This book is concerned with the development of design techniques for controlling motion of mechanical systems which are employed to execute certain tasks acting collaboratively. The book introduces unified control design procedure for functionally related systems. The controllers for many different tasks in motion control can be successfully designed by applying the proposed simple procedure. The book gives an overview of the control methods appearing in the motion control area and the detailed design procedures for the class of systems that are required to execute certain task together. Tasks can generally be divided in their components, denoted as functions in the book. It is shown how dynamics of those tasks can be described. Based on the presented description, several control methods were discussed. Applicability of the introduced control design approach was demonstrated in subsequent chapters for various tasks.

Variable structure systems, or sliding mode control systems, are non-linear automatic control systems whose structures are deliberately allowed to change, so that robust performance is obtained. It allows the design of high performance control systems that can be reliably and easily implemented at low cost. Although the basic theory is mature, the theory and the associated control system design methodologies are less well known to many control engineers. This new text seeks to redress the gap, and is split into three parts: the basics of sliding mode control, new trends in sliding mode control and applications of sliding mode control. The book will be of interest to all engineers working with control systems. Mathematical and engineering concepts are discussed thoroughly and many numerical design examples are included so that readers can quickly understand the design methodologies and their application to practical problems.