Adaptive neuro-fuzzy control of a flexible manipulator

Abstract This paper describes an adaptive neuro-fuzzy control system for controlling a flexible manipulator with variable payload. The controller proposed in this paper is comprised of a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) in the feedback configuration and two dynamic recurrent neural networks in the forward path. A dynamic recurrent identification network (RIN) is used to identify the output of the manipulator system, and a dynamic recurrent learning network (RLN) is employed to learn the weighting factor of the fuzzy logic. It is envisaged that the integration of fuzzy logic and neural network based-controller will encompass the merits of both technologies, and thus provide a robust controller for the flexible manipulator system. The fuzzy logic controller, based on fuzzy set theory, provides a means for converting a linguistic control strategy into control action and offering a high level of computation. On the other hand, the ability of a dynamic recurrent network structure to model an arbitrary dynamic nonlinear system is incorporated to approximate the unknown nonlinear input–output relationship using a dynamic back propagation learning algorithm. Simulations for determining the number of modes to describe the dynamics of the system and investigating the robustness of the control system are carried out. Results demonstrate the good performance of the proposed control system.