Tracking position control of a linear actuator on distributed control network

Tracking position control of a linear magnetic actuator implemented on distributed control network was studied. In the distributed control system involving a discrete-time controller and a linear magnetic actuator, time delay happens as the controller reads the sensor data or sends out the control input to the actuator located at a remote site. In many cases the time delay is not ignorable, and has significant effect on the control system performance. In order to compensate for the adverse effect of the time delay, the modified Smith predictor was introduced to the control system. The results of simulation and experiment show that the performance of linear magnetic actuator can be improved by augmenting the modified Smith predictor onto the existing control system. With the modified Smith predictor, the position error is reduced and the constant disturbance is suppressed.