Traditional Impedance Control Research Articles

An Assist-as-Needed Control Strategy Based on a Subjective Intention Decline Model

In the rehabilitation training process for stroke patients, the level of excitement in the patient’s physiological state has a positive impact on the efficacy of the training. In order to improve patients’ initiative during training and prevent dependence on assistive systems, this study proposes an assist-as-needed control strategy based on a subjective intention decline model. The strategy primarily consists of two modules: a subjective intention decline control module and a limb movement assessment module. The subjective intention decline module collects surface electromyography (sEMG) data during patient training and optimizes support vector machine (SVM) using quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithms to establish a subjective intention decline model. The limb movement assessment module collects information such as interaction force and position error during training and proposes a method for evaluating the motion state of the affected limb. This model combines traditional impedance control with a method for assessing limb movement and subjective status, automatically adjusting the level of assistive force on the affected limb in real time to enhance its active participation in tasks. Finally, we performed two verification experiments to assess the patient’s initiative in participating in the training. The experimental results show that the proposed method effectively reduced the average assist force by 65.66% for the traditional impedance control training system and effectively the average assist force by 35.2% for the control training system using only the assist force module based on force position information. At the same time, the accuracy of the subjective intention attenuation module established in the experiment to identify the fatigue level of the subjects reached 93.41%. Therefore, the proposed method effectively improves the initiative of trainers and also prevents patients from relying on the assist-as-needed control training system.

Adaptive impedance control method for manipulator based on radial basis function

Purpose In view of the unknown environmental parameters and uncertain interference during gripping by the manipulator, it is difficult to obtain an effective gripping force with the traditional impedance control method. To avoid this dilemma, the purpose of this study is to propose an adaptive control strategy based on an adaptive neural network and a PID search optimization algorithm for unknown environments. Design/methodology/approach The method is based on a variable impedance model, and a new impedance model is established using a radial basis function (RBF) neural network to estimate unknown parameters of the impedance model. The approximation errors of the adaptive neural network and the uncertain disturbance are effectively suppressed by designing the adaptive rate. In the meantime, auxiliary variables are constructed for Lyapunov stability analysis and adaptive controller design, and PSA is used to ensure the stability of the adaptive impedance control system. Based on the Lyapunov stability criterion, the adaptive im-pedance control system is proved to have progressive tracking convergence property. Findings Through comparative simulations and experiments, the superiority of the proposed adaptive control strategy in position and force tracking has been verified. For objects with low flexibility and light-weight (such as a coke, a banana and a nectarine), this control method demonstrates errors of less than 10%. Originality/value This paper uses RBF neural networks to estimate unknown parameters of the impedance model in real-time, enhancing system adaptability. Neural network weights are updated online to suppress errors and disturbances. Auxiliary variables are designed for Lyapunov stability analysis. The PSA algorithm is used to adjust controller parameters in real-time. Additionally, comparative simulations and experi-ments are designed to analyze and validate the performance of controller.

Research on robot tracking force control algorithm based on neural networks

Purpose This study aims to propose a force control algorithm based on neural networks, which enables a robot to follow a changing reference force trajectory when in contact with human skin while maintaining a stable tracking force. Design/methodology/approach Aiming at the challenge of robots having difficulty tracking changing force trajectories in skin contact scenarios, a single neuron algorithm adaptive proportional – integral – derivative online compensation is used based on traditional impedance control. At the same time, to better adapt to changes in the skin contact environment, a gated recurrent unit (GRU) network is used to model and predict skin elasticity coefficients, thus adjusting to the uncertainty of skin environments. Findings In two robot–skin interaction experiments, compared with the traditional impedance control and robot force control algorithm based on the radial basis function model and iterative algorithm, the maximum absolute force error, the average absolute force error and the standard deviation of the force error are all decreased. Research limitations/implications As the training process of the GRU network is currently conducted offline, the focus in the subsequent phase is to refine the network to facilitate real-time computation of the algorithm. Practical implications This algorithm can be applied to robot massage, robot B-ultrasound and other robot-assisted treatment scenarios. Originality/value As the proposed approach obtains effective force tracking during robot–skin contact and is verified by the experiment, this approach can be used in robot–skin contact scenarios to enhance the accuracy of force application by a robot.

