Assignment

Given a single-link robot arm as shown in Figure 1 is to be controlled by an electric motor, through a
gearing system (gear ratio, N = N2/N1):
1. Determine the mathematical model of this system.
2. Sketch the block diagram of this system to illustrate the variables relationship (with Input = i
and Output = 2).

Note: i = input motor torque; g1 = torque of driving gear 1;g2 = torque of driven gear 2; J1 = inertia of plate 1; J2 = inertia
of robot arm; 1,2 = rotary displacements of plate 1 and robot arm; B1,2 = damping/friction coefficients of plate 1 and driven
gear 2; K = spring constant.

Figure 1: A single-link robot arm design.

3. By using the block diagram manipulation method, prove that the transfer function of the given
robotic system is:
2 s
N
=
2
2
i s J 2 N J 1 s B2 N 2 B 1 s K

4. Considering J2 = 0.25; J1 = 0.125; B2 = 0.7; B1 = 0.5; K = 0.9; and N = N2/N1 = 2, this robotic
system is to be proportionally-controlled by a P-controller (with the controller gain = Kp).
i. Sketch the block diagram of this feedback control system.
ii. Through Routh stability criterion, comment the stability of this system.
iii. Plot the root locus of this robotic system and determine the value of Kp, if the response of
the system is required to show a damping effect of = 0.866.
iv. On a polar graph paper, sketch the Nyquist plot and determine the gain margin (GM) and
phase margin (PM) of this system with pre-determined Kp in Step 4(iii). Comment the
stability of this system.
v. With pre-determined Kp in Step 4(iii), plot the Bode diagram of this system on a semilog
graph paper and determine GM, PM and the stability of this system.
vi. Analyse the steady state error of this system and comment the performance of P-controller.
5. If this robotic system is to be controlled by a proportional-integral (PI) controller, with the
proportional gain = Kp and the integral gain = Ki:
i. Sketch the block diagram of this feedback control system.
ii. Given that the value of Kp is pre-determined in Step 4(iii), determine the values range of Ki
through the use of Routh stability criterion.
iii. Plot the root locus of this robotic system with pre-determined Kp in Step 4(iii), and a
changing Ki = 1 and 6. Comment the effects of changing Ki on the stability of this system.
iv. On a polar graph paper, sketch the Nyquist plots of this system, with similar values of Kp in
Step 5(iii), and Ki = 1 and 6. Comment the effects of changing Ki on the GM, PM and
stability of this system.
v. With similar values of Kp in Step 5(iii), and Ki = 1 and 6, plot the Bode diagram of this
system on a semilog graph paper, and determine GM, PM and stability of this system.
Note: You may check your answers with the following Matlab commands / utilities:

Root locus plot: rlocus(numerator,denominator)

Nyquist plot: nyquist(numerator,denominator)

Bode plot: bode(numerator,denominator)

Simulink