Dynamics and control of flexible manipulators

Flexible link manipulators (FLM) are well-known for their light mass and small energy consumption compared to rigid link manipulators (RLM). These advantages of FLM are even of greater importance in applications where energy efficiency is crucial, such as in space applications. However, RLM are still preferred over FLM for industrial applications. This is due to the fact that the reliability and predictability of the performance of FLM are not yet as good as those of RLM. The major cause for these drawbacks is link flexibility, which not only makes the dynamic modeling of FLM very challenging, but also turns its end-effector trajectory tracking (EETT) into a complicated control problem. The major objectives of the research undertaken in this project were to develop a dynamic model for a FLM and model-based controllers for the EETT. Therefore, the dynamic model of FLM was first derived. This dynamic model was then used to develop the EETT controllers. A dynamic model of a FLM was derived by means of a novel method using the dynamic model of a single flexible link manipulator on a moving base (SFLMB). The computational efficiency of this method is among its novelties. To obtain the dynamic model, the Lagrange method was adopted. Derivation of the kinetic energy and the calculation of the corresponding derivatives, which are required in the Lagrange method, are complex for the FLM. The new method introduced in this thesis alleviated these complexities by calculating the kinetic energy and the required derivatives only for a SFLMB, which were much simpler than those of the FLM. To verify the derived dynamic model the simulation results for a two-link manipulator, with both links being flexible, were compared with those of full nonlinear finite element analysis. These comparisons showed sound agreement. A new controller for EETT of FLM, which used the singularly perturbed form of the dynamic model and the integral manifold concept, was developed. By using the integral manifold concept the links’ lateral deflections were approximately represented in terms of the rotations of the links and input torques. Therefore the end-effector displacement, which was composed of the rotations of the links and links’ lateral deflections, was expressed in terms of the rotations of the links and input torques. The input torques were then selected to reduce the EETT error. The originalities of this controller, which was based on the singularly perturbed form of the dynamic model of FLM, are: (1) it is easy and computationally efficient to implement, and (2) it does not require the time derivative of links’ lateral deflections, which are impractical to measure. The ease and computational efficiency of the new controller were due to the use of the several properties of the dynamic model of the FLM. This controller was first employed for the EETT of a single flexible link manipulator (SFLM) with a linear model. The novel controller was then extended for the EETT of a class of flexible link manipulators, which were composed of a chain of rigid links with only a flexible end-link (CRFE). Finally it was used for the EETT of a FLM with all links being flexible. The simulation results showed the effectiveness of the new controller. These simulations were conducted on a SFLM, a CRFE (with the first link being rigid and second link being flexible) and finally a two-link manipulator, with both links being flexible. Moreover, the feasibility of the new controller proposed in this thesis was verified by experimental studies carried out using the equipment available in the newly established Robotic Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan. The experimental verifications were performed on a SFLM and a two-link manipulator, with first link being rigid and second link being flexible.Another new controller was also introduced in this thesis for the EETT of single flexible link manipulators with the linear dynamic model. This controller combined the feedforward torque, which was required to move the end-effector along the desired path, with a feedback controller. The novelty of this EETT controller was in developing a new method for the derivation of the feedforward torque. The feedforward torque was obtained by redefining the desired end-effector trajectory. For the end-effector trajectory redefinition, the summation of the stable exponential functions was used. Simulation studies showed the effectiveness of this new controller. Its feasibility was also proven by experimental verification carried out in the Robotic Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan

Modeling and Control of Flexible Link Manipulators

Autonomous maritime navigation and offshore operations have gained wide attention with the aim of reducing operational costs and increasing reliability and safety. Offshore operations, such as wind farm inspection, sea farm cleaning, and ship mooring, could be carried out autonomously or semi-autonomously by mounting one or more long-reach robots on the ship/vessel. In addition to offshore applications, long-reach manipulators can be used in many other engineering applications such as construction automation, aerospace industry, and space research. Some applications require the design of long and slender mechanical structures, which possess some degrees of flexibility and deflections because of the material used and the length of the links. The link elasticity causes deflection leading to problems in precise position control of the end-effector. So, it is necessary to compensate for the deflection of the long-reach arm to fully utilize the long-reach lightweight flexible manipulators. This thesis aims at presenting a unified understanding of modeling, control, and application of long-reach flexible manipulators. State-of-the-art dynamic modeling techniques and control schemes of the flexible link manipulators (FLMs) are discussed along with their merits, limitations, and challenges. The kinematics and dynamics of a planar multi-link flexible manipulator are presented. The effects of robot configuration and payload on the mode shapes and eigenfrequencies of the flexible links are discussed. A method to estimate and compensate for the static deflection of the multi-link flexible manipulators under gravity is proposed and experimentally validated. The redundant degree of freedom of the planar multi-link flexible manipulator is exploited to minimize vibrations. The application of a long-reach arm in autonomous mooring operation based on sensor fusion using camera and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data is proposed.publishedVersio

TIP trajectory tracking of flexible-joint manipulators

In most robot applications, the control of the manipulator’s end-effector along a specified desired trajectory is the main concern. In these applications, the end-effector (tip) of the manipulator is required to follow a given trajectory. Several methods have been so far proposed for the motion control of robot manipulators. However, most of these control methods ignore either joint friction or joint elasticity which can be caused by the transmission systems (e.g. belts and gearboxes). This study aims at development of a comprehensive control strategy for the tip-trajectory tracking of flexible-joint robot manipulators. While the proposed control strategy takes into account the effect of the friction and the elasticity in the joints, it also provides a highly accurate motion for the manipulator’s end-effector. During this study several approaches have been developed, implemented and verified experimentally/numerically for the tip trajectory tracking of robot manipulators. To compensate for the elasticity of the joints two methods have been proposed; they are a composite controller whose design is based on the singular perturbation theory and integral manifold concept, and a swarm controller which is a novel biologically-inspired controller and its concept is inspired by the movement of real biological systems such as flocks of birds and schools of fishes. To compensate for the friction in the joints two new approaches have been also introduced. They are a composite compensation strategy which consists of the non-linear dynamic LuGre model and a Proportional-Derivative (PD) compensator, and a novel friction compensation method whose design is based on the Work-Energy principle. Each of these proposed controllers has some advantages and drawbacks, and hence, depending on the application of the robot manipulator, they can be employed. For instance, the Work-Energy method has a simpler form than the LuGre-PD compensator and can be easily implemented in industrial applications, yet it provides less accuracy in friction compensation. In addition to design and develop new controllers for flexible-joint manipulators, another contribution of this work lays in the experimental verification of the proposed control strategies. For this purpose, experimental setups of a two-rigid-link flexible-joint and a single-rigid-link flexible-joint manipulators have been employed. The proposed controllers have been experimentally tested for different trajectories, velocities and several flexibilities of the joints. This ensures that the controllers are able to perform effectively at different trajectories and speeds. Besides developing control strategies for the flexible-joint manipulators, dynamic modeling and vibration suppression of flexible-link manipulators are other parts of this study. To derive dynamic equations for the flexible-link flexible-joint manipulators, the Lagrange method is used. The simulation results from Lagrange method are then confirmed by the finite element analysis (FEA) for different trajectories. To suppress the vibration of flexible manipulators during the manoeuvre, a collocated sensor-actuator is utilized, and a proportional control method is employed to adjust the voltage applied to the piezoelectric actuator. Based on the controllability of the states and using FEA, the optimum location of the piezoelectric along the manipulator is found. The effect of the controller’s gain and the delay between the input and output of the controller are also analyzed through a stability analysis

Stratégie de commande distribuée pour les manipulateurs rigides et flexibles assurant la stabilité des erreurs de suivi de trajectoires

