Design Schemes and Comparison Research of the End-effector of Large Space Manipulator

The end-effector of the large space manipulator is employed to assist the manipulator in handling and manipulating large payloads on orbit.Currently,there are few researches about the end-effector,and the existing end-effectors have some disadvantages,such as poor misalignment tolerance capability and complex mechanical components.According to the end positioning errors and the residual vibration characters of the large space manipulators,two basic performance requirements of the end-effector which include the capabilities of misalignment tolerance and soft capture are proposed.And the end-effector should accommodate the following misalignments of the mechanical interface.The translation misalignments in axial and radial directions and the angular misalignments in roll,pitch and yaw are ±100 mm,100 mm,±10°,±15°,±15°,respectively.Seven end-effector schemes are presented and the capabilities of misalignment tolerance and soft capture are analyzed elementarily.The three fingers-three petals end-effector and the steel cable-snared end-effector are the most feasible schemes among the seven schemes,and they are designed in detail.The capabilities of misalignment tolerance and soft capture are validated and evaluated,through the experiment on the micro-gravity simulating device and the dynamic analysis in ADAMS software.The results show that the misalignment tolerance capabilities of these two schemes could satisfy the requirement.And the translation misalignment tolerances in axial and radial directions and the angular misalignment tolerances in roll,pitch and yaw of the steel cable-snared end-effector are 30mm,15mm,6°,3° and 3° larger than those of the three fingers-three petals end-effector,respectively.And the contact force of the steel cable-snared end-effector is smaller and smoother than that of the three fingers-three petals end-effector.The end-effector schemes and research methods are beneficial to the developments of the large space manipulator end-effctor and the space docking mechanism.

Impact dynamics analysis of free-floating space manipulator capturing satellite on orbit and robust adaptive compound control algorithm design for suppressing motion

The impact dynamics, impact effect, and post-impact unstable motion sup- pression of free-floating space manipulator capturing a satellite on orbit are analyzed. Firstly, the dynamics equation of free-floating space manipulator is derived using the sec- ond Lagrangian equation. Combining the momentum conservation principle, the impact dynamics and effect between the space manipulator end-effector and satellite of the cap- ture process are analyzed with the momentum impulse method. Focusing on the unstable motion of space manipulator due to the above impact effect, a robust adaptive compound control algorithm is designed to suppress the above unstable motion. There is no need to control the free-floating base position to save the jet fuel. Finally, the simulation is proposed to show the impact effect and verify the validity of the control algorithm.

Contact Tracking Control Strategy for Space Manipulator with Snare-Type End-Effector

The capture operation performed by a snare-type end-effector mainly relies on three flexible cables.This paper solves the dynamics modeling problems of flexible cable used in the snare-type end-effector and provides a contact tracking control strategy for the impact phase of snare capture.To describe the motion of flexible cable,a dynamics model is established by considering both tensile and bending resistance properties.On this basis,a virtual spring concept is introduced to represent the contact between flexible cables and the target grapple shaft,and a contact dynamics model is established approximately by polynomial function with the variables of penetration and start-end distance of flexible cable.Thereafter,a contact tracking control strategy is proposed to improve the reliability of space snare capture.The target grapple shaft and flexible cable can keep in contact at the initial contact point during the whole capture process and thus reduce the possibility of pushing the target away.Experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

BASED ON WAVELET ANALYSIS TO OPTIMAL CONTROL OF MOTION PLANNING OF SPACE MANIPULATOR

The optimal control problem of nonholonomic motion planning of space manipulator was discussed. Utilizing the method of wavelet analysis, the discrete orthogonal wavelets were introduced to solve the optimal control problem, the classical Fourier basic functions were replaced by the wavelet expansion approximation. A numerical algorithm of optimal control was proposed based an wavelet analysis. The numerical simulation shows, the method is effective for nonholonomic motion planning of space manipulator.

