Modeling and control of a new aerial manipulation system of a Hybrid Ground Aerial Robot

Abstract

The idea of a novel Hybrid Ground Aerial robot (HGAR) which combines flying capability and ground motion capability in one robot is briefly described. The HGAR has two independent configurations, flying configuration and ground motion configuration. In the previous studies, the eccentric manipulator that is attached to one propeller arm is used to manipulate objects during ground motion only. Here, we aim to use it to manipulate objects during flying as well. The eccentric location of the manipulator adds difficulties to the control tasks which is not investigated before. The manipulator consists of three links and a gripper. The motion of the manipulator induces moments and forces on the HGAR flying platform which are handled as disturbances in the proposed control algorithm. The system modeling and stabilization of the flying platform under such manipulation disturbances are the aims of this work. Kinematic and dynamic analysis have been established during flying. The flying system controller is designed based on Robust Internal compensator (RIC) method which is tested to track trajectory and provide stability under manipulation disturbances. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of RIC controller to achieve excellent tracking performance and stabilize the HGAR during the manipulator movements.