Dealing With Vibrations in the Deployment Structures of Space Robotic Systems

Abstract

Robots are needed for important missions in field environments, including space. A very promising class of field systems is long reach manipulator systems (LRMS) consisting of a robotic manipulator carried by a very large deployable structure that provides a large working envelope. The dynamic interactions between the manipulator and its supporting structure can excite degrading vibrations in the structure. Here a planning method, called the Coupling Map, that finds manipulator motions that reduce the levels of structural vibrations is presented. A control approach, called Inferred End-Point Control (IEC), that works with low vibration planning algorithms to compensate for any remaining residual vibrations is also discussed. The results of experimental evaluation of these methods are presented. INTRODUCTION Robotic systems have been proposed for important missions in field environments, such as nuclear and toxic waste cleanup, construction and infrastructure inspection, and for space...