Application of camera calibrating model to space manipulator with multi-objective genetic algorithm

The multi-objective genetic algorithm(MOGA) is proposed to calibrate the non-linear camera model of a space manipulator to improve its locational accuracy. This algorithm can optimize the camera model by dynamic balancing its model weight and multi-parametric distributions to the required accuracy. A novel measuring instrument of space manipulator is designed to orbital simulative motion and locational accuracy test. The camera system of space manipulator, calibrated by MOGA algorithm, is used to locational accuracy test in this measuring instrument. The experimental result shows that the absolute errors are [0.07, 1.75] mm for MOGA calibrating model, [2.88, 5.95] mm for MN method, and [1.19, 4.83] mm for LM method. Besides, the composite errors both of LM method and MN method are approximately seven times higher that of MOGA calibrating model. It is suggested that the MOGA calibrating model is superior both to LM method and MN method.

Trajectory Optimization for 7-Dofs Space Manipulator

The space manipulator is always designed to have 7 degrees of freedom（Dofs）with the consideration of energy limitation,as well as the flexible moving possibility.Therefore,how to plan the trajectory is important to improve the performance of the manipulator.In this paper,the speed of the end effector is configured as a projecting parameter,when a constant acceleration is applied to adjust the velocity.To implement this trajectory planning strategy,an optimization algorithm through the pseudo inverse of Jacobin matrix is designed,which adjusts the weight functions of joints.According to the functional theory,this algorithm is analyzed and the optimal solution is found in numerous sets of planning.A MATLAB simulation platform is established and the results verity the effectiveness of the algorithm.

A switching-based backstepping sliding mode control for space manipulator in presence of gravity variation

A novel switching-based backstepping sliding mode control(SBSMC) scheme is devised for the space manipulator exposed to different gravity.With a view to distinct differences in dynamics properties when the operating conclition of space manipulator changer,the space manipulator can be thought of as a system composed of two subsystems,the ground subsystem and the space subsystem.Two different types of backstepping sliding mode(BSM) controllers are designed,one is suited for the ground subsystem and the other is for the space one.The switching between two subsystems can be implemented automatically when the switching mechanism is triggered,and the controllers for their subsystems experience synchronous switching.In this way,the space manipulator always has good behaviors in trajectory tracking.Moreover,multi-Lyapunov functions are introduced to prove the stability of this switching approach.According to simulation results,the method constructed in this research has better performance in control precision and adaptability compared with proportional-derivative(PD) control.

Implementing kinematics computation in FPGA co-processor for a 6-DOF space manipulator

Based on the coordinate rotation digital computer(CORDIC)algorithm,the high-speed kinematicscalculation for a six degree of freedom(DOF)space manipulator is implemented in a field programmablegate array(FPGA)co-processor.A pipeline architecture is adopted to reduce the complexity and time-consumption of the kinematics calculation .The CORDIC soft-core and the CORDIC-based pipelined kine-matics calculation co-processor are described with the very-high-speed integrated circuit hardware descrip-tion language(VHDL)language and realized in the FPGA .Finally,the feasibility of the design is vali-dated in the Spartan-3 FPGA of Xilinx Inc.,and the performance specifications of FPGA co-processor arediscussed.The results show that time-consumption of the kinematics calculation is greatly reduced.

Singularity analysis and avoidance for an SSRMS-type reconfigurable space manipulator with a non-spherical wrist and two lockable passive telescopic links

This study focuses on addressing kinematic singularity analysis and avoidance issues for a space station remote manipulator system(SSRMS)-type reconfigurable space manipulator.The manipulator is equipped with a non-spherical wrist and two lockable passive telescopic links(LPTLs),which enable it to have both active revolute and passive prismatic joints and operate in two distinct modes.To begin with the kinematic singularity analysis,the study derives the differential kinematic equations for the manipulator and identifies the dominant Jacobian matrix that causes singularities.Subsequently,an in-depth analysis of singularities from multiple perspectives is conducted.Firstly,a kinematic singularity map method is proposed to capture the distribution of singularities within the reachable workspace.Then,the influence of the two LPTLs on singularities is thoroughly examined.Finally,a new method based on the matrix rank equivalence principle is introduced to determine singularity conditions,enabling the identification of all the singular configurations for the SSRMS-type reconfigurable manipulator.Notably,this method significantly reduces computational complexity,and the singularity conditions obtained have more concise equations.For the singularity avoidance problem,a novel method is developed,which simultaneously addresses the requirements of real-time performance,high precision,and the avoidance of both kinematic singularities and joint limit constraints.Benefiting from these excellent properties,the proposed method can effectively resolve the singularity issues encountered separately by the SSRMS-type reconfigurable manipulator in its two operational modes.Several typical simulations validate the utility of all the proposed methods.

