Design of ultra-high-speed observer-based micro positioning systems

运动控制和传感是制造、汽车、航空航天和许多其他行业自动化技术的基础。随着时间的推移，对性能的要求越来越高，原子力显微镜(AFM)等微尺度应用现在成为运动控制研究的前沿课题。我的团队特别感兴趣的是能够同时设计和优化机械布局、电磁或压电驱动部件以及相关控制系统的方法。通常，人们的目标是最大化动态响应，同时最小化能量消耗和执行器尺寸。为了提高系统的鲁棒性，使系统的成本和体积最小化，基于观测器的位置和力反馈是非常理想的，但在实际应用中很少实现。在定位范围为0.0001 mm到0.1 mm的微尺度定位中，压电式驱动器一直是主要的驱动技术。旨在实现体外采样的视频率扫描频率的AFMS已经将压电式驱动技术的性能极限推到了物理极限。在最近的一项可行性研究中，我的团队确定了两种潜在的执行器技术，它们可以显著提高微型运动控制应用的速度：新颖的压电执行器几何结构和专门的电磁执行器。拟议的研究计划将为这些超高速微定位技术开发新的设计方法。这些新方法将改变从业者处理执行器设计问题的方式。我的团队将为机械布局、执行部件和控制系统开发一个集成的设计流程。这不仅将增加可实现的驱动动力学，而且无传感器的力和位置反馈的集成将允许比具有专用反馈传感器的传统驱动系统更具成本效益、更健壮且体积更小的运动控制解决方案。然而，这项技术也可以转移到其他应用中，如汽车喷油器、高精度加工伺服、用于结构健康监测的传感器，或旨在将曲面拓扑操作与传统曲面拓扑映射相结合的有源AFM。将在NSERC与加拿大工业合作伙伴(如Westport Innovation、庞巴迪或集成探测仪器)的合作研究和开发补助金的帮助下，探索将拟议工作转化为这些应用程序。

Motion control and sensing are the foundation for automation technologies in manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and many other industries. Over time, performance requirements have increased and microscale applications such as atomic force microscopes (AFM) are now a topic at the forefront of motion control research. Of particular interest to my group are methods enabling the simultaneous design and optimization of mechanical layouts, electromagnetic or piezoelectric actuation components, and the associated control systems. Typically, one aims to maximize the dynamic response while minimizing energy consumption and actuator size. To increase system robustness and to minimize cost and size, observer based position and force feedback is highly desirable, but rarely implemented in practice.In micro scale positioning with a positioning range between 0.0001mm and 0.1mm, piezo-electric actuators have been the predominant actuation technology. AFMs that aim to achieve video rate scanning frequencies for in vitro sampling have pushed the performance envelope of piezo-electric actuation technologies to their physical limits. In a recent feasibility study, my group identified two potential actuator technologies that can significantly increase the speed of micro scale motion control applications: Novel piezo-electric actuator geometries and specialized electromagnetic actuators. The proposed research program will develop new design methodologies for these ultra-high-speed micro positioning technologies. These new methods will change the ways practitioners approach the problem of actuator design. My team will develop an integrated design process for mechanical layouts, actuation components, and control systems. This will not only increase the achievable actuation dynamics, but the integration of sensorless force and position feedback will allow for more cost effective, more robust, and less bulky motion control solutions than traditional actuation systems with dedicated feedback sensors.The proposed experimental prototypes focus on AFM actuation and tactile piezoelectric grippers. However, the technology can also be transferred to other applications such as automotive fuel injectors, high accuracy machining servos, sensors for structural health monitoring, or active AFMs that aim to integrate surface topology manipulation with conventional surface topology mapping. The translation of the proposed work to these applications will be explored with the help of NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grants with Canadian industrial partners such as Westport Innovations, Bombardier, or Integrated Probe Instruments.