Unit Quaternion Research Articles

Adaptive prescribed performance control for spacecraft attitude synchronization subject to external disturbances with guaranteed steady‐state performance

AbstractThis paper proposes an adaptive prescribed performance control approach for multiple spacecraft attitude synchronization with the undirected topology. A novel distributed observer is proposed to estimate the states of the leader spacecraft while the estimation value of attitude is still a unit quaternion. Then we design the adaptive prescribed performance control algorithm restrain the external disturbances and parameter uncertainty. By the unit quaternion estimation value of attitude, we make the extension from single spacecraft to multiple spacecraft. Compared to some previous results, the bounds of attitude tracking error and angular velocity error in the steady state can be adjusted by users.

Similarity and consimilarity of hyper‐dual generalized quaternions

The aim of this paper is to investigate similarity and consimilarity of hyper‐dual generalized quaternions and their matrices. For this purpose, we give different conjugates according to the generalized quaternionic units . We present ‐consimilarity of hyper‐dual generalized quaternions and their matrices except hyper‐dual ‐quaternions. For the generalization consisting of hyper‐dual coefficients quaternion and split quaternion, we search ‐consimilarity and ‐consimilarity with the help of ‐conjugate and ‐conjugate. We also give ‐coneigenvalues and ‐coneigenvectors of the matrices of these generalizations. In addition, we examine right coneigenvalue problem in generalized quaternion matrices for real and split quaternions. The complex matrix representation obtained through the complex adjoint matrix representation of this generalization is introduced, and its properties are presented. Besides, we give algebraic methods for the concept of right coneigenvalues and coneigenvectors for matrices, which are the generalization of real quaternion and split quaternion.

A Robust Tri-Electromagnet-Based 6-DoF Pose Tracking System Using an Error-State Kalman Filter.

Magnetic pose tracking is a non-contact, accurate, and occlusion-free method that has been increasingly employed to track intra-corporeal medical devices such as endoscopes in computer-assisted medical interventions. In magnetic pose-tracking systems, a nonlinear estimation algorithm is needed to recover the pose information from magnetic measurements. In existing pose estimation algorithms such as the extended Kalman filter (EKF), the 3-DoF orientation in the S3 manifold is normally parametrized as unit quaternions and simply treated as a vector in the Euclidean space, which causes a violation of the unity constraint of quaternions and reduces pose tracking accuracy. In this paper, a pose estimation algorithm based on the error-state Kalman filter (ESKF) is proposed to improve the accuracy and robustness of electromagnetic tracking systems. The proposed system consists of three electromagnetic coils for magnetic field generation and a tri-axial magnetic sensor attached to the target object for field measurement. A strategy of sequential coil excitation is developed to separate the magnetic fields from different coils and reject magnetic disturbances. Simulation and experiments are conducted to evaluate the pose tracking performance of the proposed ESKF algorithm, which is also compared with standard EKF and constrained EKF. It is shown that the ESKF can effectively maintain the quaternion unity and thus achieve a better tracking accuracy, i.e., a Euclidean position error of 2.23 mm and an average orientation angle error of 0.45°. The disturbance rejection performance of the electromagnetic tracking system is also experimentally validated.

Spectral Properties of Dual Unit Gain Graphs

In this paper, we study dual quaternion, dual complex unit gain graphs, and their spectral properties in a unified frame of dual unit gain graphs. Unit dual quaternions represent rigid movements in the 3D space, and have wide applications in robotics and computer graphics. Dual complex numbers have found application in brain science recently. We establish the interlacing theorem for dual unit gain graphs, and show that the spectral radius of a dual unit gain graph is always not greater than the spectral radius of the underlying graph, and these two radii are equal if, and only if, the dual gain graph is balanced. By using dual cosine functions, we establish the closed form of the eigenvalues of adjacency and Laplacian matrices of dual complex and quaternion unit gain cycles. We then show the coefficient theorem holds for dual unit gain graphs. Similar results hold for the spectral radius of the Laplacian matrix of the dual unit gain graph too.

