Three-Dimensional Active Magnetic Levitation Actuating and Control System for Curved Pipes

A three-dimensional active maglev (magnetic levitation) actuating system based on force imbalance is proposed. By combining the principle of force imbalance control with the control algorithm, the stable levitation and controllable levitating motion of the magnetic ball can be realized. The four electromagnetic actuating structures are used to stabilize the force of the controlled object, and the dual-hall sensor group and hardware differential method are used to improve control stability and accuracy. By combining the fine adjustment of the active maglev actuating system with the coarse adjustment of the mechanical arm, the three-dimensional levitation motion of the magnetic ball in curved pipes is realized. Experimental results show that the proposed control algorithm solves problems such as the increase of deviation between the controlled object and the steady-state operating point and the rapid deterioration of tracking performance in the model-based control method. In the vertical direction, the overshoot is within 0.418%, regardless of axis motion or non-axis motion. In the horizontal direction, the offset limits left and right of the axis are 4.590 mm and 3.536 mm, respectively. The fluctuation of vertical and horizontal motion is within the allowable range of ±0.2 mm. This can be applied to the non-destructive quality detection of the inner walls and the internal dredging of long and thin pipes in examinations and industrial fields.