Morphing Mechanisms Part 1: Using Iterative Learning Control to Morph Cam Follower Motion

This study introduces the concept of morphing mechanisms. Mechanisms are normally designed for specific operating conditions and once they are built one may wish to use them under different operating conditions. In some cases, a mechanism may be imperfectly fabricated and one would like to get the intended ideal performance. In these cases, instead of designing, fabricating and replacing the original mechanism, the behavior of the existing hardware can be morphed to make it function as if it was the redesigned or re-fabricated system. This concept is illustrated in both simulation and experiments for cam mechanisms. Iterative learning control is used on a cam designed and built using a 2-3 polynomial profile and it is made to function like a cam designed with a 3-4-5 polynomial. Eight cycles of learning are seen to be sufficient to effectively accomplish this morphing of the calm behavior.