A Novel Disturbance Observer Based Fixed-Time Sliding Mode Control for Robotic Manipulators With Global Fast Convergence

This paper proposes a new global fixed-time sliding mode control strategy for the trajectory tracking control of uncertain robotic manipulators.First,a fixed-time disturbance observer(FTDO) is designed to deal with the adverse effects of model uncertainties and external disturbances in the manipulator systems.Then an adaptive scheme is used and the adaptive FTDO(AFTDO) is developed,so that the priori knowledge of the lumped disturbance is not required.Further,a new non-singular fast terminal sliding mode(NFTSM) surface is designed by using an arctan function,which helps to overcome the singularity problem and enhance the robustness of the system.Based on the estimation of the lumped disturbance by the AFTDO,a fixed-time non-singular fast terminal sliding mode controller(FTNFTSMC)is developed to guarantee the trajectory tracking errors converge to zero within a fixed time.The settling time is independent of the initial state of the system.In addition,the stability of the AFTDO and FTNFTSMC is strictly proved by using Lyapunov method.Finally,the fixed-time NFESM(FTNFTSM) algorithm is validated on a 2-link manipulator and comparisons with other existing sliding mode controllers(SMCs) are performed.The comparative results confirm that the FTNFTSMC has superior control performance.

Path Planning of Multi-Axis Robotic Arm Based on Improved RRT*

An improved RRT∗algorithm,referred to as the AGP-RRT∗algorithm,is proposed to address the problems of poor directionality,long generated paths,and slow convergence speed in multi-axis robotic arm path planning.First,an adaptive biased probabilistic sampling strategy is adopted to dynamically adjust the target deviation threshold and optimize the selection of random sampling points and the direction of generating new nodes in order to reduce the search space and improve the search efficiency.Second,a gravitationally adjustable step size strategy is used to guide the search process and dynamically adjust the step-size to accelerate the search speed of the algorithm.Finally,the planning path is processed by pruning,removing redundant points and path smoothing fitting using cubic B-spline curves to improve the flexibility of the robotic arm.Through the six-axis robotic arm path planning simulation experiments on the MATLAB platform,the results show that the AGP-RRT∗algorithm reduces 87.34%in terms of the average running time and 40.39%in terms of the average path cost;Meanwhile,under two sets of complex environments A and B,the average running time of the AGP-RRT∗algorithm is shortened by 94.56%vs.95.37%,and the average path cost is reduced by 55.28%vs.47.82%,which proves the effectiveness of the AGP-RRT∗algorithm in improving the efficiency of multi-axis robotic arm path planning.

FUZZY COORDINATION AND FORCE/POSITION CONTROL OF ROBOTIC MANIPULATOR

It is crucial for implementing force/position control of robotic manipulator under the constraint of unknown environment to determine the force control and the position control directions. This paper presents an on line algorithm to real timely estimate the tangent and the normal vectors of the constraint surface based on the measured contact force under the consideration of frictional force. A fuzzy synthesis policy is proposed to coordinate the conflict between the compliant force control and the stiff position control. An experimental study on an AdeptThree, a SCARA type robotic manipulator, is conducted. The experimental results show that the policy presented in the paper is effective.

Impedance force control for position controlled robotic manipulators under the constraint of unknown environments

A force control strategy for position controlled robotic manipulators is presented. On line force feedback data are employed to estimate the local shape of the unknown constraint. The estimated vectors are used to generate the virtual reference trajectory for the target impedance model that is driven by the force error to produce command position. By following the command position trajectory the robotic manipulator can follow the unknown constraint surface while keeping an acceptable force error in a manner depicted by the target impedance model. Computer simulation on a 3 linked planar manipulator and experimental studies on an Adept 3, an SCARA type robotic manipulator, are conducted to verify the force tracking capability of the proposed control strategy.

