Robot motion control in zero-gravity conditions

We have considered the motion control of a space robot composed of a body and a telescopic manipulator arm. The robot is in the state of free passive flight. The vector of the number of movements and the kinetic moment of the robot relative to the center of mass are zero. The manipulator arm motion causes a corresponding motion of the robot body (change in the position of the center of mass of the body and its rotation). Unlike earlier results, we have revealed that the robot grip can be shifted from an arbitrary initial position to an arbitrary final position inside the operating area and, in addition, the required (most convenient for operations) angle between the manipulator arm and the robot body in the final position can be obtained.     

Visual motor control of a 7 DOF robot manipulator using a fuzzy SOM network

A fuzzy self-organizing map (SOM) network is proposed in this paper for visual motor control of a 7 degrees of freedom (DOF) robot manipulator. The inverse kinematic map from the image plane to joint angle space of a redundant manipulator is highly nonlinear and ill-posed in the sense that a typical end-effector position is associated with several joint angle vectors. In the proposed approach, the robot workspace in image plane is discretized into a number of fuzzy regions whose center locations and fuzzy membership values are determined using a Fuzzy C-Mean (FCM) clustering algorithm. SOM network then learns the inverse kinematics by on-line by associating a local linear map for each cluster. A novel learning algorithm has been proposed to make the robot manipulator to reach a target position. Any arbitrary level of accuracy can be achieved with a number of fine movements of the manipulator tip. These fine movements depend on the error between the target position and the current manipulator position. In particular, the fuzzy model is found to be better as compared to Kohonen self-organizing map (KSOM) based learning scheme proposed for visual motor control. Like existing KSOM learning schemes, the proposed scheme leads to a unique inverse kinematic solution even for a redundant manipulator. The proposed algorithms have been successfully implemented in real-time on a 7 DOF PowerCube robot manipulator, and results are found to concur with the theoretical findings.     

A human–robot interface for mobile manipulator

This paper presents a remote manipulation method for mobile manipulator through operator’s gesture. In particular, a track mobile robot is equipped with a 4-DOF robot arm to grasp objects. Operator uses one hand to control both the motion of mobile robot and the posture of robot arm via scheme of gesture polysemy method which is put forward in this paper. A sensor called leap motion (LM), which can obtain the position and posture data of hand, is employed in this system. Two filters were employed to estimate the position and posture of human hand so as to reduce the inherent noise of the sensor. Kalman filter was used to estimate the position, and particle filter was used to estimate the orientation. The advantage of the proposed method is that it is feasible to control a mobile manipulator through just one hand using a LM sensor. The effectiveness of the proposed human–robot interface was verified in laboratory with a series of experiments. And the results indicate that the proposed human–robot interface is able to track the movements of operator’s hand with high accuracy. It is found that the system can be employed by a non-professional operator for robot teleoperation.     

在线考虑运动学限制的最小加速度的轨迹规划

提出了一种基于简化运动规划的机器人轨迹规划新方法,可用于多自由度的机器人操作臂系统。关键问题是找到最小加速度的轨迹规划,来优化操作臂的运动以减少抖动。此外,给出了轨迹规划的解存在的充分必要条件,并考虑了所有的关节位置、角速度、加速度、加加速度等运动学限制。而且这种方法能够在线应用,适合任意非零的关节初始状态和目标状态,以便使机器人能够在运动过程中进行实时路径修正。最后提出的方法应用于一个七自由度的仿人机器人手臂来验证方法的有效性。     

Singularity-robust decoupled control of dual-elbow manipulators

The ability of a robot manipulator to move inside its workspace is inhibited by the presence of joint limits and obstacles and by the existence of singular positions in the configuration space of the manipulator. Several kinematic control strategies have been proposed to ameliorate these problems and to control the motion of the manipulator inside its workspace. The common base of these strategies is the manipulability measure which has been used to: (i) avoid singularities at the task-planning level; and (ii) to develop a singularity-robust inverse Jacobian matrix for continuous kinematic control. In this paper, a singularity-robust resolved-rate control strategy is presented for decoupled robot geometries and implemented for the dual-elbow manipulator. The proposed approach exploits the decoupled geometry of the dual-elbow manipulator to control independently the shoulder and the arm subsystems, for any desired end-effector motion, thus incurring a significantly lower computational cost compared to existing schemes.     

