Tip position control of a flexible cantilever is difficult due to the non-minimum phase dynamics that result from the finite propagating speed of a mechanical wave along the cantilever. In this paper, we propose a method for the tip position control using a light and cheap accelerometer that does not bring any significant change to the dynamics of the cantilever system. The linear system identification model of the flexible cantilever is obtained with measurements by a laser displacement sensor. A Kalman estimator is designed with this model and calculates the estimated tip position with the acceleration data of the accelerometer that is attached on the tip of the cantilever. To verify reliability of the estimator, the estimated tip position is used to the feedback control system that uses a fuzzy logic controller. The control results are compared with those of the fuzzy control system where the real tip position is measured by a laser displacement sensor. Also, the performance of the estimator with the accelerometer is presented and discussed.
