Point-to-point liquid container transfer via a PPR robot with sloshing suppression

This paper studies the point-to-point liquid container transfer control problem for a PPR robot. A multi-mass-spring model is considered for the characterization of the most prominent liquid sloshing modes. The control inputs are two forces and a torque applied to the prismatic joints and the revolute joint, respectively. The control objective is to control the robot end-effector movement while suppressing the sloshing modes. A nonlinear mathematical model that reflects all of these assumptions is first derived. Then, a Lyapunov-based nonlinear feedback controller is designed to achieve the control objective. Finally, a simulation example is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller.