Modeling of Flexible Beams for Robotic Manipulators

This work treats the problem of modeling robotic manipulators withstructural flexibility. A mathematical model of a planarmanipulator with a single flexible link is developed. This modelis capable of reproducing nonlinear dynamic effects, such as thebeam stiffening due to the centrifugal forces induced by therotation of the joints, giving it the capability to predictreliable dynamic behaviors for a wide range of applications. Onthe other hand, the model complexity is reduced, in order to keepit amenable for analysis and controller design. The models foundin current literature for control design of flexible manipulatorarms present dynamic limitations for the sake of real timeimplementation in a control scheme. These limitations are theresult of premature linearizations in the formulation of thedynamics equations. In this paper, these common linearizations arepresented and their dynamic limitations uncovered. An alternativereliable model is then presented. The model is founded on twobasic assumptions: inextensibility of the neutral fiber, andmoderate rotations of the cross sections in order to account forthe foreshortening of the beam due to bending. Simulation andexperimental results show that the proposed model has the closestdynamic behavior to the real beam.     

Closed-Loop Control of Robotic Arc Welding System with Full-penetration Monitoring

The real-time detection of the state of the gap and weld penetration control are two fundamental issues in robotic arc welding. However, traditional robotic arc welding lacks external information feedback and the function of real-time adjusting. The objective of this research is to adopt new sensing techniques and artificial intelligence to ensure the stability of the welding process through controlling penetration depth and weld pool geometry. A novel arc welding robot system including function modules (visual modules, data acquisition modules) and corresponding software system was developed. Thus, the autonomy and intelligence of the arc welding robot system is realized. Aimed at solving welding penetration depth, a neural network (NN) model is developed to calculate the full penetration state, which is specified by the back-side bead width (Wb), from the top-side vision sensing technique. And then, a versatile algorithm developed to provide robust real-time processing of images for use with a vision-based computer control system is discussed. To this end, the peak current self adaptive regulating controller with weld gap compensation was designed in the robotic arc welding control system. Using this closed-loop control experiments have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control system for the robotic arc welding process. The results show that the standard error of the Wb is 0.124 regardless of the variations in the state of the gap.     

基于机器鱼的内陆湖泊水质在线监测系统设计

仅依赖无线传感器网络在线实测是利用多跳式通信实现远程发送与存储数据丢包率高,实验阶段设计的二维结构仿真机器鱼巡游避障性能差,GPRS全天候数据采集与传送所需的流量费用高,针对以上这些问题,设计了一套可进行实测的机器鱼自动巡游避障、水质环境实时监测系统平台;该系统通过移动终端程序设计、利用三维采集路径跟踪算法及WSNs与Wifi热点技术对机器鱼群实现远程精准控制,按照设定深度、路径规划的采集点进行水温水位、PH值、溶解氧、电导率、浊度等常五类水质环境数据实时采集、处理、远程存储、显示、分析及预警,给出了系统的总体设计、机器鱼的结构与控制系统设计、终端节点与协调器的硬件系统及上下位机软件系统设计;利用这套系统对巢湖5个取样点实测,水温、溶解氧、PH值平均误差率分别为0.18%、0.5%及0.01%,远高于其他水质在线监测的精度要求,达到了预期成果;同时对水库及精细水产养殖业等水质在线监测与预警具有很高的推广价值。     

一种面向机器人的超市形态建模方法

结合超市经营客观实际,围绕环境、商品、货架形态建模过程遇到的体系结构、关键症结解决对策等展开深入讨论,给出了问题处置策略、指导原则与技术路线。     

机器人液压挖掘机运动系统的建模与控制

首先利用机器人运动学将铲斗的理想运动轨迹和各工作装置的目标转角序列联系起来,然后利用拉格朗日方程建立各工作装置的运动学模型,最后推导出LUDV液压驱动系统的电液模型,从而得到了挖掘机器人运动系统的完整模型．针对系统动力学的高非线性、参数的不确定性、外界干扰及比例方向阀的死区及非线性增益等特点,提出一种建立在自适应鲁棒控制基础上的非连续映射方法来处理运动系统并利用鲁棒反馈来消除近似误差．最后利用动臂控制试验来验证控制方法的正确性．     

Self-Organizing Feature Maps for Modeling and Control of Robotic Manipulators

This paper presents a review of self-organizing feature maps (SOFMs), in particular, those based on the Kohonen algorithm, applied to adaptive modeling and control of robotic manipulators. Through a number of references we show how SOFMs can learn nonlinear input–output mappings needed to control robotic manipulators, thereby coping with important robotic issues such as the excess degrees of freedom, computation of inverse kinematics and dynamics, hand–eye coordination, path-planning, obstacle avoidance, and compliant motion. We conclude the paper arguing that SOFMs can be a much simpler, feasible alternative to MLP and RBF networks for function approximation and for the design of neurocontrollers. Comparison with other supervised/unsupervised approaches and directions for further work on the field are also provided.     

物流车辆监控系统建模与仿真

物流的运输系统常常需要考虑交通堵塞、路径选择、能源危机、成本控制等各种复杂因素,对物流车辆调度人员提出了很高的要求,因此该文提出建立物流车辆监控仿真系统来模拟物流运输过程中对车辆实时动态的调度。该文结合GIS／GPS／GSM车辆监控系统的工作原理,设计了物流车辆监控系统模型,并构建了基于HLA（High Level Architecture）的物流车辆监控仿真系统框架。从应用的角度分析了HLA仿真开发过程,初步实现物流车辆监控模拟系统联邦,为车辆调度员进行教学和培训提供了一个模拟现实的环境,对物流车辆监控系统的实现起到了一定的辅助作用。     

