Neural Network Robust Control Based on Computed Torque for Lower Limb Exoskeleton

The lower limb exoskeletons are used to assist wearers in various scenarios such as medical and industrial settings.Complex modeling errors of the exoskeleton in different application scenarios pose challenges to the robustness and stability of its control algorithm.The Radial Basis Function(RBF)neural network is used widely to compensate for modeling errors.In order to solve the problem that the current RBF neural network controllers cannot guarantee the asymptotic stability,a neural network robust control algorithm based on computed torque method is proposed in this paper,focusing on trajectory tracking.It innovatively incorporates the robust adaptive term while introducing the RBF neural network term,improving the compensation ability for modeling errors.The stability of the algorithm is proved by Lyapunov method,and the effectiveness of the robust adaptive term is verified by the simulation.Experiments wearing the exoskeleton under different walking speeds and scenarios were carried out,and the results show that the absolute value of tracking errors of the hip and knee joints of the exoskeleton are consistently less than 1.5°and 2.5°,respectively.The proposed control algorithm effectively compensates for modeling errors and exhibits high robustness.

Numerical film torque modeling of friction pair in hydro-viscous clutchs

A numerical model to predict film torque of hydro-viscous clutch was developed.The model was established with computational fluid dynamics（CFD）.The pressure distribution,velocity of flow and film torque were obtained based on vertical-horizontal grooved plate and radial grooved plate separately.The boundary conditions,such as the relative rotation,the fluid temperature and the oil feeding pressure,were also discussed.The results showed that the film torque of two kinds of grooved plate increased with increasing relative rotation.However,the film torque decreased with increasing fluid temperature and feeding pressure.Meanwhile,the film torque of radial grooved plate was less than vertical-horizontal grooved plate at the same condition.Our study showed that the model can efficiently calculate the film torque with complex geometry parameters and boundary conditions.

Modeling and Control of Hybrid Machine Systems—a Five-bar Mechanism Case

A hybrid machine （HM） as a typical mechatronic device, is a useful tool to generate smooth motion, and combines the motions of a large constant speed motor with a small servo motor by means of a mechnical linkage mechanism, in order to provide a powerful programmable drive system. To achieve design objectives, a control system is required. To design a better control system and analyze the performance of an HM, a dynamic model is necessary. This paper first develops a dynamic model of an HM with a five-bar mechanism using a Lagrangian formulation. Then, several important properties which are very useful in system analysis, and control system design, are presented. Based on the developed dynamic model, two control approaches, computed torque, and combined computed torque and slide mode control, are adopted to control the HM system. Simulation results demonstrate the control performance and limitations of each control approach.

Implementation of a new PC based controller for a PUMA robot

This paper describes the replacement of a controller for a programmable universal machine for assembly (PUMA) 512 robot with a newly designed PC based (open architecture) controller employing a real-time direct control of six joints. The original structure of the PUMA robot is retained. The hardware of the new controller includes such in-house designed parts as pulse width modulation (PWM) amplifiers, digital and analog controllers, I/O cards, signal conditioner cards, and 16-bit A/D and D/A boards. An Intel Pentium IV industrial computer is used as the central controller. The control software is implemented using VC++ programming language. The trajectory tracking performance of all six joints is tested at varying velocities. Experimental results show that it is feasible to implement the suggested open architecture platform for PUMA 500 series robots through the software routines running on a PC. By assembling controller from off-the-shell hardware and software components, the benefits of reduced and improved robustness have been realized.

Modeling and Nonlinear Computed Torque Control of Ship-mounted Mobile Satellite Communication System

A mobile satellite communication system (MSCS) is a device installed on a moving carrier for mobile satellite communication. It can eliminate disturbance and maintain continuous satellite communication when the carrier is moving. Because of many advantages of mobile satellite communication, the MSCSs are becoming more and more popular in modern mobile communication. In this paper, a typical ship-mounted MSCS is studied. The dynamic model of the system is derived using the generalized Lagrange method both in the joint space and in the workspace. Based on the dynamic model, a nonlinear computed torque controller with trajectory planning is designed to track an aimed satellite with a satisfied transient response. Simulation results in two different situations are presented to show the tracking performance of the controller.