Design and implementation of a 6 DOF delta force feedback controller for tele-operation

Force feedback controller (haptic device) is the key part of a master-slave tele-operation system. It can transmit its position, orientation and velocity to remotely operate the controlled object; at the same time it can acquire information of force/torque from the remote object, and rebuild those to the operator by enabling a force sense telepresence. In this paper, a new type force feedback controller with a 6 DOF Delta parallel mechanism is presented considering the performance of easy operation and precise force feedback. Firstly, the structure and control system of the force feedback controller are introduced, then its kinematics and statics models are analyzed as well as the force feedback control scheme. Moreover, a combined simulation model is established based on “Adams” and “Simulink” to valid the performance of the force feedback controller. Simulation results demonstrate that the established kinematic model and force feedback control scheme are precise and effective, which can provide beneficial guidance for design and application of the tele-operation system.