Cette thèse de doctorat propose et valide expérimentalement une nouvelle stratégie de commande distribuée pour les manipulateurs rigides et flexibles assurant le suivi de trajectoires dans l’espace articulaire et cartésien. Cette stratégie est développée, dans un premier temps, pour les manipulateurs rigides. Ensuite, elle est modifiée pour prendre en compte la flexibilité des bras au niveau des manipulateurs flexibles. Dans le cas des manipulateurs rigides, cette stratégie est utilisée pour assurer un bon suivi de trajectoires dans l’espace de travail. Dans le cas où les paramètres du système sont parfaitement connus, une stratégie de commande distribuée est utilisée. Cette stratégie de commande décompose, dans un premier temps, la dynamique du manipulateur en plusieurs sous-systèmes non linéaires interconnectés. Chaque sous-système représente une articulation. Ensuite, la commande distribuée consiste à contrôler le manipulateur en commençant par la dernière articulation (sous-système) toute en supposant que le reste des articulations est stable. La même procédure est utilisée au rebours jusqu’à la première articulation. Dans le cas où les paramètres du système ne sont pas connus, une commande adaptative est développée. Dans ce contexte, la commande distribuée et adaptative peut être interprétée comme étant une commande hiérarchique. En effet, les paramètres inconnus, existant dans l’équation de mouvement du dernier sous-système, sont tout d’abord estimés et la loi de commande est ainsi déduite en fonction de ces paramètres. Puis, passant à l’avant-dernier sous-système, la loi de commande est développée en fonction de leurs propres paramètres estimés, existant dans l’équation de mouvement de l’avant-dernière articulation, et les paramètres estimés du sous-système de niveau supérieur. La même stratégie est utilisée à contresens jusqu’au premier sous-système. L’approche de Lyapunov est utilisée pour prouver la stabilité globale des erreurs de suivi. Les deux lois de commande sont validées expérimentalement sur un manipulateur rigide à 7 ddl et elles montrent un bon suivi dans l’espace articulaire et cartésien. Dans le cas des manipulateurs flexibles, cette stratégie est modifiée et étendue pour assurer un bon suivi de trajectoires dans l’espace articulaire et, en même temps, minimiser les vibrations au niveau des bras flexibles. Donc, en plus de l’objectif de suivi de trajectoire utilisée dans le cas des manipulateurs flexibles, la stratégie de commande doit assurer la déformation bornée et minimiser les vibrations des bras flexibles. Au contraire des manipulateurs rigide, les manipulateurs flexibles sont des systèmes sous-actionnés, c’est-à-dire ils possèdent plus de degrés de liberté que d’entrées de commande. Dans ce cas, chaque sous-système est composé d’une articulation et le bras flexible associé. Dans le cas où les paramètres du manipulateur sont parfaitement connus, une commande distribuée est développée pour assurer la stabilité des erreurs de suivi dans l’espace articulaire et réduire les vibrations des bras flexibles. Cette stratégie consiste à commander et stabiliser la dernière articulation ainsi que le dernier bras flexible en supposant que le reste des sous-systèmes sont stables. Puis, passons aux contrôle et stabilité de l’avant-dernier sous–système de la même façon. Cette démarche est suivie, au rebours, jusqu'au premier sous-système. Sa version adaptative, dite « hiérarchique », est également développée. La stabilité globale est prouvée en utilisant l’approche de Lyapunov. La validation expérimentale des deux lois de commande sur un manipulateur flexible à 2 ddl montre un bon suivi de trajectoires dans l’espace articulaire et des vibrations minimales au niveau des bras flexibles. Dans le cas de suivi de trajectoires dans l’espace de travail des manipulateurs flexibles, la cinématique inverse, utilisée pour les manipulateurs rigides, n’est plus suffisante pour transformer les trajectoires désirées de l’espace de travail vers l’espace articulaire. En plus d’une relation cinématique, il existe une relation dynamique entre l’espace de travail et articulaire. Pour résoudre ce problème, un espace intermédiaire, nommé « virtuel » et la méthode quasi-statique sont utilisés. En effet, la cinématique inverse est utilisée pour transformer la trajectoire désirée de l’espace de travail vers l’espace virtuel tandis que l'approche quasi-statique est utilisée pour le passage de l'espace virtuel à l'espace articulaire. Lors du contrôle direct de l’extrémité, les manipulateurs flexibles deviennent des systèmes à non minimum de phase et la dynamique interne n'est plus bornée. Pour surmonter ce problème, la technique de la redéfinition de sortie est utilisée pour sélectionner une sortie la plus proche possible de l'extrémité assurant une dynamique interne bornée. Cette sortie est composée de la position angulaire plus une valeur pondérée de la déformation de l’extrémité du bras flexible. Une étude de stabilité de la dynamique interne (ou dynamique des zéros) en utilisant la passivité est utilisée pour déterminer la valeur critique du paramètre caractérisant cette sortie paramétrisée. Deux lois de commande sont développées pour un robot à deux bras flexibles. La première loi de commande basée sur l’approche de linéarisation par retour d’état assure juste la stabilité locale des erreurs de suivi. La deuxième loi de commande constitue une généralisation pour assurer la stabilité globale de la dynamique des erreurs de suivi. Ces deux algorithmes sont testés sur un robot à deux bras flexibles et montrent un bon suivi de trajectoires dans l’espace de travail