A Simple Robotic System for Neurorehabilitation

In the recent past, several researchers have shown that important variables in relearning motor skills and in changing the underlying neural architecture after stroke are the quantity, duration, content, and intensity of training sessions. Unfortunately, when traditional therapy is provided in a hospital or rehabilitation center, the patient is usually seen for few hours a week. Robot-mediated therapies could improve this situation but even if interesting results have been achieved by several groups, the use of robot-mediated therapy has not become very common in clinical practice. This is due to many different reasons (e.g., the “technophobia” of some clinicians, the need for more extensive clinical trials) but one of the more important is the cost and the complexity of these devices which make them difficult to be purchased and used in all the clinical centers. The aim of this work was to verify the possibility of improving motor recovery of hemiparetic subjects by using a simple mechatronic system. To achieve this goal, our system (named “MEchatronic system for MOtor recovery after Stroke” (MEMOS)) has been designed with the aim of using mainly “off-the-shelf products” with only few parts simply manufactured with standard technology, when commercial parts were not available. Moreover, the prototype has been developed taking into account the requirements related to the clinical applicability such as robustness and safety. The MEMOSsystem has been used during clinical trials with subjects affected by chronic hemiparesis (<6 months from the cerebrovascular accident). The results obtained during these experiments seem to showthat notwithstanding the simple mechatronic structure characterizing theMEMOSsystem, it is able to help chronic hemiparetics to reduce their level of impairment. Further clinical experiments with acute and chronic subjects will be carried out in order to confirm these preliminary findings. Moreover, experiments for tele-rehabilitation of patients will be also carried out. Silvestro Micera was born in Taranto, Italy, on August 31, 1972. He received the University degree (Laurea) in electrical engineering from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy, in 2000. From 1998 to 2001, he was the Project Manager of the EU GRIP Project (ESPRIT LTR Project 26322, “An integrated system for the neuroelectrIic control of grasp in disabled persons”). During 1999, he was a Visiting Researcher at the Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University. Since May 2000, he has been an Assistant Professor of Biomechanical Engineering at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. He is currently involved in several projects on neuro-robotics and rehabilitation engineering. His research interests include the development of neuro-robotic systems (interfacing the central and peripheral nervous system with robotic artefacts) and the development of mechatronic and robotic systems for function restoration in disabled persons. Dr. Micera is an Associate Editor of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL SYSTEMS AND REHABILITATION ENGINEERING and member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology and Robotics and Automation Societies. M. Chiara Carrozza received the Laurea degree in physics from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 1990. Since 2001, she has been an Associate Professor of biomedical robotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy. She is the co-cordinator of the Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems Laboratory where she is responsible for some national and international projects in the fields of biorobotics. Her research interests are in the fields of biorobotics (artificial hands, upper limb exoskeletons), rehabilitation engineering (neurorehabilitation, domotic, and robotic aids), and biomedical microengineering (microsensors, tactile sensors). She is an author of several scientific papers and international patents. Eugenio Guglielmelli received the Laurea degree and the PhD in electronics engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1991 and in 1995, respectively. He is currently Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Campus Bio-Medico University in Rome, Italy, where he teaches the courses of Bio-Mechatronics and of Rehabilitation Bioengineering, and where he also recently co-founded the new Research Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics & Electro-Magnetic Compatibility. He has been working in the field of biomedical robotics over the last fifteen years at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna where he also served from 2002 to 2004 as the Head of the Advanced Robotics Technology & Systems Laboratory (ARTS Lab), founded by prof. Paolo Dario in 1991. His main current research interests are in the fields of novel theoretical and experimental approaches to human-centered robotics and to biomporphic control of mechatronic systems, and in their application to robot-mediated motor therapy, assistive robotics, neuro-robotics and neuro-developmental engineering. He serves in the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Applied Bionics and Biomechanics. He has been Guest Co-Editor of the Special Issue on Rehabilitation Robotics of the International Journal ‘Autonomous Robots’. He is member of the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society, of the Society for Neuroscience, and of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE). He served (2002–03) as the Secretary of the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society (RAS) and he is currently Co-chair of the RAS Technical Committee on Rehabilitation Robotics. He serves in the Programme Committees of several International Conferences, such as ICRA, IROS, ICAR, AIM, BIOROB and others. He was/is a member of the Organizing Committees of ICAR2003, IROS2004, IFAC/SYROCO2006 and ICRA2007. Giovanni Cappiello received the M.E. degree from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. He is currently working towards the Ph.D. degree in robotics at the ARTS Lab of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna Pisa. He worked on the RTR IV Prosthetic Hand Project. Among his research interests are rehabilitation technologies, biomedical and surgical devices, osseointegration, and biomimetic artificial sensors. He is involved in the design of antropomorphic hands and arm and in the exploitation of compliant joints. Franco Zaccone was born in Policoro, Italy. He received the University degree (Laurea) in electrical engineering from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 2000. Since June 2000, he has been a Research Assistant at the Advanced Robotics Technologies and Systems Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa. His research interests include the design of hardware systems for rehabilitation engineering and motion analysis. Cinzia Freschi was born in Caserta, Italy, on December 25, 1969. She received the University degree (Laurea) in computer engineering from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 1998. Since 1998, she has been research assistant at the Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems Laboratory (ARTSLAB), Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. Her research interests are in the filed of rehabilitation engineering and neuro-robotics. Roberto Colombo received the Dr. Eng. degree in electrical engineering from the Politecnico of Milano, Milan, Italy, in 1980. Since 1981, he has been a Research Engineer in the Bioengineering Department of the “Salvatore Maugeri” Foundation, IRCCS, Rehabilitation Institute, Veruno, Italy. From 1998 to 2001, he was a Partner of the European Community project “Prevention of muscular disorders in operation of computer input devices (PROCID).” From 2001 to 2004, he was the Coordinator of the project “Tecniche robotizzate per la valutazione ed il trattamento riabilitativo delle disabilitá motorie dell'arto superiore,” 2001-175, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health. His research interests include robot-aided neurorehabilitation, muscle tone and spasticity evaluation, muscle force and fatigue assessment, speech production mechanisms study, cardiovascular control assessment by spectral analysis of heart rate variability signals, and respiratory mechanics assessment. He has taught several national courses in the field of neurorehabilitation. He is the author of over 20 papers and the co-editor of one book on the subject of speech production mechanisms. Alessandra Mazzone received the degree (Diploma) in computer science, from the ITIS “Leonardo da Vinci,” Borgomanero, Italy, in 1988. Since 1989, she has been a Programmer at the Bioengineering Department, the Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Rehabilitation Institute of Veruno (NO), Italy. Her research interests include robot-aided neurorehabilitation, cardiovascular control assessment by spectral analysis of heart rate variability signals, and respiratory mechanics assessment. Carmen Delconte received the Diploma in neurophysiology techniques from the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, in 1989. She is currently with the Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Scientific Institute of Veruno “Salvatore Maugeri” Foundation, Rehabilitation Institute, Veruno, Italy. Her research concerns the quantification of muscle tone, emg-biomechanical studies, and the robotic rehabilitation of upper limb in cerebrovascular diseases. She has been published in the clinical and electrophisiological field of neuromuscular diseases and on the topic of stroke patients rehabilitation. Her current research is focused on the evaluation and treatment of upper limbs disorders like spasticity and paresis. Dr. Delconte is a member of the Italian Neurophysiology Technician Society. Fabrizio Pisano received the M.D. degree from the University of Milan, Milan, Italy, in 1981. In 1986, he completed his training as resident in neurology and became Neurologist at the same University He was a teacher in “Electromyography” from 1991 to 1997 at the School of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the University of Turin, Torino, Italy. He has taught several national and international electromyographic courses on hand neuromotor rehabilitation, occupational pathology, rehabilitation therapy, muscle fatigue, posture and movement, clinical neurophysiology, and EMG Culture. He was a Scientific Project co-leader of a telethon program (1994–1996); speech motor control in ALS; a search for an early marker of disease. He was the Project Leader of “Quantitative Analysis of Spastic Hypertonia” by the Istituto Superiore della Sanitá during 1998–1999. He was the Clinical Scientific Leader of the INAIL project “International clinical survey over functional electrical stimulation.” He was the Scientific Project Leader of the Clinical Neurophysiology Unit of the project “Tecniche robotizzate per la valutazione ed il trattamento riabilitativo delle disabilitá motorie dell'arto superiore,” 2001-175, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health. He is currently a Neurologist and the Head of the Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, ”Salvatore Maugeri” Foundation, IRCCS, Rehabilitation Institute, Veruno, Italy. He has been published in the clinical and electrophysiological field of neuromuscular diseases and on the topic of stroke patients rehabilitation. His current research interests are in evaluation and treatment of upper limb disorders like spasticity and paresis. Dr. Pisano is a Member of the Italian Neurological Society and the Italian Clinical Neurophysiology Society. Giuseppe Minuco received the Dr. Eng. degree in mechanical engineering from the Politecnico Milano, Milan, Italy, in 1972, and a postgraduate degree in biomedical engineering from the Faculty of Medicine, Bologna, Italy, in 1975. He is currently Head of the Bioengineering Department, “Salvatore Maugeri” Foundation, IRCCS, Pavia, Italy. He is Chair of the Technical Scientific Committee of “CBIM” (Medical Informatics and Bioengineering Consortium) Pavia, Italy. He is Member of the Editorial Board of The Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease and of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia. Has taught several courses in healthcare management. His main interests are in the fields of rehabilitation engineering, clinical engineering, medical informatics, and telemedicine. Paolo Dario received the Dr. Eng. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 1977. He is currently a Professor of Biomedical Robotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy. He also teaches courses at the School of Engineering of the University of Pisa, and at the Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy. He has been a Visiting Professor at Brown University, Providence, RI, at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, and at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. He was the founder of the Advanced Robotics Technologies and Systems (ARTS) Laboratory and is currently the co-cordinator of the Center for Research in Microengineering (CRIM) Laboratory of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, where he supervises a team of about 70 researchers and Ph.D. students. He is also the Director of the Polo Sant'Anna Valdera and a Vice-Director of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. His main research interests are in the fields of medical robotics, mechatronics, and micro/nanoengineering, and specifically in sensors and actuators for the above applications. He is the coordinator of many national and European projects, the editor of two books on the subject of robotics, and the author of more than 200 scientific papers (75 in ISI journals). He is Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, and Member of the Editorial Board of many international journals. Prof. Dario served as President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society during 2002–2003, and he is currently Co-Chair of the Technical Committees on Bio-robotics and of Robo-ethics of the same society. He is a Fellow of the European Society on Medical and Biological Engineering, and a recipient of many honors and awards, such as the Joseph Engelberger Award. He is also a Member of the Board of the International Foundation of Robotics Research (IFRR).     

