Estimated Reaction Force-Based Bilateral Control between 3DOF Master and Hydraulic Slave Manipulators for Dismantlement

This paper proposes a novel bilateral control design based on an estimated reaction force without a force sensor for a three-degree of freedom hydraulic servo system with master–slave manipulators. The proposed method is based upon sliding mode control with sliding perturbation observer (SMCSPO) using a bilateral control environment. The sliding perturbation observer (SPO) estimates the reaction force at the end effector and second link without using any sensors. The sliding mode control (SMC) is used as a bilateral controller for the robust position tracking and control of the slave device. A bilateral control strategy in a hydraulic servo system provides robust position and force tracking between master and slave. The difference between the reaction force of the slave produced by the effect of the remote environment and the operating force applied to the master by the operator is expressed in the target impedance model. The impedance model is applied to the master and allows the operator to feel the reaction force from the environment. This research experimentally verifies that the slave device can follow the trajectory of the master device using the proposed bilateral control strategy based on the estimated reaction force. This technique will be convenient for three or more degree of freedom (DOF) hydraulic servo systems used in dismantling nuclear power plants. It is worthy to mention that a camera is used for visual feedback on the safety of the environment and workspace.