Research on Compliance Control of Electro-Hydraulic Loading Experimental System

This article discusses the challenges in preventing workpiece damage due to impacts in electro-hydraulic loading systems, especially in unknown environments. We propose an innovative compliance control strategy, synergizing a series elastic actuator with impedance control to significantly mitigate impact forces between the mechanism and test workpieces. The controller consists of two loops: an internal loop and an outer loop. The internal loop integrates a position loop utilizing a radial basis function observer within a backstepping control framework, effectively countering the nonlinear dynamics of hydraulic actuators and ensuring precise trajectory tracking. The outer loop advances traditional impedance control by adaptively modifying the damping coefficient, resulting in a straightforward and easily implementable damping control law. For the unknown environment parameters, our system employs a parameter estimation law to estimate the unknown environmental stiffness and position parameters. The effectiveness of this strategy has been verified through comparative simulation with traditional impedance control, indicating that the proposed method can not only effectively reduce contact shock in unknown environments, improve response speed, and reduce overshoot, but also improve steady-state accuracy. We provided a feasible control scheme for similar systems to ensure precise and safe operation.

Power decoupling control of paralleled virtual synchronous generators based on virtual complex impedance

With the high ratio of distributed generation (DG) linked to power system via converters, power system stability is degraded in terms of inertia and damping. In recent years, the virtual synchronous generator (VSG) has become a potential solving method to deal with these issues. However, the power coupling problem exists in the traditional VSG control method, which severely impacts the VSG power control performance. The impedance characteristics of the transmission line are closely related to the effect of the power decoupling control of VSGs. To solve the voltage sag and poor robustness issues resulting from traditional virtual impedance control, a virtual complex impedance power decoupling and sharing control strategy for VSGs based on coordinate transformation is proposed. Combining the characteristics of traditional virtual impedance control and virtual power control, the power coupling mechanism in parallel VSGs caused by line impedance is analyzed. The virtual complex impedance control loop is introduced in VSG control to realize the matching of the equivalent line impedance and the precise decoupling of VSG power output. Then the load can be accurately allocated in the light of the proportion of VSG capacity.

Adaptive Impedance Control for Force Tracking in Manipulators Based on Fractional-Order PID

Force tracking control in robot arms has been widely used in many industrial applications, particularly in tasks involving end effectors and environmental contact, such as grinding, polishing, and other similar operations. However, these environments are not always precisely known. In order to address the force tracking control problem in unknown environments, this paper proposes a fractional-order PID adaptive impedance control strategy based on traditional impedance control. The unknown environmental information is estimated online using the adaptive impedance control algorithm, and the estimated parameters are used to generate reference trajectories to reduce force tracking errors. Fractional-order PID control is then introduced into the system to improve the control performance of the system model, and the theoretical proof of strategy stability is conducted. Finally, a comparison of four strategies was conducted through simulations: traditional impedance control, adaptive hybrid impedance control, adaptive variable impedance control, and the fractional-order PID impedance control proposed in this paper. The simulation results demonstrate that the strategy proposed in this paper exhibits robustness, virtually eliminates overshoot, and enhances response speed. In contrast, both adaptive hybrid impedance control and adaptive variable impedance control exhibit approximately 30% to 45% overshoot during interactions with the environment. Furthermore, in terms of force tracking error, the proposed strategy in this paper outperforms the above two strategies by approximately 29% to 60%, achieving excellent force tracking control performance.

Impedance Force Control of Manipulator Based on Variable Universe Fuzzy Control

Impedance control is a classic and straightforward control method that finds wide applications in various fields. However, traditional constant impedance control requires prior knowledge of the environment’s stiffness and position information. If the environmental information is unknown, constant impedance control is not capable of handling the task. To address this, this paper proposes a variable universe fuzzy model reference adaptive impedance control method that achieves effective force tracking even in the presence of unknown environmental information. A variable universe fuzzy controller was employed to determine the impedance parameters. The force tracking error and its rate of change were used as two input parameters for the variable universe fuzzy controller, which utilizes fuzzy inference to obtain the incremental values of the impedance parameters. For the introduced model reference controller, a novel adaptive law was employed to obtain the coefficients for contact force and torque. Subsequently, the contact force of the manipulator in Cartesian space was taken as the research object, and a simulation model of a six-joint manipulator was established in MATLAB/Simulink. By comparing it with the constant impedance control method, the feasibility and effectiveness of this control approach were validated.

