Accurate Force Tracking Research Articles

Adaptive variable impedance force/position hybrid control for large surface polishing

PurposeThis paper aims to propose a hybrid force/position controller based on the adaptive variable impedance.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the working space is divided into a force control subspace and a position subspace, the force control subspace adopts the position impedance control strategy. At the same time, the contact force model between the robot and the surface is analyzed in this space. Second, based on the traditional position impedance, the model reference adaptive control is introduced to provide an accurate reference position for the impedance controller. Then, the BP neural network is used to adjust the impedance parameters online.FindingsThe experimental results show that compared with the traditional PI control method, the proposed method has a higher flexibility, the dynamic response accommodation time is reduced by 7.688 s and the steady-state error is reduced by 30.531%. The overshoot of the contact force between the end of robot and the workpiece is reduced by 34.325% comparing with the fixed impedance control method.Practical implicationsThe proposed control method compares with a hybrid force/position based on PI control method and a position fixed impedance control method by simulation and experiment.Originality/valueThe adaptive variable impedance control method improves accuracy of force tracking and solves the problem of the large surfaces with robot grinding often over-polished at the protrusion and under-polished at the concave.

Active suspension hierarchical control with parameter uncertainty and external disturbance of electro-hydraulic actuators

In order to improve the ride comfort and handling stability of the electro-hydraulic active suspension system, a hierarchical control strategy is proposed. For the active suspension system with body mass uncertainty and safety constraints, an enhanced constraint adaptive backstepping controller is designed to generate the target force of body vertical motion. When dealing with constraints, nonlinear filters are introduced, backstepping technology and quadratic Lyapunov function are used to combine the control target and domain constraints, and the vertical displacement of the body and the suspension deflection control index are synthesized into a single controlled variable, so that the control variable converging to zero meets the suspension dynamic displacement limit. The ride comfort and safety of the active suspension system are improved. Secondly, stability analysis is conducted on the zero dynamic error system to ensure that all safety performance indicators are bounded. The effects of external disturbances, parameter uncertainties and modelling errors on the force tracking accuracy of asymmetric cylinder electrohydraulic systems are addressed. A backstepping dynamic surface control method based on a nonlinear perturbation observer is proposed, which estimates the composite perturbation terms such as modelling error and external perturbation, and uses the estimated value of the nonlinear observer to design a feedforward compensating control term to offset the effect of the composite perturbation on the system performance. In addition, the dynamic surface control method is used to calculate the derivative of the target force input, which avoids the derivative explosion phenomenon and reduces the computational complexity of the system. Simulation test results show that this method reduces the computational complexity of the system and improves the control performance. And under random and bumpy road conditions, the root-mean-square value of sprung mass acceleration performance index is reduced by 48.354 % and 72.677 % compared with passive suspension, which improves the ride comfort of the vehicle.

Investigation of Legendre polynomials expanded adaptive controller with inverse compensation for high frequency tracking of electro-hydraulic force systems

Accurate force tracking of an electro-hydraulic force system (EHFS) is of great significance in various industrial applications. As the EHFS is inevitably confronted with hydraulic nonlinearities, dynamic variations and uncertain disturbances, the real-time force tracking performance is generally unsatisfactory, especially for high frequency command force signals. For reducing the force tracking error with relatively high frequency inputs, a Legendre polynomials expanded adaptive controller with inverse compensation is proposed in this paper. The proposed controller is constructed by introducing an offline designed inverse compensation (IC) controller and an online adaptive controller to the EHFS governed by traditional Proportional Integral (PI) controller, in which the former IC controller is acting as the inner loop controller and the latter adaptive controller is regarded as an outer controller. The inner loop IC controller with fixed control parameters is offline designed on the basis of traditional PI controller by means of the generalized projection identification algorithm and the zero magnitude error tracking technology, focusing on extending the real-time force tracking bandwidth of the EHFS. The outer loop online adaptive controller is developed by Legendre polynomials expanded adaptive filters with nonlinear mapping ability, whose weights are online updated by an adaptive tuning algorithm with the aim of handling system’s dynamic variations, nonlinearities and uncertain disturbances. The proposed controller is implemented on a real EHFS test rig by the xPC/Target rapid prototyping technique, and comparative experimental results demonstrate that the proposed controller can achieve much higher high frequency tracking performance than the traditional PI and IC controller commonly used in industry.

