Reduction of Observation Spillover in Vibration Suppression Using a Sliding Mode Observer

The objective of this study is to demonstrate that sliding mode observers can eliminate observation spillover in the vibration control of flexible structures. It is common to build a state feedback controller and a state estimator based on the mathematical model of the system with a finite number of vibration modes, but this may cause control and observation spillover due to the residual (uncontrolled) modes. This paper deals with the elimination of observation spillover using a sliding mode observer. The performance of a sliding mode observer is compared with that of a conventional Kalman filter to demonstrate robustness and disturbance decoupling characteristics. Simulation and experimental results using the sliding mode observer are presented for active vibration control of a cantilever beam.