Adaptive Fuzzy Logic Control of a Single-Link Flexible Arm

Fuzzy logic was employed in the vibration control of a single-link flexible arm. The control system has two feedback loops: one basic fuzzy control (BFC) loop to control the hub position and another loop to regulate the tip point vibration by either BFC or adaptive fuzzy control (AFC). The experimental results reveal that BFC is simpler and it requires less computing time, but the gains need to be found by a trial-and-error procedure. On the other hand, the AFC can generate and modify the control rules according to the performance of the system and it demands no tuning on the control gains for different operating ranges. Both the BFC and AFC are effective in suppressing the tip vibration and for adaptation to payload change.