Application of time series and polynomial learning networks to robot trajectory error control

A compensatory control scheme based on measured errors at the end-effector is proposed using polynomial learning networks and time series modeling. Based on experimental data from an industrial manipulator programmed forms straight-line motion, trajectory deviations are modeled using both techniques. The performance of the models are compared at different locations in the workspace. It is shown that the robot arm signature can be obtained and that models from both techniques can be used to forecast trajectory errors. A method to implement the proposed scheme is also given.     

基于目标检测的机器人手眼标定方法

智能协作机器人依赖视觉系统感知未知环境中的动态工作空间定位目标,实现机械臂对目标对象的自主抓取回收作业。RGB-D相机可采集场景中的彩色图和深度图,获取视野内任意目标三维点云,辅助智能协作机器人感知周围环境。为获取抓取机器人与RGB-D相机坐标系之间的转换关系,提出基于yolov3目标检测神经网络的机器人手眼标定方法。将3D打印球作为标靶球夹持在机械手末端,使用改进的yolov3目标检测神经网络实时定位标定球的球心,计算机械手末端中心在相机坐标系下的3D位置,同时运用奇异值分解方法求解机器人与相机坐标系转换矩阵的最小二乘解。在6自由度UR5机械臂和Intel RealSense D415深度相机上的实验结果表明,该标定方法无需辅助设备,转换后的空间点位置误差在2 mm以内,能较好满足一般视觉伺服智能机器人的抓取作业要求。     

Comparison of four different heuristic optimization algorithms for the inverse kinematics solution of a real 4-DOF serial robot manipulator

In this study, a 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) serial robot manipulator was designed and developed for the pick-and-place operation of a flexible manufacturing system. The solution of the inverse kinematics equation, one of the most important parts of the control process of the manipulator, was obtained by using four different optimization algorithms: the genetic algorithm (GA), the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, the quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm and the gravitational search algorithm (GSA). These algorithms were tested with two different scenarios for the motion of the manipulator’s end-effector. One hundred randomly selected workspace points were defined for the first scenario, while a spline trajectory, also composed of one hundred workspace points, was used for the second. The optimization algorithms were used for solving of the inverse kinematics of the manipulator in order to successfully move the end-effector to these workspace points. The four algorithms were compared according to the execution time, the end-effector position error and the required number of generations. The results showed that the QPSO could be effectively used for the inverse kinematics solution of the developed manipulator.     

Design of an anthropomorphic dual-arm robot with biologically inspired 8-DOF arms

From the perspective of kinematics, dual-arm manipulation in robots differs from single-arm manipulation in that it requires high dexterity in a specific region of the manipulator’s workspace. This feature has motivated research on the specialized design of manipulators for dual-arm robots. These recently introduced robots often utilize a shoulder structure with a tilted angle of some magnitude. The tilted shoulder yields better kinematic performance for dual-arm manipulation, such as a wider common workspace for each arm. However, this method tends to reduce total workspace volume, which results in lower kinematic performance for single-arm tasks in the outer region of the workspace. To overcome this trade-off, the authors of this study propose a design for a dual-arm robot with a biologically inspired four degree-of-freedom shoulder mechanism. This study analyzes the kinematic performance of the proposed design and compares it with that of a conventional dual-arm robot from the perspective of workspace and single-/dual-arm manipulability. The comparative analysis revealed that the proposed structure can significantly enhance single- and dual-arm kinematic performance in comparison with conventional dual-arm structures. This superior kinematic performance was verified through experiments, which showed that the proposed method required shorter settling time and trajectory-following performance than the conventional dual-arm robot.     

一种基于多视角图像的目标物体定位方法

在遥操作机械臂时,为了能有一个更加友好的人机交互界面,往往需要在控制界面中构建一个虚拟的机械臂以及机械臂工作空间,所以,在虚拟工作空间中标示出目标物体与虚拟机械臂的相对位置,给操作人员一个直观的提示,是虚拟工作空间重构的关键问题.针对机械臂遥操作,提出了一种基于不同视角图像的快速高效的定位方法,该方法根据目标物体在多个不同视角图像中的位置,计算出目标物体在实际工作空间中的位置,从而在虚拟机械臂工作空间中标示出目标物体与虚拟机械臂的相对位置.最后,构建了机械臂遥操作实物系统,验证了该方法的正确性.     