Proposed Feedback-Linearized Integral Sliding Mode Control for an Electro-Hydraulic Servo Material Testing Machine

High-precision tracking of an electro-hydraulic servo material testing machine’s force control system was achieved using a proposed integral sliding mode control method based on feedback linearization to improve the machine’s force control performance and anti-interference ability. First, the electro-hydraulic servo system’s nonlinear mathematical model was established, and its input–output linearization was realized using differential geometry theory. Second, integral sliding mode control was introduced into the controller and the feedback-linearized integral sliding mode controller was designed. The controller’s stability was proven based on the Lyapunov stability principle. Finally, a simulation model of the electro-hydraulic servo material testing machine’s force control system was established using AMESim/Simulink software. The designed controller was simulated and verified, and the control effects of the system’s different amplitudes and frequency signals were analyzed. The results showed that the feedback-linearized integral sliding mode control algorithm could effectively improve the system’s force tracking accuracy and parameter adaptability, yielding better robustness and a better control effect.

Fuzzy logic system-based force tracking control of robot in highly dynamic environments

PurposeThe study aims to equip robots with the ability to precisely maintain interaction forces, which is crucial for tasks such as polishing in highly dynamic environments with unknown and varying stiffness and geometry, including those found in airplane wings or thin, soft materials. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel adaptive force-tracking admittance control scheme aimed at achieving a faster response rate with higher tracking accuracy for robot force control.Design/methodology/approachIn the proposed method, the traditional admittance model is improved by introducing a pre-proportional-derivative controller to accelerate parameter convergence. Subsequently, the authors design an adaptive law based on fuzzy logic systems (FLS) to compensate for uncertainties in the unknown environment. Stability conditions are established for the proposed method through Lyapunov analysis, which ensures the force tracking accuracy and the stability of the coupled system consisting of the robot and the interaction environment. Furthermore, the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control algorithm are demonstrated by simulation and experiment.FindingsA variety of unstructured simulations and experimental scenarios are designed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in force control. The outcomes demonstrate that this control strategy excels in providing fast response, precise tracking accuracy and robust performance.Practical implicationsIn real-world applications spanning industrial, service and medical fields where accurate force control by robots is essential, the proposed method stands out as both practical and straightforward, delivering consistently satisfactory performance across various scenarios.Originality/valueThis research introduces a novel adaptive force-tracking admittance controller based on FLS and validated through both simulations and experiments. The proposed controller demonstrates exceptional performance in force control within environments characterized by unknown and varying.

Force Tracking Control Method for Robotic Ultrasound Scanning System under Soft Uncertain Environment

Robotic ultrasound scanning has excellent potential to reduce physician workload, obtain higher-quality imaging, and reduce costs. However, the traditional admittance control strategy for robotics cannot meet the high-precision force control requirements for robots, which are critical for improving image quality and ensuring patient safety. In this study, an integral adaptive admittance control strategy is proposed for contact force control between an ultrasound probe and human skin to enhance the accuracy of force tracking. First, a robotic ultrasound scanning system is proposed, and the system’s overall workflow is introduced. Second, an adaptive admittance control strategy is designed to estimate the uncertain environmental information online, and the estimated parameters are used to modify the reference trajectory. On the basis of ensuring the stability of the system, an integral controller is then introduced to improve the steady-state response. Subsequently, the stability of the proposed strategy is analysed. In addition, a gravity compensation process is proposed to obtain the actual contact force. Finally, through a simulation analysis, the effectiveness of the strategy is discussed. Simultaneously, a series of experiments are carried out on the robotic ultrasound scanning system, and the results show that the strategy can successfully maintain a constant contact force under soft uncertain environments, which effectively improves the efficiency of scanning.

