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A unified perspective on robot control - The energy Lyapunov function approach

A unified framework for the stability analysis of robot tracking control is presented. By using an energy-motivated Lyapunov function candidate, the closed-loop stability is shown for a large family of control laws sharing a common structure of proportional and derivative feedback and a model-based feedforward. The feedforward can be zero, partial or complete linearized dynamics, partial or complete nonlinear dynamics, or linearized or nonlinear dynamics with parameter adaptation. As result, the dichotomous approaches to the robot control problem based on the open-loop linearization and nonlinear Lyapunov analysis are both included in this treatment. Furthermore, quantitative estimates of the trade-offs between different schemes in terms of the tracking performance, steady state error, domain of convergence, realtime computation load and required a prior model information are derived.

Wen, John T.

Simple robust control laws for robot manipulators. Part 1: Non-adaptive case

A new class of exponentially stabilizing control laws for joint level control of robot arms is introduced. It has been recently recognized that the nonlinear dynamics associated with robotic manipulators have certain inherent passivity properties. More specifically, the derivation of the robotic dynamic equations from the Hamilton's principle gives rise to natural Lyapunov functions for control design based on total energy considerations. Through a slight modification of the energy Lyapunov function and the use of a convenient lemma to handle third order terms in the Lyapunov function derivatives, closed loop exponential stability for both the set point and tracking control problem is demonstrated. The exponential convergence property also leads to robustness with respect to frictions, bounded modeling errors and instrument noise. In one new design, the nonlinear terms are decoupled from real-time measurements which completely removes the requirement for on-line computation of nonlinear terms in the controller implementation. In general, the new class of control laws offers alternatives to the more conventional computed torque method, providing tradeoffs between robustness, computation and convergence properties. Furthermore, these control laws have the unique feature that they can be adapted in a very simple fashion to achieve asymptotically stable adaptive control.

Wen, J. T.

New class of control laws for robotic manipulators. I - Nonadaptive case. II - Adaptive case

A new class of exponentially stabilizing control laws for joint level control of robot arms is discussed. Closed-loop exponential stability has been demonstrated for both the set point and tracking control problems by a slight modification of the energy Lyapunov function and the use of a lemma which handles third-order terms in the Lyapunov function derivatives. In the second part, these control laws are adapted in a simple fashion to achieve asymptotically stable adaptive control. The analysis addresses the nonlinear dynamics directly without approximation, linearization, or ad hoc assumptions, and uses a parameterization based on physical (time-invariant) quantities.

Wen, John T.

Robustness analysis based on passivity

A technique of robust stability analysis for multivariable control systems is introduced. Existing tools in the literature are mostly based on small gain type of conditions such as the H(infinity)-norm or mu measure. In contrast, the approach presented is motivated by passivity theory. The natural energy Lyapunov function associated with a passive system allows robustness to be analyzed with Lyapunov stability theory. Consequently, nonlinear and time-varying perturbations can be considered within the same framework. For unstructured uncertainties, the robustness margin is characterized in terms of an index related to the Hermitian part of a transfer function. If the uncertainties contain additional diagonal structure, stability margins are obtained for variations of each uncertain block in both positive and negative directions. Applications of this robustness analysis technique are illustrated.

Wen, John T.

Stability analysis of multiple rigid robot manipulators holding a common rigid object

The authors consider several possible control structures for multiple-arm systems by regarding either joint torques, tip force, or a generalized acceleration of the control input. They emphasize the first case, since a class of relatively model-independent control laws can be generated for both motion and internal force control. The recently developed move/squeeze orthogonal subspace decomposition coupled with the energy Lyapunov function formulation provides a basic analytical framework within which motion and force control are considered as independent problems. Simulation results of two three-link planar arms are included to demonstrate good transient performance for both motion and force that can be attained with the full dynamics control paradigm.

Wen, John T.

Simple robust control laws for robot manipulators. Part 2: Adaptive case

A new class of asymptotically stable adaptive control laws is introduced for application to the robotic manipulator. Unlike most applications of adaptive control theory to robotic manipulators, this analysis addresses the nonlinear dynamics directly without approximation, linearization, or ad hoc assumptions, and utilizes a parameterization based on physical (time-invariant) quantities. This approach is made possible by using energy-like Lyapunov functions which retain the nonlinear character and structure of the dynamics, rather than simple quadratic forms which are ubiquitous to the adaptive control literature, and which have bound the theory tightly to linear systems with unknown parameters. It is a unique feature of these results that the adaptive forms arise by straightforward certainty equivalence adaptation of their nonadaptive counterparts found in the companion to this paper (i.e., by replacing unknown quantities by their estimates) and that this simple approach leads to asymptotically stable closed-loop adaptive systems. Furthermore, it is emphasized that this approach does not require convergence of the parameter estimates (i.e., via persistent excitation), invertibility of the mass matrix estimate, or measurement of the joint accelerations.

Bayard, D. S.

Globally stable control laws for the attitude maneuver problem - Tracking control and adaptive control

An approach using a globally nonsingular representation is proposed for the attitude control problem of a rigid body. The attitude dynamics are described by the nonlinear Euler equation together with the nonlinear kinematic equations which relate a representation of attitude to the angular velocity of the body. When this approach is combined with an energy-motivated Lyapunov function, a large class of globally stable attitude control laws can be derived. This class includes model-independent tracking control, model-dependent tracking control, and adaptive control, allowing tradeoffs between controller complexity, attainable performance, and available model information.

Wen, John T.

Laws For Stable Control Of Orientation

Class of globally stable laws for control of orientation of rigid body established. Tradeoffs made among complexity, performance, and information available for mathematical models. New approach involves use of globally nonsingular four-parameter unit-quaternion (Euler-parameter) representation. Attitude dynamics described by nonlinear Euler equation together with nonlinear kinematic equations, which relate representation of attitude to angular velocity of body. Suitable energy-motivated Lyapunov function to analyze stability.

Kreutz, Kenneth K.

Stability analysis of multiple-robot control systems

In a space telerobotic service scenario, cooperative motion and force control of multiple robot arms are of fundamental importance. Three paradigms to study this problem are proposed. They are distinguished by the set of variables used for control design. They are joint torques, arm tip force vectors, and an accelerated generalized coordinate set. Control issues related to each case are discussed. The latter two choices require complete model information, which presents practical modeling, computational, and robustness problems. Therefore, focus is on the joint torque control case to develop relatively model independent motion and internal force control laws. The rigid body assumption allows the motion and force control problems to be independently addressed. By using an energy motivated Lyapunov function, a simple proportional derivative plus gravity compensation type of motion control law is always shown to be stabilizing. The asymptotic convergence of the tracing error to zero requires the use of a generalized coordinate with the contact constraints taken into account. If a non-generalized coordinate is used, only convergence to a steady state manifold can be concluded. For the force control, both feedforward and feedback schemes are analyzed. The feedback control, if proper care has been taken, exhibits better robustness and transient performance.

Wen, John T.

Minimizing distortion in truss structures -- a Hopfield network solution

Distortions in truss structures can result from random errors in elemental lengths that are typical of a manufacturing process. These distortions may be minimized by an optimal selection of elements from those available for placement between the prescribed nodes -- a combinatorial optimization problem requiring significant investment of computational resource for all but the smallest problems. The present paper describes a formulation in which near-optimal element assignments are obtained as minimum energy, stable states, of an analogous Hopfield neural network. This requires mapping of the optimization problem into an energy function of the appropriate Lyapunov form. The computational architecture is ideally suited to a parallel processor implementation and offers significant savings in computational effort. A numerical implementation of the approach is discussed with reference to planar truss problems.

Fu, B.

The attitude control problem

A general framework for the analysis of the attitude tracking control problem for a rigid body is presented. A large family of globally stable control laws is obtained by using the globally nonsingular unit quaternion representation in a Lyapunov function candidate whose form is motivated by the consideration of the total energy of the rigid body. The controllers share the common structure of a proportional-derivative feedback plus some feedforward which can be zero (the model-independent case), the Coriolis torque compensation, or an adaptive compensation. These controller structures are compared in terms of the requirement on the a priori model information, guaranteed transient performance, and robustness. The global stability of the Luh-Walker-Paul robot end-effector controller is also analyzed in this framework.

Wen, John Ting-Yung

Lyapunov function-based control laws for revolute robot arms - Tracking control, robustness, and adaptive control

A new class of joint level control laws for all-revolute robot arms is introduced. The analysis is similar to a recently proposed energy-like Liapunov function approach, except that the closed-loop potential function is shaped in accordance with the underlying joint space topology. This approach gives way to a much simpler analysis and leads to a new class of control designs which guarantee both global asymptotic stability and local exponential stability. When Coulomb and viscous friction and parameter uncertainty are present as model perturbations, a sliding mode-like modification of the control law results in a robustness-enhancing outer loop. Adaptive control is formulated within the same framework. A linear-in-the-parameters formulation is adopted and globally asymptotically stable adaptive control laws are derived by simply replacing unknown model parameters by their estimates (i.e., certainty equivalence adaptation).

Wen, John T.

Attitude control of an object commonly held by multiple robot arms - A Lyapunov approach

Multiple robot arms moving a commonly held object can be viewed as complex actuators whose purpose is to provide net forces and moments to the object. These forces and moments can be used to control the orientation, or attitude, of the object via the Euler equation describing attitude evolution in response to applied moments at the mass center. In contrast to the common approach that feedback-linearizes the attitude dynamics to a double integrator form with respect to some three-parameter local representation of orientation, the authors control the object using a globally nonsingular representation. Using an energy-motivated Liapunov function, globally stable control of attitude is shown.

Kreutz, Kenneth