Body Workspace of Quadruped Walking Robot and its Applicability in Legged Locomotion

This paper discusses on determination of the workspace of the body of a quadruped walking robot, called “body workspace”, and its applicability in legged locomotion. The body workspace represents the set of all valid body configurations for a next step by considering three constraints of a body position: existence of the inverse kinematic solutions, reach-ability of the next swing leg to the next desired foothold, and static equilibrium of the robot when the next swing leg is lifted. The space contains all the body positions that ensure the existence of inverse kinematic solutions, is calculated in the first. Then, a subspace inside the determined space that allows the robot to reach the next desired foothold is analyzed. Finally, the workspace is obtained by excluding all the positions inside the subspace that do not ensure the equilibrium of the robot when the next swing leg is lifted. Therefore, the workspace shows all possible solutions for choosing the next body configuration of a given static walking problem. It is significant in improving the robot’s performances since moving body takes an intrinsic role in static walking, besides swinging a leg. The algorithm runs fast in real-time because it is a pure geometric method. The body workspace of a quadruped walking robot is visualized to help the understanding of the algorithm. In addition, applications of using the body workspace in improving the robot’s ability are presented to show potential applicability of the workspace.     

Motion coordination and reactive control of autonomous multi-manipulator systems

The emerging field of service robots demands new systems with increased flexibility. The flexibility of a robot system can be increased in many different ways. Mobile manipulation—the coordinated use of manipulation capabilities and mobility—is an approach to increase robots flexibility with regard to their motion capabilities. Most mobile manipulators that are currently under development use a single arm on a mobile platform. The use of a two-arm manipulator system allows increased manipulation capabilities, especially when large, heavy, or non-rigid objects must be manipulated. This article is concerned with motion control for mobile two-arm systems. These systems require new schemes for motion coordination and control. A coordination scheme called transparent coordination is presented that allows for an arbitrary number of manipulators on a mobile platform. Furthermore, a reactive control scheme is proposed to enable the platform to support sensor-guided manipulator motion. Finally, this article introduces a collision avoidance scheme for mobile two-arm robots. This scheme surveys the vehicle motion to avoid platform collisions and arm collisions caused by self-motion of the robot. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Projection operator-based robust adaptive control of an aerial robot with a manipulator

This paper describes a quadcopter manipulator system, an aerial robot with an extended workspace, its controller design, and experimental validation. The aerial robot is based on a quadcopter with a three degree of freedom robotic arm connected to the base of the vehicle. The work aims to create a stable airborne robot with a robotic arm that can work above and below the airframe, regardless of where the arm is attached. Integrating a robotic arm into an underactuated, unstable system like a quadcopter can enhance the vehicle's functionality while increasing instability. To execute a mission with accuracy and reliability during a real-time task, the system must overcome the inter-coupling effects and external disturbances. This work presents a novel design for a robust adaptive feedback linearization controller with a model reference adaptive controller and hardware implementation of the quadcopter manipulator system with plant uncertainties. The closed-loop stability of the aerial robot and the tracking error convergence with the robust controller is analyzed using Lyapunov stability analysis. The quadcopter manipulator system is custom developed in the lab with an off-the-shelf quadcopter and a 3D-printed robotic arm. The robotic system architecture is implemented using a Jetson Nano companion computer for autonomous onboard flight. Experiments were conducted on quadcopter manipulator system to evaluate the autonomous aerial robot's stability and trajectory tracking with the proposed controller.     

基于MATLAB的模块化机器人手臂运动学算法验证及运动仿真

针对由模块化关节构成的六自由度串联机器人手臂, 采用DH法对手臂的操作空间进行了描述, 得到了正运动学模型; 采用欧拉角表示手臂姿态, 得到了包含六个参数的用于表示手臂位姿的完备广义坐标, 并对欧拉角的几何关系进行了分析。针对SolidWorks虽然实体建模简洁方便但计算并非其强项的缺点, 编写相应接口程序, 将建立的手臂三维实体模型保留几何约束关系简化后导入MATLAB软件。基于MATLAB编写正逆运动学算法验证程序以及连杆驱动程序, 实现了手臂的仿真运动。通过仿真, 不仅更进一步验证了手臂正逆运动学解算的正确性, 而且非常直观地看出手臂末端在空间中运行的路径以及各关节的动作情况。机器人手臂正逆运动学算法正确性的验证及运动仿真为手臂的精确定位及其路径规划提供了必要的保证。     

Obstacle Modelling Oriented to Safe Motion Planning and Control for Planar Rigid Robot Manipulators

Trajectory planning and tracking are crucial tasks in any application using robot manipulators. These tasks become particularly challenging when obstacles are present in the manipulator workspace. In this paper a n-joint planar robot manipulator is considered and it is assumed that obstacles located in its workspace can be approximated in a conservative way with circles. The goal is to represent the obstacles in the robot configuration space. The representation allows to obtain an efficient and accurate trajectory planning and tracking. A simple but effective path planning strategy is proposed in the paper. Since path planning depends on tracking accuracy, in this paper an adequate tracking accuracy is guaranteed by means of a suitably designed Second Order Sliding Mode Controller (SOSMC). The proposed approach guarantees a collision-free motion of the manipulator in its workspace in spite of the presence of obstacles, as confirmed by experimental results.     

