A Linear Model Predictive Control design for Magnetic Levitation System

This paper presents a linear model predictive control scheme for a magnetic levitation system (Maglev). The Maglev dynamics involve nonlinearity, highly unstable, makes it more challenging to design a suitable control algorithm. The objective of this work is to control the position of a ferromagnetic ball in the air space of the nonlinear system. In this research, the proposed controller is designed based on the linear prediction model, which is obtained by linearizing the plant around a known operating point. The effectiveness of the proposed linear model predictive control algorithm is verified in the simulation environment. For comparative analysis, the performance of the proposed controller is compared with a 1-DOF PID control technique [1] and found better results.