base motion. It is shown that enhanced sliding mode control implemented with perturbation compensation and reaching phase alleviation functions can effectively remove the use of the complex full dynamics and the additional sensors in the control system for high performance tracking control of the Stewart platform manipulator under the effects of virtual base motion.