An adaptive control strategy for space based robot manipulators

The authors present a novel adaptive control method for space-based robots which achieves globally stable trajectory tracking in the presence of uncertainties in the inertial parameters of the system. They begin with a partitioning of the fifteen-degree-of-freedom system dynamics into two component: a nine-degree-of-freedom invertible portion and a six-degree-of-freedom noninvertible portion. The controller is then designed to achieve trajectory tracking of the invertible portion of the system. This portion of the system consists of the manipulator joint positions and the orientation of the base. The motion of the noninvertible portion is bounded but unpredictable. This portion of the system consists of the position of the robot´s base and the position of the reaction wheels. Simulation results are presented on a space-based robot with five revolute joints and one prismatic joint