A Generalization of Curve Mates: Normal Mate of a Curve

This a paper, a new curve pair is defined that generalizes some pairs of curves well known as Mannheim and Bertrand curve pairs. A normal curve pair is defined in such a way that a vector u obtained by overlapping the normal planes of the G and G* curves makes the same angle as the binormals of these curves. The relationship between torsions and curvatures of curve pairs was analyzed. Moreover, The unit quaternion q corresponding to the rotation matrix between the Frenet vectors of the curves was defined. In the conclusion, it is expressed express which famous pairs of curves will be obtained in which particular case.

A projection‐based quaternion discretization of the geometrically exact beam model

AbstractIn the present work the geometrically exact beam model is formulated in terms of unit quaternions. A projection‐based discretization approach is proposed which is based on a normalization of the quaternion approximation. The discretization relies on NURBS shape functions and, alternatively, on Lagrangian interpolation. The redundancy of the quaternions is resolved by applying the method of Lagrange multipliers. In a second step the Lagrange multipliers are eliminated circumventing the need to solve saddle point systems. The resulting finite elements retain the objectivity of the underlying beam formulation. Optimal rates of convergence are observed in representative numerical examples.

Cultural relics fragment assembly based on fracture surface contour features

Addressing the issue of registration deviations caused by local fragment loss and shape diversity during the process of cultural relics fragment assembly, this paper proposes a method for assembling cultural relics fragments based on the contour features of fracture surfaces. Initially, the curvature of discrete point clouds is calculated using the quartic surface method and the Weingarten matrix, and curvature discontinuity points are identified using a proportional method as a candidate feature point set. Subsequently, the angle difference between a point and its neighboring points’ directed segments is defined as a neighborhood feature parameter, which further optimizes the feature point set and selects the optimal matching set. Then the 4-points congruent sets (4PCS) algorithm is utilized for the initial registration of the fragments, and the unit quaternion method is employed to calculate the rigid body transformation matrix during the iteration process. Finally, corresponding point pairs are determined by the intersection of a point’s normal with a set of points, improving the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm to achieve precise assembly of the fragments. The experimental results show that, compared to other assembly algorithms, the proposed method is more accurate in feature point extraction, robust, and effectively enhances the accuracy and efficiency of fragment assembly.

Quaternion Spin

We present an analysis of the Dirac equation when the spin symmetry is changed from SU(2) to the quaternion group, Q8, achieved by multiplying one of the gamma matrices by the imaginary number, i. The reason for doing this is to introduce a bivector into the spin algebra, which complexifies the Dirac field. It then separates into two distinct and complementary spaces: one describing polarization and the other coherence. The former describes a 2D structured spin, and the latter its helicity, generated by a unit quaternion.

A unified formulation of geometry-aware discrete dynamic movement primitives

Learning from demonstration (LfD) is considered as an efficient way to transfer skills from humans to robots. Traditionally, LfD has been used to transfer Cartesian and joint positions and forces from human demonstrations. The traditional approach works well for some robotic tasks, but for many tasks of interest, it is necessary to learn skills such as orientation, impedance, and/or manipulability that have specific geometric characteristics. An effective encoding of such skills can be only achieved if the underlying geometric structure of the skill manifold is considered and the constrains arising from this structure are fulfilled during both learning and execution. However, typical learned skill models such as dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) are limited to Euclidean data and fail in correctly embedding quantities with geometric constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel and mathematically principled framework that uses concepts from Riemannian geometry to allow DMPs to properly embed geometric constrains. The resulting DMP formulation can deal with data sampled from any Riemannian manifold including, but not limited to, unit quaternions and symmetric and positive definite matrices. The proposed approach has been extensively evaluated both on simulated data and real robot experiments. The performed evaluation demonstrates that beneficial properties of DMPs, such as convergence to a given goal and the possibility to change the goal during operation, apply also to the proposed formulation.

Multiscale topology optimization for the design of spatially-varying three-dimensional lattice structure

This paper introduces three dimensional (3D) topology optimization specifically tailored for designing spatially-varying primitive-cubic (CP) type lattice structures. The developed design process consists of three steps: pre-processing, main processing, and post-processing. In the pre-processing step, a surrogate model between lattice geometry variables and effective elasticity tensor is constructed using an artificial neural network. This surrogate model is essential because it enables the quick calculation of the effective elasticity tensor of lattice microstructure. In the subsequent main processing step, multiscale topology optimization is performed. During this step, lattice microstructure size and rotation design variables are optimized together with the macrostructure density design variables. Macrostructures are designed using a well-established three-field density scheme with a SIMP formulation. Formulations for spatially-varying 3D lattice microstructure are newly developed based on a unit quaternion rotation representation scheme. In the final post-processing step, a spatially-varying microstructure is restored using a de-homogenization scheme, newly developed particularly for the primitive-cubic (CP) type 3D lattice structures. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed formulations are validated through three design examples for the compliance minimization problem. Moreover, a designed lattice structure is fabricated using an additive manufacturing machine.

From Aerial to underwater: Modeling and trajectory tracking control of the underactuated quadrotor hybrid Aerial underwater vehicle

The underactuated Quadrotor Hybrid Aerial Underwater Vehicle (HAUV) can operate in multiple mediums and seamlessly transition between them. Affected by the buoyancy, underwater control suffers a critical 180° turnover singular problem. To address this challenge, this paper presents a detailed underwater 6-degree of freedom dynamics based on the unit quaternions. A novel geometric attitude extraction method is introduced to improve the classical geometric control. Subsequently, a cascaded controller is developed for trajectory tracking. This controller consists of a position loop and an attitude loop, integrated through the attitude extraction method. It extracts the desired attitude for the inner loop from the desired thrust direction in the outer loop. Rigorous analysis demonstrates that the closed system exhibits global asymptotic stability, effectively mitigating the singular problem. Simulations demonstrate that the controller effectively adapts the quadrotor HAUV, regardless of its buoyancy (positive, negative, or neutral), to accurately track underwater trajectories and fixed points.

Adaptive fault-tolerant control for attitude maneuvering under attitude constraints and finite sequential actuator faults

The problem of retargeting rigid body attitude with attitude constraints has been extensively investigated, whereas the challenge persists in maneuvering rigid-body attitude with multiple concurrent attitude constraints and finite sequential actuator faults. Finite sequential actuator faults, which can reduce controllability or destabilize the system, necessitate the implementation of fault-tolerant control strategies. Therefore, this paper aims to address the issue of redirecting spacecraft attitude subject to multiple attitude constraints and finite sequential actuator faults comprehensively. Firstly, we represent spacecraft attitude using unit quaternions and employ an artificial potential function to effectively handle multi-attitude constraints. The negative gradient direction guides the rigid-body spacecraft towards seamless convergence with the desired attitude. Our proposed unwinding strategy effectively avoids unwinding phenomena during large-angle spacecraft reorientation as well. Additionally, we design an adaptive compensation strategy for finite sequential actuator faults that enables real-time calculation of the fault compensation matrix under such actuator faults. Importantly, we propose an improved adaptive fault-tolerant back-stepping controller integrated with a potential function that effectively addresses both attitude constraints and finite sequential actuator faults simultaneously. Subsequently, stability analysis is conducted on the proposed controller to ensure its stability in practical applications rigorously. Finally, numerical simulations are performed meticulously to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our proposed controller.

