Inferred end-point control of long reach manipulators

The problem of the end-point control of long reach manipulator systems, consisting of a dexterous manipulator carried by deployable structures, is addressed. Such systems can be important where a manipulator must perform a task in a difficult to reach location. Power line maintenance systems and the Space Station Freedom's external maintenance robot are examples. Their supporting deployable structures can exhibit substantial vibrations, making the system very difficult to control. Here, a sensor based control algorithm, called inferred end-point control is proposed. Simulation and experimental results show that it yields stable and accurate manipulator end-effector positioning control despite of vibrations of the system's supporting structure using easily obtained strain measurements.

Authors

• Constantinos Mavroidis
• P. Rowe
• Steven Dubowsky

Keywords

• Manipulators
• Control systems
• Vibration control
• Space stations
• Robot sensing systems
• Orbital robotics
• Strain control
• Vibration measurement
• Strain measurement
• Endpoint Control
• Use Of Systems
• Control Problem
• Power Line
• Strain Measurements
• Space Station
• End-effector Position
• Dexterous Manipulation
• Degrees Of Freedom
• Structural Flexibility
• Cm In Length
• Interaction Forces
• Reference System
• Position Vector
• Jacobian Matrix
• Euler Angles
• Large Motion
• Cartesian Space
• Motion-based
• Vibrational Structure
• Virtual Force
• Cartesian Position
• Inertial Navigation
• Velocity Error
• Joint Torque
• Use Of Motion
• Ultrasonic Sensors
• Unstructured Environments
• Degree Of Motion
• Flexible Use