An Assembly Process Modeling and Analysis for Robotic Multiple Peg-in-hole

In this paper, the geometric analyses and force/moment analyses of three-dimensional multiple-peg insertions are presented. First, the geometric features of three-dimensional assembly objects are represented by two elements. The geometric conditions for each contact state are derived with the transformation matrix. Second, the contact forces are described by the screw theory in three dimensions. The small motions of the peg around the contact points (the small motion rules) are improved, so the redundant problem can be overcome and the magnitude of the contact force can be obtained. Third, the maximum angle's steepest descent algorithm is proposed to infer the motion direction. Based on the analyses, a simulation program and an experiment of a triple peg-in-hole insertion are presented. The results show that the methods above are effective in finishing the triple peg-in-hole assembly task.     

基于对象Petri网的AUV水面监控系统建模

针对通常的模型不能同时描述自主式水下航行器(AUV)水面监控系统的静态结构和动态过程,而且在层次化、可扩充性等方面也不能满足建模需求的问题,采用对象Petri网建立了AUV水面监控系统模型.首先对AUV水面监控系统进行了分析,划分了系统对象;然后建立了适用于各个对象的不同工作模式的Petri网模型;最后给出了AUV水面监控系统的对象Petri网模型,并进行了仿真分析,仿真结果与实际过程相符合.仿真结果表明,基于Petri网建立的AUV水面监控系统具有实时性和可靠性,提高了AUV系统的自主能力和可视化能力,以及航行的可靠性和安全性.     

柔性机器人的动力学建模及其控制*

本文首先综述了近年来在柔性机器人动力学建模方面所取得的进展，着重介绍了目前较常见的几种建模方法和模型，同时对柔性机器人的控制问题进行了评述，指出了今后研究的方向。     

Alternative Solution for a Robotic Stereotactic System

The development of robotic technology applications in the stereotactic neurosurgical method has reached the stage of high acceptation, which is the driving force for searching for other solutions. The article describes an alternative robotic system solution for stereotaxis and compares it with other known solutions. It is characterised by a minimal number of the controlled robot axes, while preserving required articulation possibilities. Since it is a non-traditional robotic architecture, the article outlines its kinematic analysis with the specification of transformation matrices for an inversion problem. At the same time, outputs from the robot computer animation, which is an indispensable aid in the development of kinematic mechanisms, are presented.     

Bioinspired Robotic Dual-Camera System for High-Resolution Vision

Due to the limited resolution of both cameras and displays, acuity of artificial vision systems is currently well below the human eye. Visual acuity, in cameras as well as in animal eyes, can be increased by making smaller receptors or bigger eyes. In some applications, the size of the camera is constrained, so alternative solutions must be sought. This paper presents a robotic dual-camera vision system whose design is inspired by the visual system of jumping spiders (Salticidae family). The system is composed of a telephoto camera whose field of view (FOV) can be moved within the larger FOV of a wide-angle camera and allows to form a high-resolution image, i.e., an image with the FOV of the wide-angle camera, yet having the same resolution as the telephoto camera. We describe the design of the robotic system, the direct and inverse kinematics, and the image processing algorithms that allow to build the high-resolution image. Images from experiments are presented, together with a discussion on sources of errors and possible solutions. The system is particularly useful for fixed-camera monitoring or teleoperation applications, such as remote surveillance and minimally invasive surgery. The system achieves seven times higher resolution than typical commercial endoscopes.     

