Design and Human-in-the-Loop Testing of Reduced-Modification Input Shapers

Many systems require a human in the control loop. When the controlled system has flexibility, the human can have significant difficulties operating the machine. Input-shaping control has been shown to improve the control of flexible systems by reducing system vibration. However, it may negatively affect the control of the driven base or vehicle that the operator is directly controlling. This brief presents a new type of input shaper that modifies the operator's command less than traditional input shapers, thereby improving the control of the driven base. A manual tracking experiment compared the tracking performance and subjective difficulty using both the new and traditional input shapers. Input shapers generally improved the tracking performance of the system's flexible element, and the new input shapers did not significantly degrade tracking of the system's driven base.