Design and calibration of spoke piezoelectric six-dimensional force/torque sensor for space manipulator

The large manipulator outside the space cabin is a multi-degree of freedom actuator for space operations.In order to realize the automatic control and flexible operation of the space manipulator,a novel spoke structure piezoelectric six-dimensional force/torque sensor with redundancy ability,high stiffness and good decoupling performance is innovatively proposed.Based on the deformation coordination relationship,the redundancy measurement mechanism is revealed.The mathematical models of the sensor with and without branch fault are established respectively.The finite element model is established to verify the feasibility of structure and redundancy measuring principle of the sensor.Depending on the theoretical analysis and simulation analysis,the prototype of the sensor is developed.Static and dynamic calibration experiments are carried out.The actual output voltage signal of the six-dimensional force/torque sensor is collected to establish the equation between the standard input applied load and the actual output voltage signal.Based on ant colony optimized BP algorithm,performance indexes of the sensor with and without branch fault are analyzed respectively.The experimental results show that the spoke piezoelectric sixdimensional force/torque sensor with the eight-point support structure has good accuracy and reliability.Meanwhile,it has strong decoupling characteristic that can effectively shield the coupling between dimensions.The nonlinear errors and maximum interference errors of decoupled data with and without branch faults are less than 1% and 2%,respectively.The natural frequency of the sixdimensional force sensor can reach 2856.45 Hz and has good dynamic characteristics.The research content lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for the design,development and application of the new six-dimensional force/torque sensors with redundancy.Meanwhile,it will significantly improve the research level in this field,and provide a strong guarantee for the smooth implementation of force feedback control of the space station manipulator project.

A review of the end-effector of large space manipulator with capabilities of misalignment tolerance and soft capture

The space manipulator which has advantages of high dexterity and universality, is used to the space capturing usually. According to the different types of mechanical interfaces of targets, the on orbit capturing operation includes capturing of cooperative target and capturing of uncooperative target. The performances of the famous large space manipulators named space shuttle remote manipulator system(SRMS), the space station remote manipulator system(SSRMS) and the Europe robotic arm(ERA) are reviewed and studied respectively. Moreover, the space manipulators being developed by China for space station is also surveyed. Based on the performance analysis of the large space manipulators and end-effectors, which are adapted to the construction and daily maintenance for the large space structure such as the space station, the basic requirements of large misalignment tolerance capability, soft capturing capability and hard docking capability for the end-effector of large space manipulator are proposed in this paper. According to these requirements, the capture mechanism and methods that can enable the end-effector to have the capability of misalignment tolerance and soft capturing are presented. The development trend and key technologies of the large space manipulators and the end-effectors are also reviewed.

Fuzzy PID Control of Space Manipulator for Both Ground Alignment and Space Applications

Considering gravity change from ground alignment to space applications, a fuzzy proportional-integral-differential(PID)control strategy is proposed to make the space manipulator track the desired trajectories in different gravity environments. The fuzzy PID controller is developed by combining the fuzzy approach with the PID control method, and the parameters of the PID controller can be adjusted on line based on the ability of the fuzzy controller. Simulations using the dynamic model of the space manipulator have shown the effectiveness of the algorithm in the trajectory tracking problem. Compared with the results of conventional PID control,the control performance of the fuzzy PID is more effective for manipulator trajectory control.

