Formulation and Dynamics of Flexible Space Robots with Deployable Links.

Abstract

This paper deals with a manipulator interconnected by an arbitrary number of modules, each with a flexible slewing link and a flexible deployable link. This manipulator has several inherent advantages compared to a manipulator connected by rotational joints. The two main ones are that integration of modules leads to a variable geometry manipulator with favorable obstacle avoidance and redundancy characteristics, and that there are no singular positions as in the revolute type manipulator. The equations of motion of the manipulator are derived from Lagrange's equations for the quasicoordinates using the elastic deformation modes orthogonal to the translational displacements. The total amount of calculation for the control torque is proportional to the number of links. Finally, to verify the validity of the derived equation and the computer program, the conservation of energy in a few dynamics problems is checked numerically.