This chapter presents the development of SCEFMAS (Simulation and Control Environment for Flexible MAnipulator Systems) software package. This is a user-friendly interactive software environment based on Matlab and associated tool boxes. The environment incorporates a finite difference (FD) simulation algorithm of a constrained planar single-link flexible manipulator system for analysis, simulation, modelling of dynamic behaviour of the system. The package also incorporates a range of control techniques, including open-loop control such as filtered command, Gaussian-shaped and command shaping, collocated and non-collocated closed-loop control methods of fixed and adaptive types, and intelligent soft computing control techniques. The environment allows the user to set-up the system by providing its physical parameters and to select the controller type through an interactive graphical user interface (GUI). Data analyses can be performed in time and frequency domains on the controller and system input and outputs signals. The environment is suitable as an education package as well as for research purposes for investigating and developing various simulations, modelling and controller designs for flexible manipulator systems.

Inspec keywords: open loop systems; finite difference methods; manipulator dynamics; adaptive control; graphical user interfaces; control engineering education; flexible manipulators; intelligent control; control engineering computing

Other keywords: collocated closed-loop control; noncollocated closed-loop control; constrained planar single-link flexible manipulator system; data analysis; flexible manipulator system simulation; user-friendly interactive software environment; open-loop control; frequency domain; dynamic behaviour; education package; filtered command; flexible manipulator system control; interactive graphical user interface; finite difference simulation algorithm; Matlab; intelligent soft computing control technique; time domain; Gaussian shaping; Simulation and Control Environment for Flexible Manipulator Systems software package; command shaping; adaptive type

Subjects: Manipulators