Adaptive Fuzzy Backstepping Tracking Control for Flexible Robotic Manipulator

In this paper,an adaptive fuzzy state feedback control method is proposed for the single-link robotic manipulator system.The considered system contains unknown nonlinearfunction and actuator saturation.Fuzzy logic systems(FLSs)and a smooth function are used to approximate the unknownnonlinearities and the actuator saturation,respectively.By com-bining the command-filter technique with the backsteppingdesign algorithm,a novel adaptive fuuzy tracking backsteppingcontrol method is developed.It is proved that the adaptive fuuzycontrol scheme can guarantee that all the variables in the closed-loop system are bounded,and the system output can track thegiven reference signal as close as possible.Simulation results areprovided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Neural-network-based two-loop control of robotic manipulators including actuator dynamics in task space

A neural-network-based motion controller in task space is presented in this paper. The proposed controller is addressed as a two-loop cascade control scheme. The outer loop is given by kinematic control in the task space. It provides a joint velocity reference signal to the inner one. The inner loop implements a velocity servo loop at the robot joint level. A radial basis function network （RBFN） is integrated with proportional-integral （PI） control to construct a velocity tracking control scheme for the inner loop. Finally, a prototype technology based control system is designed for a robotic manipulator. The proposed control scheme is applied to the robotic manipulator. Experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed control scheme by comparing it with other control strategies.

Wavelet network solution for the inverse kinematics problem in robotic manipulator

Wavelet network, a class of neural network consisting of wavelets, is proposed to solve the inverse kinematics problem in robotic manipulator. A wavelet network suitable for dealing with multi-input and multi-output system is constructed. The network is optimized by reducing the number of wavelets handling large dimension problem according to the sample data. The algorithms for sparseness analysis of input data and fitting wavelets to the output data with orthogonal method are introduced. Then Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is used to train the network. Simulation results showed that this method is capable of solving the inverse kinematics problem for PUMA560.

ANALYTICAL MODEL ALGORITHM FOR DYNAMICS OF ROBOTIC MANIPULATORS

A simple analytical model method for dynamics of robotic manipulators is proposed.Problem of deriving model matrix elements is transformed into problem of solving for driving forceand driving torque under specified condition by recursive dynamic equations. Expressions of reaction force in arbitrary joint in numeric-symbolic form are also derived. The properties of modelmatrices are given. Corresponding software which can recognize and manipulate symbols is developed and can be used to generate model and real-time code of robotic dynamics.

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.

Takagi–Sugeno Fuzzy Modeling and Control for Effective Robotic Manipulator Motion

Robotic manipulators are widely used in applications that require fast and precise motion.Such devices,however,are prompt to nonlinear control issues due to the flexibility in joints and the friction in the motors within the dynamics of their rigid part.To address these issues,the Linear Matrix Inequalities(LMIs)and Parallel Distributed Compensation(PDC)approaches are implemented in the Takagy–Sugeno Fuzzy Model(T-SFM).We propose the following methodology;initially,the state space equations of the nonlinear manipulator model are derived.Next,a Takagy–Sugeno Fuzzy Model(T-SFM)technique is used for linearizing the state space equations of the nonlinear manipulator.The T-SFM controller is developed using the Parallel Distributed Compensation(PDC)method.The prime concept of the designed controller is to compensate for all the fuzzy rules.Furthermore,the Linear Matrix Inequalities(LMIs)are applied to generate adequate cases to ensure stability and control.Convex programming methods are applied to solve the developed LMIs problems.Simulations developed for the proposed model show that the proposed controller stabilized the system with zero tracking error in less than 1.5 s.

