Linked Continuum Arm Control for Stiffness and Motion Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Continuum arm robots suffer from low stiffness and load-carrying capacity due to the number of joints, leading to significant deflection and limited use in confined spaces, especially when operating as long cantilever beams.
Innovation Solution
A control system for multiple compliant robots, each with its own actuator pack, featuring individual and overall control systems synchronized by clocks, with a redundancy control system to prevent motion conflicts and enhance stiffness through linking, and a clamping mechanism to secure the robots together.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of joints is increased to achieve greater dexterity and access to confined spaces, then the robot can operate in more complex environments, but the stiffness and load-carrying capacity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system is divided into multiple independent compliant robot segments, each with its own actuator pack and control system. These segments can be individually controlled and can link together through clamping mechanisms, allowing the system to achieve greater dexterity through multiple joints while maintaining stiffness through the modular structure and selective activation of segments.
2Length of moving object
If the robot arm length is increased to reach distant targets, then the working range is expanded, but the deflection increases and position accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot employs dynamic control where segments can be actively adjusted and repositioned during operation. The redundant control system continuously optimizes the configuration of multiple segments to minimize deflection and maintain position accuracy, allowing long arm lengths to achieve distant targets while compensating for elastic deformation through real-time control adjustments.
3Strength
If multiple compliant robots are linked together to increase stiffness, then the load-carrying capacity is improved, but the control complexity increases due to potential motion conflicts
Solution Approach 1:
Each compliant robot segment is equipped with its own control system with synchronized clocks that provide real-time feedback on the state and position of each segment. The overall control system uses this feedback to coordinate the motion of multiple linked robots, preventing motion conflicts through continuous monitoring and adjustment, thereby enabling increased load-carrying capacity through multi-robot collaboration while managing control complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for a compliant robotic system including at least two compliant robots having actuator packs, the control system including: an individual local control system associated with each actuator pack, the local control system providing control signals to the actuator causing movement within the robots, an overall control system controlling the overall motion of robots when proximate within a workspace, the overall control signal providing signals to the actuators associated with the robots, so as to cause linked movement of the continuum arm robots, and wherein each individual control system is provided with a clock synchronized with the other, and wherein the overall control system is provided with a redundancy control system that limits the motion of the compliant robots within certain degrees of freedom, so that the motion of the at least two complaint robots does not conflict when operating under the overall control system.