基于ROS的六自由度机械臂运动规划

针对传统机器人在复杂环境下的安全问题以及运动规划问题,采用开源机器人操作系统ROS搭建了机器人仿真平台,并进行运动规划。在ROS平台下,利用URDF文件完成机械臂3D建模;利用Movelt配置助手(setup assistant)配置机械臂模型并且生成启动文件。在Rviz中显示三维模型;利用Movelt完成对六自由度机械臂的运动规划,以及避障轨迹规划。结果表明,通过Rqt_plot导出机械臂运动过程中六个关节的位置关系信息,可为进一步改善和研究机械臂轨迹规划提供更加直观的方法。     

空间机械臂本体与末端抓手协调运动的自适应控制方法

讨论了载体位置不受控制的漂浮基空间机械臂本体与末端抓手协调运动的自适应控制问题. 对系统的运动学、动力学分析表明, 结合系统动量守恒关系得到的系统动力学方程及协调运动的增广广义Jacobi矩阵可以表示为适当选择的组合惯性参数的线性函数. 以此为基础, 对于系统存在未知参数的情况, 设计了本体姿态与机械臂末端抓手惯性空间轨迹协调运动的自适应控制方案. 上述控制方案的显著优点在于: 不需要测量、反馈飞行器本体的位置、移动速度及移动加速度. 仿真运算, 证实了上述控制方案的有效性.     

On the position analysis of a new spherical parallel robot with orientation applications

In this paper, we propose a new spherical parallel robot for celestial orientation, and rehabilitation applications (TV satellite dish, tracking systems, solar panels, cameras, telescopes, table of the machine tools, ankle, shoulder, wrist and etc.). The proposed robot can completely rotate about an axis. After describing the robot and its inverse position analysis, using the genetic algorithm, the dimensional optimization to maximize the workspace of the robot is performed. The workspace analysis shows that the proposed robot has a relatively large workspace. Also, singularity analysis represents that the manipulator is a singularity-free workspace. It is a great advantage of the proposed robot. Next, an optimal approach is proposed for solving the direct position problem of the robot. According to the geometry of the robot, two coupled trigonometric equations are obtained through using a special form of Rodrigues' rotation formula. Next, the two coupled equations are transformed to a 8-degrees polynomial using the Sylvester's Dialytic elimination method. Finally, a numerical example for the robot with an asymmetric structure is given with eight real solutions. Therefore, the polynomial being minimal and the proposed approach is optimal. This greatly decreases computational time, which is necessary for dynamics, control and simulation.     

Computer-aided-design tool for simplification of robot dynamic model based on manipulator system performance

The dynamic performance of a robot manipulator is directly dependent on the efficiency of the controller and the dynamic model of the robot. This paper addresses the fundamental issue of how much manipulator dynamics information should be included in the manipulator dynamic model for control such that the manipulator will achieve the desired system performance under a proportional-plus-derivative control scheme. An efficient minimax simplification scheme has been developed which automatically generates simplified closed-form manipulator motion equations in symbolic form while maintaining the desired manipulator system performance under a proportional-plus-derivative controller. The scheme involves the identification and selection of basis functions that represent the dynamic coefficients in the dynamic model. These basis functions consist of a linear combination of the product terms of sinusoidal and polynomial functions of the generalized coordinates and form a Chebyshev set on the workspace of the manipulator. A multi-layered decision scheme is developed for selecting significant basis terms in each layer for each dynamic coefficient. The linear combination of these significant basis terms is then utilized to construct each simplified dynamic coefficient based on the minimax approximation technique. A verification of the proposed scheme on a Stanford robot arm is included for discussion.     

多节臂举升机器人重心推算的研究

把Denavit和Hatenberg方法引入多节臂举升机器人质心推算的研究,以确定多节臂举升机器人各主要部件随重物的移动、其质心位置相对于基础坐标系的变化函数关系,从而确定多节臂举升机器人整体质心位置的变化函数．通过整体质心位置的变化函数,可以做出整个系统质心在水平面的变化范围图形,同时该变化函数也是举升机器人控制的反馈传递函数,最终在稳定允许的安全裕度下,确定多节臂举升机器人的安全工作空间．