Nonlinear control for Two-Link flexible manipulator

Recently the use of robot manipulators has been increasing in many applications such as medical applications, automobile, construction, manufacturing, military, space, etc. However, current rigid manipulators have high inertia and use actuators with large energy consumption. Moreover, rigid manipulators are slow and have low payload-to arm-mass ratios because link deformation is not allowed. The main advantages of flexible manipulators over rigid manipulators are light in weight, higher speed of operation, larger workspace, smaller actuator, lower energy consumption and lower cost. However, there is no adequate closed-form solutions exist for flexible manipulators. This is mainly because flexible dynamics are modeled with partial differential equations, which give rise to infinite dimensional dynamical systems that are, in general, not possible to represent exactly or efficiently on a computer which makes modeling a challenging task. In addition, if flexibility nature wasn\u27t considered, there will be calculation errors in the calculated torque requirement for the motors and in the calculated position of the end-effecter. As for the control task, it is considered as a complex task since flexible manipulators are non-minimum phase system, under-actuated system and Multi-Input/Multi-Output (MIMO) nonlinear system. This thesis focuses on the development of dynamic formulation model and three control techniques aiming to achieve accurate position control and improving dynamic stability for Two-Link Flexible Manipulators (TLFMs). LQR controller is designed based on the linearized model of the TLFM; however, it is applied on both linearized and nonlinear models. In addition to LQR, Backstepping and Sliding mode controllers are designed as nonlinear control approaches and applied on both the nonlinear model of the TLFM and the physical system. The three developed control techniques are tested through simulation based on the developed dynamic formulation model using MATLAB/SIMULINK. Stability and performance analysis were conducted and tuned to obtain the best results. Then, the performance and stability results obtained through simulation are compared. Finally, the developed control techniques were implemented and analyzed on the 2-DOF Serial Flexible Link Robot experimental system from Quanser and the results are illustrated and compared with that obtained through simulation

Fuzzy PD control of an optically guided long reach robot

This thesis describes the investigation and development of a fuzzy controller for a manipulator with a single flexible link. The novelty of this research is due to the fact that the controller devised is suitable for flexible link manipulators with a round cross section. Previous research has concentrated on control of flexible slender structures that are relatively easier to model as the vibration effects of torsion can be ignored. Further novelty arises due to the fact that this is the first instance of the application of fuzzy control in the optical Tip Feedback Sensor (TFS) based configuration. A design methodology has been investigated to develop a fuzzy controller suitable for application in a safety critical environment such as the nuclear industry. This methodology provides justification for all the parameters of the fuzzy controller including membership fUllctions, inference and defuzzification techniques and the operators used in the algorithm. Using the novel modified phase plane method investigated in this thesis, it is shown that the derivation of complete, consistent and non-interactive rules can be achieved. This methodology was successfully applied to the derivation of fuzzy rules even when the arm was subjected to different payloads. The design approach, that targeted real-time embedded control applicat.ions from the outset, results in a controller implementation that is suitable for cheaper CPU constrained and memory challenged embedded processors. The controller comprises of a fuzzy supervisor that is used to alter the derivative term of a linear classical Proportional + Derivative (PD) controller. The derivative term is updated in relation to the measured tip error and its derivative obtained through the TFS based configuration. It is shown that by adding 'intelligence' to the control loop in this way, the performance envelope of the classical controller can be enhanced. A 128% increase in payload, 73.5% faster settling time and a reduction of steady state of over 50% is achieved using fuzzy control over its classical counterpart

