Prof.

Tsuchiya
Cal Poly Pomona

ME340 - H OMEWORK S ET 1 Due: Wednesday, 10/4/2017, in class

Problem 1 - Modeling a Segway Scooter:

Model the simplified Segway Scooter system shown in the figure below (i.e. find the two equations
of motion that describe the system dynamics). The cart has mass M , the rod representing the rider
has mass m and length L. The point has coordinates (x, y), and is relative to point o on the cart.
The rod has moment of inertia J about point . Assume no drag on the cart or the rod and assume
a gravitational force g acts downward.

(a) HINT: Begin with the free-body diagrams given below and write a horizontal sum-of-forces
equation on the cart and a sum-of-torque equation about point on the rod. The two resulting
equations should be in terms of: u, fx , fy , M, m, L, , z, and J .

1
(b) Next, youll want to eliminate fx and fy from the equations you obtained in (a). To do so,
start by generating two additional equations by doing a sum-of-forces in the horizontal and
vertical direction on the rod.
(c) Then, use the kinematic relationships below to write fx and fy in terms of L, z, and . Note
that L is a constant, but z and are not. You may linearize these equations using the small
angle approximation.

L
x=z+ sin()
2
L
y= cos()
2
(d) Finally, rewrite your two equations of motion from (a) only in terms of: M, m, z, L, J , , u.
Linearize your answer by using the small angle approximation.

Problem 2 - A modified mass-spring-damper system:

Model the modified mass-spring-damper system shown below. The mass of the handle is negligi-
ble (only 1 FBD is necessary). Consider the displacement x1 (t) to be the input to the system and
the cart displacement x2 (t) to be the output. You may assume negligible drag.

Mass-Spring-Damper System

x1 x2

k
m
c
mh = 0

(a) Derive the model (ODE) for this system.

(b) Generate the transfer function P (s) from X1 (s) to X2 (s).

Problem 3

Repeat problem 2, but with the following differences:

Assume the mass of the handle mh is not equal to zero. You may leave it symbolically as mh .
The input is no longer the displacement x1 (t), but rather it is a force u(t) acting horizontally
on the handle.

(a) Derive the model (ODEs, plural) for this system.

X1 (s) X2 (s)
(b) Generate the transfer functions P1 (s) = and P2 (s) =
U (s) U (s)