Enhanced Hybrid Robust Fuzzy-PID Controller for Precise Trajectory Tracking Electro-Hydraulic Actuator System

The Electro-Hydraulic Actuator (EHA) system integrates electrical and hydraulic elements, enabling it to generate a rapid reaction, a high power-to-weight ratio, and significant stiffness. Nevertheless, EHA systems demonstrate non-linear characteristics and modeling uncertainties, such as friction and parametric uncertainty. Designing a controller for accurate trajectory tracking is greatly challenging due to these limitations. This paper introduces a hybrid robust fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative (HFPID) and (HF+PID) controller. The controller is designed to effectively control a third-order model of an EHA system for trajectory tracking. It is a significant contribution to the development of an intelligent robust controller that can perform well in different environments. Initially, a mathematical model for the EHA system was created using a first-principle approach. Subsequently, the Ziegler-Nichols method was employed to fine-tune the PID controller, while a conventional Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) was constructed in MATLAB Simulink utilizing linguistic variables and rule-based control. Without further tuning, the FL and PID controller are combined as a hybrid controller with different structures: Hybrid Fuzzy-PID (HFPID) and Hybrid Fuzzy+PID (HF+PID) controller. The Mean Square Error (MSE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are utilized as indices to assess the tracking accuracy and robustness of the four controllers. A greater value of MSE and RMSE indicates poorer performance of the controller. The results demonstrate that the HF+PID controller surpasses the other controllers by reaching the lowest MSE and RMSE values. It showcases the efficacy and accuracy in monitoring sinusoidal, multi-sinusoidal, and point-to-point trajectory tracking. Future work should focus on implementing the designed controller on hardware for real-time performance and experimenting with various types of FLC or Hybrid controllers, such as self-tuning fuzzy-PID, to further explore their potential.