Intelligent control of nonlinear systems with actuator saturation using neural networks

Common actuator nonlinearities such as saturation, deadzone, backlash, and hysteresis are unavoidable in practical industrial control systems, such as computer numerical control (CNC) machines, xy-positioning tables, robot manipulators, overhead crane mechanisms, and more. When the actuator nonlinearities exist in control systems, they may exhibit relatively large steady-state tracking error or even oscillations, cause the closed-loop system instability, and degrade the overall system performance. Proportional-derivative (PD) controller has observed limit cycles if the actuator nonlinearity is not compensated well. The problems are particularly exacerbated when the required accuracy is high, as in micropositioning devices. Due to the non-analytic nature of the actuator nonlinear dynamics and the fact that the exact actuator nonlinear functions, namely operation uncertainty, are unknown, the saturation compensation research is a challenging and important topic with both theoretical and practical significance. Adaptive control can accommodate the system modeling, parametric, and environmental structural uncertainties. With the universal approximating property and learning capability of neural network (NN), it is appealing to develop adaptive NN-based saturation compensation scheme without explicit knowledge of actuator saturation nonlinearity. In this dissertation, intelligent anti-windup saturation compensation schemes in several scenarios of nonlinear systems are investigated. The nonlinear systems studied within this dissertation include the general nonlinear system in Brunovsky canonical form, a second order multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear system such as a robot manipulator, and an underactuated system-flexible robot system. The abovementioned methods assume the full states information is measurable and completely known. During the NN-based control law development, the imposed actuator saturation is assumed to be unknown and treated as the system input disturbance. The schemes that lead to stability, command following and disturbance rejection is rigorously proved, and verified using the nonlinear system models. On-line NN weights tuning law, the overall closed-loop performance, and the boundedness of the NN weights are rigorously derived and guaranteed based on Lyapunov approach. The NN saturation compensator is inserted into a feedforward path. The simulation conducted indicates that the proposed schemes can effectively compensate for the saturation nonlinearity in the presence of system uncertainty