Active Training Control Method for Rehabilitation Robot Based on Fuzzy Adaptive Impedance Adjustment

For lower limb rehabilitation robots, different patients or patients in different rehabilitation stages have different motion abilities, and the parameters of the traditional impedance control model are fixed and cannot achieve the best active suppleness training effect. In this paper, an active training control method based on the spring damping model (SDM) and the fuzzy adaptive adjustment of its parameters is proposed. The SDM offsets the target trajectory according to the patient interaction force to obtain a new desired trajectory, creating a controllable impedance environment for the patient. Fuzzy rules are established using coefficients reflecting the patient’s motion ability to adaptively adjust the stiffness and damping coefficients of the SDM. The virtual human–machine force interaction environment is changed to achieve the adaptive adjustment of the resistance training difficulty on the motion ability. The adaptive impedance control method proposed in this paper has achieved the expected goal through experimental verification, which can greatly mobilize the active participation of patients and help improve the rehabilitation effect of patients.

Position‐based force tracking adaptive impedance control strategy for robot grinding complex surfaces system

AbstractAs a key technology of robot grinding, force control has great influence on grinding effects. Based on the traditional impedance control, a position‐based force tracking adaptive impedance control strategy is proposed to improve the grinding quality of aeroengine complex curved parts, which considers the stiffness damping environmental interaction model, modifies the reference trajectory by a Lyapunov‐based approach to realize the adaptive grinding process. In addition, forgotten Kalman filter based on six‐dimensional force sensor is used to denoise the force information and a three‐step gravity compensation process including static base value calculation, dynamic zero update and contact force real‐time calculation is proposed to obtain the accurate contact force between tool and workpiece in this method. Then, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a simulation experiment which including five different working conditions is conducted in MATLAB, and the experiment studying the deviation between the reference trajectory and the actual position is carried out on the robot grinding system. The results indicate that the position‐based force tracking adaptive impedance control strategy can quickly respond to the changes of environmental position, reduce the fluctuation range of contact force in time by modifying the reference trajectory, compensate for the defect of the steady‐state error of the traditional impedance control strategy and improve the surface consistency of machined parts.

Contact force cancelation in robot impedance control by target impedance modification

AbstractA force sensorless impedance controller is proposed in this paper for robot manipulators without using force estimators. From the observation of the impedance control law, the force feedback term can be canceled if the inertia matrix in the target impedance is the same as the robot inertia matrix. However, the inertia matrix in the target impedance is almost always a constant matrix, while the robot inertia matrix is a function of the robot configuration, and hence, they may not be identical in general. A modification of the coefficient matrix for the contact force term in the target impedance is suggested in this paper to enable cancelation of the force feedback term in the impedance control law so that a force sensorless impedance controller without using force estimators can be obtained. The tracking performance in the free space phase and the motion trajectory in the compliant motion phase of the new design are almost the same as those in the traditional impedance control. Modification of the inertia matrix in the target impedance will result in small variations of the contact force which is acceptable in practical applications. For robot manipulators containing uncertainties, an adaptive version of the new controller is also developed in this paper to give satisfactory performance without the need for force sensors. Rigorous mathematical justification in closed-loop stability is given in detail, and computer simulations are performed to verify the efficacy of the proposed design.

Control Strategy of Doubly-Fed Induction Generator under Zero Voltage Fault of Power Grid

For improving the zero-voltage ride through the capability of a doubly fed induction generator in high proportion new energy grid in extreme faults, a coordinated control scheme of hardware and optimal control strategy is proposed. A high-temperature superconductive-fault current limiter suppresses stator fault current, adaptive virtual impedance control and active dynamic reactive power support control act on the back-to-back converter of wind turbines as optimal control strategies. Optimizing the control strategy without changing the controller structure is beneficial to engineering implementation. After mathematical derivation and simulation verification, the coordinated control strategy adopted in this paper can effectively avoid the rotor current and voltage exceeding the limit when the wind turbine is facing extreme faults, actively provide reactive power support for the busbar, realize zero voltage ride through and reduce the risk of high voltage failure at the point of failure. The control effect is obviously better than the traditional virtual impedance control.

