Lifetime control of electromechanical actuators

Existing actuator controls are typically designed based on optimizing performance and robustness to system uncertainties, without considering the operational lifetime of the actuator. It is often desirable, and sometimes necessary, to trade off performance for extended actuator operational lifetime. This paper introduces the concept of incorporating the actuator lifetime as a controlled parameter. We describe preliminary methods for speed/position tracking control of an electromechanical actuator (EMA) while maintaining a desired minimum lifetime of the actuator motor