Fuzzy Logic Control of a Robotic Manipulator for Obstacles Avoidance

This work presents a Fuzzy Logic Controller （FLC） assigned to control a robotic arm motion while avoiding the obstacles that may face the robotic arm in its movement from the initial point to the final point in an optimized manner, in addition to avoid the singularity phenomenon, and without any exceeding of the physical constraints of the robot arm. A real platform （5 DOF ＂Degree Of Freedom＂ Lab Volt 5150 Robotic Arm） is used to carry this work practically, in addition to providing it by a vision sensor, where a new approach is proposed to inspect the robot work environment using a designed integrated MATLAB program having the ability to recognize the changeable locations of each of the robotic arm＇s end-effector, the goal, and the multi existed obstacles through a recorded film taken by a webcam, then these information will be treated using the FLC where its outputs represent the values that must be delivered to the robot to adopt them in its next steps till reaching to the goal in collision-free movements. The experimental results showed that the developed robotic ann travels successfully from Start to Goal where a high percentage of accuracy in arriving to Goal was achieved, and without colliding with any obstacle ensuring the harmonization between the theoretical part and the experimental part in achieving the best results of controlling the robotic arm＇s motion.

Development of a Stereo Vision-based Pick and Place System for Robotic Manipulators

Conventional robotic manipulators consist of touch and vision sensors in order to pick and place differently shaped objects.Due to the technology development and degrading sensors over a long period,the stereo vision technique has become a promising alternative.In this study,a low-cost stereo vision-based system,and a gripper to be placed at the end of the robot arm(Fanuc M10 iA/12)are developed for position and orientation estimation of robotic manipulators to pick and place different shaped objects.The stereo vision system developed in this research is used to estimate the position(X,Y,Z),orientation(P_(y))of the Center of Volume of four standard objects(cube,cuboid,cylinder,and sphere)whereas the robot arm with the gripper is used to mechanically pick and place the objects.The stereo vision system is placed on the movable robot arm,and it consists of two cameras to capture two 2D views of a stationary object to derive 3D depth information in 3D space.Moreover,a graphical user interface is developed to train a linear regression model,live predict the coordinates of the objects,and check the accuracy of the predicted data.The graphical user interface can also send predicted coordinates and angles to the gripper and the robot arm.The project is facilitated with python programming language modules and image processing techniques.Identification of the stationary object and estimation of its coordinates is done using image processing techniques.The final product can be identified as a device that converts conventional robot arms without an image processing vision system into a highly precise and accurate robot arm with an image processing vision system.Experimental studies are performed to test the efficiency and effectiveness of used techniques and the gripper prototype.Necessary actions are taken to minimize the errors in position and orientation estimation.In addition,as a future implementation,an embedded system will be developed with a user-friendly software interface to install the vision system into the Fanuc M10 iA/12 robot arm and will upgrade the system to a device that can be implemented with any kind of customized robot arms available in the industry.

Kinect-Based Humanoid Robotic Manipulator for Human Upper Limbs Movements Tracking

This paper presents a humanoid robotic arms controlled by tracking the human skeleton movement in real-time using Kinect upper limbbody tracking. Using Kinect tracking algorithm, the positions of upper limb arms of the body to the wrist in 3D space can be estimated by processing depth images from the Kinect. An extraction of 3D co-ordinates of the user’s both arm in real-time then Arduino microcontroller is transferring the data between both of computer and the humanoid robotic arm. This method provides a way to send movement task to the humanoid robotic manipulator instead of sending the end position motion like gesture-based approaches and this method has been tested in detect, tracking and following the movement of human skeleton gesture. Designing complete prototype of a humanoid robotic arms with 4DOF three joints in shoulder and one elbow joint to the wrist that look like the Human arm Structure, Appearance and Action that represent human arm movement performed by the humanoid robotic arm. The error was and response time result generated is small (less than 4.6% and 105 ms).

A Set of Globally Stable N-PID Regulators for Robotic Manipulators

This paper deals with the position control of robot manipulators with uncertain and varying-time payload. Proposed is a set of novel N-PID regulators consisting of a linear combination of the proportional control mode, derivative control mode, nonlinear control mode shaped by a nonlinear function of position errors, linear integral control mode driven by differential feedback, and nonlinear integral control mode driven by a nonlinear function of position errors. By using Lyapunov’s direct method and LaSalle’s invariance principle, the simple explicit conditions on the regulator gains to ensure global asymptotic stability are provided. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that: an attractive feature of our scheme is that N-PID regulators with asymptotic stable integral actions have the faster convergence, better flexibility and stronger robustness with respect to uncertain and varying-time payload, and then the optimum response can be achieved by a set of control parameters in the whole control domain, even under the case that the payload is changed abruptly.

