Control Moment Gyroscope


Brief Description: The four axis control moment gyroscope is a dynamically rich multi-body system that provides demonstrations of multivariable control.


A laboratory-scale control moment gyroscope, the ECP model 750, is available for controller testing in real-time experiments. Control moment gyroscopes are momentum storage devices used, e.g., in attitute control of spacecraft. Due to mechanical phenomea such as gyroscopic torque, they exhibit strongly coupled nonlinear dynamical behavior. They are thus difficult to control with standard linear control methods.

Challenges with the plant include singularities and a change of relative degree in certain operating points, directionally-dependent cross-couplings, nonminimum-phase characteristics and the presence of two underactuated degrees of freedom. Both a reasonably accurate nonlinear model and a simplified model based on linearization about a moving operating point are available.

Export of Matlab/Simulink code to a real-time target provides rapid prototyping capabilities and allows actual hardware-in-the-loop evaluation of control algorithms.

The setup is suitable for a variety of different control methods ranging from multivariable linear control to fully nonlinear control. Recently, the apparatus was used to demonstrate the applicability of advanced gain-scheduling techniques. Further, different modeling and identification approaches were studied on the device. The gyroscope is also used to teach linear-parameter varying controller design in the practical course Control Lab.


Related Publications:

  • J. Theis, C. Radisch, H. Werner: "Self-Scheduled Control of a Gyroscope," accepted for presentation at the 19th IFAC World Congress, 2014
  • H. Abbas, A. Ali, S. Hashemi, H. Werner: "LPV State-Feedback Control of a Control Moment Gyroscope," Control Engineering Practice, Vol. 24, 2014, pp. 129-137
  • H. Abbas, A. Ali, S. Hashemi, H. Werner: "LPV Gain-Scheduled Control of a Control Moment Gyroscope," American Control Conference, 2013, pp. 6841-6846

 

Related Student Projects:

  • Y. Guo: LFT Modeling and LPV Control of a Control Moment Gyroscope, Masters thesis, 2014
  • P. Dhole: LPV System Identification of a Control Moment Gyroscope, Project work, 2014


Contact person:Julian Theis
Telephone:+49 40 42878-2104
Email:julian.theis(at)tuhh(dot)de