基于LPV的航空发动机压气机健康监测系统建模研究

针对航空发动机健康监测系统对模型的高实时性和准确性要求,提出了一种应用递归最小二乘线性拟合建立压气机非线性过程中的线性变参数(LPV)模型的建模方法。该建模方法通过对模型参数的选择和顶点的选取,结合递归最小二乘法在不同顶点处拟合线性状态空间模型,根据LPV模型凸集特点得到非线性模型的LPV模型表达。最后应用法国ALSTOM公司提供的燃气涡轮模型进行了仿真实验验证,实现了实时非线性过程中模型稳定区域小于1%的动态建模误差,证明了方法的有效性和精确性。     

机器人机械手臂关节驱动控制系统设计

基于动态方程和Hamilton-Jacobi原理,从硬件到软件,设计了机器人机械手臂的关节驱动控制系统。主要任务是使该系统的能耗最小化。仿真和实验的结果,证明了该系统的可用性和准确性。     

机器人化悬臂式掘进机液压行走驱动系统建模

为了解决机器人化悬臂式掘进机行走控制问题,在对该掘进机液压行走驱动系统的工作原理分析的基础上,建立了该系统的数学模型。该数学模型悬臂式掘进机行走驱动系统中电液比例方向阀的电压与阀芯位移关系式和流量方程、液压马达的流量与扭矩方程、比例方向阀的阀芯位移与液压马达角速度关系方程以及方向阀的输入电压与液压马达角速度的传递函数。仿真实验结果表明,所建立数学模型与实际基本吻合,为机器人化悬臂式掘进机性能分析和控制系统设计提供了实用的数学模型。     

系统架构描述语言AADL的功能行为建模扩展

架构分析与设计语言(AADL)是一种用于描述复杂嵌入式系统体系架构的建模语言,被广泛用于安全关键系统建模与验证。AADL通过行为附件以状态机的形式对组件的内部行为建模。工业界中的复杂系统常使用层次自动机描述组件的功能行为,而行为附件中没有表达层次自动机的机制。针对这一问题,提出了AADL行为附件的层次化扩展——HBA。首先给出了HBA的形式语法,然后定义了HBA的操作语义。提出了HBA的元模型,并在OSATE环境中实现其文本和图形化编辑器。为了便于形式化验证,给出了HBA到时间自动机(TA)的转换规则,并基于模型检测工具UPPAAL进行形式化验证。最后,给出一个案例研究来验证所提方法的有效性。     

有效扫描监测系统建模与部署

构建有效的扫描监测系统是早期检测和预警未知威胁的必要措施.利用网络中未使用IP地址空间构建扫描监测系统,具有检测准确、虚警率低等活动网络监测不可实现的优势,是一种非常有效的实现方式.针对利用未使用IP 地址实际部署有效扫描监测系统缺乏理论指导这一现状,提出一种新的基于路由分布的扫描监测模型,用于解决针对特定目标的有效扫描监测系统设计部署以及实际有限部署资源检测效用评估问题.基于模型提出部署阈值的概念,描述相同检测率要求下扫描监测系统规模与扫描源扫描宽度之间最经济的匹配阈值.基于路由分布的扫描监测模型和部署阈值,可为设计与实际部署资源相匹配的监测系统部署方案以及制定合理的检测目标提供理论参考,避免原有凭经验的盲目部署.仿真实验结果与理论分析结论相一致.