Force Tracking Control of Lower Extremity Exoskeleton Based on a New Recurrent Neural Network

The lower extremity exoskeleton can enhance the ability of human limbs, which has been used in many fields. It is difficult to develop a precise force tracking control approach for the exoskeleton because of the dynamics model uncertainty, external disturbances, and unknown human–robot interactive force lied in the system. In this paper, a control method based on a novel recurrent neural network, namely zeroing neural network (ZNN), is proposed to obtain the accurate force tracking. In the framework of ZNN, an adaptive RBF neural network (ARBFNN) is employed to deal with the system uncertainty, and a fixed-time convergence disturbance observer is designed to estimate the external disturbance of the exoskeleton electrohydraulic system. The Lyapunov stability method is utilized to prove the convergence of all the closed-loop signals and the force tracking is guaranteed. The proposed control scheme’s (ARBFNN-FDO-ZNN) force tracking performances are presented and contrasted with the exponential reaching law-based sliding mode controller (ERL-SMC). The proposed scheme is superior to ERL-SMC with fast convergence speed and lower tracking error peak. Finally, experimental tests are conducted to verify the efficacy of the proposed controller for solving accurate force tracking control issues.

Active Compliance Control Based on EKF Torque Fusion for Robot Manipulators

To improve the accuracy of torque estimation and compliance control of the force sensorless, we propose a torque fusion method based on extended Kalman filter (EKF), both the data of motor current and the harmonic reducer torsional deformation are involved. First, a nonlinear EKF is designed based on the motor side dynamic model and joint deformation nonlinear model. The experiment shows that the method overcomes the interference caused by the environment and nonlinear system factors. Then, an active compliance controller is designed with a nested loop framework based on the fused torque. The inner loop computes the dynamic torque as feedforward to compensate for the system's dynamic uncertainty. The outer loop is admittance control to realize the manipulator's active compliance with the fused torque. Experiments on the robotic manipulator show that the proposed torque estimation scheme can reduce the root mean square error (RMSE) to 0.1278N.m and the max error of the joint estimated torque to 0.34N.m. In addition, the force tracking accuracy of the proposed compliant controller can reach 3.6 N, and can be extended to more redundant joints.

Force tracking smooth adaptive admittance control in unknown environment

AbstractIn this research, a force tracking smoothing adaptive admittance controller is proposed that grants precise contact forces (performance necessary for many critical interaction tasks such as polishing) for unknown interaction environments (e.g., leather or thin and soft materials). First, an online indirect adaptive update strategy is proposed for generating the reference trajectory required by the desired tracking force, considering the uncertainty of the interaction. The sensor noise amplitude is environment dynamics and the necessity condition for traditional admittance controller to achieve ideal steady-state force tracking. Then, a pre-PD controller is introduced to increase the parameter convergence rate while ensuring the steady-state force tracking accuracy and enhancing the robustness of the system. The robustness boundary is also analyzed to provide assurance for the stability of the system. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed method in simulations. Simultaneously, an experiment is conducted on the AUBO-i5 serial collaborative robot, and the experimental results proved the excellent comprehensive performance of the control framework.

Smart Flexible 3D Sensor for Monitoring Orthodontics Forces: Prototype Design and Proof of Principle Experiment.

There is a critical need for an accurate device for orthodontists to know the magnitude of forces exerted on the tooth by the orthodontic brackets. Here, we propose a new orthodontic force measurement principle to detect the deformation of the elastic semi-sphere sensor. Specifically, we aimed to detail technical issues and the feasibility of the sensor performance attached to the inner surface of the orthodontic aligner or on the tooth surface. Accurate force tracking is important for the optimal decision of aligner replacement and cost reduction. A finite element (FE) model of the semi-sphere sensor was developed, and the relationship between the force and the contact area change was investigated. The prototype was manufactured, and the force detection performance was experimentally verified. In the experiment, the semi-sphere sensor was manufactured using thermoplastic polymer, and a high-precision mold sized 3 mm in diameter. The change in the contact area in the semi-sphere sensor was captured using a portable microscope. Further development is justified, and future implementation of the proposed sensor would be an array of multiple semi-sphere sensors in different locations for directional orthodontic force detection.

Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability.

New Findings What is the central question of this study? Can bilateral knee extensor force accuracy be improved following 4 weeks of unilateral force accuracy training and are there any subsequent alterations to central and/or peripheral motor unit features? What is the main finding and its importance? In the trained limb only, knee extensor force tracking accuracy improved with reduced motor unit firing rate variability in the vastus lateralis, and there was no change to neuromuscular junction transmission instability. Interventional strategies to improve force accuracy may be directed to older/clinical populations where such improvements may aid performance of daily living activities. Muscle force output during sustained submaximal isometric contractions fluctuates around an average value and is partly influenced by variation in motor unit (MU) firing rates. MU firing rate (FR) variability seemingly reduces following exercise training interventions; however, much less is known with respect to peripheral MU properties. We therefore investigated whether targeted force accuracy training could lead to improved muscle functional capacity and control, in addition to determining any alterations of individual MU features. Ten healthy participants (seven females, three males, 27 ± 6 years, 170 ± 8 cm, 69 ± 16 kg) underwent a 4‐week supervised, unilateral knee extensor force accuracy training intervention. The coefficient of variation for force (FORCECoV) and sinusoidal wave force tracking accuracy (FORCESinu) were determined at 25% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) pre‐ and post‐training. Intramuscular electromyography was utilised to record individual MU potentials from the vastus lateralis (VL) muscles at 25% MVC during sustained contractions, pre‐ and post‐training. Knee extensor muscle strength remained unchanged following training, with no improvements in unilateral leg‐balance. FORCECoV and FORCESinu significantly improved in only the trained knee extensors by ∼13% (P = 0.01) and ∼30% (P < 0.0001), respectively. MU FR variability significantly reduced in the trained VL by ∼16% (n = 8; P = 0.001), with no further alterations to MU FR or neuromuscular junction transmission instability. Our results suggest muscle force control and tracking accuracy is a trainable characteristic in the knee extensors, which is likely explained by the reduction in MU FR variability which was apparent in the trained limb only.

Impedance Control of Space Robot On-Orbit Insertion and Extraction Based on Prescribed Performance Method

Aiming at the force position control problem of the on-orbit insertion and extraction operation of the free-floating space robot, the system dynamics model is established. According to the interaction between the end of manipulator and the environment, the second-order impedance model is established. In order to improves the calculation efficiency, the above models are reconstructed to avoid the use of acceleration signal by introducing filtering operation. This is also conducive to the application of robot actual control. Then, an estimator requiring only the system inertia matrix is designed to compensate the modeling uncertainty, external bounded disturbance and impact effect in the process of inserting and extracting. Its structure is simple and reliable. Only one control parameter needs to be adjusted, which greatly reduces the amount of calculation. Considering that the on-orbit operation of insertion and extraction is a kind of precision operation, its control system needs to have a high-quality control performance. By introducing the prescribed performance method, the tracking error is constrained within the given range and to ensure the transient performance and steady-state performance of the control system is ensured. Finally, three simulation conditions are designed, and the results are presented to verify that the proposed algorithm has a faster convergence speed compared with traditional sliding mode controller. It can achieve vertically inserting and accurate force tracking of the manipulator end.

An intelligent control system for robot massaging with uncertain skin characteristics

PurposeTo ensure accurate position and force control of massage robot working on human body with unknown skin characteristics, this study aims to propose a novel intelligent impedance control system.Design/methodology/approachFirst, a skin dynamic model (SDM) is introduced to describe force-deformation on the human body as feed-forward for force control. Then a particle swarm optimization (PSO) method combined with graph-based knowledge transfer learning (GKT) is studied, which will effectively identify personalized skin parameters. Finally, a self-tuning impedance control strategy is designed to accommodate uncertainty of skin dynamics, system delay and signal noise exist in practical applications.FindingsCompared with traditional least square method, genetic algorithm and other kinds of PSO methods, combination of PSO and GKT is validated using experimental data to improve the accuracy and convergence of identification results. The force control is effective, although there are contour errors, control delay and noise problems when the robot does massage on human body.Originality/valueIntegrating GKT into PSO identification algorithm, and designing an adaptive impedance control algorithm. As a result, the robot can understand textural and biological attributes of its surroundings and adapt its planning activities to carry out a stable and accurate force tracking control during dynamic contacts between a robot and a human.