High order sliding mode control of a flexible-link robot arm

Ucunda yük bulunan bir Esnek-Mafsallı Robot Kol (EMRK) hareket kontrolu için Kayma Kipli Kontrol (KKK) ve Yüksek Dereceli Kayma Kipli Kontrol (YDKKK) yöntemleri uygulanmıştır. Esnek kolun istenen bir noktada konumlandırma ve yörünge izleme kontrolu için KKK ve 2nci dereceden YDKKK (2-YDKKK) yöntemleri kullanılarak kontrol algoritmaları türetilmiştir. 1-SD (Serbestlik Dereceli) esnek mafsallı robot kolun hassas hareket kontrolu problemi, özellikle hafif ve esnek yapısı ile matematiksel modelinde yer alan şekil kipleri dikkate alındığında; aşırı doğrusal olmayan ve ayrışmayan dinamik denklemleri ile kontrol alanında oldukça zorlayıcı bir çalışma konusudur. Doğrudan Tahrikli (DT) eklem motoruna sahip EMRK çalışma esnasında oluşan esneme, titreşimler ve farklı kütlelere sahip uç yükü ile birlikte hareket kontrolunun sadece eklem motoruna uygula-nabilen kontrol işareti ile sağlandığı düşünülürse yüksek performanslı kontrolör gerektirdiği açıktır. Dayanıklı kontrol yöntemlerinden, sistem belirsizliklerine karşı etkili ve sistem parametre deği-şimlerinden bağımsız olan KKK yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Yöntemin olumsuzluğu olan çatırtı problemi ise 2-YDKKK yöntemi ile türetilen kontrolör ile giderilmeye çalışılmıştır. Her iki yöntemin deneysel olarak karşılaştırılması ve kontrolörlerin gerçeklenmesi bir Donanımlı Simülatör (Dsim) kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Donanımlı simülatör donanım ve yazılıma sahiptir. Dsim de bulunan donanımlar gerçek sistemin önemli bölümlerini içerir. Bu nedenle doğrudan tahrikli iki motor Dsim de yer almaktadır ve millerinden birbirine akuple bağlanmışlardır. Bu sistemle yapılan deneysel çalışmalara göre 2-YDKKK yönteminin KKK yöntemine göre EMRK hareket kontrolunda daha etkili olduğu gö-rülmüştür. Kontrolörlerin doğrudan tahrikli motor moment salınımlarını bastırmadaki etkinliği harmonik analizi ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kayma Kipli Kontrol, Yüksek Dereceli Kayma Kipli Kontrol, Esnek-Mafsallı Robot kol, donanımlı simülatör, moment salınım analizi.In this study, Sliding Mode Control (SMC) and High Order Sliding Mode Control (HOSMC) me-thods are applied to a single Flexible Link Robot Arm (FLA) with payload. A sliding mode and high order sliding mode controllers are designed to achieve set point precision positioning control and trajectory tracking control for a FLA. Flexible robot arms have structural flexibilities and resulting high number of passive degrees-of-freedom. They cannot be decoupled due to the highly nonlinear structure. Since the flexible systems have highly nonlinear structure and coupled dynamics, the sliding mode based control approach is chosen a powerful me-thod to overcome the unmodeled and parametric uncertainties. One of the proposed controllers is 2nd order HOSMC method is compared with classical SMC method. Comparison of the methods is experimentally fulfilled using HIL simulator, and additionally torque ripple analysis is made to evaluate of the methods aspect from system harmonics. Direct drive motors are used as actuator in controlled systems. Of all system dynamics affect system harmonics via motor shaft due to the direct drive system that is no gear box. Therefore, harmonics analysis is crucial to in-vestigate of designed controllers effects on system harmonics. To precise set-point and trajectory tracking con-trol of 1-DOF DD FLA has been derived SMC and HOSMC. Sliding Mode Controllers (SMCs) have the robustness properties, while also increasing accuracy by reducing chattering effects. The performance of the designed control methods are tested for the precise position and targeting control of a 1-DOF-DD-FLA system under heavy uncertainties. Comparative results of both methods have been evaluated in real-time using a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulator designed for robotics. Especially, HIL simulator for this system includes DD motors and obtained results can be evaluated more realistically according to pure computer simulations. Additionally, torque ripples of whole system with HIL simulator have been determined and their eliminations using for both methods are introduced. HIL simulator is used to implement designed con-troller for a flexible-link arm. Direct drive joint motors are important parts of the direct drive underactuated robot manipulators. Therefore two DD motors take part in HIL simulator and couple through their shaft. One of the motors represents joint actuator, while the other motor is used for generation of the dynamics of the controlled sys-tem via the torque applied to the shaft. The two motors acting as "actuator" and "load torque simulator" are driven separately by a high per-formance controller board. HIL Simulator is ex-pressed briefly as software that is modeled control algorithm and system dynamic model via controller board is integrated with hardware. HIL simulation differs from computer simulation as it involves actual hardware and is not limited with a software-based representation of the system. Main aim is to use HIL Simulator is able to make more realistic analysis about behaviors of the system dynamics in real-time. It is over computer simulation since the simulator incorporates some of the crucial hardware of the actual system that takes part in the loop. For this purpose defined HIL simulation environment is useful to test, analysis and performance evaluation of designed controllers for unde-ractuated robot manipulators. The major contribution of this study is experimen-tal evaluation of 2nd order HOSM controller and SMC for tracking accuracy and robustness against internal and external uncertainties of DD flexible-link arm with the consideration of the full system dynamics effects. The HIL experimental results confirm and depict that the 2-HOSMC me-thod has robust and accurate performance as expected from the HOSM controllers. Additionally, torque ripples of whole system with HIL simulator have been determined and their eliminations using for both methods are introduced. According to the HIL experimental results and torque ripple analysis, using 2-HOSMC has advantages an increased accuracy over the SMC. Keywords: Sliding Mode Control, High Order Sliding Mode Control, Flexible-Link Robot Arm, Hardware in the Loop simulator, torque ripple analysis