Experimental comparison of parameter estimation methods in adaptive robot control

In the literature on adaptive robot control a large variety of parameter estimation methods have been proposed, ranging from tracking-error-driven gradient methods to combined tracking- and prediction-error-driven least-squares type adaptation methods. This paper presents experimental data from a comparative study between these adaptation methods, performed on a two-degrees-of-freedom robot manipulator. Our results show that the prediction error concept is sensitive to unavoidable model uncertainties. We also demonstrate empirically the fast convergence properties of least-squares adaptation relative to gradient approaches. However, in view of the noise sensitivity of the least-squares method, the marginal performance benefits, and the computational burden, we (cautiously) conclude that the tracking-error driven gradient method is preferred for parameter adaptation in robotic applications

An addendum on "Robust control of robots by the computed torque method"

We reinterprete and improve recent results on robust control of robots by the computed method. The methods and ideas used are inspired by `passivity based¿ control methods for robot manipulators and lead to a significant increase in freedom of controller implementation, thereby providing more flexibility to the designer of robot control systems

Input to State Stability of Bipedal Walking Robots: Application to DURUS

Bipedal robots are a prime example of systems which exhibit highly nonlinear dynamics, underactuation, and undergo complex dissipative impacts. This paper discusses methods used to overcome a wide variety of uncertainties, with the end result being stable bipedal walking. The principal contribution of this paper is to establish sufficiency conditions for yielding input to state stable (ISS) hybrid periodic orbits, i.e., stable walking gaits under model-based and phase-based uncertainties. In particular, it will be shown formally that exponential input to state stabilization (e-ISS) of the continuous dynamics, and hybrid invariance conditions are enough to realize stable walking in the 23-DOF bipedal robot DURUS. This main result will be supported through successful and sustained walking of the bipedal robot DURUS in a laboratory environment.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure

Global Saturated Regulator with Variable Gains for Robot Manipulators

In this paper, we propose a set of saturated controllers with variable gains to solve the regulation problem for robot manipulators in joint space. These control schemes deliver torques inside the prescribed limits of servomotors. The gamma of variable gains is formed by continuous, smooth, and differentiable functions of the joint position error and velocity of the manipulator. A strict Lyapunov function is proposed to demonstrate globally asymptotic stability of the closed-loop equilibrium point. Finally, the functionality and performance of the proposal are illustrated via simulation results and comparative analysis against Proportional-Derivative (PD) control scheme on a two-degrees-freedom direct-drive robot manipulator

Robust tuning of robot control systems

The computed torque control problem is examined for a robot arm with flexible, geared, joint drive systems which are typical in many industrial robots. The standard computed torque algorithm is not directly applicable to this class of manipulators because of the dynamics introduced by the joint drive system. The proposed approach to computed torque control combines a computed torque algorithm with torque controller at each joint. Three such control schemes are proposed. The first scheme uses the joint torque control system currently implemented on the robot arm and a novel form of the computed torque algorithm. The other two use the standard computed torque algorithm and a novel model following torque control system based on model following techniques. Standard tasks and performance indices are used to evaluate the performance of the controllers. Both numerical simulations and experiments are used in evaluation. The study shows that all three proposed systems lead to improved tracking performance over a conventional PD controller

Design of Adaptive Switching Controller for Robotic Manipulators with Disturbance

Two adaptive switching control strategies are proposed for the trajectory tracking problem of robotic manipulator in this paper. The first scheme is designed for the supremum of the bounded disturbance for robot manipulator being known; while the supremum is not known, the second scheme is proposed. Each proposed scheme consists of an adaptive switching law and a PD controller. Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem, it is shown that two new schemes can guarantee tracking performance of the robotic manipulator and be adapted to the alternating unknown loads. Simulations for two-link robotic manipulator are carried out and show that the two schemes can avoid the overlarge input torque, and the feasibility and validity of the proposed control schemes are proved

Neograničeni regulatori s promijenjivim pojačanjem za upravljanje robotskim manipulatorima s direktnim pogonom

This paper addresses the position-control problem with variable gains for robot manipulators. We present a new regulator based on a hyperbolic-sine structure with tuning rules for control gains. It is demonstrated that the equilibrium point of the closed-loop system is globally, asymptotically stable according to Lyapunov theory. By using a similar methodology, this concept can be extended to other unbounded controllers such as PD and PID. In order to show the usefulness of the proposed scheme and with the purpose of validating its asymptotical stability property, an experimental comparison involving constant gains controllers, for example: simple PD, PID and hyperbolic-tangent schemes vs variable-gains hyperbolic-sine and PD control schemes, was performed by using a three degree-of-freedom, direct-drive robot manipulator.Ovaj rad se bavi problemom kontrole pozicije s promjenjivim pojačanjem robotskog manipulatora. U radu je predstavljen novi regulator baziran na hiperbolično-sinusnoj stukturi s pravilima ugađanja upravljačkih pojačanja. Pokazano je da je točka ravnoteže sustava u zatvorenoj petlji globalno i asimptotski stabilna prema Lzapunovljevoj teoriji stabilnosti. Korištenjem slilčne metodologije, predstavljeni koncept se može primijeniti na ostale neograničene kontrolere, npr. PD i PID. Kako bi pokazali korisnost predložene sheme i s ciljem provjere asimptotske stabilnosti, provedena je eksperimentalna usporedba između kontolera s konstantnim pojačanjem (npr. jednostavni PD, PID i hiperbolični-tangencijalna shema) i hiperbolično-sinusnih i PD upravljačkih shema s promjenjivim pojačanjem korištenjem robotskog manipulatora s direktnim pogonom i tri stupnja slobode