Network Approach to Force Control in Robotics and Teleoperation

摘要

The thesis studies the application of network theory to problems in robot and teleoperator control. Network models, referred to as Hilbert networks, are developed which extend the definition of standard electrical circuit elements, operating over R, to higher dimensional spaces. First, Hilbert networks are used to represent manipulators. Hilbert networks are next used to derive realistic models for the environment, including effects of contact/noncontact, coulomb friction, and nonlinear springs. Using the Hilbert network approach, passive and nonpassive controller architectures are studied in detail. The application of Hilbert networks to teleoperators results in the solution of a 20-year-old problem, namely the time-delay instability problem in bilateral teleoperation. By mimicking the behavior of a passive transmission line, a control law is derived which globally stabilizes a teleoperator with force reflection, independent of the time delay in transmission of contact forces between the master and the slave. This result is proved theoretically, and verified experimentally.