The cable array robot: theory and experiment

Author

German, J.J. ; Jablokow, Kathryn W. ; Cannon, David J.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Mech. & Nucl. Eng., Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA, USA

Volume

3

fYear

2001

fDate

2001

Firstpage

2804

Abstract

Cable array robots are a class of robotic mechanisms which utilize multiple actuated cables to manipulate objects. This paper discusses the defining characteristics and the important issues relating to this class of robots. One particular type of cable array robot with three cables is presented in detail including kinematic relations and dynamic modeling. The resulting models are used to design a sliding mode control system for the robot, providing robustness to uncertainty in the mass of manipulated objects while tracking a given trajectory. Experimental results are provided for the system, showing that the robot is capable of tracking a trajectory within several centimeters, which is reasonable performance for many industrial applications. These results are discussed in detail and future research plans are presented.

Keywords

control system synthesis; materials handling; robot dynamics; robot kinematics; robust control; uncertain systems; variable structure systems; cable array robot; dynamic modeling; kinematic relations; multiple actuated cables; object manipulation; sliding mode control system; trajectory tracking; uncertainty robustness; Control systems; Kinematics; Manufacturing industries; Mechanical cables; Robotics and automation; Robust control; Robust stability; Service robots; Sliding mode control; Trajectory;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Robotics and Automation, 2001. Proceedings 2001 ICRA. IEEE International Conference on

ISSN

1050-4729

Print_ISBN

0-7803-6576-3

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ROBOT.2001.933047

Filename

933047