Investigating the Conditions of Automatic Assembly of Polyhedral Joints

Purpose – Providing the technological reliability of the robotic assembly of joints with RK-profile on the basis of adaptation devices and low-frequency oscillations. Design/methodology/approach – Ensuring the assembly conditions is achieved by the vibration device that provides oscillations relative to the two axes, perpendicular to the assembly direction and rotation about the assembly axis. Compensation of the linear error in the position of the parts is attained by an adaptive gripper with a flexible link. Findings – A mathematical model describing the assembly process of parts relative to the non-inertial coordinate system is developed. The technological modes of profile parts assembly are defined. Originality/value – The robotic assembly method of profile joints by the adaptation devices, namely a combination of elastic fixing of the installed profile part and the simultaneous rotation and vibration of the base part to improve the process reliability is developed. Experimental studies confirmed the adequacy of the created mathematical model. The patent for the assembly method of profile joints with a gap is received.

A numerical algorithm to find optimum parameters of a flexible-link manipulator arm for performing payload launching

PurposeThe aim of the current study is proposing a novel framework to attain the optimum value of a flexible arm manipulator parameters for payload launching missions.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed scheme is based on optimal control approach and combines direct and indirect search methods while considering the actuator capacity.FindingsThree nonlinear parameter-optimization problems will be solved to illustrate how the proposed algorithm can be exploited. Employing variational based nonlinear optimal control within the suggested framework, the answer of these problems is highly intertwined to the solution of a set of differential equations with split boundary values. To solve the obtained boundary value problem (BVP), the related solver of MATLAB® software, bvp6c, will be employed. The achieved simulation results support the worth of the developed procedure.Originality/valueFor the first time, the optimal parameters of a flexible link robot for object launching are found in the current research. In addition, the actuator saturation limits are considered which enhances the applicability of the suggested method in the real world applications.

Hybrid control of piezoelectric flexible manipulator based on Volterra filtered-xLMS algorithm

To suppress the nonlinear vibration of the flexible manipulator during motion, this article presents a hybrid control strategy based on a servo motor and a piezoelectric actuator. The dynamic model of the piezoelectric flexible manipulator is established first. To realize the trajectory tracking, a proportional derivative control method is used to schedule the control torque. Because the Volterra filter can approximate the nonlinear system model, a Volterra filtered-xLMS algorithm based on a second-order Volterra filter structure is proposed, by which the active nonlinear vibration control of flexible link is realized. Simulation results show that the proposed Volterra filtered-xLMS algorithm can not only make use of the advantages of the classical filtered-xLMS algorithm but also solve the problem of effective modeling of nonlinear secondary path. The proposed hybrid control strategy based on Volterra filtered-xLMS algorithm and proportional derivative control algorithm can improve the position accuracy of joint and effectively suppress the vibration response of the nonlinear flexible link. A piezoelectric flexible manipulator with PZT (lead zirconate titanate) sensor and actuator is designed to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed method by experiments. Experiment results demonstrate that the attenuation time of vibration response is reduced from 5 s to 1.5 s, the vibration response at the first-order frequency is reduced by 60%, and the proposed methodology has an important advantage in application of active vibration control of piezoelectric flexible manipulator.

Adaptive boundary control of a flexible-link flexible-joint manipulator under uncertainties and unknown disturbances

In this article, we consider the trajectory tracking and vibration suppression of a flexible-link flexible-joint manipulator under uncertainties and external time-varying unknown disturbances. The coupled ordinary differential equation and partial differential equation model dynamic of the system is presented by employing the Hamilton principle. Using the singular perturbation theory, the dynamic is decomposed into a no-underactuated slow ordinary differential equation and fast partial differential equation subsystem, which solves the problem of the underactuated ordinary differential equation subsystem of the ordinary differential equation and partial differential equation cascade and reduces the analytical complexity. For the slow subsystem, to guarantee the trajectory tracking of the joint, an adaptive global sliding mode controller without gain overestimation is designed, which can guarantee the global stability of the slow system and reduce the chattering of the sliding mode control. For the fast subsystem, an adaptive boundary controller is developed to suppress the elastic vibration of the flexible link during the trajectory tracking. The stability of the whole closed-loop system is rigorously proved via the Lyapunov analysis method. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller.