Nonlinear friction compensation in mechatronic servo systems

Friction, especially its nonlinear component, may degrade the tracking performance of robots. Based on Kang’s method, a novel compensation method for nonlinear friction is presented in this paper, which modified Southward’s traditional compensation method for nonlinear friction. The stability of the systems which adopt the novel compensation method is proved with Layapunov’s stability theorem, and is enhanced further. Having estimated the nonlinear friction model using an identification method, the effect caused by its nonlinear component can be compensated, and enhanced tracking performance is verified under the SCARA robot experimental platform using Windows NT and VenturCom’s real-time extension module (RTX) environment.