SBIR-STTR Award

New developments in materials and components create a need for more effective controllers for flexible, lightweight, high-performance systems in DoD, industry, civil infrastructure, and space applications. Included are automated loading and material handling systems, tank flexible gun barrels, vibration and oscillation in automobiles, bridges, and overhead cranes. The control problems associated with such structures are difficult, as they do not satisfy assumptions required for existing control algorithms to work well. Moreover, existing commercial and DoD controllers are inflexible, hard to program, and difficult to port between systems platforms and varying control objectives. The goal of this proposal is to provide a Unified Design and Real-Time Implementation Methodology for advanced controllers for complex vibratory systems. Modern controls developments will be included in nonlinear, feedback linearization, adaptive, neural network and fuzzy logic control. There are three specific objectives - to provide: A Unified Design Methodology for Advanced Control Algorithms. Specific Control Laws for a Nominal Nonlinear Vibratory System. Specifications for a PC-based Modular Real-Time Control System. Adaptive Robotics, Inc., and UTA's Robotics Institute provide strong industry connections for dual-use commercialization of this Army controller R&D.

To develop advanced controllers that could significantly increase to the long range firing accuracy of mobile weapons systems. Non-linear control theory will be applied to the problem of compensating for vibratory motion of gun tubes mounted on moving platforms. A simulated weapons platform will be fully instrumented for this purpose. Vibratory data will be taken from the simulated gun-tube and platform to provide feedback signals for the control algorithms. THe data will be correlated with certain existing mathematical models of mobile weapons systems. Sensor data from the platform will be used as a correlative source to predict gun tube motion based upon disturbances introduced by the moving platform and by simulated firings. Correlations will be sought from this data which could obviate the need for direct gun-tube instrumentation. A model will be developed to describe these correlations. All work undertaken will be targeted at permitting rapid scale-up to actual weapons systems for future deployments.

Benefits:
Significant increase in long range firing accuracies of mobile weapons systems improving stand-off engagement effectiveness. Detection and control of unwanted vibratory characteristics for structures, machines and mechanisms covering a broad commercial spectrum leading to enhanced structure reliability and safety.