Balancing a Stationary Bicycle With a Reaction Wheel

Sammanfattning

This thesis presents the design, modeling, and experimental validation of a stabilizationsystem for a stationary bicycle using a reaction wheel actuator. The bicycleis modeled as an inverted pendulum, and a state-space representation is derived bycombining mechanical roll dynamics with the electrical dynamics of a DC motor.The model serves as the foundation for controller design and simulation.Control strategies are developed and evaluated in MATLAB, where system behavioris analyzed under varying initial conditions, disturbances, and time delays. Thecascade controlled architecture was proven as the most optimal. Furthermore, thepole placement method is applied to obtain desired closed-loop dynamics, and theinfluence of key parameters on system stability is investigated.The control algorithm is implemented on an embedded platform and tested on aphysical prototype. Sensor data from an inertial measurement unit is processedusing a complementary filter to estimate the roll angle in real time. Experimentalresults show that the system can generate stabilizing torque through the reactionwheel, but performance is limited by actuator response and system delays. Modifications,including compensation for back electromotive force, improve responsivenessand stability.The results demonstrate the feasibility of stabilizing a stationary bicycle using areaction wheel system, while highlighting practical limitations related to hardwareconstraints and control implementation.