Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present modeling and control of a nonlinear mechatronic system. To solve the control problem, the modified state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) method is applied. The control problem is designed and analyzed using the nonlinear feedback gain strategy for the infinite time horizon problem. Design/methodology/approach As a new contribution, this paper deals with state-dependent parametrization as an effective modeling of the mechatronic system and shows how to modify the classical form of the SDRE method to reduce computational effort during feedback gain computation. The numerical example compares described methods and confirms usefulness of the proposed technique. Findings The proposed control technique can ensure optimal dynamic response, reducing computational effort during control law computation. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified via numerical simulation. Originality/value The authors introduced an innovative approach to the well-known SDRE control methodology and settled their research in the newest literature coverage for this issue.

Modern and innovative road spreaders are now equipped with a special swiveling mechanism of the spreading disc. It allows for adjusting a symmetrical or asymmetrical spreading pattern and provides for the possibility to maintain the size of the spreading surface and achieve an accurately defined spreading pattern with spreading widths. Thus the paper presents a modelling and control design methodology, and the concept is proposed to design high-performance and optimal drive systems for spreading devices. The paper deals with a nonlinear model of an electric linear actuator and solution of the new intelligent/optimal control problem for the actuator.