Fuzzy Self-Tuning PID Control of Hydrogen-Driven Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Actuator

In this paper, a fuzzy self-tuning Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control of hydrogen-driven Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) actuator is presented. With a conventional PID control, non-linear thermodynamics of the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator still highly affects the mechanical actuations itself, causing deviation of desired tasks. The fuzzy self-tuning PID controller is systematically developed so as to achieve dynamic performance targets of the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator. The fuzzy rules based on desired characteristics of closed-loop control are designed to finely tune the PID gains of the controller under different operating conditions. The empirical models and properties of the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator are used as a genuine representation of mechanical actuations. A mass-spring-damper system is applied to the hydrogen-driven PAM actuator as a typical mechanical load during actuations. The results of the implementation show that the viability of the proposed method in actuating the hydrogen-driven PAM under mechanical loads is close to desired performance.