FUZZY ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF FLEXIBLE-LINK ROBOT MANIPULATOR

A fuzzy adaptive control method is proposed for a flexible robot manipulator. Due to the structure characteristics of the flexible manipulator, the vibration modes must be controlled to realize the high-precision tip position. The Lagrangian principle is utilized to model the dynamic function of the single-degree flexible manipulator incorporating the assumed modes method. Simulation results of the fuzzy adaptive control method in the location control and the trajectory tracking with different tip disturbances are presented and compared with the results of the classic PD control. It shows that the controller can obtain the stable and robust performance.

NEW APPROACHES FOR COMPUTING DYNAMIC LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY OF MULTIPLE COOPERATING ROBOTIC MANIPULATORS

A novel unified method for computing the dynamic load carrying capacity(DLCC) of multiple cooperating robotic manipulators is developed.In this method,the kinematic constraints and the governing dynamic equations of the multiple robot system are formulated in the joint space by using the method of transference of dependence from one set of generalized coordinates to another,and the virtual work principle,which includes the readily available dynamics and joint torques of individual manipulators,and the dynamic of payload.Based on this dynamic model,the upper limit of the DLCC at any points on a given trajectory is obtained by solving a small size linear programming problem.This method is conceptually straightforward,and it is applicable also to the cases of multi fingered robot hands and multi legged walking machines.

A Decentralized Autonomous Control on Highly Redundant Robot Manipulators

The control method of highly redundant robot manipulators is introduced. A decentralized autonomous control scheme is used to guide the movement of robot manipulators so that the work done by manipulators is minimized. The method of computing pseudoinverse which needs too many complicated calculation can be avoided. Then the calculation and control of robots are simplified. At the same time system robustness/fault tolerance is achieved.

ADAPTIVE FUZZY CONTROL FOR ROBOT ARM MANIPULATOR WITH 5-DOF

To control the robot and track the designed trajectory with uncertain disturbances in a specified precision range, an adaptive fuzzy control scheme for the robot arm manipulator is discussed. The controller output error method （COEM） is used to design the adaptive fuzzy controller. A few or all of the parameters of the controller are adjusted by using the gradient descent algorithm to minimize the output error. COEM is adopted in the adaptive control system for the robot arm manipulator with 5-DOF. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the method and the real time adjustment of the parameters.

Dynamic analysis, simulation, and control of a 6-DOF IRB-120 robot manipulator using sliding mode control and boundary layer method

Because of its ease of implementation,a linear PID controller is generally used to control robotic manipulators.Linear controllers cannot effectively cope with uncertainties and variations in the parameters;therefore,nonlinear controllers with robust performance which can cope with these are recommended.The sliding mode control(SMC)is a robust state feedback control method for nonlinear systems that,in addition having a simple design,efficiently overcomes uncertainties and disturbances in the system.It also has a very fast transient response that is desirable when controlling robotic manipulators.The most critical drawback to SMC is chattering in the control input signal.To solve this problem,in this study,SMC is used with a boundary layer(SMCBL)to eliminate the chattering and improve the performance of the system.The proposed SMCBL was compared with inverse dynamic control(IDC),a conventional nonlinear control method.The kinematic and dynamic equations of the IRB-120 robot manipulator were initially extracted completely and accurately,and then the control of the robot manipulator using SMC was evaluated.For validation,the proposed control method was implemented on a 6-DOF IRB-120 robot manipulator in the presence of uncertainties.The results were simulated,tested,and compared in the MATLAB/Simulink environment.To further validate our work,the results were tested and confirmed experimentally on an actual IRB-120 robot manipulator.