Fractional-Order Impedance Control for Robot Manipulator

Impedance control is an important method in robot–environment interaction. In traditional impedance control, the damping force is regarded as a linear viscoelastic model, which limits the description of the dynamic model of the impedance system to a certain extent. For the robot manipulator, the optimal impedance parameters of the impedance controller are the key to improve the performance. In this paper, the damping force is described more accurately by fractional calculus than the traditional viscoelastic model, and a fractional-order impedance controller for the robot manipulator is proposed. A practical and systematic tuning procedure based on the frequency design method is developed for the proposed fractional-order impedance controller. The fairness of comparison between the fractional-order impedance controller and the integer-order impedance controller is addressed under the same specifications. Fair comparisons of the two controllers via the simulation and experiment tests show that, in the step response, the fractional-order impedance controller has a better integral time square error (ITSE) result, smaller overshoot and less settling time than the integer-order impedance controller. In terms of anti-disturbance, the fractional-order impedance controller can achieve stability with less recovering time and better ITSE index than integer order impedance controller.

Contact force modeling and variable damping impedance control of apple harvesting robot

In order to realize the compliant grasping of apple harvesting robot and reduce the mechanical damage in the process of grasping, a variable damping impedance control strategy for gripper grasping force tracking is proposed based on the establishment of contact force model in this paper. Firstly, the Burgers model is used to characterize the biological characteristics of apple. Then, according to Hertz contact theory, the contact force model of apple during grasping was established to represent the dynamic relationship between grasping force and deformation. Finally, based on the position impedance control theory and the analysis of the influence of impedance parameters on the control performance, a variable damping impedance controller is designed. The dynamic tracking of the grasping force is realized by adjusting the damping coefficient online to modify the desired position. The simulation and experimental results show that compared with the traditional impedance control, the variable damping impedance control has a smoother tracking effect on the grasping force and its dynamic performance is significantly improved. This method can provide reference for the research of compliant grasping control of apple harvesting robot end-effector.

Design of an Improved Impedance Controller for Powered Transtibial Prosthesis

With the rapid development of powered transtibial prostheses, the control of motorized actuators is a research hotspot. This study designs a double-loop impedance controller to improve the performance of the traditional controller. Including time-varying parameters, the designed controller is implemented on a novel elastic actuator. Under different loads of users’ weights, simulation tests are conducted in a working condition of walking, and the results show that the designed control system has outstanding performances in the control of an entire gait cycle. The error between output and reference of ankle joint position during walking is less than 0.013rad in each sample time. A position disturbance test demonstrates that the control also has a high tolerance of any position disturbance at the ankle joint. The double-loop impedance controller can replace traditional finite-state impedance control in the field of the powered transtibial prosthesis and has the potential to be applied in other relative fields.

Novel fractional hybrid impedance control of series elastic muscle-tendon actuator

Purpose This paper aims to develope a novel fractional hybrid impedance control (FHIC) approach for high-sensitive contact stress force tracking control of the series elastic muscle-tendon actuator (SEM-TA) in uncertain environments. Design/methodology/approach In three different cases, the fractional parameters of the FHIC were optimized with the particle swarm optimization algorithm. Its adaptability to the pressure of the sole of the foot on real environments such as grass (soft), carpet (medium) and solid floors (hard) is far superior to traditional impedance control. The main aim of this paper is to derive the dynamic simulation models of the SEM-TA, to develop a control architecture allowing for high-sensitive contact stress force control in three cases and to verify the simulation models and the proposed controller with experimental results. The performance of the optimized controllers was evaluated according to these parameters, namely, maximum overshoot, steady-state error, settling time and root mean squared errors of the positions. Moreover, the frequency robustness analysis of the controllers was made in three cases. Findings Different simulations and experimental results were conducted to verify the control performance of the controllers. According to the comparative results of the performance, the responses of the proposed controller in simulation and experimental works are very similar. Originality/value Origin approach and origin experiment.

Suppress Vibration on Robotic Polishing with Impedance Matching

Installing force-controlled end-effectors on the end of industrial robots has become the mainstream method for robot force control. Additionally, during the polishing process, contact force stability has an important impact on polishing quality. However, due to the difference between the robot structure and the force-controlled end-effector, in the polishing operation, direct force control will have impact during the transition from noncontact to contact between the tool and the workpiece. Although impedance control can solve this problem, industrial robots still produce vibrations with high inertia and low stiffness. Therefore, this research proposes an impedance matching control strategy based on traditional direct force control and impedance control methods to improve this problem. This method’s primary purpose is to avoid force vibration in the contact phase and maintain force–tracking performance during the dynamic tracking phase. Simulation and experimental results show that this method can smoothly track the contact force and reduce vibration compared with traditional force control and impedance control.

