Robust Control System Against Temperature Variance for Space-Use Shape-Memory-Alloy Actuators

What is it about?

This study proposed accurate control systems construction methods for a higher power actuator, which consists of a single SMA tube. The actuator becomes popular in spacecraft applications because it has mechanical simplicity and high reliability. However, the application area is limited because it has a relatively long driving duration, and actuation timing uncertainties caused by the environmental temperature variations. This paper proposes the control system design concept to solve the problem. The control system design consists of three steps: 1) construction and identification of the system model considering the realistic environment and application scenario, 2) design of the reference force trajectory based on the system model, and 3) construction of a suitable feedback control system considering realistic sensing system to track the reference-trajectory. The proposed concept is verified through numerical and experimental studies.

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