Active Control of an Electromagnetic Suspension System

Electromagnetic suspension system are commonly used in the field of high speed vhicles, tool machines, frictionless bearings and conveyor systems. This paper compares three different control strategies - i.e. the state control, the adaptive state control and the inverse problem method - on the basis of various criteria. The main novelty presented is the inverse problem strategy, largely used in the field of robotics, to linearize the transfer function between the airgap and its reference value. Also, an approach to the 3D electromagnetic suspension problem is outlined. The study is carried out in numerical simulation using the SIMULINK package. Experimental investigations on a test rig are in progress in order to valide the different strategies presented.