Position Control of a Pneumatic Drive Using a Fuzzy Controller with an Analytic Activation Function.

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Control Systems
• Artificial Intelligence

Background:

• Pneumatic servo drives are crucial in automation but challenging to control precisely.
• Conventional fuzzy logic controllers face scalability issues with increasing input variables.
• Proportional valves introduce non-linearities in pneumatic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for precise position control of pneumatic servo drives.
• To overcome the exponential growth of rules in traditional FLCs by using an analytic function for defuzzification.
• To adapt the controller synthesis to the specific flow rate characteristics of proportional valves.

Main Methods:

• Application of a fuzzy logic controller with an analytic activation function for defuzzification.
• Fuzzification of input signals using Gaussian-shaped fuzzy sets with adjustable parameters.
• Replacement of the conventional 2-D fuzzy rule base with a 1-D analytic function for controller output calculation.
• Controller synthesis tailored to the proportional valve's flow rate characteristics.

Main Results:

• Successfully eliminated the problem of exponential rule growth inherent in conventional fuzzy logic control.
• Developed a simplified 1-D defuzzification approach based on an analytic function.
• Demonstrated effective position control of a servo pneumatic drive.
• Validated the control algorithms through computer simulations and real-world testing on a pneumatic rodless cylindrical drive.

Conclusions:

• The proposed analytic fuzzy logic controller offers a more efficient and scalable alternative for pneumatic servo drive control.
• The method simplifies controller design by replacing rule bases with analytic functions.
• The controller effectively manages the complexities of pneumatic systems, verified by simulation and experimental results.