A Mirror Bilateral Neuro-Rehabilitation Robot System with the sEMG-Based Real-Time Patient Active Participant Assessment.

In this paper, a novel mirror visual feedback-based (MVF) bilateral neurorehabilitation system with surface electromyography (sEMG)-based patient active force assessment was proposed for upper limb motor recovery and improvement of limb inter-coordination. A mirror visual feedback-based human–robot interface was designed to facilitate the bilateral isometric force output training task. To achieve patient active participant assessment, an sEMG signals-based elbow joint isometric force estimation method was implemented into the proposed system for real-time affected side force assessment and participation evaluation. To assist the affected side limb efficiently and precisely, a mirror bilateral control framework was presented for bilateral limb coordination. Preliminary experiments were conducted to evaluate the estimation accuracy of force estimation method and force tracking accuracy of system performance. The experimental results show the proposed force estimation method can efficiently calculate the elbow joint force in real-time, and the affected side limb of patients can be assisted to track output force of the non-paretic side limb for better limb coordination by the proposed bilateral rehabilitation system.

Development and Evaluation of a Prosthetic Ankle Emulator With an Artificial Soleus and Gastrocnemius

Abstract In individuals with transtibial limb loss, a contributing factor to mobility-related challenges is the disruption of biological calf muscle function due to transection of the soleus and gastrocnemius. Powered prosthetic ankles can restore primary function of the mono-articular soleus muscle, which contributes to ankle plantarflexion. In effect, a powered ankle acts like an artificial soleus (AS). However, the biarticular gastrocnemius connection that simultaneously contributes to ankle plantarflexion and knee flexion torques remains missing, and there are currently no commercially available prosthetic ankles that incorporate an artificial gastrocnemius (AG). The goal of this work is to describe the design of a novel emulator capable of independently controlling artificial soleus and gastrocnemius behaviors for transtibial prosthesis users during walking. To evaluate the emulator's efficacy in controlling the artificial gastrocnemius behaviors, a case series walking study was conducted with four transtibial prosthesis users. Data from this case series showed that the emulator exhibits low resistance to the user's leg swing, low hysteresis during passive spring emulation, and accurate force tracking for a range of artificial soleus and gastrocnemius behaviors. The emulator presented in this paper is versatile and can facilitate experiments studying the effects of various artificial soleus and gastrocnemius dynamics on gait or other movement tasks. Using this system, it is possible to address existing knowledge gaps and explore a wide range of artificial soleus and gastrocnemius behaviors during gait and potentially other activities of daily living.

A hybrid control strategy for grinding and polishing robot based on adaptive impedance control

In order to realize the active and compliant motion of the robot, it is necessary to eliminate the impact caused by processing contact. A hybrid control strategy for grinding and polishing robot is proposed based on adaptive impedance control. Firstly, an electrically driven linear end effector is designed for the robot system. The macro and micro motions control model of the robot is established, by using impedance control method, which based on the contact model of the robot system and the environment. Secondly, the active compliance method is adopted to establish adaptive force control and position tracking control strategies under impact conditions. Finally, the algorithm is verified by Simulink simulation and experiment. The simulation results are as follows: The position tracking error does not exceed 0.009 m, and the steady-state error of the force is less than 1 N. The experimental results show that the motion curve coincides with the surface morphology of the workpiece, and the contact force is stable at 10 ± 3 N. The algorithm can realize more accurate position tracking and force tracking, and provide a reference for the grinding and polishing robot to realize surface processing.