Pre-impact trajectory planning for minimizing base attitude disturbance in space manipulator systems for a capture task

Aimed at capture task for a free-floating space manipulator, a scheme of pre-impact trajectory planning for minimizing base attitude disturbance caused by impact is proposed in this paper.Firstly, base attitude disturbance is established as a function of joint angles, collision direction and relative velocity between robotic hand and the target.Secondly, on the premise of keeping correct capture pose, a novel optimization factor in null space is designed to minimize base attitude disturbance and ensure that the joint angles do not exceed their limits simultaneously.After reaching the balance state, a desired configuration is achieved at the contact point.Thereafter, particle swarm optimization（PSO） algorithm is employed to solve the pre-impact trajectory planning from its initial configuration to the desired configuration to achieve the minimized base attitude disturbance caused by impact and the correct capture pose simultaneously.Finally, the proposed method is applied to a 7-dof free-floating space manipulator and the simulation results verify the effectiveness.

Adaptive fuzzy terminal sliding mode control for the free-floating space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure

Space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure simultaneously contains kinematic and dynamic coupling relationships,so it belongs to a new underactuated system.To allow the manipulator to carry on tasks,an effective robust underactuated control method for the space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure is studied in this paper.Considering the effect of model uncertainty and joint torque disturbance,a robust underactuated control system based on the Terminal Sliding Mode Controller(TSMC)is designed,but two drawbacks are discussed:(A)Robustness depraves with eliminating chattering.(B)Control parameters are difficult to be determined under unknown uncertainty and disturbance.To improve the TSMC,the adaptive fuzzy controller is introduced to estimate the real effect of unknown uncertainty and disturbance according to deviations of sliding mode and its reaching law.The estimated result is directly compensated into active joints torque.In simulation,the space manipulator with free-swinging joint executes tasks based on the TSMC and the Adaptive Fuzzy Terminal Sliding Mode Controller(AFTSMC)respectively.Same tasks can be finished with smaller joints torque and stronger robustness based on the AFTSMC.Therefore,AFTSMC can serve as an effective robust control method for the space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure under unknown model uncertainty and torque disturbance.

Failure treatment strategy and fault-tolerant path planning of a space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure

Aiming at a space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure, a failure treatment strategy and fault-tolerant path planning method is proposed in this paper. This method can realize failure treatment of a space manipulator with free-swinging joint failure through determination of the optimal locked joint angle and dynamics model reconfiguration. Fault-tolerant path planning is realized by the establishment of the degraded workspace with integrated kinematics performance(DWWIKP) and an improved A-Star(A*) algorithm. This paper has the following contributions.The determination of the optimal locked joint angle can ensure that the manipulator is able to continue follow-up tasks while maximizing the workspace of the manipulator after locking the fault joint. Underactuated control of a high degree-of-freedom(DOF) manipulator can be effectively solved through dynamics model reconfiguration. The analysis process of the dynamics coupling relationship can be applied to cases where the active joint and the passive joint are parallel or perpendicular to each other. The establishment of the DWWIKP can demonstrate the kinematics performance of the manipulator in both joint space and operation space comprehensively. The improved A*algorithm based on the integrated kinematics performance index(IKPI) can search a fault-tolerant task trajectory that satisfies the requirements of reachability and the overall kinematics performance simultaneously. The method proposed in this paper is verified by a 7-DOF manipulator, and it is available to any DOF manipulator with free-swinging joint failure.

Translational zero-disturbance curve and its application to zero-disturbance motion planning of space manipulator system

A new motion planning method is proposed for enlarging the solvable space of zero-disturbance motion planning for the space free-floating manipulator system. First, a class of translational zero-disturbance curves is put forward for the first time. The equation of translational zero-disturbance curve is deduced using the nonholonomic constraint of the manipulator system, and its characteristics are also discussed. Second, the zero-disturbance curve of the whole operating process is divided into two segments. The first one is a translational zero-disturbance curve which passes through the target point. Another one is a common zero-disturbance curve which passes through the original point and intersects with the translational zero-disturbance curve. Finally, the common zero-disturbance curve is obtained by a hybrid programming strategy based on Gauss pseudo-spectral method (GPM) and direct shooting method (DSM). The numerical simulation results indicate that the proposed method is effective, and that the solvable space of this method almost covers the whole work space of the manipulator system.