Applications of the Clifford torus to material textures

This paper introduces a new 2D representation of the orientation distribution function for an arbitrary material texture. The approach is based on the isometric square torus mapping of the Clifford torus, which allows for points on the unit quaternion hypersphere (each corresponding to a 3D orientation) to be represented in a periodic 2D square map. The combination of three such orthogonal mappings into a single RGB (red–green–blue) image provides a compact periodic representation of any set of orientations. Square torus representations of five different orientation sampling methods are compared and analyzed in terms of the Riesz s energies that quantify the uniformity of the samplings. The effect of crystallographic symmetry on the square torus map is analyzed in terms of the Rodrigues fundamental zones for the rotational symmetry groups. The paper concludes with example representations of important texture components in cubic and hexagonal materials. The new RGB representation provides a convenient and compact way of generating training data for the automated analysis of material textures by means of neural networks.

Bernstein inequalities for quaternionic polynomials in the setting of generalized polynomials

Recently, several authors proved a Bernstein type inequality for so called quaternionic unilateral polynomials. Although these polynomials are not generalized complex polynomials between normed spaces, it will be proved in this contribution that their restrictions to each complex plane satisfy a Bernstein inequality for the real Fréchet derivative. This result will imply Bernstein's inequality for quaternionic unilateral polynomials which in addition holds for all complex norms in which the unit closed ball contains the real unit quaternion. The second main contribution consists in providing Bernstein-type inequalities for so called quaternionic canonical generalized polynomials. These polynomials have a factorized form which, due to the lack of commutativity for quaternionic multiplication leads to a completely different type of investigation comparing to the other class of quaternionic unilateral polynomials. However, Bernstein's inequality is proved for some remarkable classes of such polynomials of degree less than or equal to 3 and for a class of polynomials of arbitrary degree having at most two distinct roots.

Modelling the brittle rock failure by the quaternion-based bonded-particle model in DEM

This paper presents an investigation of brittle rock failure by the quaternion-based bonded-particle model in discrete element method (DEM). Unlike traditional approaches that utilize Euler angles or rotation matrices, this model employs unit quaternions to represent the spatial rotations of particles. This method simplifies the representation of 3D rotations, providing a more intuitive framework for modelling complex interactions in granular materials. The numerical model was validated by the uniaxial compression tests on rock, with good agreement with well-documented experimental data in terms of the rock uniaxial compression strength (UCS) and failure mode. During loading, the rock sample demonstrated a linear-elastic response at an axial strain of smaller than 0.45%. However, as internal bond breakage accumulated, this linear relationship weakened, and the stress-strain curve began to deviate from its initial linear trajectory. The bond breakage and the overall deformation of the rock were primarily controlled by the shear bonding force. The UCS was achieved at an axial strain of 0.625%, at which point the internal shear bonding force chains were predominantly aligned vertically. The brittle failure occurred when the internal damage of solids nucleated to form an interconnected failure plane, accompanied by a sharp rise in the internal damage ratio. The area of failure plane increased with the loading strain rate, gradually transforming the failure pattern from the local damage to a complete fragmentation.

Sensor Fusion for Underwater Vehicle Navigation Compensating Misalignment Using Lie Theory.

This paper presents a sensor fusion method for navigation of unmanned underwater vehicles. The method combines Lie theory into Kalman filter to estimate and compensate for the misalignment between the sensors: inertial navigation system and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL). In the process and measurement model equations, a 3-dimensional Euclidean group (SE(3)) and 3-sphere space (S3) are used to express the pose (position and attitude) and misalignment, respectively. SE(3) contains position and attitude transformation matrices, and S3 comprises unit quaternions. The increments in pose and misalignment are represented in the Lie algebra, which is a linear space. The use of Lie algebra facilitates the application of an extended Kalman filter (EKF). The previous EKF approach without Lie theory is based on the assumption that a non-differentiable space can be approximated as a differentiable space when the increments are sufficiently small. On the contrary, the proposed Lie theory approach enables exact differentiation in a differentiable space, thus enhances the accuracy of the navigation. Furthermore, the convergence and stability of the internal parameters, such as the Kalman gain and measurement innovation, are improved.

Cryo-forum: A framework for orientation recovery with uncertainty measure with the application in cryo-EM image analysis

In single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), efficient determination of orientation parameters for particle images poses a significant challenge yet is crucial for reconstructing 3D structures. This task is complicated by the high noise levels in the datasets, which often include outliers, necessitating several time-consuming 2D clean-up processes. Recently, solutions based on deep learning have emerged, offering a more streamlined approach to the traditionally laborious task of orientation estimation. These solutions employ amortized inference, eliminating the need to estimate parameters individually for each image. However, these methods frequently overlook the presence of outliers and may not adequately concentrate on the components used within the network. This paper introduces a novel approach that uses a 10-dimensional feature vector to represent the orientation and applies a Quadratically-Constrained Quadratic Program to derive the predicted orientation as a unit quaternion, supplemented by an uncertainty metric. Furthermore, we propose a unique loss function that considers the pairwise distances between orientations, thereby enhancing the accuracy of our method. Finally, we also comprehensively evaluate the design choices in constructing the encoder network, a topic that has not received sufficient attention in the literature. Our numerical analysis demonstrates that our methodology effectively recovers orientations from 2D cryo-EM images in an end-to-end manner. Notably, the inclusion of uncertainty quantification allows for direct clean-up of the dataset at the 3D level. Lastly, we package our proposed methods into a user-friendly software suite named cryo-forum, designed for easy access by developers.

P-Carleson Measures in the Quaternionic Unit Ball with Applications to Slice Campanato and $$Q_p$$ Spaces

p-Carleson Measures in the Quaternionic Unit Ball with Applications to Slice Campanato and $$Q_p$$ Spaces

Numerical investigation of skipping stones using a hybrid volume of fluids and boundary data immersion method

Water skipping is a common physical phenomenon that represents a complex multiphase fluid–structure coupling problem involving a gas, liquid, and solid. This phenomenon is observed in various scenarios, such as seaplane landings, the entry and exit of amphibious aircraft on water surfaces, and even the slamming of a ship bow, all of which involve intricate water skipping dynamics. Therefore, skipping dynamics hold significant research value and offer broad practical applications. In this paper, a numerical method involving the volume of fluid method and boundary data immersion method is presented to study the fluid–structure interaction of a disk undergoing water skipping. Moreover, the six degrees of freedom motion of the rigid disk is described by unit quaternions. We validated the accuracy of our numerical method through comparisons with the experimental data. The results show good agreement on the disk's trajectory and cavity evolution. Furthermore, we studied the influence of the rotational angular velocity on the disk's trajectory, velocity, acceleration, hydrodynamic force, and cavity dynamics. As the angular velocity increases, the disk undergoes shorter collision durations with the water, diminished alterations in the azimuth angles, faster exit velocities, and faster velocity attenuations.

Global Stabilization of Antipodal Points on $n$-Sphere With Application to Attitude Tracking

Existing approaches to robust global asymptotic stabilization of a pair of antipodal points on unit $n$-sphere $\mathbb{S}^n$ typically involve the non-centrally synergistic hybrid controllers for attitude tracking on unit quaternion space. However, when switching faults occur due to parameter errors, the non-centrally synergistic property can lead to the unwinding problem or in some cases, destabilize the desired set. In this work, a hybrid controller is first proposed based on a novel centrally synergistic family of potential functions on $\mathbb{S}^n$, which is generated from a basic potential function through angular warping. The synergistic parameter can be explicitly expressed if the warping angle has a positive lower bound at the undesired critical points of the family. Next, the proposed approach induces a new quaternion-based controller for global attitude tracking. It has three advantageous features over existing synergistic designs: 1) it is consistent, i.e., free from the ambiguity of unit quaternion representation; 2) it is switching-fault-tolerant, i.e., the desired closed-loop equilibria remain asymptotically stable even when the switching mechanism does not work; 3) it relaxes the assumption on the parameter of the basic potential function in literature. Comprehensive simulation confirms the high robustness of the proposed centrally synergistic approach compared with existing non-centrally synergistic approaches.