Optimal Actuator Placement for Real-Time Hybrid Model Testing Using Cable-Driven Parallel Robots

In real-time hybrid model testing, complex ocean structures are emulated by fusing numerical modelling with traditional hydrodynamic model testing. This is done by partitioning the ocean structure under consideration into a numerical and a physical substructure, coupled in real time via a measurement and control interface. The numerically computed load vector is applied to the physical substructure by means of multiple actuated winches so that the resulting experimental platform becomes a type of cable-driven parallel robot. In this context, the placement of the actuated winches is important to ensure that the loads can be accurately and robustly transferred to the physical substructure. This paper addresses this problem by proposing a performance measure and an associated actuator placement procedure that enables accurate force tracking and ensures that the numerically calculated loads can be actuated throughout the testing campaign. To clarify the application of the proposed procedure, it is applied to the design of a test setup for a moored barge. Overall, the paper represents a guideline for robust and beneficial actuator placement for real-time hybrid model testing using cable-driven parallel robots for load-actuation.

Fuzzy Adaptive Sliding Mode Impedance Control of Fracture Reduction Robot

With the development of robotics, it will be possible for fracture reduction robots to replace doctors in performing surgery operations. The surgery accuracy and safety by the reduction robot is important. In order to compensate various uncertainties and nonlinear problems in the reduction robot impedance control system, this paper proposes a fuzzy adaptive sliding mode impedance control of the reduction robot, which includes force residual observer (FRO) and fuzzy adaptive sliding mode controller (FASMC). The FRO is used to estimate the external force between the reduction robot and the fractured musculoskeletal tissue in real-time, no force sensor is installed at the end-effector of reduction robot. The FASMC mainly includes three parts: linearizing the system by inverse dynamics and PD control, improving the system's robustness by the sliding mode control and fuzzy adaptive switching gain to reduce chattering, eliminating the nonlinear disturbance term of the system, and the normalized factor linear combination fuzzy system is used to compensate. The co-simulation of the fracture reduction robot shows that the FASMC impedance control method has a better steady-state position and force tracking accuracy, the steady-state position accuracy is -0.733 mm, and the steady-state force accuracy is -2.12 N. This paper provides an effective method for impedance control of the fracture reduction robot.

Force-controlled Compensation Scheme for P-Q Valve-controlled Asymmetric Cylinder used on Hydraulic Quadruped Robots

Under the requirement of the force controller of hydraulic quadruped robots, the goal of this work is to accurately track the force commands at the level of the hydraulic drive unit. The main contribution focuses on the development of a force-controlled compensation scheme, which is specifically aimed at the key issues affecting the hydraulic quadrupedal locomotion. With this idea, based on a P-Q valve-controlled asymmetric cylinder, we first establish a mathematical model for the hydraulic drive unit force control system. With the desired force commands, a force feed-forward algorithm is presented to improve the dynamic performance of the system. Meanwhile, we propose a disturbance compensation algorithm to reduce the influence induced by external disturbances due to foot-ground impacts. Afterwards, combining with a variable gain PI controller, a series of experiments are implemented on a force control performance test platform to verify the proposed scheme. The results demonstrate that the force-controlled compensation scheme has the ability to notably improve the force tracking accuracy, reduce the response time and redundant force.

Robust force tracking control via backstepping sliding mode control and virtual damping control for hydraulic quadruped robots

In order to improve the force tracking performance of hydraulic quadruped robots in uncertain and unstructured environments, an impedance-based adaptive reference trajectory generation scheme is used. Secondly, in order to improve the robustness to environmental changes and reduce the contact force errors caused by trajectory tracking errors, the backstepping sliding mode controller is combined with the adaptive reference trajectory generator. Finally, a virtual damping control based on velocity and pressure feedback is proposed to solve the problem of contact force disappearance and stall caused by sudden environmental change. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme has higher contact force tracking accuracy when the environment is unchanged; the contact force error can always be guaranteed within an acceptable range when the environment is reasonably changed; when the environment suddenly changes, the drive unit can move slowly until the robot re-contacts the environment.