Tackling Modeling and Kinematic Inconsistencies by Fixed Point Iteration-Based Adaptive Control

The Fixed Point Iteration-based Adaptive Control design methodology is an alternative to the Lyapunov function-based technology. It contains higher-order feedback terms than the standard resolved acceleration rate control. This design approach strictly separates the kinematic and dynamic issues. At first, a purely kinematic prescription is formulated for driving the components of the tracking error to zero. Then an available approximate dynamic model is used to calculate the approximated necessary control forces. Before exerting on the controlled system, these forces are adaptively deformed in order to precisely obtain the prescribed kinematic behavior. The necessary deformation is iteratively found by the use of a contractive map that results in a sequence that converges to the unique fixed point of this map. In the case of underactuated systems, when the relative order of the control task also increases, the highest-order time-derivative depends on the lower-order ones according to the dynamic model of the system. This makes it impossible to realize the arbitrarily constructed kinematic design. In the paper, a resolution to this discrepancy is proposed. The method is demonstrated using two non-linear paradigms, a three-degree-of-freedom robot arm, and a two-degree-of-freedom system, i.e., two coupled non-linear springs. The operation of the method was investigated via simulations made by the use of Julia language and simple sequential programs. It was found that the suggested solution could be considered as a new variant of the fixed point iteration-based model reference adaptive control that is applicable for underactuated systems even if the relative order of the task is increased.