Path Following Model Predictive Control of Duty-Cycled Spinning Bevel Tip Needle

Path following of duty-cycled spinning bevel tip needle is addressed in this paper. A model aiming for tracking reference paths is developed for steering control of the needle. Instead of dividing the reference path into multiple target points, which render the path following task into multiple regulation problems, the whole path is considered in this model. Furthermore, the nonlinear model developed is transformed into a linear time varying (LTV) system in a polytopic paradigm and thus a RMPC is applied which deals with the parameter uncertainties and the control input constraints. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed path following RMPC algorithm.