Position control of X-Y table mechanism using electrorheological clutches

This paper presents the position control of moving table mechanism. A set o f bi-directional type ER (electro-rheological) clutches are designed and ma nufactured to control the motion of moving table. By considering the dynami cs of the proposed actuator, the governing equation of motion for the movin g table mechanism is derived. A sliding mode controller is then formulated by treating the variation of the mass on the moving table as parameter unce rtainty. Both position regulating and tracking control responses are provid ed in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method ology. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.