Nonlinear Identification and Decoupling Sliding Mode Control of Macro-Micro Dual-Drive Motion Platform with Mechanical Backlash

A macro–micro dual-drive motion platform is a class of key system utilized in ultra-precision instruments and equipment for realizing ultra-high-precision positioning, which relates to the fields of semiconductor manufacturing, ultra-precision testing and machining, etc. Aiming at the ultra-high-precision positioning control problem of macro–micro dual-drive systems containing mechanical backlash, this paper analyzes the combined effect of mechanical coupling and backlash, and proposes a macro–micro compound control strategy. Firstly, the system dynamic model, including mechanical coupling, is established, and a quasi-linear backlash model is also proposed. Secondly, based on the above model, a stepwise nonlinear identification method is proposed to obtain the backlash characteristic online, which is the basis of accurate backlash compensation. Then, for the macro–micro structure containing the backlash, a macro decoupling control method, combined with a micro adaptive integral sliding mode control method and backlash compensation, are designed coordinately to guarantee that the large-stroke macro–micro cooperative motion reaches micron-level accuracy. Moreover, the boundary of the positioning error is adjustable by tuning the controller parameters. Finally, both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed identification method can estimate the time-varying backlash precisely in finite time, and the system positioning accuracy can achieve an average 20 μm with long stroke and backlash influence, which is much higher than that using the traditional method and provides theoretical guidance for high-precision positioning control of a class of dual-drive motion platform.