Sliding-mode Controller with Multisensor Data Fusion for Piezo-actuated Structure

The benefits of multi-sensor data fusion (MSDF) in controlling the piezo-actuated beam structure using sliding-mode controller (SMC) have been brought out. The first two vibrating modes of the smart cantilever beam are measured by two sensors namely, piezoelectric sensor and laser displacement sensor. The states are estimated from the sensors outputs using information filter, which were then fused and applied as input to the controller. The controller has been designed from the linear dynamic model of a piezo-actuated beam, identified using linear recursive least square (RLS) method based on ARX model. A digital control system consisting of virtual instrumentation software LabVIEW, and USB data acquisition module NI 6008, was used for simulation and real-time control. Improved closed-loop performance was obtained when the controller design used fused data, as compared to the closed-loop performance obtained with a single sensor. The beam structure was a pilot model of the structures used in aerospace applications. Simulation and experimental results presented demonstrate the benefits of data fusion in controlling the vibration modes.