A multi-stage regulation strategy of space manipulators with a free-swinging joint failure

To ensure tasks can be completed after a free-swinging joint failure occurs,a multi-stage regulation strategy of space manipulators is proposed.Considering all terms of the dynamics equation,an evaluation model of the regulation ability(EMRA)of active joints over the fault joint is established based on the fuzzy entropy.And then a multi-stage regulation strategy based on the EMRA is designed to regulate the fault joint.The strategy divides the regulation process into several stages,and select a certain active joint to regulative the fault joint in every stage.With this multi-stage regulation strategy,the fault joint can be regulated to the desired angle without huge torque on regulative joints.The simulation is carried out with a 7-DOF space manipulator,verifying the correctness and effectiveness of the multi-stage regulation strategy.The strategy has three advantages:Coriolis and centrifugal terms are both considered for the first time in selecting the regulative joint,making the selection result more in line with the actual regulation process;The influence of the model uncertainty is eliminated in establishing the EMRA,making the evaluation of regulative ability more precise;The fault joint is successfully regulated to the desired angle without huge torque on regulative joints.

Autonomous planning and control strategy for space manipulators with dynamics uncertainty based on learning from demonstrations

Autonomous planning is a significant development direction of the space manipulator,and learning from demonstrations(LfD)is a potential strategy for complex tasks in the field.However,separating control from planning may cause large torque fluctuations and energy consumptions,even instability or danger in control of space manipulators,especially for the planning based on the human demonstrations.Therefore,we present an autonomous planning and control strategy for space manipulators based on LfD and focus on the dynamics uncertainty problem,a common problem of actual manipulators.The process can be divided into three stages:firstly,we reproduced the stochastic directed trajectory based on the Gaussian process-based LfD;secondly,we built the model of the stochastic dynamics of the actual manipulator with Gaussian process;thirdly,we designed an optimal controller based on the dynamics model to obtain the improved commanded torques and trajectory,and used the separation theorem to deal with stochastic characteristics during control.We evaluated the strategy with locating pre-screwed bolts experiment by Tiangong-2 manipulator system on the ground.The result showed that,compared with other strategies,the strategy proposed in this paper could significantly reduce torque fluctuations and energy consumptions,and its precision can meet the task requirements.

Terminal sliding mode control for coordinated motion of a space rigid manipulator with external disturbance

The control problem of coordinated motion of a free-floating space rigid manipulator with external disturbance is discussed. By combining linear momentum conversion and the Lagrangian approach, the full-control dynamic equation and the Jacobian relation of a free-floating space rigid manipulator are established and then inverted to the state equation for control design. Based on the terminal sliding mode control （SMC） technique, a mathematical expression of the terminal sliding surface is proposed. The terminal SMC scheme is then developed for coordinated motion between the base＇s attitude and the end-effector of the free-floating space manipulator with external disturbance. This proposed control scheme not only guarantees the existence of the sliding phase of the closed-loop system, but also ensures that the output tracking error converges to zero in finite time. In addition, because the initial system state is always at the terminal sliding surface, the control scheme can eliminate reaching phase of the SMC and guarantee global robustness and stability of the closed-loop system. A planar free-floating space rigid manipulator is simulated to verify the feasibility of the proposed control scheme.

Kinematics of a Trinal-Branch Space Robotic Manipulator with Redundancy

This paper presents a trinal-branch space robotic manipulator with redundancy, due to hash application environments, such as in the station. One end-effector of the manipulator can be attached to the base, and other two be controlled to accomplish tasks. The manipulator permits operation of science payload, during periods when astronauts may not be present. In order to provide theoretic basis for kinematics optimization, dynamics optimization and fault-tolerant control, its inverse kinematics is analyzed by using screw theory, and its unified formulation is established. Base on closed-form resolution of spherical wrist, a simplified inverse kinematics is proposed. Computer simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed inverse kinematics.