A model reference adaptive variable impedance control method for robot

As a simple and effective force tracking control method, impedance control is widely used in robot contact operations. The internal control parameters of traditional impedance control are constant and cannot be corrected in real time, which will lead to instability of control system or large force tracking error. Therefore, it is difficult to be applied to the occasions requiring higher force accuracy, such as robotic medical surgery, robotic space operation and so on. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a model reference adaptive variable impedance control method, which can realize force tracking control by adjusting internal impedance control parameters in real time and generating a reference trajectory at the same time. The simulation experiment proves that compared with the traditional impedance control method, this method has faster force tracking speed and smaller force tracking error. It is a better force tracking control method.

Adaptive Robust Force Position Control for Flexible Active Prosthetic Knee Using Gait Trajectory

Active prosthetic knees (APKs) are widely used in the past decades. However, it is still challenging to make them more natural and controllable because: (1) most existing APKs that use rigid actuators have difficulty obtaining more natural walking; and (2) traditional finite-state impedance control has difficulty adjusting parameters for different motions and users. In this paper, a flexible APK with a compact variable stiffness actuator (VSA) is designed for obtaining more flexible bionic characteristics. The VSA joint is implemented by two motors of different sizes, which connect the knee angle and the joint stiffness. Considering the complexity of prothetic lower limb control due to unknown APK dynamics, as well as strong coupling between biological joints and prosthetic joints, an adaptive robust force/position control method is designed for generating a desired gait trajectory of the prosthesis. It can operate without the explicit model of the system dynamics and multiple tuning parameters of different gaits. The proposed model-free scheme utilizes the time-delay estimation technique, sliding mode control, and fuzzy neural network to realize finite-time convergence and gait trajectory tracking. The virtual prototype of APK was established in ADAMS as a testing platform and compared with two traditional time-delay control schemes. Some demonstrations are illustrated, which show that the proposed method has superior tracking characteristics and stronger robustness under uncertain disturbances within the trajectory error in ± 0 . 5 degrees. The VSA joint can reduce energy consumption by adjusting stiffness appropriately. Furthermore, the feasibility of this method was verified in a human–machine hybrid control model.

Adaptive Variable Parameter Impedance Control for Apple Harvesting Robot Compliant Picking

In order to reduce the damage of apple harvesting robot to fruits and achieve compliant picking, an adaptive variable parameter impedance control method for apple harvesting robot compliant picking is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the Burgers viscoelastic model is used to characterize the rheological properties of apples and study the variation of mechanical properties of apple grasping at different speeds. Then, a force-based impedance control system is designed. On this basis, aiming at the influence of impedance controller parameters on contact force, three impedance parameters self-tuning functions are constructed to complete the design of an improved force-based impedance control system based on the hyperbolic secant function. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed control makes the desired force smoother, and its overshoot is about 2.3%. The response speed is faster, and the adjustment time of contact force is shorter of about 0.48 s. The contact force overshoot is about 2%, which is 37.5% less than that of the traditional force-based impedance control. This research improves the control performance for apple harvesting robot compliant picking.

A Nonlinear Model-based Variable Impedance Parameters Control for Position-based Impedance Control System of Hydraulic Drive Unit

In this paper, aimed at the problem of control accuracy when the traditional position-based impedance control is applied in the hydraulic drive unit (HDU) of legged robot, a kind of nonlinear model-based variable impedance parameters controller (MVIPC) is designed. First, the mathematical model of position-based impedance control for HDU is given. Second, the performance of traditional position-based impedance control is tested on the HDU performance test platform under different working conditions, and the experimental results show that the control accuracy of this control method needs to be improved greatly. Thirdly, the control idea of MVIPC is described, and the theoretical derivation is deduced. MVIPC considers the high-order dynamic characteristics of servo valve, pressure-flow nonlinearity of servo valve, oil compressibility and load characteristics. Finally, the control performance of MVIPC is verified on the HDU performance test platform. The experimental results show that MVIPC can significantly improve the performance of traditional position-based impedance control, and have an excellent adaptability under different working conditions. This research can provide an underlying control method of hydraulic systems during the robot locomotion.